It would appear that I am far from the only one to notice the similarities between the latest Netflix smash hit Squid Game and Taskmaster. If you are yet to watch the former don’t worry this isn’t going to contain any real spoilers but to give you a rough idea in the words of TM alumni David Baddiel Squid Game is basically just Taskmaster if Alex Horne was Satan. If no upcoming TM contestants choose to don a green tracksuit I will be rather disappointed.
As with every year I recently re watched all previous series of Taskmaster ahead of the current series and it’s always interesting looking back to see how my opinions on contestants change not only over the course of their series but when looking back. Many folk have aired a dislike of series eight and at the time I didn’t really notice it. Perhaps because having become a fan of Lou Sanders after listening to her appearance on RHLSTP (or Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast for the non-cool kids) that was enough to distract me. That said, when watched either side of James Acaster (series 7) and Ed Gamble (series 9) the win at all costs attitude of Iain Stirling shines out like an increasingly irritating beacon. That series does however unfortunately also suffer at times due to the uncomfortable performance of Paul Sinha who at the time was yet to be diagnosed with/publicly reveal his Parkinson’s disease as well as Joe Thomas’ pretence of not wishing to be there (which appears on the whole to be entirely truthful). In any other series Lou and Sian would still have shone but they both had more to give and deserved to be pushed more.
In terms of the current series, while we’re not even at the halfway point yet it definitely feels like the strongest lineup in a long time. Ordinarily I go into any series with a clear favourite, and while prima facie Victoria Coren Mitchell was the person I was most excited to see compete this year, that was never with the real expectation of victory. Undoubtedly she is able to approach tasks like no other and think outside the box and though her code-cracking skills in the most recent episodes where much to be admired, one of the things that has really stood out to me so far this season have been the contestants I was less enthusiastic about, really coming to the forefront. I’ve seen Guz khan on a number of programmes over the last few years and I have to be honest and say I never really got him before, but he is quickly becoming one of my favourites. I am certainly going to go back and rewatch his other contributions.
I’ve known of Morgana Robinson for years but aside from guest appearances on 8 out of 10 cats have somewhat avoided her work as I am not really a fan of impressionists. In fact that’s not really fair, generally speaking I hate them. If someone walks onto Britain’s Got Talent and announces they are an impressionist I Fast forward. It doesn’t matter how good they are I just don’t find them entertaining. All that being said, free to just be herself, it turns out I absolutely love the woman! She is the contestant this year that seems to approach tasks very much as I would and when I sit at home and think what I would bring in for each prize task, she is the one bringing what I have thought of. It doesn’t matter what Greg thinks, I love my hand mixer!
I’ve tried to avoid giving away too many spoilers here, but I’m guessing if you’ve read this far then you’ve probably been watching anyway and I can’t not let VCM mastering how to ride bike in under 5 minutes pass without comment. I don’t know who invented the phrase it’s like riding a bike let me tell you whoever that was was an idiot. Unlike Victoria I did learn to ride a bike as a child, however you’ll realise if you’ve read the previous incarnation of this blog, I spent way longer as a kid on skates. A fact that became all too obvious in December 2019 when while on holiday in Spain with my best friend and we decided it would be a good idea to hire bicycles to help us get around the resort. While I survived without any major injuries there was no point while cycling along major roads or even lanes surrounded by orange groves that I didn’t fear being collided with by Spanish traffic. My highlight of the series so far has to be that innocent joyful moment after Alex had blown the final whistle when Victoria asked him if she could carry on riding the bike for a bit longer. She might usually spend her days surrounded by top quizzers and the impenetrably intelligent David Mitchell, the simple joy of putting one pedal in front of the other without falling off could not be beaten.
I also watched the New Zealand version of Taskmaster in the wait for the current season to begin (all the episodes are available completely legally in the UK anyhow, on YouTube). It was a strange experience diving in with no clue who any of the contestants were and having made the grave error of giving the American incarnation a go I hadn’t expected much. The Kiwi answer to Alex Horne, Paul Williams, has clearly studied his British counterpart but still manages to bring his own twist to the role. While Alex has a tendency to look on vaguely encouragingly Paul maintains a cool and at times baffled expression throughout. The tasks are all brand new, yet very much in keeping with what we are used to and I will not spoil it but in series 2 there is one particular task which lasts longer than I believe any task in taskmaster history. Unfortunately Greg’s counterpart, Jeremy Wells is the one thing that lets the franchise down. While the contestants in both of the series to air so far, share the same gang show attitude as those in the UK, Jeremy does very little aside from awarding points. He gives very little justification for his marks and doesn’t really seem to discuss what they have done. In the second series one of the contestants is a close friend of his and while we have seen this in Britain with Rhod Gilbert, Jeremy often seems to reward them far and above what is deserved, in a way that Greg would never have dreamed of. All that being said, it is definitely worth giving it a watch if only to discover some real characters, many of whom would fit in perfectly in the Greg Davies world.
As for Squid Game I haven’t finished watching it yet put there are definitely some group tasks in there which it would be interesting to see translated – all be it without the rather gruesome consequences for failure! And who knows it might yet turnout that the man behind the mask is the little man himself.
White Skates 