Taskmaster legend Alex Horne reveals the "jolt" he got from seeing show's A-list Hollywood signing

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

It’s almost April, and "Little" Alex Horne has turned up at the Radio Times office with a wax-sealed task, four gold envelopes and a "special" six-pack of eggs. Happy Easter!

To celebrate Taskmaster’s 21st series, which begins on Channel 4 on Thursday 9 April, just a few days after the Easter weekend, Horne has agreed to create an exclusive seasonal task for RT.

To make it even more authentic, we’ve invited two of this year’s contestants – satirist/director Armando Iannucci and comedian and presenter Joel Dommett – to try it out. We’ve even managed to bring in an official trophy of Taskmaster Greg Davies wearing bunny ears for the winner. An "Easter Greg", if you will.

“This is an Easter task, which I had to come up with very quickly,” Horne tells RT. “I do have to come up with tasks all the time – I get asked quite often by hen nights and stag dos and schoolteachers. I have a little list of things that might work for different occasions.”

Essentially, it’s second nature at this point. On-screen, 47-year-old Horne and the Taskmaster team have created hundreds upon hundreds of tasks for more than 100 comedians across 21 series (not including specials), with challenges ranging from painting the best picture of a horse while riding a horse, to successfully running a fictional hotel, all judged by co-host Davies.

“I think of it like writing jokes,” Horne explains. “You always panic that you’re going to run out, but they keep on coming to you. You’re just hoping inspiration will strike in a completely different direction.

“They’re also not complete until the comedians do them,” he adds. “Often the ones that end up being the most memorable were the least good on paper.”

That’s certainly true of today’s task for Iannucci and Dommett. The unlikely duo are asked to find and smash a single boiled egg from a group of three; two are raw. Each egg has descriptions written on it, and the golden envelopes contain extra clues, but may also include red herrings. It’s hard to say what cracks quicker under the pressure – the celebrities or the eggs.

“Like most of the series, with this task I’ve finished it and still don’t really understand what happened,” Dommett says shortly after his attempt.

Still, the eggy chaos reflects the new series, the 11th on Channel 4 (previously it aired on Dave). Alongside Iannucci and Dommett, the new cast includes comedian Amy Gledhill and actor Joanna Page, best known for one of the titular roles in Gavin & Stacey. “Most people only know her from Gavin & Stacey and haven’t seen the real Joanna, and it’s remarkable,” Horne says.

But perhaps the most impressive signing is Hollywood actor Kumail Nanjiani, a former Marvel superhero with an impressive TV and film CV that includes Ghostbusters, Men in Black and Star Wars roles. A few days before our shoot, he presented an award at the Oscars and was cast in the next series of The White Lotus.

“I did get a jolt when I watched the Oscars and Kumail walked on, because I know what he’s like in real life,” Horne laughs. “But it just shows that people are just people. I think Taskmaster works because it doesn’t matter who you are. It still comes unstuck when you’ve got three eggs and a task.

“We started in 2015, and I don’t think it’s changed much,” he adds. “The tasks have to change a little bit. Even today, there’s a few more rules because we’ve done a lot of the most basic things. And also, contestants do come in with a little bit more knowledge about the show.

“But equally we still put stuff under the table and no one looks there. Greg’s still as wayward with his judging as ever. I think that, at its core, it’s still just making funny people do stupid things.”

Looking ahead, viewers can expect those “funny people” to get even starrier. According to Horne, series 22 – which has almost concluded studio filming as we go to press – has cast a real hero of his, while series 23 goes even bigger.

“I could give you a sneaky bit of information for the distant future,” he says. “We have got an Oscar winner in a future series.”

Robert De Niro throwing a potato into a hole? Meryl Streep eating an entire watermelon in three minutes? Take a guess... the clock’s ticking!

You can find out how the task went and read more from Alex Horne, Joel Dommett and Armando Iannucci in the new issue of Radio Times magazine, out on Tuesday – subscribe here.

Photographer: Rob Parfitt @rob_parfitt_photography

HMU: Bryony Blake @bryony_blake

HMU: Holly Davies @hollylouisehmua

Set Dressing: Propped Up @propped_up_ltd

Taskmaster returns on Thursday 9 April at 9pm on Channel 4. Previous seasons are available to watch on catch-up on Channel4.com.

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