Taskmaster has announced the cast for its 22nd season, which is headlined by Matt Lucas and Richard Ayoade.
Beginning in 2015, the long-running comedy series involves host Greg Davies judging a panel of comedians’ performance in humorous tasks set by his “assistant”, Alex Horne (the show’s creator). It has propelled many stand-up comedians into the spotlight, with previous winners including James Acaster, Josh Widdicombe, and Katherine Ryan.
Series 21 concluded tonight (June 11), and the show has wasted no time in announcing the cast for the follow-up. Little Britain creator Matt Lucas will feature, alongside Richard Ayoade, known for his work on sitcom The I.T. Crowd and for directing films such as Submarine. Joining them will be Issy Suttie, best known for playing Dobby on sitcom Peep Show; and stand-up comedian Chloe Petts. Nina Conti, a comedian and ventriloquist who recently appeared in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, completes the line-up. The air date for series 22 is yet to be announced.
An official press release read: “As another triumphant task tournament comes to a close, the almighty Greg Davies and his efficient assistant Alex Horne announce a brand-new five-piece set of distinguished comedians that they are set to score and mark with the utmost scrutiny to determine who will emerge victorious and become the next front-runner to hold aloft that remarkably shiny representation of Greg’s incomparable head and become a Taskmaster Champion.”
Last year, a recording of the original stage show that Taskmaster is based on emerged online, featuring contestants who would go on to become fan favourites. Originally called The Task Master, the tasks included: “Please deposit a sum of money into my Barclay’s Bank account”; “Find a hedgehog”; and “Send me something large through the post”. As with the televised version, points are awarded on ingenuity and comedy value.