Anyway, while I have yet to return to writing silly jokes (beyond instructions for my funeral), I have binged a couple of TV series I had never seen in full before that I absolutely adored.
Derry Girls (perfectly pitched. The cast and characters are all so great that I cannot pick a favourite).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (some seasons and relationships drag, but a few episodes rank among the finest hours of television of all time).
But the one I enjoyed most is the programme whose catchy theme tune loops in my head as I settle down to sleep: Taskmaster.
This is one of the best comedy shows the UK has ever made.
The core idea of Alex Horne's creation is wonderfully simple: set five funny people the same absurd task. Watch them tackle it with vastly different approaches. Rate their efforts. Hilarity ensues.
It is a rollercoaster of a competition. The perpetual underdog can win a game with some unexpectedly brilliant moves. A spectacular triumph can be immediately undermined or revealed to have broken the rules. The number of episodes has doubled since the series began, so there are so much more points up for grabs. The leaderboard gets incredibly tight at the top with positions frequently changing every show. It is quite the ride.
It must be such an incredibly hard show to cast. And even more difficult to be on. It is such a unique proposition: six to ten episodes of a panel show in which you must justify to a sceptical Greg Davies why you did a very silly thing when panicking, on the spot and against the clock (the explanation offered is often that they were panicking, on the spot, and against the clock).
Potential players must be honest with themselves – are you a good loser? Competitiveness is fine, but the show is more comfortable for us (and you) to watch if you do not care too much about winning. The challenges range from creative to physical to lateral thinking, so surely you will not be rubbish at all of them. What if you are though? Will you visibly sulk or can you laugh it off like Nish Kumar?
The best runs of the show are where the contestants feel like a gang. Each quintet is cast from a few different comic generations, but some combinations feel like a supportive bunch of pals who love each other’s attempts, cheer the successes, and commiserate for the absolute shockers.
For this reason, series four and five were some of my faves. Mel Giedroyc specifically is a wholesome delight. Happy to be there and enjoying every second, she makes sure to pocket the tasks’ wax seals as keepsakes. Her giddy mood really embodies the show at its best: silly people doing silly things. It is the perfect antidote for these trying times.
Series ten comes out on Channel Four soon. You do not need to have seen the previous nine in order to appreciate it, but I absolutely recommend them all.
Enjoy watching this TV show. Your time starts now.
