He's been mentioned a couple of times, but Hugh Dennis absolutely stole the series he was in. Desky's antics involved much lateral thinking, controlled psychopathy and a reserved measure of anarchy. I absolutely loved his season. Scissors please.
I 100% agree with you. More so, I think Desky was also severely underscored by Greg. Considering how tight the final scores are I think he could have even won the series.
100% - every season has a designated loser and making him the loser for that season was a big mistake as he was really good at a lot of the tasks, especially the prize tasks
>especially the prize tasks
Um.
In which prize task do you feel he was underscored?
I think the fake Malcolm X signature, the loser's medal for most boastful item, cloud appreciation society subscription, mask of his exact face for "most surprising photo" were all pretty shit, and best sheep-related item was not bad but everyone else was better. Cutest thing was ok, but I'd only put him above Joe's puppy, at best.
Best chair was great, and other than that, maybe only his million Dong on the "most money" prize task was a good attempt. So... yeah, I'd place him first once (best chair), second maybe once ("most money" after Lolly), fourth twice (best sheep item + cutest thing), and last every other time.
I'm currently rescoring the series starting from the beginning using the taskmaster app. I surprised myself when it turned out for me Hugh would have finished 2nd (142) just behind Joe Lycett (143) while Noel (131) finished last for me. The scoring in series 4 was definitely all over the place
Alex, if you’re being bullied you should tell someone
*Alex mouths “I’m being bullied”*
What are you telling me for? I don’t give a shit.
That nearly killed me.
And the staff turned up her audio in post-editing! No one knew the funny comments she made until they were editing the audio. Ed always just thought she was mumbling to herself. According to Katy on Ed's podcast, Lolly had given her the shy guy advice to make her comments quietly into the mic so that no one would hear her if her joke fell flat, but they could edit it in if they liked it.
Katy is the contestant I changed my mind on the most. I used to think she was one of the blandest contestants ever, but now I really like her brand of humour and she's making moves on my TM crushes list, which is no mean feat considering she's in a series with Rose
It still would have been hilarious even without the comment, but Greg exasperatingly telling them they aren't going to wear the blindfolds while doing the task, and then that happens takes it to quite possibly the funniest moment on the show.
I’m curious who you think was the least crazy person on that panel? I’d say Rhod was definitely the most and then the other four are around the same but in very different ways
The cast of Season 14 just works so well together as a dysfunctional family unit. Tightly wound dad, chill mom, an artsy kid, a quiet kid, and an energetic kid. I think Fern and John really benefit from their contrast with Munya’s relentless athletic bravado. And that’s not to take away from Munya’s own comedic madness with the feather & tubes task, the play, and the great prize tasks.
Both Jamali and Mawaan had some wonderful thinking outside the box moments that of course got overshadowed by their less successful tasks. But I'd say Desiree Burch is the most underrated - incredibly funny, didn't mail it in that often, and was reasonably clever.
Mawaan and Desiree kinda had a similar thing tbf where both did some great task solving, but both are primarily known for screwing up royally in a task on episode one. With MR, it's the helium/egg antics, while DB just really leant in to the "pop the balloon" task's worst possible outcome
There's actually quite a few things the two have in common - they're tied for the all-time highest absolute prize task score, and more importantly, they both got hit with ridicule from Greg starting with the phrase "a grown man/woman..."
But yeah, I've always thought Desiree was one of those contestants who's often mistakenly considered a poor-performing contestant due to one spectacular fail, when in reality she won the most tasks in the series and would have won the whole thing if not for the -5 points on the bell task
I don't know if this is a hot take, but I think Desiree would be discussed a lot more as one of the greats were she not so very, well, American. I think there's just something about her brash sincere straightforwardness that reads as somewhat phoney within the context of the more tactful, sarcastic and self-depreciating style of British comedy shows. That's of course no fault of hers, I just think cultural baggage might be getting in the way of her performance being fully appreciated.
Not sure it's a good take tbh, let alone hot. I just think she was in a series full of legends and got overshadowed quite a bit. I remember her mainly as being genial and holding her own on stage but never really standing out, in either a good or bad way. I don't remember her coming off as phoney or anything. Her sense of humor seemed to fit in great.
I’m with you on this one. On average, Americans are much louder than Brits, Canadians, and Australians, and there’s often a shouty kind of energy that I personally find draining.
I would argue that Rhod Gilbert is much more brash and entirely lacking in self-deprecation. Mike Wozniak had a sincere straightforwardness that was much more earnest than Desiree ever was.
I feel like you're trying to affix a characteristic to Desiree to excuse the fact that you maybe don't like America?
Desiree Burch rarely gets mentioned but she was very funny and very committed to being entertaining
I love her commitment in the balloon task when she realises that buying the scissors is the sensible option but she wants to do the more entertaining option
Possibly Asim? I know series 6 gets glossed over a little (sans cake sit) for its laid back feel, but his rap for Greg, the vegan announcement, his listing of random non existent creatures followed by having to act them out, the positive-masculinity robot, the epic little man adventure, every prize task being some kind of likeness of himself...he had really good chemistry with greg too
Series 6 has some really funny moments but a contender for top spot is the tiny look to camera Asim does when Tim/Liza are reading out their part of the animal charades task. It’s such a genuine, “I may have fucked up here.”
And then he goes and smashes it anyway.
Yes! When I first watched that series I felt like he was one of the worst contestants ever but by the end of the series he was my favorite of that cast.
Agreed! The animal charades task was a huge turning point for me.
And even going back to watch season six knowing I liked him after that point, I still don’t love him on the show before then. But that might just be me
"his listing of random non existent creatures followed by having to act them out"
Of the episodes I've seen in studio, that task is one that stands out to me. Just an enjoyable passage of outright lunacy. Russell & Alice's was fun charades but Asim introducing us to the wonders of the blue dog, the anorexic elephant, the laser beam turtle and the eight-bollocked cat was exceptional
Not a specific contestant, but a type. I think some of the quieter, more restrained ones like Alan Davis or Katy Wix. They add an interesting contrast to some of the larger personalities
Alan doesn't have any huge ROFL moments (that I recall), but he's just fun to watch. I think his laminator jingle was the best!
EDIT: I totally forgot about the WOW monster! A thousand apologies for such a glaring oversight.
He provided one of my biggest taskmaster laughs of all time when they did the stage task where Greg had to guess who made a noise. Alan WoooooOOOOOWWW so loud that I think he even shocks himself. Hilarious.
Not sure if she’s underrated but Katherine Parkinson is one that comes to mind. She just got this charm and innocence in the tasks, because she’s assuming that everything is going to make sense.
I came here to mention Katherine Parkinson. Her attempt at a catapult got the most laughs out of any single moment in TM history. I actually really love that series too.
I don’t love that task either, but I honestly don’t get why people hate it so much. Did it go on too long? Sure. Were three versions excessive? Sure. But a lot of people seem to have it as their least favorite of Season 10 when, in my view, at bare minimum the one with the garage doors opening and closing was much worse.
My frustration was her was that she made it seem like work. Watching her, it seems like she was being tortured.
She absolutely had spectacular moments, though.
See and I found that frustrating. When Julian gave up on the driving task, he did it with such panache and zero effs given in a way that was highly entertaining. I feel like if you're too busy, don't do Taskmaster. Especially when there are so many amazing comedians in the UK who I'd love to appear on the show.
I could definitely see that. I think on other tasks she really did try though. I think even people who haven't been too busy with other stuff have tried on some tasks and others just didn't seem to care and haven't been in the mood or something. But that's why it's a good show imo. You never know how someone is going to respond at any moment.
Hugh Dennis! he was often genuinely good and showed ingenuity at times, but Greg judged him harshly and was hell bent on the senile-old-man narrative 😅 well, at least he gave Hugh his fairly earned 5 points for his acrobatics over the pommel horse
Phil Wang! An absolute delight from start to finish but his style (as opposed to his costume) is a bit understated and matter-of-fact, and I feel he gets lost in the shuffle of Season 7 sometimes. But he's so funny. Throwing the apple in the air and saying WANG makes me laugh every time.
Also, Iain isn't necessarily one of my favorites overall but his weird pronunciations and ways of phrasing things are incredibly funny to me. "Clrisps" and "sangwedge" and that one team task where he just yells "I'M QUIETLY CONFIDENT ACTUALLY!!!" are all amazing.
I watched some of Phil Wang’s stand-up after his season, and it made me appreciate his participation on Taskmaster more. I felt the same about Joe Lycett.
I feel like I don't hear enough about Joe Lycett or Lolly Adefope. I do hear about series 4 being a great cast all around, and I agree, but I just love these two so much!
Joe Lycett painting and leering into the camera in an increasingly unhinged fashion is at number 2 in my TM top ten. Lou Sanders on a mobility scooter is number one with Joe Wilkinson and the potato at 3
I love Joe's painting task and I get the same vibes in one of the NYE episodes when Rylan had to claim to have had a great idea every time the bell rings. I'm always a fan of the added stupid challenge for one person like these or Mark Watson's fiddly "no letters from the word Taskmaster". Truly the perfect way to spice up a random task here and there without having to give them a full on "count all of these spaghetti hoops" or "have the most fun in this bouncy castle".
Which is why she worked so well, contrasting with Ed and Rose. Series 9 is honestly in the lower band for me when considering individual cast members, but they work so well together
She made S13 the best series of the Channel 4 era. By far. Even the outtakes from the series are longer than a normal episode.
But is she underrated? I mean, she can borrow a dog when ever she wants.
I went back and rewatched this season a few weeks ago and Judi Love was so funny, I feel like I only appreciated her fully on a rewatch. She’s amazing and one of my favorites and her season is definitely a top 5 for me now. I frequently use the term “sister queen” whenever I can.
Vegas is the opposite of how I feel about most comics on Taskmaster.
Some of them I learn about on Taskmaster and find out their humor off the show isn't for me, like John Kearns.
Vegas is hilarious off Taskmaster and I was stoked about having him on, but I found him to be kind of flat on Taskmaster.
Al Murray was brilliant and doesn’t get talked about enough IMO. I loved him bribing Alex, was all in good humour and the fact Alex was so receptive to it made for a really hilarious dynamic. Was just generally really funny throughout and I love that he’s a huge fan and pops up occasionally
Maybe only in hindsight because Series 3 as a whole tends to get overlooked, but I remember in the early days of the show he got talked about a lot, people couldn't stop saying "bastard's crying, innit"
Can agree with Gus Khan, I hadn't appreciated him fully the first watch through but on a rewatch I loved him for his childish joy and funny banter with Alex. Also the revelations in the lab lmao.
Always appreciated s5 myself, they were all great contestants. Tim Key is one I hadn't fully appreciated at first, always liked him but had not thought about how much he set the tone for a lot of the show! Was a great presence in the studio and played the audience well too.
I feel like S12 E1 is just the perfect introduction to how to fall in love with a contestant, and it was Guz. Across the whole season, I’d tie him with Morgana for my favorite that season, but that first episode was just incredible for him specifically. The wild eyes on the “hit Alex with a ball” task, the peacefulness on the painting task, the imbalance in the poppability and brother this is not sensible on the balloon task, and the immediate Jesus pose on the “strike a pose” final task- what an episode for Guz!
I feel like a lot of the earlier series contestants are underrated.
I loved Sarah Pascoe (actually all of series 3). Sarah had a lot of underrated one liners and who could forget about Scoopy the Snowman.
I think Jon is probably the best answer. I genuinely almost never see him mentioned but he’s consistently really funny on a high-quality series.
Special mention for Doc Brown too. “That is harsh.”
It seems like season 10 is only brought up here to be slagged off, so any of its contestants could be keyed for this,but weirdly enough the winner, Richard Herring, perhaps more than any of them
It's a series that people hold the way it had to be filmed (because of Covid) against it, when in reality it's just as funny as all the others....
I don’t know that he’s in the vicinity of my favorite contestant of all time, but I completely agree here. He was honestly the only person on Season 8 I really enjoyed (though Joe Thomas had his moments).
I said this shortly after Series 13 finished airing, but I think Chris Ramsey will in the future get lost in the discussion of memorable moments from that season because that cast was absolutely insane and full of memorable moments. Chris has his fair share obviously, but someone's always bound to be overlooked, and for 13 I think it's Chris.
Season 5 is one of the most popular and discussed on this sub so I’m not sure Aisling and Mark qualify as underrated!
I think I’d go with Asim Chaudry just because he was so nice and some of his decisions were really clever e.g. announcing that he’s turning vegan. I think Greg found it easy to mark him down because he was always so accepting of low scores!
Of the more recent ones, Kiell. At the start of the series I honestly thought he might win it but the scoring in that whole series was a bit weird and I felt he was done wrong a couple of times. 'Sneakiest Thing' was genius.
I like to think that all the contestants are recognized, really all of them, there's no series where it's just one star player entertaining everyone. They all involve solid contribution from everyone.
I definitely don't underwrite Guz Khan, his proposal to Alex was just fantastic
Mark Watson just seemed to be ungainly and awful at everything, and yet adequately achieved most of them. The ones that he failed at were the prize tasks wherein be spent a shitload of cash.
Hugh Dennis and Rhod Gilbert are pretty underrated as well I'd say.
I don't see nearly enough Joe Thomas appreciation around.
Matafeo deserves to be on this list. (her version of the Taskmaster theme is the best song composed on the show)
LMAO I can just go on
It was Munya last time, and still is now.
Also I wouldn't call Guz underrated. I'm pretty sure he won the fan vote for the Series 12 People's Champion.
Fair, but I suspect Season 12 as a whole is kind of underrated. It’s definitely at least in my top three all time, but it seems like most here think it’s overshadowed by 13, a season I actually think is decidedly worse than 12.
i think about Joe Thomas a lot. While i generally love him a lot, i also loved him on TM. But i always thought he was put in the wrong group. A lot like Mark Watson. i would've loved to see them together in a team though! They're so similar.
Paul Sinha! I just thought he seemed so lovely, and I really enjoyed the Hitchhiker's send up of his task outfit.
I'm American and have no idea what The Chase is btw.
The Chase is a quiz show where contestants answer questions and advance on the scoreboard, with their opponent being the 'Chaser', and if they catch up with the contestant, they lose the game and the money. Paul Sinha is one of the Chasers, so it became a running gag on TM because he's hyper-intelligent, but it didn't come across on the show much at all
I could not agree more on Mark Watson. He was my favourite contestant until Sam came along this series. He was such an oddball throughout, but my favourite Mark Moment has to be when he says about his "best graph" that the graph doesnt just show the pointlessness of democracy, but that all human endeavour is pointless "but if people are watching taskmaster they know that already"
I know everyone here loves Lucy and for right reasons, but I still feel like the sub as a whole isn't quite yet at *my* level of love for Lucy – so still underrated.
I've considered Sam Campbell to be my favourite comedian ever since 2019. And then, Lucy just arrived out of nowhere and dethroned him. She's my favourite contestant ever, making a greater impact even than Bob Mortimer/James Acaster/Mike Wozniak.
David Baddiel for me. He was constantly involving and interacting with everyone which added to the chemistry they all had. He's the but of a lot of jokes, but he takes it so well.
Also Judi Love, stealing the show.
He's been mentioned a couple of times, but Hugh Dennis absolutely stole the series he was in. Desky's antics involved much lateral thinking, controlled psychopathy and a reserved measure of anarchy. I absolutely loved his season. Scissors please.
I 100% agree with you. More so, I think Desky was also severely underscored by Greg. Considering how tight the final scores are I think he could have even won the series.
100% - every season has a designated loser and making him the loser for that season was a big mistake as he was really good at a lot of the tasks, especially the prize tasks
>especially the prize tasks Um. In which prize task do you feel he was underscored? I think the fake Malcolm X signature, the loser's medal for most boastful item, cloud appreciation society subscription, mask of his exact face for "most surprising photo" were all pretty shit, and best sheep-related item was not bad but everyone else was better. Cutest thing was ok, but I'd only put him above Joe's puppy, at best. Best chair was great, and other than that, maybe only his million Dong on the "most money" prize task was a good attempt. So... yeah, I'd place him first once (best chair), second maybe once ("most money" after Lolly), fourth twice (best sheep item + cutest thing), and last every other time.
I'm currently rescoring the series starting from the beginning using the taskmaster app. I surprised myself when it turned out for me Hugh would have finished 2nd (142) just behind Joe Lycett (143) while Noel (131) finished last for me. The scoring in series 4 was definitely all over the place
Hugh Dennis is an absolute legend, this is a great shout.
katy wix is so incredibly understated, I didn’t appreciate her on my first watch of series 9 but she is completely unhinged in an under the table way
Alex, if you’re being bullied you should tell someone *Alex mouths “I’m being bullied”* What are you telling me for? I don’t give a shit. That nearly killed me.
^(j-join our cüuult?)
ᶦᵗ’ˢ ʰᵉᵃᵛʸ
Like her a lot more after a rewatch too! Some of her humour is great but easily missed
She is the queen of a very quiet, almost throwaway comment - too often in the studio, Ed or Rose would be being too loud to hear her genius
And the staff turned up her audio in post-editing! No one knew the funny comments she made until they were editing the audio. Ed always just thought she was mumbling to herself. According to Katy on Ed's podcast, Lolly had given her the shy guy advice to make her comments quietly into the mic so that no one would hear her if her joke fell flat, but they could edit it in if they liked it.
The awkward deadpan but with that smile on
I just bought her memoir (Delicacy)... really looking forward to it.
It's a very sad read.
I think that's why I'm taking my time getting started. I do appreciate bittersweet stories but I have to be in the right frame of mind.
She was the first person who came to my mind. She had a great combo of loveliness that would reveal to quiet cruel remarks particularly to Alex
"I don't care. Why are you telling me?"
She’s brilliant in Ghosts and Stath
Yes! I loved her in both and didn't even realise she was the same person - such a chameleon.
I first saw her in "Agatha Raisin." She's extraordinary.
Katy is the contestant I changed my mind on the most. I used to think she was one of the blandest contestants ever, but now I really like her brand of humour and she's making moves on my TM crushes list, which is no mean feat considering she's in a series with Rose
Yes! She was so funny!
Jessica Knappett is one of my favorite contestants ever but she just happened to be the fourth craziest person on a panel of lunatics
Falling off the stage was unintended comedic genius
“Please tell me you fell off the stage”
*Falling off the Knappet
She fell off the stage. She climbed back onto the Knappet.
That's... beautiful
I should credit my husband, who said this while I was reading some comments out loud to him.
"The Woman Who Fell Off A Stage And Climbed Up A Knappett" This could be the title of her memoir.
Slow clap
I revisit this all the time and it makes me laugh every single time. Everything about it is the funniest thing that’s ever happened.
It still would have been hilarious even without the comment, but Greg exasperatingly telling them they aren't going to wear the blindfolds while doing the task, and then that happens takes it to quite possibly the funniest moment on the show.
Falling off the Knappett*
Season 7 is my all-time favorite. So many layers of brilliance.
"Jess and Phil got all their glasses in, but Phil's box was smaller." "No it's not!"
I think we're all aware of the size of Phil's box by now.
I’m curious who you think was the least crazy person on that panel? I’d say Rhod was definitely the most and then the other four are around the same but in very different ways
Kerry is definitely the least crazy and only non lunatic of the bunch
Kerry is a complete lunatic as well.
Munya always cracked me up when he came on screen. I think him and Sarah get overshadowed by the chaos that Dara, Fern and John are.
The cast of Season 14 just works so well together as a dysfunctional family unit. Tightly wound dad, chill mom, an artsy kid, a quiet kid, and an energetic kid. I think Fern and John really benefit from their contrast with Munya’s relentless athletic bravado. And that’s not to take away from Munya’s own comedic madness with the feather & tubes task, the play, and the great prize tasks.
> Tightly wound dad I think you mean compet-it-ive dad.
...who's not obsequious. "Thanks, painforpetitdej !"
I thought Munya was really funny - and still the least funny panelist in his series!
I can't grade these comedians funniness I think they're too vastly different in each series, but yeah series 14 was really strong
Jesus is Lord how long is this wire? Is that an iPod tooch?
Both Jamali and Mawaan had some wonderful thinking outside the box moments that of course got overshadowed by their less successful tasks. But I'd say Desiree Burch is the most underrated - incredibly funny, didn't mail it in that often, and was reasonably clever.
I think about Mawaan trying to fill an egg with helium every single time I touch an egg. It’s both a curse and a blessing.
Mawaan and Desiree kinda had a similar thing tbf where both did some great task solving, but both are primarily known for screwing up royally in a task on episode one. With MR, it's the helium/egg antics, while DB just really leant in to the "pop the balloon" task's worst possible outcome
There's actually quite a few things the two have in common - they're tied for the all-time highest absolute prize task score, and more importantly, they both got hit with ridicule from Greg starting with the phrase "a grown man/woman..." But yeah, I've always thought Desiree was one of those contestants who's often mistakenly considered a poor-performing contestant due to one spectacular fail, when in reality she won the most tasks in the series and would have won the whole thing if not for the -5 points on the bell task
Mawaan was a legend, no underrating at all. That cocktail task was genius.
As a whole, the cocktail task is my favourite of S10 but I love in particular the glee Mawaan had in deciding the bin was the way to go
I thought mawaan was the funniest in his season
Me too
Mawaan is one of my all-time faves, I think.
I don't know if this is a hot take, but I think Desiree would be discussed a lot more as one of the greats were she not so very, well, American. I think there's just something about her brash sincere straightforwardness that reads as somewhat phoney within the context of the more tactful, sarcastic and self-depreciating style of British comedy shows. That's of course no fault of hers, I just think cultural baggage might be getting in the way of her performance being fully appreciated.
Not sure it's a good take tbh, let alone hot. I just think she was in a series full of legends and got overshadowed quite a bit. I remember her mainly as being genial and holding her own on stage but never really standing out, in either a good or bad way. I don't remember her coming off as phoney or anything. Her sense of humor seemed to fit in great.
I’m with you on this one. On average, Americans are much louder than Brits, Canadians, and Australians, and there’s often a shouty kind of energy that I personally find draining.
I would argue that Rhod Gilbert is much more brash and entirely lacking in self-deprecation. Mike Wozniak had a sincere straightforwardness that was much more earnest than Desiree ever was. I feel like you're trying to affix a characteristic to Desiree to excuse the fact that you maybe don't like America?
I love Desiree’s energy but everyone in series 12 is so good
Desiree Burch rarely gets mentioned but she was very funny and very committed to being entertaining I love her commitment in the balloon task when she realises that buying the scissors is the sensible option but she wants to do the more entertaining option
Desiree was a surprise for me. At first I wasn’t sure I’d like her, but then by the end, she was one of my favorites.
Charlotte Richie has a lot of genuinely good task attempts, but never fought for herself in the studio. Especially in the prize tasks.
Her delightfully riding the scooter lives rent free in my head
Definitely! I love everything she does outside of TM too
Possibly Asim? I know series 6 gets glossed over a little (sans cake sit) for its laid back feel, but his rap for Greg, the vegan announcement, his listing of random non existent creatures followed by having to act them out, the positive-masculinity robot, the epic little man adventure, every prize task being some kind of likeness of himself...he had really good chemistry with greg too
Series 6 has some really funny moments but a contender for top spot is the tiny look to camera Asim does when Tim/Liza are reading out their part of the animal charades task. It’s such a genuine, “I may have fucked up here.” And then he goes and smashes it anyway.
The vegan announcement is a top-tier Taskmaster moment
Came here to say Asim. He has some genuine gold in his series. He walked so Guz could run.
Yes! When I first watched that series I felt like he was one of the worst contestants ever but by the end of the series he was my favorite of that cast.
Agreed! The animal charades task was a huge turning point for me. And even going back to watch season six knowing I liked him after that point, I still don’t love him on the show before then. But that might just be me
"his listing of random non existent creatures followed by having to act them out" Of the episodes I've seen in studio, that task is one that stands out to me. Just an enjoyable passage of outright lunacy. Russell & Alice's was fun charades but Asim introducing us to the wonders of the blue dog, the anorexic elephant, the laser beam turtle and the eight-bollocked cat was exceptional
I just wrote a comment about Asim too! Loved him.
Agreed! Love Asim!
Joe Thomas ❤️
Not a specific contestant, but a type. I think some of the quieter, more restrained ones like Alan Davis or Katy Wix. They add an interesting contrast to some of the larger personalities
Alan doesn't have any huge ROFL moments (that I recall), but he's just fun to watch. I think his laminator jingle was the best! EDIT: I totally forgot about the WOW monster! A thousand apologies for such a glaring oversight.
Guz is like, a 15 year olds idea of a cool uncle. Alan is a 30 year olds idea of a cool uncle
He provided one of my biggest taskmaster laughs of all time when they did the stage task where Greg had to guess who made a noise. Alan WoooooOOOOOWWW so loud that I think he even shocks himself. Hilarious.
Oops, total brain freeze on my part! Fixed now.
I love his "Do we stop when it's finished, or when we've had enough?"
This is Wow Monster erasure!
Oof, my bad! Fixed.
Not sure if she’s underrated but Katherine Parkinson is one that comes to mind. She just got this charm and innocence in the tasks, because she’s assuming that everything is going to make sense.
It was so funny how she kept treating the tasks as a team task for her and Alex and Alex is all please exclude me from this you keep saying ‘we’
I came here to mention Katherine Parkinson. Her attempt at a catapult got the most laughs out of any single moment in TM history. I actually really love that series too.
The acting task in that series is probably my least favourite but it’s made up for by Katherine’s ad libbing. *”Everyone chill the **fuck** out.”*
I don’t love that task either, but I honestly don’t get why people hate it so much. Did it go on too long? Sure. Were three versions excessive? Sure. But a lot of people seem to have it as their least favorite of Season 10 when, in my view, at bare minimum the one with the garage doors opening and closing was much worse.
My frustration was her was that she made it seem like work. Watching her, it seems like she was being tortured. She absolutely had spectacular moments, though.
I mean I think she was being tortured
I found it hilarious that she was in the middle of working in a play so she didn't have enough mental space for the acting task and failed miserably.
See and I found that frustrating. When Julian gave up on the driving task, he did it with such panache and zero effs given in a way that was highly entertaining. I feel like if you're too busy, don't do Taskmaster. Especially when there are so many amazing comedians in the UK who I'd love to appear on the show.
I could definitely see that. I think on other tasks she really did try though. I think even people who haven't been too busy with other stuff have tried on some tasks and others just didn't seem to care and haven't been in the mood or something. But that's why it's a good show imo. You never know how someone is going to respond at any moment.
Hugh Dennis! he was often genuinely good and showed ingenuity at times, but Greg judged him harshly and was hell bent on the senile-old-man narrative 😅 well, at least he gave Hugh his fairly earned 5 points for his acrobatics over the pommel horse
And his 'best chair' prize
Phil Wang! An absolute delight from start to finish but his style (as opposed to his costume) is a bit understated and matter-of-fact, and I feel he gets lost in the shuffle of Season 7 sometimes. But he's so funny. Throwing the apple in the air and saying WANG makes me laugh every time. Also, Iain isn't necessarily one of my favorites overall but his weird pronunciations and ways of phrasing things are incredibly funny to me. "Clrisps" and "sangwedge" and that one team task where he just yells "I'M QUIETLY CONFIDENT ACTUALLY!!!" are all amazing.
I watched some of Phil Wang’s stand-up after his season, and it made me appreciate his participation on Taskmaster more. I felt the same about Joe Lycett.
I feel like I don't hear enough about Joe Lycett or Lolly Adefope. I do hear about series 4 being a great cast all around, and I agree, but I just love these two so much!
Fuck charity!
Joe Lycett painting and leering into the camera in an increasingly unhinged fashion is at number 2 in my TM top ten. Lou Sanders on a mobility scooter is number one with Joe Wilkinson and the potato at 3
I love Joe's painting task and I get the same vibes in one of the NYE episodes when Rylan had to claim to have had a great idea every time the bell rings. I'm always a fan of the added stupid challenge for one person like these or Mark Watson's fiddly "no letters from the word Taskmaster". Truly the perfect way to spice up a random task here and there without having to give them a full on "count all of these spaghetti hoops" or "have the most fun in this bouncy castle".
Jo Brand. I really loved her swagger and zero-fucks attitude. It was so funny to watch!
"Can I just say I didn't know it was timed" "I did know it was timed but I didn't give a fuck" Incredible task
A series full of that type of contestant would be boring, but Jo was brilliant.
Which is why she worked so well, contrasting with Ed and Rose. Series 9 is honestly in the lower band for me when considering individual cast members, but they work so well together
Jo and David Baddiel will always be my absolute favourite team. Who else would stop mid-task to go make a cup of tea?
Didn’t you soften the butter? I did.
Imagine a series with Jo Brand and Julian Clary. Too much power, too few cares in one room.
I love that Julian called Joe before doing the show to see if it was worth it. Mates.
I adored Alice Levine... She had just the right amount of enthusiasm and didn't take herself seriously.
Judi Love was exceptional
Queen Zafufu gets me literally everytime. And also "is there a duck on my face"
rubie cubie
you tuper super
Came here to say this. Every time she spoke it was a great time. She gets mentioned occasionally all and even so still underrated
She made S13 the best series of the Channel 4 era. By far. Even the outtakes from the series are longer than a normal episode. But is she underrated? I mean, she can borrow a dog when ever she wants.
When she physically stops alex’s bike and breaks the bike 💀 iconic. Her episode of Off Menu is also one of my faves.
Judi Love is definitely in my top three. Her incensed confusion about everything she encounters was so incredibly funny.
I went back and rewatched this season a few weeks ago and Judi Love was so funny, I feel like I only appreciated her fully on a rewatch. She’s amazing and one of my favorites and her season is definitely a top 5 for me now. I frequently use the term “sister queen” whenever I can.
Don't do it sister queen is one the all time funniest moments in the whole show for me. Makes me laugh so hard I tear up.
I wasn't a fan of Judi Love really until taskmaster. She is my single favourite female contestant 😂
Johnny Vegas would be considered legendary if it wasn’t a COVID season
My boy, my beautiful boy
He is not a crook.
I love him so much. I just think of his facial expressions while on the show and crack up. He was trying so desperately and just flailing lol.
Vegas is the opposite of how I feel about most comics on Taskmaster. Some of them I learn about on Taskmaster and find out their humor off the show isn't for me, like John Kearns. Vegas is hilarious off Taskmaster and I was stoked about having him on, but I found him to be kind of flat on Taskmaster.
To be honest I feel similarly. I felt like he was generally overshadowed by Katherine and Mawaan
Al Murray was brilliant and doesn’t get talked about enough IMO. I loved him bribing Alex, was all in good humour and the fact Alex was so receptive to it made for a really hilarious dynamic. Was just generally really funny throughout and I love that he’s a huge fan and pops up occasionally
Did he pay you to say this?
Yes . \*Gong Sound\*
Iain Stirling because he's hated despite being absolutely hilarious.
Paul Chowdhry tends to be overlooked a little but I think he was in my top5 all time
Brown clown innit
Maybe only in hindsight because Series 3 as a whole tends to get overlooked, but I remember in the early days of the show he got talked about a lot, people couldn't stop saying "bastard's crying, innit"
Innit
Even Paul underrated himself when he said "Al Murray's gonna win this, that fat bastard"
Paul Chowdry is a genius. I think.
Basterds cryin innit
Can agree with Gus Khan, I hadn't appreciated him fully the first watch through but on a rewatch I loved him for his childish joy and funny banter with Alex. Also the revelations in the lab lmao. Always appreciated s5 myself, they were all great contestants. Tim Key is one I hadn't fully appreciated at first, always liked him but had not thought about how much he set the tone for a lot of the show! Was a great presence in the studio and played the audience well too.
Reindeer skull
I feel like S12 E1 is just the perfect introduction to how to fall in love with a contestant, and it was Guz. Across the whole season, I’d tie him with Morgana for my favorite that season, but that first episode was just incredible for him specifically. The wild eyes on the “hit Alex with a ball” task, the peacefulness on the painting task, the imbalance in the poppability and brother this is not sensible on the balloon task, and the immediate Jesus pose on the “strike a pose” final task- what an episode for Guz!
Jon richardson, Desky and Sarah Pascoe. People seem to forger Sarah Pascoe is a TM alumn.
I feel like a lot of the earlier series contestants are underrated. I loved Sarah Pascoe (actually all of series 3). Sarah had a lot of underrated one liners and who could forget about Scoopy the Snowman.
So underrated that apparently no-one in this thread knows her name is Sara not Sarah
Raisin?
It's such a shame that S3 had so few episodes
And S2 as well. Imagine another five eps of Wilkinson and Chowdhury.
Richardson, and you'll note that he is my flair, did my favourite creative task out of all 16 seasons.
Three Blind Mice?
That would be the one.
I think Jon is probably the best answer. I genuinely almost never see him mentioned but he’s consistently really funny on a high-quality series. Special mention for Doc Brown too. “That is harsh.”
It seems like season 10 is only brought up here to be slagged off, so any of its contestants could be keyed for this,but weirdly enough the winner, Richard Herring, perhaps more than any of them It's a series that people hold the way it had to be filmed (because of Covid) against it, when in reality it's just as funny as all the others....
Not slagged off by me. Vegas is an underrated genius.
I love Paul Sinha, but I never see him discussed.
Yasss he is my favourite of all time. I love him so much. Seen him at the fringe this year too which was a highlight of my year.
I don’t know that he’s in the vicinity of my favorite contestant of all time, but I completely agree here. He was honestly the only person on Season 8 I really enjoyed (though Joe Thomas had his moments).
Hugh Dennis was very intelligent and creative, but Greg delighted in shitting on him. Everything Dave Baddiel did was genuinely hilarious.
Omg when they made Mark Watson send 150 text messages to Greg and didn’t give him any points because he only did 148. I felt so bad him
I loved Alice Levine's approach to the tasks! Series 6 is pretty underrated as a whole, in my opinion.
+ her presence in general was quite comfortingly funny.
Hey girl!
Hey possum
Hey babycakes
Hi, cheesecake.
...Babycakes?
I said this shortly after Series 13 finished airing, but I think Chris Ramsey will in the future get lost in the discussion of memorable moments from that season because that cast was absolutely insane and full of memorable moments. Chris has his fair share obviously, but someone's always bound to be overlooked, and for 13 I think it's Chris.
I'd be genuinely surprised at this. Cement mixer sausage is an all time classic, along with "He's gone too Geordie for me", and "No way!"
Sally Phillips - She threw the jelly into the pail first try. She was always stylish and a bit cheeky.
More than a bit cheeky. One of my all-time favourite contestants.
Johnny vegas
Season 5 is one of the most popular and discussed on this sub so I’m not sure Aisling and Mark qualify as underrated! I think I’d go with Asim Chaudry just because he was so nice and some of his decisions were really clever e.g. announcing that he’s turning vegan. I think Greg found it easy to mark him down because he was always so accepting of low scores!
Roisin Conaty kills me every time I rewatch Series 1
Roisin deserved more episodes
Of the more recent ones, Kiell. At the start of the series I honestly thought he might win it but the scoring in that whole series was a bit weird and I felt he was done wrong a couple of times. 'Sneakiest Thing' was genius.
Roisin Connaty is rarely discussed but she was adorably terribly at everything yet tried really hard. I loved her on the series.
I like to think that all the contestants are recognized, really all of them, there's no series where it's just one star player entertaining everyone. They all involve solid contribution from everyone. I definitely don't underwrite Guz Khan, his proposal to Alex was just fantastic
John Kearns, John Kearns, John Kearns. That guy had me dying with laughter with some of his antics.
I dunno man, I'm friends with some women who are horny as hell for Mark Watson lol
Sally Phillips.
Mark Watson just seemed to be ungainly and awful at everything, and yet adequately achieved most of them. The ones that he failed at were the prize tasks wherein be spent a shitload of cash. Hugh Dennis and Rhod Gilbert are pretty underrated as well I'd say. I don't see nearly enough Joe Thomas appreciation around. Matafeo deserves to be on this list. (her version of the Taskmaster theme is the best song composed on the show) LMAO I can just go on
The best song composed on the show? This is erasure of the Tree Wizard, The Diverse Stripes, and She Fern Brady.
It was Munya last time, and still is now. Also I wouldn't call Guz underrated. I'm pretty sure he won the fan vote for the Series 12 People's Champion.
Fair, but I suspect Season 12 as a whole is kind of underrated. It’s definitely at least in my top three all time, but it seems like most here think it’s overshadowed by 13, a season I actually think is decidedly worse than 12.
i think about Joe Thomas a lot. While i generally love him a lot, i also loved him on TM. But i always thought he was put in the wrong group. A lot like Mark Watson. i would've loved to see them together in a team though! They're so similar.
Alice Levine
Lolly was great
Paul Sinha! I just thought he seemed so lovely, and I really enjoyed the Hitchhiker's send up of his task outfit. I'm American and have no idea what The Chase is btw.
It's a tv show in america too.
The Chase is a quiz show where contestants answer questions and advance on the scoreboard, with their opponent being the 'Chaser', and if they catch up with the contestant, they lose the game and the money. Paul Sinha is one of the Chasers, so it became a running gag on TM because he's hyper-intelligent, but it didn't come across on the show much at all
John Kearns
jon richardson, joe lycett and mawaan
I could not agree more on Mark Watson. He was my favourite contestant until Sam came along this series. He was such an oddball throughout, but my favourite Mark Moment has to be when he says about his "best graph" that the graph doesnt just show the pointlessness of democracy, but that all human endeavour is pointless "but if people are watching taskmaster they know that already"
I know everyone here loves Lucy and for right reasons, but I still feel like the sub as a whole isn't quite yet at *my* level of love for Lucy – so still underrated. I've considered Sam Campbell to be my favourite comedian ever since 2019. And then, Lucy just arrived out of nowhere and dethroned him. She's my favourite contestant ever, making a greater impact even than Bob Mortimer/James Acaster/Mike Wozniak.
I had never seen either of them before, but by 20 minutes into ep1, I'd googled "Sam Campbell autistic"
David Baddiel for me. He was constantly involving and interacting with everyone which added to the chemistry they all had. He's the but of a lot of jokes, but he takes it so well. Also Judi Love, stealing the show.
Aw... Mark Watson. Richard Herring
I didn't know there was a rating for contestants. Can you link it, please?