The highly anticipated twentieth season of the British comedy series Taskmaster is set to make its debut with a historic day-and-date release in the U.S. on YouTube.
Taskmaster Season 20: A Historic Day-and-Date Release in the U.S.
EXCLUSIVE: Taskmaster is making waves with its first-ever day-and-date release in the U.S.
Season Premiere Details
The twentieth season of the beloved British comedy competition series, airing on Channel 4 in the UK, will debut on YouTube on Thursday, September 11.
In the UK, the premiere is set for 9 PM on Channel 4, followed by a release on YouTube at 10 PM BST / 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. This marks the first time the show will be available simultaneously in both the U.S. and the UK.
Meet the Contestants
Check out the first-look image for Season 20 above, showcasing hosts Greg Davies and Alex Horne alongside new contestants Maisie Adam, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Phil Ellis, Ania Magliano, and Reece Shearsmith.
Growing Popularity
Taskmaster has amassed a significant online following, with its YouTube channel exceeding 1.2 billion views. This BAFTA- and Rose d’Or-winning show boasts nearly two million subscribers globally, positioning it among the most-followed British comedies on YouTube.
A substantial portion of its audience hails from North America, which has seen a local adaptation since a brief Comedy Central series in 2018. Horne and Davies have appeared on several U.S. talk shows, including a popular interview on Late Night with Seth Myers since the YouTube channel’s launch in 2019.
Viewer Engagement
Season 19 competitor Jason Mantzoukas (The League, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) recently discussed the season on Seth Myers’ show, which has attracted 19 million views in North America and contributed to a rise of 200,000 subscriptions this year.
Additionally, Horne and Davies have hosted sold-out in-person screenings of the series in New York, both of which completely sold out within an hour of going on sale.
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Future Prospects
Despite its popularity, the UK version has not aired on an American network since being removed from The CW’s schedule in 2020. The global streaming service, Taskmaster SuperMax+, launched in 2022. In November of last year, Horne mentioned on the Peer Project podcast that they are hopeful for a U.S. return, ideally with him and Davies as hosts.
About the Show
The program, hosted by the formidable ‘Taskmaster’ Davies and his ‘assistant,’ “Little” Alex Horne, features contestants—primarily from the comedy and acting realms—who undertake quirky and creative tasks that are then ranked. Each episode crowns an individual winner, with contestants accumulating points throughout the season to determine the champion.
Previous winners include Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Rob Beckett, Noel Fielding, Bob Mortimer, Kerry Godliman, Lou Sanders, Ed Gamble, Morgana Robinson, Dara O’Briain, Mae Martin, Sam Campbell, Andy Zaltzman, and Matthew Baynton.
Created by Horne, who portrays the beleaguered assistant on the show, Taskmaster has been a staple of British television for over a decade. Initially airing on UKTV network Dave (now U&Dave), it transitioned to Channel 4 in late 2019. Produced by Avalon Television, local adaptations have emerged in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Portugal, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Croatia. The U.S. version, hosted by Reggie Watts, was canceled after just one season.
In Sweden, the SVT version from Avalon and Baluba captured up to 65% of primetime weekend shares and has since moved to TV4 for its eleventh and twelfth seasons. Discovery’s Norwegian version is currently in its twelfth season and won the Norwegian TV Academy Award for Best Comedy Show last year. Finland’s adaptation, airing on MTV3, won Game Show of the Year at the Venla Gaala Awards, while Denmark’s TV2 series received the same accolade at the 2022 Vindere Awards.
