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Taskmaster New Zealand
Also known asTaskmaster (seasons 1–3)
GenreComedy, panel game
Created byAlex Horne
Written by
  • Sam Smith
  • Joseph Moore
  • Paul Williams
Directed byAndy Robinson & Tom Furniss
Presented byJeremy Wells
StarringPaul Williams (assistant)
Theme music composerThe Horne Section
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes40
Production
Executive producers
  • Bronwyn Bakker
  • Cameron Bakker
  • Richard Allen-Turner
  • James Taylor
  • Jon Thoday
  • Rob Aslett
  • Andy Devonshire
  • Alex Horne
Editors
  • Ben Winter
  • Luke Earl
Running time44 minutes[1]
Original release
NetworkTVNZ 2
Release21 October 2020 (2020-10-21) –
present
Related
Taskmaster (British TV series)

Taskmaster New Zealand (also known as Taskmaster or Taskmaster NZ) is a New Zealand comedy panel game show, first broadcast in 2020 on TVNZ 2. The format for the show was created by British comedian Alex Horne during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 and was subsequently developed into a successful UK television show in 2015.

Following the format of the original British version, the show consists of five contestants who compete in a series of strange and unusual tasks to gain points from the Taskmaster, Jeremy Wells, and adjudicated by his assistant, comedian Paul Williams.[2][3]

Taskmaster New Zealand is produced for TVNZ with support from NZ On Air. The first series was broadcast in summer 2020, while the second series was broadcast in the winter of 2021,[4] and the third in winter 2022.[1][5] Funding for a fourth series was confirmed in December 2022;[6] studio filming began in mid-2023 and the series premiered on 14 August.

Cast

In the studio, other than while attempting the live task, the contestants sit on a row of chairs in alphabetical order of forename from left to right.
Key

  •  *  Season champion
Season Seating
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
1 Angella Dravid * Brynley Stent Guy Williams Leigh Hart Madeleine Sami
2 David Correos Guy Montgomery Laura Daniel * Matt Heath Urzila Carlson
3 Chris Parker Josh Thomson * Justine Smith Kura Forrester Paul Ego
4 Bubbah Olo Dai Henwood Karen O'Leary Melanie Bracewell * Ray O'Leary

Episodes

Series 1 (2020)

The filming of the tasks was completed in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a nationwide lockdown.[7] The contestants were Angella Dravid, Brynley Stent, Guy Williams, Leigh Hart, and Madeleine Sami. Dravid was the overall winner of the series, with Sami in second, Stent in third, Hart in fourth, and Williams in last place.[8]

Greg Davies, the host of the original British version of Taskmaster, appeared as part of the prize task in the seventh episode.

No.TitleWinnerOriginal air dateViewership[9]
1"Gluten Free"Brynley Stent21 October 2020 (2020-10-21)N/A
2"A Political Hotcake"Madeleine Sami28 October 2020 (2020-10-28)134,100
3"D.A.P."Brynley Stent4 November 2020 (2020-11-04)N/A
4"I'm Queer, I'm Here"Guy Williams11 November 2020 (2020-11-11)N/A
5"Unhealth Must Be Dead"Brynley Stent18 November 2020 (2020-11-18)N/A
6"The Problem Is Me"Angella Dravid25 November 2020 (2020-11-25)129,000
7"An Intervention"Leigh Hart2 December 2020 (2020-12-02)N/A
8"Sweaty Socks and Depression"Angella Dravid9 December 2020 (2020-12-09)108,100
9"Astro Blasters"Leigh Hart16 December 2020 (2020-12-16)106,400
10"My Uncle John"Madeleine Sami23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)N/A

Series 2 (2021)

On 30 May 2021, the contestants for series 2 were named as David Correos, Guy Montgomery, Laura Daniel, Matt Heath, and Urzila Carlson.[10] Daniel was the overall winner of the series, with Montgomery as the runner-up, while Correos placed third, Heath placed fourth, and Carlson finished last.

Unlike the first series, ratings were reported in four-week averages rather than individually - and in consolidated ratings as opposed to overnights - but the series' audience generally improved throughout, from an average of 113,800 for the first four episodes,[11] to an average of 165,800 for the last four episodes.[12] The tenth and final episode, alone, received 187,700 viewers.[13]

Series 1 contestant Angella Dravid cameoed in the tenth and final episode, as part of a task. MP Chlöe Swarbrick also appears during the first episode as part of the prize tasks.

No.TitleWinnerOriginal air date
1"Flight of Fantasy"Matt Heath7 July 2021 (2021-07-07)
2"Heat Stroke"Laura Daniel14 July 2021 (2021-07-14)
3"At Your Service"David Correos21 July 2021 (2021-07-21)
4"Unbung"Guy Montgomery28 July 2021 (2021-07-28)
5"Feel My Bean"Urzila Carlson4 August 2021 (2021-08-04)
6"Eat Your Asses"Guy Montgomery11 August 2021 (2021-08-11)
7"Completing the Set"Laura Daniel18 August 2021 (2021-08-18)
8"Judgement Day"Guy Montgomery25 August 2021 (2021-08-25)
9"Bing Bang Schlong"Matt Heath1 September 2021 (2021-09-01)
10"A Good Time, Not a Fast Time"David Correos8 September 2021 (2021-09-08)

Series 3 (2022)

Funding from NZ On Air for a ten-episode third series was announced in April 2022,[1] having been received months earlier.[14] The tasks were written in February 2022.[14] Filming for the studio shows took place in the last week of May.[15][16][17]

The contestants for the series were announced in June 2022 as Chris Parker, Josh Thomson, Justine Smith, Kura Forrester and Paul Ego.[18] The series premiered on 6 July 2022;[5] in the run-up to the series, series 1 and 2 were repeated on TVNZ Duke across the two weekends before its launch.[19] Thomson was the overall winner of the series, with Parker as the runner-up, while Forrester placed third, Ego placed fourth, and Smith finished last.

The series launch recorded 145,400 viewers in consolidated viewing figures.[20]

Series 2 contestant and writer for the show (from this series onwards) David Correos cameoed in the seventh episode as part of a task, as did athlete Eliza McCartney as part of the prize task.

No.TitleWinnerOriginal air date
1"F**k Golf"Josh Thomson6 July 2022 (2022-07-06)
2"Sauce Tits"Josh Thomson13 July 2022 (2022-07-13)
3"Mexican Lasagna"Paul Ego20 July 2022 (2022-07-20)
4"Herbs and Spices"Chris Parker27 July 2022 (2022-07-27)
5"The Prime Minister Thanks You"Kura Forrester3 August 2022 (2022-08-03)
6"Sweet Navel Orange"Chris Parker10 August 2022 (2022-08-10)
7"Butt Heavy"Chris Parker17 August 2022 (2022-08-17)
8"Best Friends"Chris Parker24 August 2022 (2022-08-24)
9"Well Alright!"Chris Parker31 August 2022 (2022-08-31)
10"Wet Ass Cutlery"Josh Thomson7 September 2022 (2022-09-07)

Series 4 (2023)

Funding for a fourth series was confirmed in December 2022.[6] At the time, writer Sam Smith said he had already written at least some of the tasks for the series.[21]

The cast was revealed on 27 May 2023, as Dai Henwood, Melanie Bracewell, Ray O'Leary, Sieni Leo'o Olo (Bubbah), and Karen O'Leary.[22] Ray O'Leary previously appeared on the show as part of a studio task during the third series. Bracewell was the overall winner of the series, with Bubbah as the runner-up, while Ray O'Leary placed third, Henwood placed fourth, and Karen O'Leary finished last.

Studio filming began on 31 May and lasted a week.[23][24] It was confirmed on 1 August that the series would premiere on 14 August, with two episodes broadcast weekly.[25]

Alex Horne made a cameo in the introduction to the third episode, with the voices of previous contestants Guy Williams, Guy Montgomery and Josh Thomson appearing together in one of the episode's tasks. Thomson also was the director for some location tasks.[26] Series 2 contestant Matt Heath made an indirect cameo via a task attempt in the eighth episode.

The first two episodes achieved an average audience of 157,800 viewers in consolidated viewing figures,[27] with the second set of episodes (the third and fourth) averaging approximately 152,200 viewers,[28] and the third week of episodes (the fifth and the sixth) averaging approximately 173,000 viewers.[29]

No.TitleWinnerOriginal air date [25]
1"A Love Bomb"Melanie Bracewell14 August 2023 (2023-08-14)
2"I'm a Therapist, Not a Greengrocer"Dai Henwood15 August 2023 (2023-08-15)
3"Everyone Is Just a Teal Dress"Melanie Bracewell21 August 2023 (2023-08-21)
4"More Licky Licky"Karen O'Leary22 August 2023 (2023-08-22)
5"Your Hand Can Do a Better Job"Karen O'Leary28 August 2023 (2023-08-28)
6"There Had to Be Blood"Melanie Bracewell29 August 2023 (2023-08-29)
7"A Pretty Skux Cartwheel"Bubbah4 September 2023 (2023-09-04)
8"Steroids and Cigarettes"Ray O'Leary5 September 2023 (2023-09-05)
9"Truffle Pig"Bubbah11 September 2023 (2023-09-11)
10"Where Is Scorpio?"Melanie Bracewell12 September 2023 (2023-09-12)

Production

Funding from NZ On Air for the first series was announced in September 2019.[30] Prior to the filming of the studio shows for the first series, a "warm-up episode" was shot with no studio audience – internally called "Episode Zero" – that allowed Wells and Williams to practice their roles, featuring some tasks that were going to be cut from the series proper.[31] The studio shows were originally scheduled to film at South Pacific Pictures in Auckland in late August 2020, but were later cancelled[32] – Auckland was moved into level 3 COVID-19 restrictions shortly beforehand – and were delayed into September.[33] More relaxed measures were in place at time of filming, but mandated that Wells was spaced apart from the series' contestants in the studio, which Wells later remarked felt "pretty weird", and was an "unusual experience".[34]

The second series was confirmed in March 2021,[35] with the lineup confirmed that May.[10] Pre-production took four weeks at the beginning of 2021, between writers Sam Smith and Williams, before moving from a studio onto Zoom after the February Auckland lockdown was put in place. During the series, to ensure contestants were unable to decipher, and thus prepare for, what a task could be prior to filming, tasks were given nicknames should they be written on call sheets.[36] One task during the series was cut after Carlson broke her collarbone in an attempt to complete it.[37]

Justine Smith, speaking of her experience filming the third series, noted that the entire process is very different to that of her other usual television appearances, and that "taking part in Taskmaster requires a different skill set"; she commented that it was "very secretive", with contestants not privy to witnessing tasks being set up and are unaware of "what's happening in advance". Smith recalled that she was "taken in – literally almost with a hood over [her] head – to a room [you're] not allowed to leave" before "[you] come out[,] do the task and go straight back into [your] room"; the lack of a reaction to the performance in a task troubled Smith, who commented "[y]ou turn around and walk away, [it being] a comedian's worst nightmare to not have someone tell you it was OK or laugh."[38]

Coming up with tasks, writers Smith and Williams "abide by strict rules", in that tasks cannot be replicated from either a previous series or a version of Taskmaster from another country, and at least one task has been excised close to filming because of this. Tasks have to be submitted to and approved by producers before being presented to contestants. One task from the first series ("Make the best desert") was almost cut from broadcast because all of the contestants misread it (as "Make the best dessert"), but Stent's reaction when she re-read the task and understood it properly – which Williams called one of "the season's best moments" – convinced the producers to retain it.[36]

Funding

Taskmaster New Zealand receives funding from NZ On Air, which has steadily increased each series. The first series was allocated "up to $734,953",[30] the second "up to $792,119 plus a platform contribution reduction of $635,040",[39] and the third confirmed for "up to $886,574".[1]

Funding for a fourth series was confirmed in December 2022, for "up to $882,119".[6]

Reception

The first episode received mixed to positive reviews from critics. James Croot of Stuff claimed the series was "off to a terrific start" and "you might just need to put an hour aside for the next few weeks",[40] in contrast to comments of colleague Darren Bevan, who wrote that "while Taskmaster NZ hasn't romped away with a decisive victory, it has done enough to secure a technical win and an appointment for a second week's viewing". Bevan did offer praise, towards Paul Williams' role as the assistant, calling him "one of the show's MVPs before even 30 minutes of the first episode have passed".[41] Stewart Sowman-Lund of The Spinoff agreed that Williams "is well-suited to the role" of the assistant. Sowman-Lund praised the first episode stating that "Taskmaster NZ starts high in the sky – and long may it continue."[42] Karl Puschmann, writing for The New Zealand Herald did not give the show as favourable a review, stating that "it's okay. There's some good gags and it's great to see our comedians on screen. But still, it's not for me."[43]

In a press release announcing the show's recommission, it was reported that the first series increased TVNZ 2's audience by 19% among 25-54s and more than doubled the channel's audience aged 15–34, "reach[ing] more people than any other local comedy series on air in 2020".[4]

For the first episode of the second series, James Croot of Stuff – in contrast to his more positive comments regarding the first series – noted that, regarding the dynamic between Wells and Williams, "[t]he former still seems unsure of their relationship, the power dynamic less clear-cut than between the original's Greg Davies and Alex Horne", and that while some of the tasks "offer[ed] plenty of entertaining laughs", others were not "quite as successful". He concluded by admitting that "while Taskmaster NZ is trying to balance creating its own identity with maintaining the joy of the original, it's not always succeeding".[44] The Spinoff's Stewart Sowman-Lund was more positive, praising the entire series as "truly hilarious", and that its contestants "will surely go down in the annals of Taskmaster history as one of the best casts the show has ever seen".[45]

Distribution

Taskmaster New Zealand was made available to stream in Sweden through SVT Play in December 2022,[46] is able to be viewed in Norway through Discovery+,[47] and aired in the United Kingdom starting 28 August 2023.[48]

It is intended to be made available on Taskmaster SuperMax+ – a streaming platform dedicated to hosting Taskmaster content able to be accessed internationally – at an unknown date.[49]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "April 2022 Funding Decisions". NZ On Air. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Taskmaster NZ". TVNZ.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. ^ Michael Craig (27 September 2020). "Taskmaster NZ: Team revealed as shows release date nears". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b Dessau, Bruce (9 March 2021). "News: More Taskmaster For New Zealand". Beyond the Joke. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Taskmaster NZ Season 3 starts July 6th". Reddit. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Clean sweep for comedy in NZ On Air's latest Scripted funding round". NZOnAir. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  7. ^ Chris Schulz (27 September 2020). "Taskmaster NZ team revealed, show finally ready to go after coronavirus delays". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Taskmaster NZ reveals Kiwi comedian all-star lineup". tvnz.co.nz. 27 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Imgur - Taskmaster NZ overnight ratings, including +1". Imgur. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Taskmaster NZ to return with new line up of comedians". Stuff. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Audience ratings for TV - 4–31 July". NZ On Air. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Audience ratings for TV - 15 August - 11 September". NZ On Air. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  13. ^ "The 10 highest rating funded television programmes on air between 5 September - 2 October". NZ On Air. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Taskmaster NZ renewed for Season 3". Reddit. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  15. ^ "I'm in!". Reddit. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  16. ^ "I got invited to be in the studio audience of Taskmaster NZ…". Reddit. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  17. ^ Smith, Sam [@ReelBigSmith] (13 May 2022). "May 23 to 27 [...]" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 May 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Simich, Ricardo (18 June 2022). "Shortland Street star Kura Forrester joins all-new Taskmaster cast". NZHerald. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  19. ^ "A Brand-new Cast Of Celebrity Contestants Revealed For Taskmaster NZ Season Three". SCOOP. 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Audience ratings for TV - The 10 highest rating funded television programmes on air between 12 June - 9 July 2022". NZ On Air. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  21. ^ Smith, Sam [@ReelBigSmith] (4 December 2022). "I guess I better start writing some tasks... #TaskmasterNZ #Season4 (JK I've already written a bunch)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Simich, Ricardo (27 May 2023). "Spy: Dai Henwood and Melanie Bracewell join Taskmaster NZ". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  23. ^ @taskmasternzofficial (15 May 2023). "Taskmaster New Zealand will return in 2023! ... Filming begins May 31st!" – via Instagram.
  24. ^ Newall, Steve (12 August 2023). ""I just want to say that I really was trying" – Ray O'Leary talks Taskmaster". Flicks.
  25. ^ a b @tvnzpublicity (2 August 2023). "We have a date! Taskmaster NZ starts Monday 14 August and continues on Tuesday for a double dose of weekly TM chaos! Only on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+" – via Instagram.
  26. ^ Bracewell, Melanie; O'Leary, Ray (16 August 2023). Taskmaster NZ Recap, Episodes 1 & 2. Twitch. Event occurs at 53:50.
  27. ^ "Audience ratings for TV - The 10 highest rating funded television programmes on air between 23 July - 19 August 2023". NZ On Air. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Audience ratings for TV - The 10 highest rating funded television programmes on air between 30 July - 26 August 2023". NZ On Air. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  29. ^ "Audience ratings for TV - The 10 highest rating funded television programmes on air between 6 August -2 August [sic] 2023". NZ On Air. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  30. ^ a b "More laugh therapy ordered for New Zealanders". NZOnAir. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  31. ^ Gamble, Ed; Williams, Paul (30 September 2021). "Ep 48. Paul Williams — S12 Ep.2". Taskmaster: The Podcast (Podcast). Spotify. Event occurs at 13:48-14:47. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  32. ^ "Taskmaster New Zealand: CANCELLED". EventFinda.co.nz. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  33. ^ "I went to a Taskmaster NZ Filming!". Reddit. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  34. ^ Nealon, Sarah (24 June 2021). "Why Jeremy Wells likes inspiring fear in Taskmaster contestants". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  35. ^ "TVNZ 2 Orders More of Taskmaster and Comedy Gala". ScreenScribe.tv. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  36. ^ a b Schulz, Chris (2 July 2021). "Taskmaster NZ reveals the secret to making comedians feel uncomfortable". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  37. ^ Sanders, Lou; Bernhardt, Jack; Williams, Paul (20 May 2022). "Paul Williams". Taskmaster: The People's Podcast (Podcast). Spotify. Event occurs at 17:09-18:23. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  38. ^ Nealon, Sarah (23 June 2022). "Taskmaster NZ duo eye up the opposition". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  39. ^ "The best medicine – three local comedy productions set to bring laughter to Aotearoa audiences". NZ On Air. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  40. ^ Croot, James (26 October 2020). "TVNZ's Taskmaster NZ, Netflix's Queen's Gambit among great new shows to stream". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  41. ^ Darren Bevan (22 October 2020). "Taskmaster NZ: Does it live up to the hype of my favourite show or ruin it forever?". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  42. ^ Stewart Sowman-Lun (21 October 2020). "Taskmaster NZ proves we can do panel comedy as well as the Brits". thespinoff.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  43. ^ Karl Puschmann (30 October 2020). "Karl Puschmann: Is Taskmaster NZ up to the task?". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  44. ^ Croot, James (8 July 2021). "Taskmaster NZ: TVNZ's second stab at the hit Brit series makes polarising start". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  45. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (9 September 2021). "Goodbye Taskmaster NZ, the show that saved my lockdown". The Spinoff. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  46. ^ "Bäst i test Nya Zeeland".
  47. ^ "Taskmaster NZ". Taskmaster.Info. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  48. ^ "Taskmaster NZ S1". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  49. ^ Horne, Alex [@AlexHorne] (4 March 2022). "And yes, the plan is that EVERYTHING will go there eventually - Taskmaster New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Croatia etc etc. That's the plan. All in one place. But will also be on YouTube etc. It's for those who want an ad-free Taskmaster home" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 May 2022 – via Twitter.
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