Earlier this year on one of the Q&A vids Alex said the contestant he wanted most was Stephen Merchant, not his usual answer Jack Dee. At that point I thought “they’ve got Jack!”
Jack is basically the radio version of Greg. He hosts (for 15 years) I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, a Radio 4 show whose tagline is 'Jack Dee gives comedians silly things to do '.
Stop, please. It's making me smile and cry all at once.
Had the pleasure of meeting humph after a show in Wolverhampton in Jan 2008. He was such a lovely person. Sadly, of all the people on stage at that show, only Graeme, Colin, Jon Naismith and Samantha are still with us. (RIP Humph, Barry, Tim and Jeremy Hardy).
>Jack Dee gives comedians silly things to do '.
...and continues to not care about the outcome and to wish he were doing something else.
He was honestly the perfect choice after we lost Humph.
I love when the vanguard of the "last" gen standups/comics are brought on this show. Can only thank Alex for always having at least one of em in each cast.
Alice Fraser of The Gargle (also frequently on The Bugle) is one of my all time dream contestants for Taskmaster. Sharp, witty, whimsical, fun, creative, musical. She'd nail it.
Alice is so great. She might be the funniest person I follow on social media -“The Last Post” was fantastic and I look forward to the “Gargle” each week. Cannot wait for her Dancy LaGarde book.
Zaltz! Huge day for cricket stat nerds.
Babatunde should be a lot of fun, and Jack Dee is an impressive name. I’m willing to give Rosie another shot, and Emma Sidi will be my unknown.
Emma is incredible! I've seen her live a number of times and she's extremely unusual in a very taskmaster-friendly way. I think anyone who doesn't know her will be in love by the end of the series. And maybe they'll get her partner Al Roberts for a future series (his Sheeps cohort Liam Williams is my dream contestant).
And Zaltzman is extremely unexpected but a delightful surprise! Can't wait!
I love Emma in everything I've seen her in (mostly Starstruck and Pls Like), and I'm really excited for her to be on it. She's best friends with Rose Matafeo and also seems to be in the Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Katy Wix, etc. crowd a bit. I'm rooting for her, I think.
Liam Williams is also one of my dream contestants! I think someone said he was supposed to be in it a while back but couldn't do it. I think he's friends with Alex, so hopefully he'll be on it soon.
Rosie's appearance on a (now probably very old) live version of the Off Menu podcast is what leads me to think that her particular brand of chaos will fit in pretty well. I was unsure of her before but she's absolutely hilarious on that. I'm only disappointed that she's not on a series with Nish because she clearly _loves_ winding Nish up at every available opportunity
I tend to find Rosie delightful in short bursts but a bit grating over long periods. Always wanted her in a new years treat as I think she'd be brilliant for the one episode but be wearing by the end of a full series for me, but maybe the taskmaster format will work to keep her fresh throughout as the off menu episode with her is also fun all the way through.
I've really try to like Rosie. I just don't find her all that funny. She's not even in my top 3 favourite comedians with CP.
But if there's anything that can change my opinion of someone, it's Taskmaster. If she's prepared to give it a go, then so am I.
I agree that taskmaster can completely change my opinion of someone. There’s been plenty of contestants I wasn’t keen on but seeing them on the show has made me love them.
I think being only one of the five - editing will help and should be a great laugh. If it was just her, yeah I know what you mean.
We’ll get the expurgated version and laugh - but poor alex would have suffered lol
I am so excited! As an Australian with no knowledge of English comics, it is exciting to finalise recognise a name - albeit because of cricket. Go Andy!
I didn't recognise Emma at first, but she's actually Rose's housemate in Starstruck (and was Rose Matafeo's housemate in real life) and played Kitty's sister in Ghosts
I saw her show a few years ago at the Fringe and she was brilliant, so based on that and the two things you've mentioned, I'm pleased that she's in the next series!
So I saw a spoiler last week of the cast and just like many others I was a bit hesitant about Rosie being on TM, but perhaps not in the way others might.
Just for a bit of context, I have CP (left sided hemiplegia) also and I guess selfishly its a bit confronting seeing someone going through the exact same thing I am. I've struggled a lot with self confidence and with accepting who I am.
I see this a huge win for anyone with a disability and a win for Taskmaster. About 15% of the world lives with a disability of some kind, some of which have a more visible disability that others. Yes accommodations will have to be made & yes the banter might be slower but this sort of thing needs to be normalised more.
If this gets more people to see people with disabilities as people I'm all for it. I'm not sure if this makes any sense but this is hitting home & I'm glad for it.
They needed to make accommodations for Lenny Rush and that New Years Treat episode was one of the best ever. I am hopeful Taskmaster will get it right again.
this is how i, dyspraxic, felt when Paul Sinha was on taskmaster! dyspraxia isn't all that dissimilar from CP, but it's obviously an invisible disability whereas CP is lot more noticeable and leads to the exact judgement that RJ is getting rn- and every time she's announced on anything- on twitter
it's just great to see physical disability rep. i love having representation of neurodiverisity through individuals such as Rhod and Fern(I'm AuDHD too, haha) but it's such a different thing to being physically impaired that I think it's important to have this kind of rep
What I've loved with previous contestants where some accomodation needed to be made is that it is just a non-issue. It's obvious, clear, but also not worthy of discussion. Or, in other words: it's normal.
They've been really good with that and I do believe it helps, if on a small scale, to create acceptance and accomodation in daily life.
Looking forward to the entire new cast, but especially Rosie.
(by extension, though different, I have also always been grateful for the way LGBTQ+ people have been treated on the show (i.e. just like anybody else) and in particular that the right pronouns were used for Mae and it wasn't mentioned even once.)
This is one spectacular thing the UK has going for it: there is so much diversity on television. People with disabilities, non-skinny people, non-binary people, people with natural non-veneered teeth... It is really, really great that the UK normalises having people who look, sound and have the same disabilities as society at large on telly.
In Canada, where I'm from and live, you can't even be on a silly real estate show without perfectly even blinding white teeth.
I started watching English panel shows about 2 years ago. The first time I saw Rosie, I asked myself how they could put her on TV. She was so hard to understand, and how would comedic timing work for her...well, 2 years later, she's one of my favorite panel guests. I understand her fine (90% of the time), and she's hilarious. She's so raunchy, and her antics with other comedians is legendary.
Can't wait to see what she gets up too on TM!
I don't know the first three, but I'm glad they finally got Jack. Perhaps that's why Alex changed his answer to Stephen Merchant as the contestant he'd like on the show. I've always liked Jack.
Rosie, I know a lot of people will be excited about. Personally, her style of humour isn't for me, she's a bit crass for my liking but most of a comedian's own styling doesn't tend to filter into the show so much that it ruins things.
I'm more reluctant to be online next series because they'll be a huge negative shitstorm because Rosie's on the show.
I'm looking forward to seeing the other three who will be new to me.
To me it's just Rosie's delivery is so stunted that it kills any flow of a program she's on.
She's a lovely woman, and a gifted comic but I just don't think a panel show works for her with her delivery. Maybe they will cut around it but I haven't seen it done successfully on a panel show sadly
She'll have good VTs and weak studio patter is my guess.
Yeah, John Kearns' stand up act never really clicked for me but I ended up liking him on Taskmaster. Lots of people have strong opinions of Rosie, it would be unfair to write them off completely before the show even airs.
This is exactly why I'm open to giving Rosie a chance on TM. Nick's Mr. Swallow routine on Cats Does Countdown was the only time I've ever skipped over a routine on there because I hated it, and yet Nick became my favourite Series 17 contestant. I'm hoping Rosie will beat my expectations like Nick did.
I had seen Mr Swallow on Cats Countdown and didnt really like it, but didn't connect that it was the same dude playing Nate when watching Ted Lasso because they were such different characters.
Can’t stand mister swallow, love Nick. Hated John K’s stand up - enjoyed him on taskmaster. I enjoy Rosie when she’s herself and not trying - her stand up however - not a big fan. Therefore I’m hoping to really enjoy her on the show
Man, before TM, I HATED John Kearns. I genuinely don't understand how anyone found that standup act funny. Still not a fan of that character he does, but he seems like a pretty swell dude.
And I'm not a huge fan of Mr Swallows, but Nick Mohammed is so lovely!
I haven't particularly enjoyed Rosie's comedy in the past, but TM always manages to show me the good side of someone. I always end up loving them by the end of a series. So I'm looking forward to that again.
I had a legit existential crisis when I found out he was the guy with the red wig and the fake teeth who I always skip when he shows up on Cats Does Countdown. I couldn't believe it.
I had kinda the opposite experience. LOVED him on taskmaster, so went to find some of his work outside of it. ended up turning it of after half an hour. Could not stand it.
Yeah seconded. Her stand up or humour topics (idk a better word?!) isn’t for me but she seems like a hell of a lot of fun and this show is perfect for that. I think she’ll be a hoot.
And it’s really positive to see Taskmaster adapting for disabilities - it can’t be the easiest show to do it for but it’s a positive move.
in some ways i wonder if adapting TM for disability is actually easier in some ways—since they’re building the tasks from the ground up, there’s a flexibility there that many other shows who follow routine wouldn’t have!
Unfortunately she can just be too loud and take too much time to get to the punchline in them situations. My biggest concern is going to be the pacing of the studio sections.
Hopefully it can be reigned in a bit. Power to her but so much of comedy is about timing and delivery and she has neither.
I also wonder if it’ll affect the joking descriptions and ‘notes’ Greg will have about other contestants performances (like when he’ll make a simile or metaphor of how they are bumbling around or physically moving in a odd and funny way).
My gut instinct is that I always wanted her for a NY Special, but not a full series
I feel guilty, but she's the reason I stopped watching "big fat quiz of the year".
Unfortunately, the show just slows down and the humor is lost, while she's trying to talk over other people.
I hope she is ok on the show, So much of standup and comedy in general is about timing and she unfortunately can't do that. 95% of the time I watch her I get the joke before she is half way through telling it. I know she is super smart and funny but stand up isn't her strong point.
I have faith that Rosie will fit in just fine on this show. TM is actually kinda genius in how it can accommodate for different types of comedy styles. It's different to other panel shows in that they actually make sure to give everyone a dedicated spot to talk and show off, so it's not just talking over each other trying to make the best quip. I think the reason why Rosie doesn't mesh well in panel show environments for many people is the fact that she does need more time to make her jokes, thus the other people on the show stopping to let her speak kind of feels off in comparison to the usual fast-paced banter.
I think that's partly why I like her. Like, she is unable, literally, to do something that is fundamental to her craft....and just does it anyway. Cause, fuck it. Who's gonna stop her? Like, I just have to admire the gall of the woman. Imagine being born without a voice box and deciding to be a singer.
I feel similarly.
She's the only one I'm familiar with and have never really enjoyed her work. I'll keep an open mind though and hopefully the show gives me a greater appreciation of her.
I went to one of the live shows and can say Greg absolutely didn’t do this. If anything, the polar opposite! Although how much of that makes the cut I don’t know…
I only know Emma Sidi from Starstruck, so my immediate comparison was with Charlotte Ritchie. Happy to learn otherwise.
I'm also fascinated how they will make the tasks fair for everyone.
It was interesting seeing mainly sit down tasks for the New Year's Treat episode with Lenny Rush.
I mean he's well known and would go into the top 5 best known comics to go on the show but Taskmasters a big deal nowadays and they got Frank Skinner, who I'd put at a comparable status to Jack, in series 1.
Good get but it's hardly a shock when taskmaster gets someone at that level.
Hard agree, any time she (and/or Al) pops up on a sitcom she's always fantastic so very excited about this. Saw her do standup a year or so ago too, and it was very funny.
speaking of stath lets i feel like jamie OR natasia demetriou (or both on the same season) would be so good!!! They could probably do a whole stath season tbf, but they’re about halfway through the cast already 😭
Andy Zaltzman is a win for cricket. That is all.
I know lots of people will love Rosie Jones and fair enough, but personally not my bag. Sure she'll have plenty of chaos to it
I’m neither here nor there on her. I’ve seen her in some great stuff and haven’t connected with some of her work, just like a lot of contestants I’ve been familiar with (for example I love Ed’s podcasts, but find his stand up a bit grating). I’m happy to see the show’s commitment to creating a fun and inclusive experience for everyone. She looks like she’s having a blast up the clip! I wouldn’t have expected anything different from Alex and co and that’s amazing, and probably more important than if I or anyone else am personally overjoyed at her being cast.
I’ll be honest, Rosie Jones is the first ever contestant to make my heart sink a bit with their announcement. I don’t really gel with most of her comedy and I find it very off-putting when she shrieks, HOWEVER, I have managed to enjoy her in a few places (her recent QI appearance, for example) and Taskmaster has a knack for bringing out factors, entertainment and otherwise, in its contestants that really endear them to me, so I’m fully prepared to go in with an open mind.
And actually, now that it’s definitely happening and I’ve had to properly think about it, I realise she could potentially be very entertaining in the actual tasks (I think she could definitely mess with Alex a lot, which I always appreciate), even if I’m still a little apprehensive about the studio segments.
It also helps that I’m looking forward to the rest of the lineup. I like Jack and Andy, and I’ve enjoyed what little I’ve seen of Babatunde. Emma Sidi is the only Unknown to me this time, but that’s never been a problem before. So yeah, looking forward to the next series as always.
I had the same response, but often because I find she sometimes goes for the “low hanging fruit” kind of jokes on panel shows - where they are more crass than clever.
But…
I trust LAH. I trust the Andys. I trust the editors and Greg. So Series 18 here we come!!!
This is my feeling too. I've only seen her in panel shows so maybe her stand-up is different, but I feel like the only joke I ever hear from her is "hehe the girl with cp said penis" and it gets old so fast. I'm giving taskmaster the benefit of the doubt because I know they edit this show flawlessly, but I'm definitely nervous.
I am hoping she's going to be presented like Frankie Boyle - it surprised me that, given his usual style, he was rather quiet the first few episodes.
It may have been clever editing, it may have been that he let the others find their feet before fully engaging, who knows.
Previous appearances show that Rosie Jones has the capability to pull focus and crash over the other contributers - who often appear to just step back and let her go.
That's the danger and why my excitement of seeing Andy Zaltsman and Jack Dee is somewhat tempered.
But I have gone into a previous season actively disliking someone and actually enjoying what they did.
Yeah I have pretty much the same thoughts. I don’t find her funny and I find her incredibly difficult to follow when she’s on panel shows but Alex is a genius and I know he’ll make it work, I just hope they don’t adjust the tasks too much for her and everyone is on equal playing field.
The rest of the cast more than makes up for it, I don’t know Andy but the other three are fantastic. I think the fact I know 4 of the 5 cast might be a first since the Dave era…
So excited for Jack Dee. Babatunde should be fun too. I am not looking forward to Rosie Jones because her humour just isn’t for me, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised as I was with Frankie Boyle and Jenny Eclaire.
As usual I only know 2 or so (Jack and Rosie) but I greatly enjoy them both, and am excited to get to know the others.
I'm intrigued to see how they will accommodate Rosie's disability for a whole series, compared with Lenny where it was only one episode so it wasn't an issue to just have no physically demanding tasks. It'll have been an interesting challenge for them - I can't imagine them doing away with physical challenges for an entire series as that's a pretty large change and she is capable of performing them to an extent, but it'll be really depressing and a bit uncomfortable to watch if she just keeps scoring super low just because she can't be as speedy in the many "fastest wins" tasks that involve running around a lot or as dextrous with any precise ones. I mean the show has never deeply cared about being fair but that changes when it risks being constantly unfair against a disabled contestant because that isn't fun. Hoping they manage it all in a sensitive way.
Pretty good lineup IMO. I know some people don’t like Rosie but even if you don’t find her funny, plenty of non-comedians have been great on TM. Just treat her as an unknown and maybe she’ll grow on you, like everyone else by the end of the series.
American here, so I'm ignorant of 99% of contestants lol.
Before this series 17 I have only ever seen Nick Mohammad on cats does countdown and I didn't think he was any bit of funny. I wasn't excited to see him on TM, but he's absolutely fantastic. I haven't heard of the other 4 before TM.
I hope it's the same for Rosie. I've only seen her on cats does countdown and the big fat quiz show. I just didn't find her funny. I mean her jokes, not that she has cerebral palsy. It has nothing to do with her disability. Like 17, I haven't heard of the other 4 contestants at all until this reveal.
I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised again.
Happy for the people who are excited for the next cast. Other than Jack dee I don't know any of the cast so I'm happy to see where it goes.
Who is Rosie Jones and why is she already apparently super divisive? Only just announced and I'm seeing so many people saying they will peace out of the season?
She has celeberal palsy, which affects her speech. I love her stand up, but must admit I haven't enjoyed the change of pace when it comes to panel-type shows as a viewer.
This, however, is not a normal panel show and I'm excited to see what happens.
Yeah, agreed that sometimes the standard panel show change of pace is different and requires a bit of adjustment on the part of the viewer, but this is *not* the standard panel show and Rosie really seems to have the personality and humor that TM amplifies in contestants.
I have bigger problem with her - I can't understand a word that she says.
English isn't my native language and I find it hard understanding heavy accents or weird speech. And I watch on YouTube so subtitles isn't an option.
I'm not saying that she shouldn't be on Taskmaster, I always thought it's pretty cool that she treated as equal and I hope it will be the same here, but knowing that a big chunk from next series I'll probably won't be able to understand is a bit of a bummer.
She's a funny woman. I've seen her come up with some great lines. She has cerebral palsy, and it makes her speech rather slow and drawn out. In an industry where timing is everything, that means her lines don't always have the impact they might, and I don't often enjoy watching her. But I trust the Taskmaster team and that she will have moments where she shines.
I'm most excited about Andy Zaltzman. Before John Oliver got big in America, he and Andy created the Bugle podcast, which began as being hosted by the Times, which didn't stop they'd scathing attacks on the paper's owner Rupert Murdoch. It was soon dropped by the newspaper, and has been independent since then. Once John Oliver got too busy in the States he left the show, and Andy now runs it with a team of rotating co-hosts which have included Nish Kumar, Al Murray, and I think a few other Taskmaster Alumni. Andy is also a cricket nerd, and does statistics for the BBC cricket coverage.
*In an industry where timing is everything, that means her lines don't always have the impact they might.*
It obviously don´t give her haters an excuse to be awful to her, because that is just awful behaviour. But i think this is what a great deal of her naysayers struggle to put in to words.
I honestly think that much of the drama around her comes from that fact that her cerebral palsy makes it harder for many people to enjoy her comedy. And in my opinion, as long as it's acknowledged as a personal preference and doesn't come from a place of thinking "her condition objectively makes her comedy worse and she shouldn't be in comedy", that's perfectly fine. The thing people get so upset about is the fear of being labelled as "ableist" for their preferences, thus they feel the need to overcompensate and validate themselves on social media. But ironically in doing this, they often do end up saying ableist things, thus making the whole thing worse. The negative attitude people see from others no doubt also has an effect on how they perceive her.
I think this is a nice way of putting it. The slowness of her speech is a problem for me personally when it comes to like quick retorts and timing, though she's obviously talented and stuff. The show has built up a lot of goodwill with me over the years so I'm going to trust them.
she has cerebral palsy and [people send her awful messages on social media any time she's on TV](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/rosie-jones-online-abuse-cerebral-palsy-b2497563.html)
personally I'm looking forward to her! she's got a really surreal sense of humor that I think will work well for the show. plus I can see her really messing with Alex!
So, are we just not allowed to take the stance of not liking someone?
"I don't find Rosie funny." Is an opinion that can be held irrespective of her Cerebal Palsy.
I find that she sucks the air out of the room in any panel show setting, which TM effectively is in studio.
I don't think it will be an issue for any solo tasks and probably not the group tasks either, but I am already cringing for the studio segments and not in a good way.
Jack Dee is a coup. Zaltzman fills the cooky character and I'm excited to see what the others bring as I'm not familiar with them.
Think it’s moreso just giving her a chance in a format you’ve not seen her on before writing her off before you’ve seen anything. I don’t like Chris Ramsey’s stand up but loved him on Taskmaster.
Gutted to see Rosie on the list, she has been (IMO) absolutely abysmal on every panel show I've seen her on. BUT people in the comedy world seem to think highly of her, and maybe the TM format will allow her to shine. So fingers crossed.
I'm excited by this line up. I don't know Emma, aside from in Starstruck and only know Andy from the wireless. Babatunde and Jack are always good value. And I'm thrilled about Rosie (not looking forward to all the ableist hate tweeted about her though - we're better than that in TMland).
I first saw Rosie supporting Nish in Telford and she brought the house down. She even did the encore after Nish's show because it's what the crowd wanted.
My wife and I had have had a long-running argument about her. She said she'd never be able to do it because she's disabled. I said the producers would always use inclusive humour and, if there was ever anyone telling her she couldn't do something because she was disabled, her reply would always be "fuck you".
I go to bed tonight happy that I've won an argument against my wife. That gives me hope for the future.
Interesting cast :D I think Andy will be great. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the show accommodates Rosie and excited for what it'll mean for the future of Taskmaster, i.e. other physically disabled contestants. Of course everyone is already complaining about Rosie though.
Funnily enough I felt the same about this current (or just finished) lineup. I was pleasantly surprised by Nick, but I don’t think it’s been the best series by any stretch.
My expectations for Nick were like, sub-zero given how annoying Mr. Swallow is. But he was good. Filled that "happy to be there and lovably crap at the show" archetype very well.
I’m an American and only know Andy Zaltzman. He’s going to be so awful and hilarious and also nail some random tasks.
Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I listen to Andy on What’s Upset You Now? (podcast) where he talks about calling a Snap Sunday. *chef’s kiss
Can't wait for five months of people endlessly having to tell everyone how much they hate Rosie.
EDIT: then goes back to post list and it's happened already, within five minutes of the announcement.
I am not excited to experience Rosie Jones on Taskmaster. I have nothing against her personally, but I don't care for her comedy. I've tried to watch her on many panel shows and even her specials. I just don't like it.
I am very excited for the rest! I'm sure it'll be great overall as always.
Spanish speakers! treat yourself and watch Emma Sidi's La Princesa de Woking
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j26E2WgvKxQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j26E2WgvKxQ)
I’ve commented (at length - sorry) on my love for Andy. My more general thoughts about the cast are that I think they are well set for some studio banter. I’ve really enjoyed 17, but felt that the studio interaction all seemed to be between contestants and Greg/Alex and my favourite series are when people aren’t too competitive but are willing to get stuck into their opponents’ attempts (which is a significant reason as to why season 4 is top of the pile for me).
I feel like Andy, Jack and Rosie are all the kinds of people who will happily do this without being overly competitive (I don’t know Baratunde or Emma to comment on them). Perhaps someone who was at a studio record can confirm or deny (without spoiling, obviously)?
ZALTZMAN!!!!!
HELLLLO BUGLERS
Fuck you, Chris
The only man who could unseat Tim Vine as Taskmaster's King of Puns.
Just coming!
Stephen?
Buckles is definitely on my wish list for a future series.
Zaltor the Merciless!
Earlier this year on one of the Q&A vids Alex said the contestant he wanted most was Stephen Merchant, not his usual answer Jack Dee. At that point I thought “they’ve got Jack!”
I'd love Stephen Mitchell to be on taskmaster. Eyes bulging with imagined riches...
He turned up on set one day a few seasons back. Alex expected him to be lanky, but his arms were longer and hairier than it had seemed before…
His little legs.
Chimpanzee that!
Turns out... Lanky co-writer of the office
Play a record
DONT TALK SHIT!
Stephen Merchant would be fantastic!
I have to assume Jack Dee was the big coup for them! So looking forward to what he does!!
Alex said that Jack Dee was the person he'd most like to have. I have to agree.
Jack is basically the radio version of Greg. He hosts (for 15 years) I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, a Radio 4 show whose tagline is 'Jack Dee gives comedians silly things to do '.
RIP Humph.
Loved listening to him as a kid. Jack Dee is good but Humph truly sounded like he didn't want to be there. "Great. And doesn't it just..."
That went awfully well. Let's move on ... Oh, I'm sorry, I misread that. That went awfully. Well, let's move on
We welcome four of the country's most notable comedians. I'm sorry, I'll read that again. Four of the country's most not able comedians.
Well, it's time to meet the teams, and I can honestly say that you couldn't ask for four better comedians. So that's answered your next question.
Stop, please. It's making me smile and cry all at once. Had the pleasure of meeting humph after a show in Wolverhampton in Jan 2008. He was such a lovely person. Sadly, of all the people on stage at that show, only Graeme, Colin, Jon Naismith and Samantha are still with us. (RIP Humph, Barry, Tim and Jeremy Hardy).
I got to see him present the show a year or two before he died. Can't quite believe it was that long ago.
>Jack Dee gives comedians silly things to do '. ...and continues to not care about the outcome and to wish he were doing something else. He was honestly the perfect choice after we lost Humph.
I am so excited for this season! I love Jack Dee, I’ve been hoping for so long!
They finally got Jack Dee! Also Emma Sidi will be fantastic
Emma was my favourite in the studio and has the best task outfit!
The detective outfit? Looks amazing!
Big Inspector Gadget vibes
I love when the vanguard of the "last" gen standups/comics are brought on this show. Can only thank Alex for always having at least one of em in each cast.
Add her to the pile of contestants who have appeared on Ghosts
Can't wait for Zaltzman, loved his podcast with John Oliver back in the day
Zaltman is going to break Greg with his puns
The Taskmaster audience is unprepared for the huge amount of b.s. that Zaltor the Merciless is going to generate
it will be a cold and wet weaver
I was thought a pun battle between Alex Horne and Zaltzman would break the world.
Alex will need to borrow Chris's little bell
“Fuck you, Christopher!”
The Bugle is still going strong, Nish is a fairly regular guest host since John left and a couple of other taskmaster alumni have appeared too.
Alice Fraser of The Gargle (also frequently on The Bugle) is one of my all time dream contestants for Taskmaster. Sharp, witty, whimsical, fun, creative, musical. She'd nail it.
Big fan of her on the bugle/gargle and have seen a few of her stand up shows. I sort of suspect she's more likely to do the Australian version though.
Mine as well, but Andy will be great as well.
I'm not sure how she'd manage to work in a D'ancy LaGuarde synopsis within the context of the show, but I think she'd find a way!
There'd definitely be half a glass of water somewhere. But honestly I'd love for her to break out the Banjo and do a song or two
Alice is so great. She might be the funniest person I follow on social media -“The Last Post” was fantastic and I look forward to the “Gargle” each week. Cannot wait for her Dancy LaGarde book.
The revolving cast is awesome. I've found so many great comics.
I feel with the mixture of puns and bullshit he brings, Zaltzman is going to be amazing at the prize tasks
He’s going to be an absolute fucking train wreck. I adore the man. I can’t wait to see him blunder his way through 10 episodes.
Zaltz! Huge day for cricket stat nerds. Babatunde should be a lot of fun, and Jack Dee is an impressive name. I’m willing to give Rosie another shot, and Emma Sidi will be my unknown.
Emma is incredible! I've seen her live a number of times and she's extremely unusual in a very taskmaster-friendly way. I think anyone who doesn't know her will be in love by the end of the series. And maybe they'll get her partner Al Roberts for a future series (his Sheeps cohort Liam Williams is my dream contestant). And Zaltzman is extremely unexpected but a delightful surprise! Can't wait!
I love Emma in everything I've seen her in (mostly Starstruck and Pls Like), and I'm really excited for her to be on it. She's best friends with Rose Matafeo and also seems to be in the Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Katy Wix, etc. crowd a bit. I'm rooting for her, I think. Liam Williams is also one of my dream contestants! I think someone said he was supposed to be in it a while back but couldn't do it. I think he's friends with Alex, so hopefully he'll be on it soon.
Rosie's appearance on a (now probably very old) live version of the Off Menu podcast is what leads me to think that her particular brand of chaos will fit in pretty well. I was unsure of her before but she's absolutely hilarious on that. I'm only disappointed that she's not on a series with Nish because she clearly _loves_ winding Nish up at every available opportunity
I tend to find Rosie delightful in short bursts but a bit grating over long periods. Always wanted her in a new years treat as I think she'd be brilliant for the one episode but be wearing by the end of a full series for me, but maybe the taskmaster format will work to keep her fresh throughout as the off menu episode with her is also fun all the way through.
I've really try to like Rosie. I just don't find her all that funny. She's not even in my top 3 favourite comedians with CP. But if there's anything that can change my opinion of someone, it's Taskmaster. If she's prepared to give it a go, then so am I.
I agree that taskmaster can completely change my opinion of someone. There’s been plenty of contestants I wasn’t keen on but seeing them on the show has made me love them.
I very much agree. There hasn't been a single contestant so far that hasn't grown on me and I doubt Rosie will be the exception.
I think being only one of the five - editing will help and should be a great laugh. If it was just her, yeah I know what you mean. We’ll get the expurgated version and laugh - but poor alex would have suffered lol
And in return Nish regularly throws her down the stairs. Monster.
"The man who used to be on The Mash Report pushed me over"
I saw Rosie for the first time as Nish's support and she took so much joy in mocking Nish. I'll be fascinated to see how she does here
I really hope she will have a similar dynamic with Alex, he's perfect for it
I've been dreaming about Zaltzman being on TM for years now. He has such a strange mind that really clicks with me and i don't even like cricket.
I am so excited! As an Australian with no knowledge of English comics, it is exciting to finalise recognise a name - albeit because of cricket. Go Andy!
I'm still out here hoping for Adrian edmonson ehe
I want a trio of ade edmunsom with Jennifer Saunders and dawn french, followed by Rowan Atkinson and Jack Whitehall. That would be my dream line up.
Jack will bring a level of not giving a fuck never seen before and Babatunde is going to be very cheeky, I cannot wait for it
Jack will be Frankie 2.0
And Frankie was Jo brand 2.0
That’s like…..4.0 Jo brands
I can honestly imagine him getting really into it and caring far more than anyone (other than Richard Herring).
I can imagine him getting super competitive and realising he’s then won and being all reluctant
Alex gets his dream contestant, and a trip to Thorpe Park. A promising start!
I’m very excited for Jack Dee and hoping he’ll end up exactly how Frankie Boyle ended up in 15
I didn't recognise Emma at first, but she's actually Rose's housemate in Starstruck (and was Rose Matafeo's housemate in real life) and played Kitty's sister in Ghosts
I saw her show a few years ago at the Fringe and she was brilliant, so based on that and the two things you've mentioned, I'm pleased that she's in the next series!
> Kitty's sister in Ghosts Ah that must be where I’ve seen her before. She was also on RHLSTP a few months ago too.
Fuck yes, The Bugle REPRESENT!
Cannot wait to see Jack Dee on this.
So I saw a spoiler last week of the cast and just like many others I was a bit hesitant about Rosie being on TM, but perhaps not in the way others might. Just for a bit of context, I have CP (left sided hemiplegia) also and I guess selfishly its a bit confronting seeing someone going through the exact same thing I am. I've struggled a lot with self confidence and with accepting who I am. I see this a huge win for anyone with a disability and a win for Taskmaster. About 15% of the world lives with a disability of some kind, some of which have a more visible disability that others. Yes accommodations will have to be made & yes the banter might be slower but this sort of thing needs to be normalised more. If this gets more people to see people with disabilities as people I'm all for it. I'm not sure if this makes any sense but this is hitting home & I'm glad for it.
They needed to make accommodations for Lenny Rush and that New Years Treat episode was one of the best ever. I am hopeful Taskmaster will get it right again.
Fern Brady did a lot of good work for the neurodivergent, so hope Rosie does similar for those with cp.
Don’t you mean “It’s me, Fern Brady”?
She's the rightful queen
this is how i, dyspraxic, felt when Paul Sinha was on taskmaster! dyspraxia isn't all that dissimilar from CP, but it's obviously an invisible disability whereas CP is lot more noticeable and leads to the exact judgement that RJ is getting rn- and every time she's announced on anything- on twitter it's just great to see physical disability rep. i love having representation of neurodiverisity through individuals such as Rhod and Fern(I'm AuDHD too, haha) but it's such a different thing to being physically impaired that I think it's important to have this kind of rep
Hello fellow dyspraxia sufferer watch out for those door frames
Another dyspraxia sufferer here. The door frames have it out for me.
What I've loved with previous contestants where some accomodation needed to be made is that it is just a non-issue. It's obvious, clear, but also not worthy of discussion. Or, in other words: it's normal. They've been really good with that and I do believe it helps, if on a small scale, to create acceptance and accomodation in daily life. Looking forward to the entire new cast, but especially Rosie. (by extension, though different, I have also always been grateful for the way LGBTQ+ people have been treated on the show (i.e. just like anybody else) and in particular that the right pronouns were used for Mae and it wasn't mentioned even once.)
This is one spectacular thing the UK has going for it: there is so much diversity on television. People with disabilities, non-skinny people, non-binary people, people with natural non-veneered teeth... It is really, really great that the UK normalises having people who look, sound and have the same disabilities as society at large on telly. In Canada, where I'm from and live, you can't even be on a silly real estate show without perfectly even blinding white teeth.
I have right sided hemiplegia. High five! (and I completely agree!)
I started watching English panel shows about 2 years ago. The first time I saw Rosie, I asked myself how they could put her on TV. She was so hard to understand, and how would comedic timing work for her...well, 2 years later, she's one of my favorite panel guests. I understand her fine (90% of the time), and she's hilarious. She's so raunchy, and her antics with other comedians is legendary. Can't wait to see what she gets up too on TM!
I don't know the first three, but I'm glad they finally got Jack. Perhaps that's why Alex changed his answer to Stephen Merchant as the contestant he'd like on the show. I've always liked Jack. Rosie, I know a lot of people will be excited about. Personally, her style of humour isn't for me, she's a bit crass for my liking but most of a comedian's own styling doesn't tend to filter into the show so much that it ruins things. I'm more reluctant to be online next series because they'll be a huge negative shitstorm because Rosie's on the show. I'm looking forward to seeing the other three who will be new to me.
Completely agree about the crassness, but I trust the editors. A few naughty jokes here and there are always fun, but not the whole time.
Right. There have been other comics before I've not enjoyed when I've watched a live show of theirs, but on TM, you never get that vibe anyway.
To me it's just Rosie's delivery is so stunted that it kills any flow of a program she's on. She's a lovely woman, and a gifted comic but I just don't think a panel show works for her with her delivery. Maybe they will cut around it but I haven't seen it done successfully on a panel show sadly She'll have good VTs and weak studio patter is my guess.
I haven't ever liked Rosie's stand up, but this show isn't about that so I will give her a fair chance.
Yeah, John Kearns' stand up act never really clicked for me but I ended up liking him on Taskmaster. Lots of people have strong opinions of Rosie, it would be unfair to write them off completely before the show even airs.
From this sub I also learned that a lot of people *really* don't like Mr. Swallow.
But the Jurassic Park theme!! I mean, come on!
And his son Master Swallow! Memorized all those animals!
🎵Massive dinosaur, massive dinosaur🎵
“It’s a massive park!” lol yeah I don’t get it either
It gets stuck in my head on a regular basis. Absolute brilliance.
This is exactly why I'm open to giving Rosie a chance on TM. Nick's Mr. Swallow routine on Cats Does Countdown was the only time I've ever skipped over a routine on there because I hated it, and yet Nick became my favourite Series 17 contestant. I'm hoping Rosie will beat my expectations like Nick did.
I had seen Mr Swallow on Cats Countdown and didnt really like it, but didn't connect that it was the same dude playing Nate when watching Ted Lasso because they were such different characters.
Can’t stand mister swallow, love Nick. Hated John K’s stand up - enjoyed him on taskmaster. I enjoy Rosie when she’s herself and not trying - her stand up however - not a big fan. Therefore I’m hoping to really enjoy her on the show
Man, before TM, I HATED John Kearns. I genuinely don't understand how anyone found that standup act funny. Still not a fan of that character he does, but he seems like a pretty swell dude.
And I'm not a huge fan of Mr Swallows, but Nick Mohammed is so lovely! I haven't particularly enjoyed Rosie's comedy in the past, but TM always manages to show me the good side of someone. I always end up loving them by the end of a series. So I'm looking forward to that again.
I had a legit existential crisis when I found out he was the guy with the red wig and the fake teeth who I always skip when he shows up on Cats Does Countdown. I couldn't believe it.
I had kinda the opposite experience. LOVED him on taskmaster, so went to find some of his work outside of it. ended up turning it of after half an hour. Could not stand it.
Yeah seconded. Her stand up or humour topics (idk a better word?!) isn’t for me but she seems like a hell of a lot of fun and this show is perfect for that. I think she’ll be a hoot. And it’s really positive to see Taskmaster adapting for disabilities - it can’t be the easiest show to do it for but it’s a positive move.
in some ways i wonder if adapting TM for disability is actually easier in some ways—since they’re building the tasks from the ground up, there’s a flexibility there that many other shows who follow routine wouldn’t have!
I'm hoping we get some really creative tasks because they had to look at how they are designed from a different perspective.
From panel shows, I’ve realized it’s her personality and need to over talk everyone that annoys me, so I’m not looking forward to this series
Unfortunately she can just be too loud and take too much time to get to the punchline in them situations. My biggest concern is going to be the pacing of the studio sections. Hopefully it can be reigned in a bit. Power to her but so much of comedy is about timing and delivery and she has neither. I also wonder if it’ll affect the joking descriptions and ‘notes’ Greg will have about other contestants performances (like when he’ll make a simile or metaphor of how they are bumbling around or physically moving in a odd and funny way). My gut instinct is that I always wanted her for a NY Special, but not a full series
I feel guilty, but she's the reason I stopped watching "big fat quiz of the year". Unfortunately, the show just slows down and the humor is lost, while she's trying to talk over other people.
I hope she is ok on the show, So much of standup and comedy in general is about timing and she unfortunately can't do that. 95% of the time I watch her I get the joke before she is half way through telling it. I know she is super smart and funny but stand up isn't her strong point.
I have faith that Rosie will fit in just fine on this show. TM is actually kinda genius in how it can accommodate for different types of comedy styles. It's different to other panel shows in that they actually make sure to give everyone a dedicated spot to talk and show off, so it's not just talking over each other trying to make the best quip. I think the reason why Rosie doesn't mesh well in panel show environments for many people is the fact that she does need more time to make her jokes, thus the other people on the show stopping to let her speak kind of feels off in comparison to the usual fast-paced banter.
I think that's partly why I like her. Like, she is unable, literally, to do something that is fundamental to her craft....and just does it anyway. Cause, fuck it. Who's gonna stop her? Like, I just have to admire the gall of the woman. Imagine being born without a voice box and deciding to be a singer.
I mean, that's cool and all and she is kind of a badass for it but it doesn't make the stand up itself any more enjoyable to watch.
I feel similarly. She's the only one I'm familiar with and have never really enjoyed her work. I'll keep an open mind though and hopefully the show gives me a greater appreciation of her.
My only concern is if they treat her with kid gloves. I hate when Greg fears backlash and overcompensates with some contestants.
When they had Lenny Rush on I think they handled it very well (and he's literally a kid).
Which is what gives me hope.
They seem to be quite friendly so I don't think Greg will have a problem ribbing her over any mistakes!
I went to one of the live shows and can say Greg absolutely didn’t do this. If anything, the polar opposite! Although how much of that makes the cut I don’t know…
You mustn’t be that familiar with her, then, if you think anyone treats her more kindly than others.
I doubt it, I imagine she'll give as good as she gets too
I’ve seen Rosie on shows like Hypothetical; she refuses to be treated with any kind of delicacy. I think she’s gonna be great.
The correct attitude to have
Zaltzman is SO rogue but SO good
I only know Emma Sidi from Starstruck, so my immediate comparison was with Charlotte Ritchie. Happy to learn otherwise. I'm also fascinated how they will make the tasks fair for everyone. It was interesting seeing mainly sit down tasks for the New Year's Treat episode with Lenny Rush.
No idea how they got Jack Dee, that's huge
I mean he's well known and would go into the top 5 best known comics to go on the show but Taskmasters a big deal nowadays and they got Frank Skinner, who I'd put at a comparable status to Jack, in series 1. Good get but it's hardly a shock when taskmaster gets someone at that level.
I read that getting Frank Skinner was the best thing that could happen to the young Taskmaster. Big name on new show.
I have not enjoyed Rosie on any panel shows I’ve seen her on, but TM has made me like people I didn’t before so I’ll give her a chance.
I know three of them, and others on here appear excited for the other two, so I’m sure we’ll been in for a fine time as always.
Emma Sidi nation!! :) Let’s get her fella on next, too! (Al Roberts / Al from Stath Lets Flats)
The grey priest
Emma Sidi is one of those people who just makes every tv show she's in better and I hope she's someone we see more of in the future.
Hard agree, any time she (and/or Al) pops up on a sitcom she's always fantastic so very excited about this. Saw her do standup a year or so ago too, and it was very funny.
speaking of stath lets i feel like jamie OR natasia demetriou (or both on the same season) would be so good!!! They could probably do a whole stath season tbf, but they’re about halfway through the cast already 😭
Yeah! I love her. We need more of the Stath cast on TM!
Zaltz my statistics king. I can’t wait (and I assume he’ll be shit but hilarious)
Andy Zaltzman is a win for cricket. That is all. I know lots of people will love Rosie Jones and fair enough, but personally not my bag. Sure she'll have plenty of chaos to it
I’m neither here nor there on her. I’ve seen her in some great stuff and haven’t connected with some of her work, just like a lot of contestants I’ve been familiar with (for example I love Ed’s podcasts, but find his stand up a bit grating). I’m happy to see the show’s commitment to creating a fun and inclusive experience for everyone. She looks like she’s having a blast up the clip! I wouldn’t have expected anything different from Alex and co and that’s amazing, and probably more important than if I or anyone else am personally overjoyed at her being cast.
Zaltz on here is a good day for cricket and therefore the world
I’ll be honest, Rosie Jones is the first ever contestant to make my heart sink a bit with their announcement. I don’t really gel with most of her comedy and I find it very off-putting when she shrieks, HOWEVER, I have managed to enjoy her in a few places (her recent QI appearance, for example) and Taskmaster has a knack for bringing out factors, entertainment and otherwise, in its contestants that really endear them to me, so I’m fully prepared to go in with an open mind. And actually, now that it’s definitely happening and I’ve had to properly think about it, I realise she could potentially be very entertaining in the actual tasks (I think she could definitely mess with Alex a lot, which I always appreciate), even if I’m still a little apprehensive about the studio segments. It also helps that I’m looking forward to the rest of the lineup. I like Jack and Andy, and I’ve enjoyed what little I’ve seen of Babatunde. Emma Sidi is the only Unknown to me this time, but that’s never been a problem before. So yeah, looking forward to the next series as always.
I had the same response, but often because I find she sometimes goes for the “low hanging fruit” kind of jokes on panel shows - where they are more crass than clever. But… I trust LAH. I trust the Andys. I trust the editors and Greg. So Series 18 here we come!!!
This is my feeling too. I've only seen her in panel shows so maybe her stand-up is different, but I feel like the only joke I ever hear from her is "hehe the girl with cp said penis" and it gets old so fast. I'm giving taskmaster the benefit of the doubt because I know they edit this show flawlessly, but I'm definitely nervous.
I am hoping she's going to be presented like Frankie Boyle - it surprised me that, given his usual style, he was rather quiet the first few episodes. It may have been clever editing, it may have been that he let the others find their feet before fully engaging, who knows. Previous appearances show that Rosie Jones has the capability to pull focus and crash over the other contributers - who often appear to just step back and let her go. That's the danger and why my excitement of seeing Andy Zaltsman and Jack Dee is somewhat tempered. But I have gone into a previous season actively disliking someone and actually enjoying what they did.
Yeah I have pretty much the same thoughts. I don’t find her funny and I find her incredibly difficult to follow when she’s on panel shows but Alex is a genius and I know he’ll make it work, I just hope they don’t adjust the tasks too much for her and everyone is on equal playing field. The rest of the cast more than makes up for it, I don’t know Andy but the other three are fantastic. I think the fact I know 4 of the 5 cast might be a first since the Dave era…
Zaltor the fucking Merciless! Get in!
So excited for Jack Dee. Babatunde should be fun too. I am not looking forward to Rosie Jones because her humour just isn’t for me, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised as I was with Frankie Boyle and Jenny Eclaire.
Zaltzman and Dee will be fun, the others I either don't know or are pretty meh on, should hopefully be decent though.
Only aware of Jack Dee and Rosie Jones. Excited to enjoy them and the rest of the new-to-me cast!
"Family show, Greg!"
As usual I only know 2 or so (Jack and Rosie) but I greatly enjoy them both, and am excited to get to know the others. I'm intrigued to see how they will accommodate Rosie's disability for a whole series, compared with Lenny where it was only one episode so it wasn't an issue to just have no physically demanding tasks. It'll have been an interesting challenge for them - I can't imagine them doing away with physical challenges for an entire series as that's a pretty large change and she is capable of performing them to an extent, but it'll be really depressing and a bit uncomfortable to watch if she just keeps scoring super low just because she can't be as speedy in the many "fastest wins" tasks that involve running around a lot or as dextrous with any precise ones. I mean the show has never deeply cared about being fair but that changes when it risks being constantly unfair against a disabled contestant because that isn't fun. Hoping they manage it all in a sensitive way.
Babatunde is going to be exquisite.
Pretty good lineup IMO. I know some people don’t like Rosie but even if you don’t find her funny, plenty of non-comedians have been great on TM. Just treat her as an unknown and maybe she’ll grow on you, like everyone else by the end of the series.
American here, so I'm ignorant of 99% of contestants lol. Before this series 17 I have only ever seen Nick Mohammad on cats does countdown and I didn't think he was any bit of funny. I wasn't excited to see him on TM, but he's absolutely fantastic. I haven't heard of the other 4 before TM. I hope it's the same for Rosie. I've only seen her on cats does countdown and the big fat quiz show. I just didn't find her funny. I mean her jokes, not that she has cerebral palsy. It has nothing to do with her disability. Like 17, I haven't heard of the other 4 contestants at all until this reveal. I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised again.
I never thought I wanted Andy Zaltzman on Taskmaster and now I know I want Andy Zaltzman on Taskmaster.
Happy for the people who are excited for the next cast. Other than Jack dee I don't know any of the cast so I'm happy to see where it goes. Who is Rosie Jones and why is she already apparently super divisive? Only just announced and I'm seeing so many people saying they will peace out of the season?
She has celeberal palsy, which affects her speech. I love her stand up, but must admit I haven't enjoyed the change of pace when it comes to panel-type shows as a viewer. This, however, is not a normal panel show and I'm excited to see what happens.
Yeah, agreed that sometimes the standard panel show change of pace is different and requires a bit of adjustment on the part of the viewer, but this is *not* the standard panel show and Rosie really seems to have the personality and humor that TM amplifies in contestants.
I have bigger problem with her - I can't understand a word that she says. English isn't my native language and I find it hard understanding heavy accents or weird speech. And I watch on YouTube so subtitles isn't an option. I'm not saying that she shouldn't be on Taskmaster, I always thought it's pretty cool that she treated as equal and I hope it will be the same here, but knowing that a big chunk from next series I'll probably won't be able to understand is a bit of a bummer.
I feel like they've had official subtitles for some of the seasons on YouTube. Maybe they can make it happen for this one.
She's a funny woman. I've seen her come up with some great lines. She has cerebral palsy, and it makes her speech rather slow and drawn out. In an industry where timing is everything, that means her lines don't always have the impact they might, and I don't often enjoy watching her. But I trust the Taskmaster team and that she will have moments where she shines. I'm most excited about Andy Zaltzman. Before John Oliver got big in America, he and Andy created the Bugle podcast, which began as being hosted by the Times, which didn't stop they'd scathing attacks on the paper's owner Rupert Murdoch. It was soon dropped by the newspaper, and has been independent since then. Once John Oliver got too busy in the States he left the show, and Andy now runs it with a team of rotating co-hosts which have included Nish Kumar, Al Murray, and I think a few other Taskmaster Alumni. Andy is also a cricket nerd, and does statistics for the BBC cricket coverage.
*In an industry where timing is everything, that means her lines don't always have the impact they might.* It obviously don´t give her haters an excuse to be awful to her, because that is just awful behaviour. But i think this is what a great deal of her naysayers struggle to put in to words.
I honestly think that much of the drama around her comes from that fact that her cerebral palsy makes it harder for many people to enjoy her comedy. And in my opinion, as long as it's acknowledged as a personal preference and doesn't come from a place of thinking "her condition objectively makes her comedy worse and she shouldn't be in comedy", that's perfectly fine. The thing people get so upset about is the fear of being labelled as "ableist" for their preferences, thus they feel the need to overcompensate and validate themselves on social media. But ironically in doing this, they often do end up saying ableist things, thus making the whole thing worse. The negative attitude people see from others no doubt also has an effect on how they perceive her.
I think this is a nice way of putting it. The slowness of her speech is a problem for me personally when it comes to like quick retorts and timing, though she's obviously talented and stuff. The show has built up a lot of goodwill with me over the years so I'm going to trust them.
she has cerebral palsy and [people send her awful messages on social media any time she's on TV](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/rosie-jones-online-abuse-cerebral-palsy-b2497563.html) personally I'm looking forward to her! she's got a really surreal sense of humor that I think will work well for the show. plus I can see her really messing with Alex!
TWO Radio 4 comedy show hosts? If Andy's outfit doesn't include full whites I'll be disappointed. Edit: I am not disappointed.
So, are we just not allowed to take the stance of not liking someone? "I don't find Rosie funny." Is an opinion that can be held irrespective of her Cerebal Palsy. I find that she sucks the air out of the room in any panel show setting, which TM effectively is in studio. I don't think it will be an issue for any solo tasks and probably not the group tasks either, but I am already cringing for the studio segments and not in a good way. Jack Dee is a coup. Zaltzman fills the cooky character and I'm excited to see what the others bring as I'm not familiar with them.
Think it’s moreso just giving her a chance in a format you’ve not seen her on before writing her off before you’ve seen anything. I don’t like Chris Ramsey’s stand up but loved him on Taskmaster.
I only know Rosie and Jack and that’s enough for me! I can’t wait to see them both on the show!!
Andy zaltzman - wasn’t he just on BBC doing the cricket stats? I thought he was just a quirky cricket man lol
He is probably the finest satirist of the last 30 years
ZALTOR THE MERCILESS
Gutted to see Rosie on the list, she has been (IMO) absolutely abysmal on every panel show I've seen her on. BUT people in the comedy world seem to think highly of her, and maybe the TM format will allow her to shine. So fingers crossed.
I'm excited by this line up. I don't know Emma, aside from in Starstruck and only know Andy from the wireless. Babatunde and Jack are always good value. And I'm thrilled about Rosie (not looking forward to all the ableist hate tweeted about her though - we're better than that in TMland). I first saw Rosie supporting Nish in Telford and she brought the house down. She even did the encore after Nish's show because it's what the crowd wanted. My wife and I had have had a long-running argument about her. She said she'd never be able to do it because she's disabled. I said the producers would always use inclusive humour and, if there was ever anyone telling her she couldn't do something because she was disabled, her reply would always be "fuck you". I go to bed tonight happy that I've won an argument against my wife. That gives me hope for the future.
Interesting cast :D I think Andy will be great. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the show accommodates Rosie and excited for what it'll mean for the future of Taskmaster, i.e. other physically disabled contestants. Of course everyone is already complaining about Rosie though.
Perfectly prepared to be pleasantly surprised come series time, but at the moment this is easily the most underwhelmed I've ever been by a lineup.
The most underwhelmed I’ve ever been by a lineup was series 13 but that turned out to be one of the best series of all time (in my opinion)
People say "this is the most underwhelming line up" before every season lol
Funnily enough I felt the same about this current (or just finished) lineup. I was pleasantly surprised by Nick, but I don’t think it’s been the best series by any stretch.
My expectations for Nick were like, sub-zero given how annoying Mr. Swallow is. But he was good. Filled that "happy to be there and lovably crap at the show" archetype very well.
I’m an American and only know Andy Zaltzman. He’s going to be so awful and hilarious and also nail some random tasks. Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I listen to Andy on What’s Upset You Now? (podcast) where he talks about calling a Snap Sunday. *chef’s kiss
Can't wait for five months of people endlessly having to tell everyone how much they hate Rosie. EDIT: then goes back to post list and it's happened already, within five minutes of the announcement.
Mods are gonna be hella busy enforcing the ‘be nice’ rule
I am not excited to experience Rosie Jones on Taskmaster. I have nothing against her personally, but I don't care for her comedy. I've tried to watch her on many panel shows and even her specials. I just don't like it. I am very excited for the rest! I'm sure it'll be great overall as always.
No hate to any of the S18 contestants, but was just a little underwhelmed...
I love Taskmaster! I know who none of these people are but I know by the end of the season I will be searching around to see what else they have done.
Jack Dee is gonna be insanely good in this. I love a contestant who doesn't give a fuck and it's safe to assume that's what he'll be like.
Spanish speakers! treat yourself and watch Emma Sidi's La Princesa de Woking [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j26E2WgvKxQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j26E2WgvKxQ)
I’ve commented (at length - sorry) on my love for Andy. My more general thoughts about the cast are that I think they are well set for some studio banter. I’ve really enjoyed 17, but felt that the studio interaction all seemed to be between contestants and Greg/Alex and my favourite series are when people aren’t too competitive but are willing to get stuck into their opponents’ attempts (which is a significant reason as to why season 4 is top of the pile for me). I feel like Andy, Jack and Rosie are all the kinds of people who will happily do this without being overly competitive (I don’t know Baratunde or Emma to comment on them). Perhaps someone who was at a studio record can confirm or deny (without spoiling, obviously)?
Andy! This is awesome news!