The original Taskmaster is already a miracle of construction, its success balanced on a razor’s edge. It relies on the perfect, unforced chemistry between its hosts (Greg Davies and Alex Horne – the latter also the show’s creator), an array of tasks that allow for blinding success, abject failure, deep misinterpretation and moments of genius as participants compete for prizes they have themselves brought in (the low stakes are a vital part of its workings), and the procuring of five celebrities – usually comedians – per series who can take it seriously enough to be funny but lightly enough not to bog the whole absurd confection down.
In this they have succeeded magnificently for 18 series (and seven specials). Messing with perfection is rarely to be welcomed, and especially not when it involves the introduction of children. And so it is with astonishment as great as my joy and relief to report that the spinoff Junior Taskmaster, in which the competitors are all aged between about nine and 12 (please don’t make me use the word “tweenagers”) is a triumph.
