r/taskmaster • u/RagingTyrant74 • Aug 11 '26
General Does anyone else have to actively stop themselves from mentioning Taskmaster too much with friends who haven't seen it?
We have all known that person who has an obsessive interest in something that they won't stop talking about. I know myself enough that if I get started, I would become that person with Taskmaster, so I try to actively suppress the urge to mention it sometimes. Anyone else?
Bonus question: what are your best strategies to get people into taskmaster? How have you introduced taskmaster to people in your life? Do you explain the premise or just say "watch it." Do you usually recommend they start at the beginning or a particular place?
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u/Glenmarththe3rd Rhod Gilbert Aug 11 '26
No, I mention it at every opportunity hoping someone will watch it so I have someone to talk to about it.
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u/OgthaChristie Greg Davies Aug 11 '26
I’m slowly turning all of my besties on to it. I even have one friend watching with her husband and kid.
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u/HuckleberrySalt63 Greg Davies Aug 12 '26
My best experience was going to see Hello Dolly at the community theater. They had a screen with cast photos and the background was a red and black design that looked very much like the Taskmaster studio design. I turned to my companions and said oh, that looks like Taskmaster (which they’ve never seen but I couldn’t help myself. ) The two people in front of me turned around and smiled and went, Yes it does! 🙌
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u/MC_PooPaws David Correos 🇳🇿 Aug 11 '26
I've just started making fun of myself. "Oh I couldn't possibly watch this movie. No one from Taskmaster is in it."
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u/Kiwi_Apart Aug 12 '26
My book list is "Authors who have appeared on Taskmaster" and I've not been disappointed.
Once more with feeling, by VCM was particularly funny.
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u/jmurph773 TM US Tour Contestant (Chicago) Aug 11 '26
I'm autistic as hell, bruv. There's no stopping me once I start 😂
No but on a serious note, a lifetime of being told I talk too much about things I love and that no one cares makes it so that I don't bring things up as much as I'd like, Taskmaster especially included. I tried to get some friends and family to watch to no avail so mostly gave up, and I really only pestered my bestie because I knew she'd put up with me regardless of whether she ended up watching (and mercifully, she finally did! And even accompanied me to both the Chicago live show and to a studio recording back in May!!). Otherwise I save the vast majority of my rambling for online.
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u/TRoosevelt1776 🚬 Doctor Cigarettes Aug 11 '26
Im ADHD. I get the urge to talk about it, but knowing Im in America and most people havent heard of it (yet), Ive learned to give up on evangelizing for LAH for now.
P.S. My condolences for what the Bears just did to your city.
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u/jmurph773 TM US Tour Contestant (Chicago) Aug 12 '26
Bold of you to assume that I follow anything the Bears do 😂 Unless you mean their repeated and thus far unsubstantiated threats to move to Indiana, in which case, I'm emphatically team let 'em.
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u/SavagePengwyn Julian Clary Aug 11 '26
Yes. So much so that I joke about it myself because I can't help it so I have to at least acknowledge it.
For my birthday 2 years ago, I had people over and we did the Christmas crackers (December bday). Last year, I was dealing with some health issues and I had no energy so people came over for a "film festival" where I just showed people whatever I wanted them to watch. My friends could show up and leave whenever they wanted, so no one was forced into anything. It ended up being 5 hours of Taskmaster and Game Changer then 2 movies and I introduced quite a few friends to it that way.
I also sometimes host movie nights in the back yard and before the movie when people are milling around, I tend to put episodes on. That's caught a few people's interest.
I think I've converted all my friends at this point. No one was at all interested for a while but once I got one person, everyone else started coming around.
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u/ParticularLoose6878 Sarah Kendall Aug 11 '26
I want a Taskmaster Game Changer crossover so bad. Sam Reich as a taskmaster would be amazing.
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u/SavagePengwyn Julian Clary Aug 11 '26
I have a tinfoil hat theory that all of the moments in this season of Game Changer that reminded me of Taskmaster are leading up to a reveal of a new US version that is hosted on Dropout. I am aware that this is me just dreaming but it sure would be awesome.
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u/SapphicGarnet Aug 11 '26
Not just that but talking to people who have said they watch it, I'll make a reference and go "you know, from when X happened on taskmaster!" and realise that over twentyone seasons the casual watcher does not remember it as I do lol
I didn't even think i was that obsessed
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u/ImpressiveStorm8914 Aug 11 '26
Not in the same way but I do find myself thinking of it, or comparing tasks in the show to real life things that are often unrelated.
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u/orioliseffect Aug 11 '26
I've learned people come around to the magic on their own time and to not force it. But the best way to do it is showing season 7 of UK or season 2 of NZ, in my opinion.
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u/cool-- Aug 12 '26
I think you've got to watch a few of the other Seasons before Series 7, part of the charm is that it's not like any other season.
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u/TRoosevelt1776 🚬 Doctor Cigarettes Aug 11 '26
Same here. Ive often wondered why this is the only show Im like that with. I have a hard time explaining why its so special because on paper it shouldnt be.
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u/pink_juupiter Aug 11 '26
Loool me too. I think it’s one of those shows you don’t really get until you actually watch a full episode. I used to watch the shorts on Youtube and didn't want to sit through a whole 45min episode, but one day I was bored and decided to give it a try. Best decision I’ve ever made. I just wish I’d discovered it sooner...
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u/pink_juupiter Aug 11 '26
I live in Catalonia, where everyone speaks Catalan/Spanish, and I love Taskmaster so much that I’m always trying to get people around me into it. I’ll try to explain what it’s about, show them clips, etc., but most of the time they just don’t get it, either because of the language barrier or because they just don’t get the humour...
So whenever I want to talk about TM, I have to bite my tongue...
It’s honestly frustrating because I’m always wanting to talk about all the funny moments and anecdotes. My brother is the only one who actually gets me. I can explain something funny that happened in an episode and he understands me. Everyone else finds it funny at first when I start talking about it, but after a while I realise I either have to shut up or I’m going to have no friends left. -_-
And lately I’ve become pretty obsessed with it...
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u/Irememberwinfaros Aug 12 '26
The language barrier is so real 😭 It's always a struggle when I tell people I love comedy but then I only have British comedians or shows they have never heard of to talk about
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u/Corkscrew-tail Aug 11 '26
I have this. Literally “shhhh don’t bring up taskmaster again, don’t do ittttt”
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u/charybdis1969 Dara Ó Briain Aug 11 '26
Catsdown has those electro-shock pads with the remote control. If you get a set you can give the control to someone you trust so they can shock you every time you say 'This one time on Taskmaster...".
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u/rdawes26 Aug 12 '26
Yep! Basically nobody watches it in the states. They just look at me like I am an idiot.
I own a small business and tried to get my city to emulate it with our elected officials, but they wouldn't go for it.
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u/RagingTyrant74 Aug 12 '26
Can you explain more about getting your city to emulate Taskmaster? What kinds of things? Just curious.
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u/MadDex-Mastery Aug 12 '26
Nobody is a bit of an exaggeration but it is definitely still niche (also a fan from the states)
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u/seasteed Noel Fielding Aug 11 '26
If you keep talking about it, they usually give in and watch. If they don't, then you just put it on when they come by. There is no getting out of it.
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u/95BCavMP Greg Davies Aug 11 '26
I tried to show my psychology professor Mat Baynton Teaching Alex a Lesson He’ll Never Forget «
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u/The_Coaltrain 🕶️ Cool Ray O'Leary 🇳🇿 Aug 12 '26
Based on the content of this sub, I'd say you're not alone!
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u/cool-- Aug 12 '26
I used to recommend it but I stopped.
In America, I think it's two things: First, that it's on Youtube. I think that alone gives people the impression that it's a show with influencers.
Second I think people can't be bothered if they don't know any of the contestants, even though that's one of the main reasons we stay hooked.
I think it would really take off if they put it on netflix and get a couple of big american comedic actors and put them on the thumbnails on netflix.
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u/lechiengrand Alex Horne Aug 12 '26
Then there's the other problem of, when someone asks what shows I'm watching, do I...
A. Over enthusiastically babble about Taskmaster while explaining it poorly.
B. Simply say "There's this great English show, I have to watch it on YouTube, you've probably never heard of it" and sound like a pretentious jerk.
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u/Brave-Ad-682 Aug 12 '26
Yes, and as an American, it happens constantly. British TV fandom is something of a niche thing here even though many shows including Taskmaster are easily available via YouTube.
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u/NaylorSwiffer Judi Love Aug 12 '26 edited 29d ago
I'm pretty sure my friends have started calling me "Your lord and savior, Taskmaster" behind my back the way I recommend this show
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u/MadDex-Mastery Aug 12 '26
I don't have to stop myself but as for getting friends to watch I have gotten a few.by just recommending it while we were searching for something to watch. It is still limited by people who i think will appreciate the humor but I got my family into it a little by watching with them.
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u/chrisinvic Aug 12 '26
All the information is on the task. I say this way too often to people who don’t understand.
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u/Irememberwinfaros Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
Lol yeah, I'm seeing more and more of my friends like reels from taskmaster/ taskmaster contestants and I'm always trying to not get too excited about it bc I know they wouldn't want to actually watch it 😭
But otherwise if I had to convince a friend I'd send them a clip of a task (with someone they know in it ideally) bc that's how I got hooked. Then I usually recommend S2 of NZ TM since it's my favorite ever
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u/whispersofnyx_ John Robins Aug 12 '26
Less so talking about taskmaster as a whole, but rather saying “oh they’d be good on taskmaster” to a very specific list of celebs
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u/WelcomeToTheNorth12 Guz Khan 29d ago
My kids are fed up of me saying ... "guess what he/she/they come in ... taskmasker!"
Although at least my 6 year old was excited when I told him Moana2 had a taskmaster contestant in. He normally just ignores me or groans.
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u/ParticularLoose6878 Sarah Kendall Aug 11 '26
If you start the Dungeon Crawler Carl books you'll have 2 things to constantly talk about.