If there's one thing that Britain does better than most, it's comedy, and if there's two, then it's comedy and game shows in which British comedians get to play around with pre-determined formats in the name of light entertainment. For the past decade, the show Taskmaster has consistently demonstrated why both things are true - and for those unfamiliar with the series, we've come up with the 10 best seasons to get you started.

(Yes, we're saying "seasons," because it's an American website; I know they're called "series" in the UK.)

The concept behind Taskmaster is very simple: every season, five comedians compete to complete a series of random tasks as judged by the eponymous Taskmaster, Greg Davies. Davies awards scores based purely on his own judgment and whatever mood he's in - anyone looking for logic or consistency, you're out of luck - and his assistant Alex Horne (actually the creator of the series and the mind behind many of the tasks)... well, he assists, in some form or another. It isn't a particularly complicated set-up, and that's because what the show is really about is how fun, inventive, and occasionally downright dumb the comedians will be as they attempt to do what they've been asked. Highbrow, it isn't; irresistibly entertaining, it is.

The show, which airs on Channel 4 in the UK, has built up an international following thanks to putting full episodes on YouTube. It's currently 21 seasons into its run, with the 22nd season starting in early September, but you don't have time to watch all of that. That's why we've made this guide to help you get started.

TL;DR: Best Taskmaster Seasons, Ranked

Rank	Season	Why you should watch it
#1	Season 5	Bob Mortimer. That’s it. That’s the entire reason.
#2	Season 14	Is Fern Brady the most disruptive contestant to date? Perhaps, but Dara Ó Briain's calm, steady presence brings an entirely unexpected balance to proceedings.
#3	Season 10	Johnny Vegas can't maintain the curmudgeonly attitude, and Katherine Parkinson spoke for a nation by just wanting a bit of a break, really.
#4	Season 1	The very first outing for the series set a tone for everything that was to follow, and remains very hard to beat.
#5	Season 16	In which Sam Campbell demonstrates that he may be a perfect foil for the Taskmaster himself.
#6	Season 18	There are very different types of Taskmaster contestant, and this is a season that spans that spectrum most entertainingly.
#7	Season 19	If people thought that bringing on Jason Mantzoukas was stunt-casting, they were overlooking the season’s secret weapon.
#8	Season 7	What does it take to master Taskmaster? Rhod Gilbert reveals all (even if he didn’t, you know, win the season).
#9	Season 11	Tick tock, it’s Mike Wozniak o’clock.
#10	Season 8	There's wanting something so much it's embarrassing for those around you, and then there's wanting something so much you're moved to apologize in the moment.

10. Season 8

• Date: 2019
• Cast: Lou Sanders, Sian Gibson, Paul Sinha, Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas
• Why you should watch it: There's wanting something so much it's embarrassing for those around you, and then there's wanting something so much you're moved to apologize in the moment.

There is such a thing as wanting something too much, and if anyone needs any proof of this phenomenon, I direct you to Taskmaster Season 8, and the behavior of Iain "The Guy Who Does The Voiceover on Love Island" Stirling. Very clearly someone who believed wholeheartedly in the inevitability of their win (spoilers: they don't win the season), Stirling managed to become a social media talking point for just how entitled he behaved throughout proceedings, most notably in the fourth episode, 'The Barrel Dad,' in which he ended up apologizing on-stage to fellow contestant Lou Sanders for how he'd treated her during a particular task after seeing it for himself. Sanders, meanwhile, spends the entire season aggressively having fun, and is far more watchable (and successful) as a result. A lesson for us all, there. 

9. Season 11

• Date: 2021
• Cast: Sarah Kendall, Lee Mack, Jamali Maddix, Charlotte Ritchie, Mike Wozniak
• Why you should watch it: Tick tock, it’s Mike Wozniak o’clock.

Sometimes, one singular contestant can lift an entire season up on their own, which is something I'll return to at least one more time in this here list. Season 11's place here is entirely down to the stable, sardonic dad energy of Mike Wozniak, a man who seems effortlessly comfortable with his place in the universe, no matter what ridiculous tasks are thrown his way. While others might point to the presence of Ghosts' Charlotte Ritchie (that's the original UK Ghosts, not the US version) or professional variety performer Lee Mack as reasons to check out this season - and both are great here - there's no way to watch this season and not realize that this is Wozniak's season every single time he opens his mouth. A joy to watch.

8. Season 7

• Date: 2018
• Cast: Kerry Goldiman, James Acaster, Rhod Gilbert, Jessica Knappett, Phil Wang
• Why you should watch it: What does it take to master Taskmaster? Rhod Gilbert reveals all (even if he didn’t, you know, win the season).

A favorite of Popverse's own Ashley Victoria Robinson, Season 7 brings Rhod Gilbert to the show - a man who, unlike most contestants, seems singularly disinterested in impressing the Taskmaster and more involved in the process of actually solving the particular tasks in front of him. Admittedly, that doesn't mean that he necessarily does a good job, but since when has good television been about doing a good job? The presence of James Acaster and the entirely underrated Phil Wang (sporting a great Kill Bill-inspired outfit throughout) is also worth noting.

7. Season 19

• Date: 2025
• Cast: Mathew Baynton, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Stevie Martin, Jason Matzoukas, Rosie Ramsey
• Why you should watch it: If people thought that bringing on Jason Mantzoukas was stunt-casting, they were overlooking the season’s secret weapon.

Sure, Jason Mantzoukas - arguably Taskmaster's first actual celebrity contestant, and certainly their first American who doesn't actually live in the UK - and Mathew Baynton seemed like the headliners when the cast for this season was first announced, and neither disappoint in the slightest, but it's the chaotic energy of Fatiha El-Ghorri that makes this particular season unmissable. Is it the somewhat threatening flirting with Greg Davies? Is it the simmering anger at seemingly anything at any random moment? Is it the utter confidence at times when it seems entirely unearned? Yes, and so much more. 

6. Season 18

• Date: 2024
• Cast: Andy Zaltzman, Babatunde Aléshé, Jack Dee, Rosie Jones, Emma Sidi
• Why you should watch it: There are very different types of Taskmaster contestant, and this is a season that spans that spectrum most entertainingly.

Season 18 of Taskmaster had it all, when it comes to the kinds of contestants the show offers: Jack Dee was the curmudgeon who seemed upset to have to show up and do the tasks, Babatunde Aléshé was eager, competitive, and determined to win, and Rosie Jones is just... a chaos demon who is very happy to be there. Add in Emma Sidi - wonderfully sincere - and the cricket-obsessed Andy Zaltzman who repeatedly seemed bemused by the entire enterprise, and you have a surprisingly well-balanced, particularly enjoyable season where everyone brings something unique to the table. Especially Rosie Jones, who is a national treasure.

5. Season 16

• Date: 2023
• Cast: Sam Campbell, Lucy Beaumont, Julian Clary, Sue Perkins, Susan Wokoma
• Why you should watch it: In which Sam Campbell demonstrates that he may be a perfect foil for the Taskmaster himself.

Many a contestant has tried to be the thorn in Greg Davies' side throughout the many seasons of Taskmaster, and for good reason: it's comedy gold, and Davies is such a playful tyrant in the show that he's an irresistible target to poke fun at. (If a somewhat dangerous one, for anyone hoping to literally score points in the game.) When it comes to an all-time great as a counterpart to the Taskmaster, Sam Campbell might take the cake: he's similarly playful but with such a different vibe - laid back, and somewhat unfocused and seemingly confused - watching he and Greg interact is a masterclass in improv. All this plus British comedy royalty in the forms of Julian Clary and Sue Perkins!

4. Season 1

• Date: 2015
• Cast: Josh Widdicombe, Roisin Conaty, Tim Key, Romesh Ranganathan, Frank Skinner
• Why you should watch it: The very first outing for the series set a tone for everything that was to follow, and remains very hard to beat.

It's kind of surreal to be able to look at the first season of Taskmaster and see how much of the show was already in place immediately. Sure, certain running jokes had still to develop - notably the precise relationship between Greg and Alex - but for all intents and purposes, the spirit and the practicalities of the show were right there from the beginning. That the contestants on the first season included all-timers like Tim Key, Frank Skinner and the great Roisin Conaty just sealed the deal on it being the kind of show that just felt like a success straight away.

3. Season 10

 

• Date: 2020
• Cast: Richard Herring, Daisy May Cooper, Katherine Parkinson, Mawaan Rizwan, Johnny Vegas
• Why you should watch it: Johnny Vegas can't maintain the curmudgeonly attitude, and Katherine Parkinson spoke for a nation by just wanting a bit of a break, really.

In the dark days of COVID restrictions and social distancing, Season 10's admittedly off-kilter mix of silliness and sincerity - personified by Johnny Vegas, whose attempts at being grumpy repeatedly crumbled into giggling at how ridiculous things were, and Katherine Parkinson, who repeatedly seemed just a little overwhelmed by everything that was being asked for her - proved to be utterly winning, and a tonic that the world needed at the time. Let's also shout out Daisy May Cooper, who seemed to be having the best time out of the entire bunch for the entire season.

2. Season 14

• Date: 2022
• Cast: Dara Ó Briain, Fern Brady, Munya Chawawa, John Kearns, Sarah Millican
• Why you should watch it: Is Fern Brady the most disruptive contestant to date? Perhaps, but Dara Ó Briain’s calm, steady presence brings an entirely unexpected balance to proceedings.

You have to feel for the steady presence of John Kearns, who almost fades into the background of a season that otherwise has the eagerness of Munya Chawawa, the silliness of Sarah Millican, the brilliance of Dara Ó Briain - another contestant like Rhod Gilbert who seems to be trying to outthink the show - and the menace of Fern Brady, one of my favorite ever Taskmaster contestants who transforms the combination of surliness and incompetence into an artform. Another of the seeming all-star line-ups, this is an unstoppable season.

1. Season 5

• Date: 2017
• Cast: Bob Mortimer, Aisling Bea, Nish Kumar, Sally Phillips, Mark Watson
• Why you should watch it: Bob Mortimer. That’s it. That’s the entire reason.

Of all the contestants on the entire run of Taskmaster, Bob Mortimer stands head and shoulders above the rest. He's winningly game, charmingly confident even when he has no real reason to be, and gifted enough to come up with such unexpected solutions to problems that, even when they don't work out - which happens quite often - the viewer is left feeling as if the fault lies with the problem, not with Bob himself. Mortimer is an iconic figure in British comedy, and it's impossible to watch this season and not fully understand why, even though he goes out of his way to try and not overshadow everyone around him. (Which just makes him all the more likable, dammit.) Just watch the master at work. 

All episodes of Taskmaster are available on the Taskmaster YouTube channel.

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