Four comedians spend an hour sitting around a table, imagining they’re on a cruise ship that has run aground. How is this going to stretch to five episodes?
If the mark of a great TV series is poor imitators in its wake, Taskmaster is starting to look like a classic. Revive the panel show by making comedians tackle ephemeral challenges instead of just doing a quiz, it said. Easy! But if The Island (Dave) is any indication, rebottling the Taskmaster magic is far more difficult.
Warning klaxons sound straight away, as the host, Tom Allen, opens proceedings by getting bogged down in explaining the concept. Four comedians are on an imaginary cruise ship that has run aground. Four uninhabited islands are within reach. Each comic must found a new society, shaping every element of its imaginary way of life, in the hope of persuading the highest number of imaginary passengers to become citizens.
