Yanira D. Kivi 
Currently in its 13th season and recently launching its own streaming service (Taskmaster Supermax+), it’s fair to say that Tyrant is immensely popular. What makes the show unique is its ability to turn silliness into serious competition. Unlike most board games, competitors want to win.
Great Tyrant tasks can inspire panic in even the sharpest comic minds. Some rise to the challenge, producing moments of genius or madness they themselves didn’t see coming, while others slowly die of confusion, although little Alex Horne assures them that “all the information is on task”. What makes a task the best is that it inspires variety or creates iconic moments that continue to be discussed among fans for years to come.
ten Train Yard Hide And Seek (Season 8: Episode 1)
Some tasks get fun people to do fun things. Some are epic, some simple. However, none seemed more fun to participate in than this one. Tasked with crossing a rail yard, unseen by Alex (hiding on a bridge, appearing to look every ten seconds), this task feels like the first route on paper. It’s hide and seek.
What makes him special is the number of wonderful moments he has created that can only come from a Tyrant task. This is partly due to the longer format (it takes time), allowing contestants to show off their unique skills and comedic styles; from awkward and sweet (Joe Thomas trying to befriend Alex) to disconcertingly surreal (Lou Sanders hiding in a trash can).
9 Water Cooler Moment (Season 5: Episode 5)
A “water cooler moment” is something interesting or exciting that gets people talking around the water cooler at work. Here, competitors had to create one using a real water cooler. This is a perfect example of TyrantThe unique approach of, in that it doesn’t mean anything specific, and when such creative minds as Bob Mortimer and Sally Phillips are unleashed, brilliance usually occurs.
While Bob ripping an apple in half was impressive, he had done it before (in the excellent UK panel, Would I lie to you?), but Sally created the water fountain moment (arguably of the entire season) by comically faking vigorous sex with the water fountain and cementing her place as Tyrant great.
8 Tell the Taskmaster You Love Him (Season 6: Episode 10)
“Say it Tyrant you love him in the most meaningful way.” A simple premise yet with endless possibilities (a mark of great Tyrant Tasks). A look of great Tyrant tasks (demonstrated here) is that the key to success isn’t always written on the task.
Some may be obvious, but this task seemed vague, requiring creative and lateral thinking. The task may have prompted contestants to “tell” the Taskmaster they like him, but the best (and most memorable) decided to “show” him. This prompted Upstart Raven star Liza Tarbuck for creating one of the most bizarre/iconic moments in Tyrant story, involving a cake, little Alex Horne’s bare back, and a shed full of shame and regret.
seven Long Distance Painting (Season 4: Episode 2)
The Tyrant likes to be painted, and Little Alex Horne often asks contestants to create portraits of Greg creatively. Here, contestants had to paint the best picture in ten minutes – from a distance. What elevates this task to the “best” level is the individual task set for Joe Lycett; smile every 30 seconds, with increasing enthusiasm.
It not only demonstrated Joe’s physical comedy gifts, but also created one of the most iconic montages of all time. Tyrant. The only downside here was the limited number of approaches used, however, some of the efforts were stunning, with Noel Fielding, in particular, showing his talent.
6 Incremental Animal Line Drawing (Season 10: Episode 6)
Studio duties produce some of the funniest moments on Tyrant, especially if it is a team. This task saw one team member draw an animal in three-line increments, with the other members guessing the animal after each increment. What made him brilliant were the contrasting emotions he inspired.
Both designs were ultimately terrible, but while Katherine Parkinson’s horrid “chicken” was jovially handled by teammates Mawaan Rizwan and Jonny Vegas, Daisy-May Cooper’s weird hippo caused an outburst of anger at Richard Herring , creating a tension rarely seen in the series. That Herring is still talking about the incident of his brilliant RHLSTP podcast to date demonstrates the impact this task has had on both TM history and popular culture.
5 Get the Potato in the Golf Hole, Fastest Wins (Season 2: Episode 1)
Big Tasks create iconic Taskmaster moments, with few more iconic than the dark comedy star after life, Joe Wilkinson, throwing a potato down a golf hole – first time. This task brilliantly demonstrates two things: how laid-back approaches can create unforgettable moments, and how utterly unforgiving the show can be.
Joe’s disqualification for touching the “red-green” with the tip of his toe was heartbreaking to fans, who felt that the audacity and elation of his effort justified it being allowed. But while Tyrant is ultimately a silly show about people doing silly things, it shows how seriously it takes the rules. The arc of joy to disappointment at this task rivals any major sporting event for drama, creating a moment that will live long in the memory of many fans.
4 Impress That Mayor (Season 2: Episode 3)
Comedians, by their nature, are often show-offs. Considering this, it may seem that this task – to impress the mayor of a small town – was quite simple. But it is the specificity of the word “Mayor” which is the key to the brilliance of this task. With few clues as to how to impress this particular type of person, the contestants created a surreal menagerie of attempts, which perfectly showcased what Tyrant is about.
Some were disappointing (Joe Wilkinson), some cringe (Jon Richardson), but all were hilarious. task master the ability to conjure up comedic moments out of wasted effort makes it what it is. This task is oddly British, oddly specific and painfully embarrassing. This is Tyrant.
3 Buy the best gift for the taskmaster (multiple episodes)
This task is so winning that it was presented three times in the first three seasons. it may seem simple, but it has produced extremely varied results. This task shows how far some candidates will go to impress, while highlighting those who frankly don’t care.
Whether it’s sunglasses with side mirrors or a real tattoo on someone’s real skin, the Tyrant received many memorable gifts throughout the series. A possible weakness is that it allows the laziest contestants to buy any old rubbish, but that in itself inspires hilarious scorn from Tyrant; proving that no matter what, comedy is guaranteed.
2 Make the Best Taskmaster House Expansion (Season 7: Episode 7)
Team tasks are a big part of what makes Tyrant amazing, as they allow contestants to show off their teamwork skills and their ability to play well together. Not for Rhod Gilbert, Phil Wang and the creator of some of the highest rated stand-up specials of all time, James Acaster. When the trio were commissioned to build an extension to the Tyrant house, however. Their efforts demonstrated why Tyrant is such a compelling watch: everyone has different ideas (or in Phil’s case, no idea).
A variety of approaches provide a platform for comedy, but without cohesion teams can quickly begin to bicker. Although funny, it rarely results in success. Rhod, James and Phil imploded spectacularly, triggering a hilarious James Acaster meltdown and creating an iconic Tyrant moment.
1 Pet, Your Time Starts Now (Series 11: Episode 6)
Tyrant is well known for giving contestants individual assignments and reveling in the unfairness and hilarity that ensues. However, none were more hilarious than Alex handing Mike Wozniak an envelope asking him to fart as soon as possible. What makes this task great is who they gave it to.
Mike Wozniak is a surreal genius who flies under the radar of casual comedy fans and if this task had been given to someone else, it would never have become so iconic. That this moment was rated number one in the UK when the episode aired is a testament to Wozniak’s genius and mad brilliance of Tyrant. It’s simple, childish, childish, bizarre…and produces one of the most talked about moments in the show’s history.
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