Alex Horne and Greg Davies talk about the U.S. tour of their British show, ‘Taskmaster’

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

“Taskmaster” is a well-known British game series.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “TASKMASTER”)

GREG DAVIES: A group of comics battling out to see who is the least worst at doing a thing. No one will learn anything from the next hour. So crack open a can and give in to the pointlessness.

SIMON: Five contestants, usually comedians, are told to perform a series of tasks, like do the riskiest thing involving an egg without breaking an egg, place something somewhere surprising or eat as much watermelon as possible in one minute.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “TASKMASTER”)

ALEX HORNE: Cut a single string to cause the greatest effect.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: You have 20 minutes. Your time starts now.

HORNE: Greatest effect is pretty broad.

SIMON: The hosts of “Taskmaster” are Greg Davies and Alex Horne. They’ve been on tour here in the U.S. and joined us now in our studios. Thank you both very much for being with us.

DAVIES: Hi, Scott.

HORNE: Thank you.

DAVIES: Thanks for having us.

SIMON: What’s the point of all those inane tasks?

HORNE: Yeah. They did sound inane. When you were listing them, it sounded – I think it’s quite a highbrow show.

DAVIES: The introductions did suggest that we’re not cerebral.

SIMON: Or uselessly cerebral…

DAVIES: (Laughter). Correct.

SIMON: …Yeah. I think…

HORNE: Correct.

SIMON: …Yeah. Part of it, too. Yeah.

HORNE: There is very little point, except to let comedians play. I think that’s the point of the show.

DAVIES: Yeah.

HORNE: We’re trying to let comedians be funny and be themselves. It seems to work.

SIMON: Is it entertaining because there are notably witty people who will do anything for a laugh? What is it?

DAVIES: Yeah. Well, I think – I mean, we choose comedians to be on it.

SIMON: Yeah.

DAVIES: So they’re naturally inclined to try and be funny.

HORNE: We do cast the show very carefully, though, and make sure we have five different personalities. And there’s normally someone who’s desperate to win and someone who is desperately useless. So I think we just need that balance.

DAVIES: I think the joy of the show is we take them out of their comfort zone.

SIMON: Yeah.

DAVIES: I think comedians are very good at sort of using their schtick. But on our show, it has its own rules.

HORNE: We also have well-known people.

SIMON: Yeah.

HORNE: So you think you know them.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “TASKMASTER”)

UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: Up next, Jason Mantzoukas. He’s exiting the Taskmaster house with undue confidence.

HORNE: For example, we’ve had this country’s Jason Mantzoukas, and in the coming series, Kumail Nanjiani. But you’ll see a different side to them because there’s no script, so they can’t come in knowing what they’re going to do.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “TASKMASTER”)

JASON MANTZOUKAS: I’m not trying to get points now. I’m just on my secondary mission, which is always ongoing – destroy, dismantle, engulf in flames.

SIMON: Alex, 21st season…

HORNE: Yes.

SIMON: …Of “Taskmaster” will air this spring.

HORNE: That’s right.

SIMON: You’re the creator. Take us back to that blinding moment where you thought…

HORNE: Well, I will tell you back, ’cause it was when my wife had our first child in 2009. So it suddenly dawned on me that we’re going to have to somehow pay for this thing to stay alive.

SIMON: (Laughter).

HORNE: So it’s quite a desperate year where I came up with lots of ideas. So there’s something called the Edinburgh Fringe, where comedians go and play…

SIMON: Yeah.

HORNE: …In Scotland every year. So I just came up with this idea of setting – it used to be 20 comedians, one challenge a month. The first one was put some money in my bank account. The most money wins, so that paid for the whole thing. And yeah – and it instantly was obvious that comedians were competitive. So I did one show in Edinburgh, and it was meant to be just a one-off, but it kind of grew from there. And then we got Greg in pretty quickly ’cause I didn’t have the right personality to host it. That’s when the real “Taskmaster”…

DAVIES: He doesn’t have enough…

HORNE: …Came aboard.

DAVIES: …Bombast.

HORNE: I’ve hardly got any bombast.

DAVIES: And I have too much.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “TASKMASTER”)

HORNE: We’re going to have to judge this, Greg?

DAVIES: Jenny’s definitely helped me out. One point for Jenny.

SIMON: I got to tell you, Greg, I do not get your point system. It’s seems…

DAVIES: Nor do I.

SIMON: It seems totally…

DAVIES: Thank you, Scott.

SIMON: …Random, capricious.

DAVIES: But it…

HORNE: It does, doesn’t it?

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, “TASKMASTER”)

DAVIES: Book, lazy, three points, right?

I’m going to give Jo a pretty point and take her up to two points.

JO: Oh. Pretty point.

DAVIES: I love the air horn. It reminds me of the ’80s, and that is my justification.

HORNE: Rosie would be right at the top if I were allowed to accept bribes, but I can’t.

DAVIES: OK. Two for you.

HORNE: And yet, she’s in last place. I’m not going to justify it because he’s already annoying me.

DAVIES: I would argue…

SIMON: Yeah.

DAVIES: Isn’t that life? Is…

SIMON: (Laughter).

DAVIES: Do our leaders always make the right call, or are they fallible?

SIMON: (Laughter) History will judge. Time will tell, as we say.

DAVIES: And I’ll be long gone. So be it.

SIMON: Do you have – may I ask without putting you on the spot – Alex, do you have help in putting together the talent?

HORNE: I thought you meant medical help.

SIMON: Please. Please, Alex. Yes.

HORNE: There is a very small team who make the show and have made the show from the beginning, and I’m very open to suggestions. And in general, it’s just me. And I think it’s partly ’cause when I was growing up in my family, we did play a lot of games at Christmas, and it was structured fun, and that’s what we did. So it’s always been in the back of my brain that we – you know, games are what you’re supposed to do.

SIMON: Without making it programmatic, do you have any ideas what makes a good task?

HORNE: It’s quite instinctive, but I was a comedian. Greg and I met on the comedy circuit, and I used to write jokes, and now I write tasks instead of jokes. So you just feel it. An idea will pop into your head, and you go, yeah, that works. So it’s just something which has a variety of solutions, something that’s inherently slightly funny but not too funny.

DAVIES: And you have had to adapt to some extent, haven’t you? Because we’ve done so many seasons now that contestants are wise to some of his tricks.

HORNE: They sneak up (ph).

SIMON: Yeah.

DAVIES: So he does have to – that’d be fair to say…

HORNE: Yeah. I have to put more caveat. Saying, yes, but you can’t do that. You can’t move the chair, or whatever it is.

DAVIES: They look for shortcuts.

HORNE: Yeah.

DAVIES: Which is – to be clear, we like people who work around the rules. We don’t mind cheating as long as they try to get away with it.

HORNE: Yeah.

DAVIES: We do have one for you at some point, Scott.

SIMON: I’m ready to receive…

DAVIES: Yeah. So…

SIMON: …Your suggestions.

DAVIES: You’re going to do it, Scott. And then I think two of your colleagues are going to come and do it, as well, and we’re going to see who’s best at it. But you can watch the others do it, but they can’t watch you do it. Otherwise, they will know. ‘Cause in the show, you come and do it in isolation.

SIMON: Right. Yes. OK.

DAVIES: So I’m going to hand over an official envelope. This is from the show…

SIMON: Oh, yes.

DAVIES: …With the official wax seal, which we do…

SIMON: “Taskmaster” seal on it. Yeah.

DAVIES: We do that properly with real wax every day.

SIMON: This is really nice.

DAVIES: This is the one that all contestants get as their first task in the show. This is their warmup task. So everyone who’s done the show has done this task.

SIMON: All right.

(SOUNDBITE OF ENVELOPE OPENING)

SIMON: Say one word every two seconds.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

HADEEL AL-SHALCHI: Say one word every two – any word? Like, it doesn’t need to make a…

DAVIES: No. I’m going to give you the first word.

AL-SHALCHI: OK.

SIMON: Each word must start with the last letter of the previous word, and your words must be – oh, God forbid – and your words must be different. You must say each word between the strokes of the metronome.

MILES PARKS: Oh. You’re the metronome here.

HORNE: I’ll just demonstrate now.

PARKS: OK. Got it. OK.

HORNE: It’ll sound like this.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

HORNE: Word.

PARKS: Yeah.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

HORNE: Word.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Got it. OK.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

HORNE: So it’s got to be in that gap.

AL-SHALCHI: So then there would be like, previous word stupid. Dumb.

HORNE: Just one word at a time to deal with.

AL-SHALCHI: OK. Great. Got it.

SIMON: What are you calling me?

AL-SHALCHI: Yummy.

SIMON: Yeah (laughter).

HORNE: So if you start it with Miles, the next one would…

PARKS: Got it.

HORNE: …Begin with S.

PARKS: Yes. Yep.

HORNE: But Greg’s going to give you your first word.

PARKS: Oh, OK.

HORNE: And then we start.

PARKS: OK.

DAVIES: The word is newt.

SIMON: (Laughter).

HORNE: Newt. Here we go.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Tall.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Latte.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Enough.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

HORNE: So Greg will give you your first word, and then we’re off. And you’ve got to try to beat Scott.

AL-SHALCHI: Oh, OK.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

AL-SHALCHI: Echo.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

AL-SHALCHI: Orange.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

AL-SHALCHI: E – Elephant.

HORNE: OK. Greg, are you ready with Miles’ first word?

DAVIES: I’m so ready. Cheese.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Even.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Night.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

AL-SHALCHI: Totally.

PARKS: Beggar (ph).

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

AL-SHALCHI: I don’t know why I keep using Y. Uh, I don’t know. Yacht.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

HORNE: See, that felt like a long…

AL-SHALCHI: Tomato.

HORNE: Oh. All right. We’re still going.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Rewind.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Diddle.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Everything.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Happy.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Go.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Yellow.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: One.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Wasp.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Portrait.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

SIMON: Tea.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Night. Oh, darn.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

PARKS: Oh.

DAVIES: For flips, NPR sake.

AL-SHALCHI: Do you want me to keep going? Orange.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLICK)

DAVIES: Oh, I think you failed.

HORNE: Orange is well again.

DAVIES: I think you failed. Failed quite…

DAVIES: T, yak.

AL-SHALCHI: No. I said yacht.

PARKS: Diddle – is diddle a word? It feels…

HORNE: I think it’s a word.

PARKS: …Like a word.

DAVIES: Hey, diddle diddle.

HORNE: And you said orange a couple of times.

AL-SHALCHI: Yeah. Quite.

DAVIES: Quite keen on saying orange.

PARKS: I don’t feel good (laughter).

SIMON: Oh.

HORNE: I mean, I think the winner probably was Scott.

PARKS: It’s weird how it means nothing, and I’ll be thinking about it for weeks.

DAVIES: But I don’t think this counts out all the great work you’ve done as a journalist.

SIMON: No. Yeah. No. It sure doesn’t, OK?

DAVIES: We still respect you.

PARKS: Well, thank you, guys.

HORNE: Thank you, Miles. Thank you much.

PARKS: I’m sorry to disappoint you both.

DAVIES: Thanks, Miles.

SIMON: Hadeel Al-Shalchi and Miles Parks.

DAVIES: Nice to meet you two.

HORNE: Thanks, Hadeel. It was lovely watching you think.

AL-SHALCHI: Thank you.

DAVIES: Do you see what we were saying earlier, Scott, how people get consumed in the world. That’s why I think it works.

HORNE: And it is a safe space, even though they might sound like they’re being taken the mick out of, but they’re really not. They’re pretty neutral tasks, and it’s up to them to embarrass themselves, which they do.

DAVIES: And it may look on the surface like we’re trying to humiliate people, but we’re not. We’re just – I think we’re sort of celebrating the ridiculousness of all of us.

SIMON: We have a task for you.

DAVIES: Oh. What?

SIMON: If that’s all right.

HORNE: That doesn’t normally happen.

SIMON: Could you please say, our theme music is by BJ Leiderman, as many times as you can in 30 seconds?

HORNE: I have brought the “Taskmaster” timer. Would you mind if I time myself?

SIMON: No. Not at all.

HORNE: OK.

SIMON: Your time starts now.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

HORNE: Our theme music is by BJ Leiderman. Our theme music is by BJ Leiderman. Our theme music is by BJ Leiderman. Our theme music is by BJ Leiderman…

SIMON: Greg Davies and Alex Horne. They are the hosts of “Taskmaster.”

HORNE: Our theme music is by BJ Leiderman. Our theme music is by BJ Leiderman…

SIMON: You know, five seconds would have been a plenty.

HORNE: Our theme music is by BJ – I got it wrong. I’ve been – I…

SIMON: Oh.

DAVIES: Oh.

(SOUNDBITE OF HORN BLARE)

HORNE: Oh. It started well.

(SOUNDBITE OF CLAPPING)

DAVIES: Do you want to know how many you did? Twenty-two.

SIMON: I don’t care what everyone else says. I’ve enjoyed this.

HORNE: Thank you so much, Scott.

DAVIES: It’s been so nice being here. Thanks for having us.

HORNE: It really has.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

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