Channel 4 has commissioned a pilot for a fresh Taskmaster spin-off, provisionally titled Your Time Starts Now, presented by Taskmaster's Alex Horne. The show will pit British families against one another in a succession of tasks without leaving their homes, echoing Horne's earlier BBC series The Button and the successful HomeTasking initiative from the Covid lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.
Format and Inspiration
Set in the Taskmaster universe, the show has been developed by Horne together with Taskmaster director and producer Andy Devonshire. The format sees families receive a giant talking button (voiced by Horne) in their living room. Whenever it lights up, they must complete a task faster than competitors across the UK. At the end of each episode, the household with the most money can choose to take their winnings and skip the next episode, or carry it forward and risk losing it all.
Alex Horne's Comments
Discussing the pilot, Alex Horne said: "I've had the pleasure of being in the room while countless comedians have tried and usually failed on Taskmaster and I've learnt that for the most part, that lot are sneaky loveable idiots. With Your Time Starts Now, I'm now excited and intrigued to see how the rest of the country can cope doing simple things under the pressure of time-constraints, dogged rivals and my own snarky gaze. Good luck people of the UK. I shall be watching."
Commissioning and Production
Channel 4's head of live events and commissioning editor Tom Beck stated: "Wildly inventive, properly funny and rooted in real people being brilliant (and, occasionally, absolutely rubbish), Your Time Starts Now feels perfectly Channel 4. It's an utterly distinctive celebration of British family life in all shapes and sizes, and I can't wait see how our families get on as they try and tackle Alex and Andy's ludicrous tasks. Why should comedians get all the fun?"
Andy Devonshire, Director and Executive Producer, commented: "It's a beautiful gift to have the chance to bring the joy and mischief of Taskmaster into homes and see how families cope with a direct dose of Alex Horne's invention."
Background and Taskmaster Series 22
The show was first speculated about in April when a recruitment notice from production company Avalon sought contestants for a new entertainment programme that shared similarities with The Button, which aired in 2018. Meanwhile, Taskmaster continues with series 22 line-up announced last month, featuring Chloe Petts, Isy Suttie, Matt Lucas, Nina Conti, and Richard Ayoade competing for Greg Davies's golden trophy. Episodes are scheduled to broadcast later this year. Taskmaster is available on catch-up on Channel 4 and YouTube outside the UK.
