Edinburgh Fringe: 10 comedians as seen on Taskmaster

Their next task... survive the festival

You could well argue that this lot don’t need the extra publicity, but here goes anyway!

1. Sophie Duker

The season 13 champion from 2022, pictured above, promises a totally unhinged hour’ with her show But Daddy I Love Her, arguing that we should all choose ‘hot wet fantasies over cold, bleak reality’.

Pleasance Courtyard, 7pm

Showing what an Eton education gets you, Ivo Graham was last placed in series 15 (2023). But it’s done his profile the world of good as he’s performing in the 800-seat Pleasance Grand for the month, the biggest venue of his career. And he says he’s out to prove ‘he's not just Taskmaster's yardstick for failure’.

Pleasance Courtyard, 9.20pm

3. Rose Matafeo

Rose Matafeo appeared in Series 9, back in 2019, finishing second – before finding even more fame as creator and star of the BBC romcom Starstruck. Her return to stand-up, On And On And On, earned her a nomination for most outstanding show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival earlier this year, even though it was billed a work in progress. Now she brings the finished article to the Fringe (where she won the 2018 Edinburgh Comedy Award) from August 9.

Pleasance Courtyard, 5.30pm

4. Rhys Nicholson

Rhys Nicholson has been a contestant on the Aussie version of the show, although how they go on is yet to be seen. Series 3, which this elegantly arch stand-up competed in, was originally intended to be the second season, but was put back until this year. In the meantime, enjoy Nicholson’s superior stand-up at the Fringe…

Underbelly Bristo Square, 8.25pm

5. Emma Sidi

Another comic whose Taskmaster performance is under wraps, as she’s in the upcoming series 18 of the UK version, set to air on Channel 4 this autumn. For her Edinburgh show, Starstruck, Ghosts and Pls Like star Sidi is adopting the persona of Sir Kier Starmer’s chief of staff and the top civil servant of the Covid era, Sue Gray, but very much imagining what she might be like without doing any of the research.

Pleasance Courtyard, 4.15pm

6. Guy Williams

Guy Williams appeared in the first season of Taskmaster New Zealand where he came last. But on a more positive note, he was nominated for most outstanding show at Melbourne last year for a show taking aim at the reactionaries who fear ‘you can’t say anything any more. This Glass House Makes It Easy to See All the Cowards I'm Throwing Stones At is his Edinburgh debut and promises to take on colonisation, racism and misogyny. Other Taskmaster NZ contestants at the Fringe are Ray O’Leary (third in season three last year) and Melanie Bracewell (who won the same series) who were both included in a round-up earlier this week.

Assembly George Square, 8.45pm

7. Paul Williams

Guy’s younger brother takes the Alex Horne role of Taskmaster’s assistant in Aotearoa. He’s also a musician with several albums under his belt – he’s Lorde’s favourite Kiwi musician apparently – and comes to Edinburgh with a show based around a film he found in a second-hand camera he bought. Plus there’s a music show at Assembly Checkpoint on the 19th.

Assembly Roxy 18:45

8. Kiell Smith-Bynoe

The Ghosts star came second in last year’s 15th series and returns to the Fringe for a week with Kool Story Bro, the late-night improvised storytelling show he hosts with a bunch of his comedy mates.

Pleasance Courtyard, 11.30pm, August 15 to 21 only

9. Sue Perkins

The former Great British Bake Off host and heir to Nicholas Parsons on Just a Minute appeared in the 16th series of Taskmaster last year, where she came fourth out of the five contestants. She’s at the Pleasance Grand for a week with A Piece of Work in Progress, featuring stories from her televised travels and beyond as she admits that behind the ‘long words and a disorientating quiff’, she’s something of a mess…

Pleasance Courtyard, 3.30pm, August 20 to 26 only.

10. Tom Cashman

Australia’s Taskmaster’s Assistant, Tom Cashman became a TikTok hit during lockdown, for videos in which tenants asked for references for landlords – an idea that seemed so good it was discussed in Australian Parliament. To the Fringe the geeky comic brings ‘graphs, gags and embarrassing stories’.

Monkey Barrel Comedy, 8.35pm

There is also a short run from Desiree Burch (joint third in series 12 in 2012, at Monkey Barrel from August 12-14); a run of already sold-out work-in-progress gigs from Mark Watson (joint second in series 5 in 2017); and Fern Brady (fourth in series 14 in 2022) with a flying visit of her tour show, I Gave You Milk to Drink, at the Playhouse on the 20th and 22nd.

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Published: 25 Jul 2024