With The Spreadsheet Gentleman Jack Bernhardt

A book celebrating a decade of Taskmaster is to be released in time for Christmas.

The show’s creator Alex Horne as written An Absolute Casserole: The Taskmaster Compendium with Jack Bernhardt, a comedy writer who has co-hosted an official podcast about the show.

Described as ‘the ultimate gift for any Taskmaster fanatic’, the book will be published by Quercus on November 7, and promises a rundown of ‘the most outrageous tasks, iconic meltdowns, and ingenious victories; from the show.

The blurb reads:’ How many eggs have been broken in the making of this programme? What is the worst thing Alex has eaten? Are you more likely to win Taskmaster if you wear a hat? Why is the Taskmaster always right?

‘Inside you'll find:

• Unforgettable challenges: From the brilliantly bizarre to the wonderfully pointless, revisit the tasks that left us howling with laughter.
• Comedy gold moments: Contestant blunders, inspired madness and Greg Davies' withering put-downs
• -Behind the scenes: Get the inside scoop on the show's creation, meet the show's creators and find out which tasks nearly set the Taskmaster house on fire.
• -Statistical analysis: 17 series, 85 contestants and thousands of smashed eggs - what's the best star sign to be if you want to win?’

Bernhardt is known for creating extensive statistics about Taskmaster, and has earned the nickname The Spreadsheet Gentleman.

He co-hosts Taskmaster: The People’s Podcast with Jenny Eclair, who took over from Lou Sanders last summer. A total of 124 episodes have been made.

Taksmaster first aired in 2015 and the 18th series is expected to air this autumn with contestants Andy Zaltzmanm Babatunde Aléshém Emma Sidi, Jack Dee and Rosie Jones.

An Absolute Casserole: The Taskmaster Compendium  is available to order now from Amazon, priced £18.40  – or from uk.bookshop.org, below, which supports independent bookstores for £19.

Published: 21 Aug 2024