Spoiler-free review of the new attraction

The first rule of the Taskmaster Live Experience should be that you do not about the Taskmaster Live Experience, given that not quite being sure what to expect is a big part of the fun. 

But suffice it to say that for any die-hard fan of Alex Horne’s daft challenge show who’s ever fancied themselves as a potential contestant – which, let’s face it, is most of them – the new South East London attraction offers as close a replica of the real thing as you could realistically expect.

The playing area is actually four times the size of the actual Taskmaster house in Chiswick, and while each room, including the lab and the living room is proportionally bigger to accommodate groups of up to 14, designers have stayed remarkably close to the original, down to the fixtures and fittings.

Two separate experiences are on offer, Melon Buffet, which involves ‘thinking, throwing, ducks, wires, balls, boxes, cunning, luck and moustaches’ and Absolute Casserole, which demands you ‘be more observant, accurate and sneaky than your competitors’. Each also has two, slightly different, lanes.

We took on the latter at last night’s official opening, attended by Horne, Taskmaster Greg Davies and many previous contestants, including Ed Gamble, Steve Pemberton, Lou Sanders, Richard Herring, Dave Gorman John Robins, Phil Wang and Desiree Burch - which shows just how much the franchise is loved if all these comedians wanted to return to give the challenges another bash.

So, what – without spoilers – is it like?

On entry, you’re given a start time… until then you can grab a drink and walk around the Taskmaster ‘garden’ (though it’s all under cover in one massive warehouse) including facsimiles of the caravan, the dome, the model horse and statue of Greg on his throne – as well as a museum of ephemera from the programme, including a bunch of props and many of the Taskmasterpieces drawn and painted by contestants over the 18 series.

All this is free to browse, whether you’ve paid for the full experience or not, should you simply want to get some photos to populate your Insta feed.

When the time comes, you’re called to the Taskmaster house and meet your fellow taskers (we were in a very comfortable group of eight; 14 might seem a little more cramped) and your guide, dubbed a Little Little Alex Horne. Ours was fully into the spirit of things as fun and charming – but less awkward – that the real Assistant. Tasks are set by Greg or Alex on screens, with a few gags thrown in, then invigilated by the Little Little Alex Horne.

There are five tasks which take about an hour, The first is a fun but simple ice-breaker, and the last – contested by the top five on the Taskmaster ‘stage’ to see who takes the title – is purely down to chance, which feels a slight let-down. (The others get a separate task).

The three main challenges, though, are excellent – gloriously ridiculous endeavours requiring the same combination of ingenuity, skill and single-mindedness that those comedians taking part for real require with one, in particular, being gleefully fun. It would have been so easy to make this into a basic escape-room style experience, but a lot of thought has clearly gone into making this true to the joyous Taskmaster ethos that’s so loved.

Is it worth the money, that’s the big question? Variable pricing means it costs up to £100 a head for an in-demand weekend slot, which is no small fee, especially when you’re getting a group together, and has been much criticised on social media. Though it’s less than the price of a good theatre ticket, it may be hard to justify.

The £50 that tickets start at seems like a fairer price point, and if you are lucky enough to be able to snag a £25 ticket on the fortnightly lottery, that seems like a bargain – even if you do have to submit your email to the marketing list to enter.

Price concerns aside, producers have done an excellent job in giving fans a genuine taste of what it’s like to face real Taskmaster challenges in a faithfully recreated setting.

» Taskmaster: The Live Experience website 

Review date: 2 Oct 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett