Fear not, friends — a new series of Taskmaster is just around the corner. The beloved British panel show, which has recently blown up in the U.S. because of how incredibly TikTok-able it is and how incredibly easy it is to watch for free, has released a trailer for series 19 of the show. Luckily for fans, they even dropped the series’ release date.
In the minute-long sneak peek, fans get a glimpse of the show’s classic style, but featuring a new cast of comedians in the hot seats. Fatiha El-Ghorri, Jason Mantzoukas, Mathew Baynton, Rosie Ramsey and Stevie Martin are the stars of series 19, with Mantzoukas being the only non-English comic on the panel.
In line with the show’s usual fare, the trailer shows them participating in all manner of crazy challenges, throwing out hilarious jabs left and right, and, of course, making wonderfully hilarious fools of themselves. “It’s just such a quirky show,” Alex Horne, creator of the show and assistant to host Greg Davies, says at the end of the clip, and man, that pretty much sums it up.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the comedic genius of this game show, the official synopsis reads thus: “Taskmaster tyrant Greg Davies, with the help of his loyal assistant Alex Horne, sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five hyper-competitive comedians. Unaware of what awaits them in each wax-sealed envelope, only one competitor can become the victorious owner of His Royal Task-ness’ golden head and be crowned the next Taskmaster Champion.”
According to the description on the show’s YouTube trailer, the show will be returning to its native Channel 4 on May 1st. The show will continue to air on Thursdays on Channel 4 throughout the season, but will also release episodes via YouTube for worldwide viewing the following day. In the meantime, you can watch essentially all of Taskmaster going back 18 seasons, plus the variations of the show in New Zealand and Australia, on YouTube as well to tide you over while you wait. Let the games begin!
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
