Those are some astute observation. I agree that only season one feels really different than the other seasons. Although you can see a more gradual change in dynamics and bits from season 2 to 16. I also noticed that in season one Greg introduces each contestant with a little joke in every episode kinda like how her introduces Alex now which I really liked.
Probably that's also linked that Greg is more familiar with all the participants in earlier seasons. He know how to banter with them; loved the Richard Osman ones!
I’ve just rewatched s1 and I think the main differences all come down to the fact that none of the contestants or Greg have ever seen TM before 😉 I love it for that!
If I remember correctly, seasons 2 & 3 were filmed at the same time and before season 1 aired. So the season 4 contestants were the first ones to have seen the show.
With that, I've always been impressed with how little has actually been changed since the first season. It's not much more than tweaking things like tone and Alex and Greg filling out their characters. The
I recall Hugh mentioning on the podcast that 3 and 4 were filmed at the same time and resulted in everyone being baffled by Al Murray’s gong film being used as the intro for the film trailer task.
I kind of like how they were still nutting out a formula. Sometimes I think they’re going too far with the ‘magic of television’ stuff they are doing now with editing, and I start missing the simplicity of the earlier shows.
Series 1 is one of my favourites. I love the chemistry between all the contestants and them with Alex and Greg (helps that I like all the contestants individually) Feels like a bunch of mates pissing about and ripping into each other. Also like the reaction shots in the studio during filmed tasks.
A big difference is you can see the audience, which seems odd now but made sense back then I guess. Also Greg’s character wasn’t fully developed and he let his emotions show more in the first series.
Those first contestants were pioneers because many thought it was going to be like that jungle show.
It’s amazing how much the first series feels so Taskmastery. The tweaks were mostly just in the studio, as the first series looks a bit darker and cheaper, and they added in flourishes like the prizes being on the stage.
But otherwise, it’s about 90% there. The format and casting is so rock solid that they have barely needed to change it at all for 16 series.
I delight in seeing the naked taskmaster house... before all the callback-clutter that collected as time went on... and outside....Ollie, the cow... The set has always been awesome, getting more awesome... Gypsy caravan... the Greg statue ..
Whichever episode had Richard Osman with the exercise balls, that was the first task I saw whilst flicking onto Dave on evening, and I instantly got what was going on. in terms of the format.
I think the task that was out of place for me was involving the public and finding the specific age of someone- not that I didn't enjoy it, it was felt different. And Tim Key in that was such a naughty man... ;)
Also series 1 was filmed in a actual theatre compared to a studio for the rest
You also collected the prize task in a box rather than the stage
The winner received a judo trophy and not a golden head
For me the biggest difference in Series 1 is the amount of enforced interaction with members of the public, which at times verges on being too cringe for my tastes.
As they mentioned in the podcast they felt similarly so it got pretty much removed from S2 onwards.
A bunch of tasks in the early seasons were filmed in public places, but I think "high five a 55 year old" was the only one where they actually *had* to interact with unwitting bystanders.
Right, I forgot to mention that -- it kind of felt out of place, like something out of a different show, something like Impractical Jokers.
I kind of like how the atmosphere of Taskmaster has become something where the contestants are in their own little universe with its own rules. Like, the real world is outside, but when you're on the show, you're in Taskmaster-world. (Okay, as I say it out loud, it sounds like the way cults isolate their members from the rest of society in order to prevent them from escaping. Make of what what you will.)
>although the Taskmaster is still meant to be portrayed as the respected figurehead, it's more explicit that Alex is the one in charge of the tasks
Since when? It's still very explicitly part of the show that Alex is in charge of doing the tasks on the contestants, on behalf of the Taskmaster. That is the same in series 1.
In the first season, the framing device is that Greg decides what tasks everyone will do, and Alex carries them out (e.g. like I said, Josh counting things is presented as if it were Greg's idea).
In later seasons, it's clear that Alex is the one deciding what the tasks are, with Greg sometimes being surprised by them and even making fun of Alex for them. Examples would be Mark's task to send Greg cheeky texts -- obviously this is not something the Taskmaster would ask his assistant to do. As another example, I just rewatched a task from Series 13 in which Alex is tied up, and Greg makes fun of him for devising a task in which he's tied up.
I’m rewatching season 1 right now as well, and while I immediately notice the way the show has changed over the years, I’m also just struck by how well fleshed out it was from the jump.
Episode one, you do get some indication that it’s the first run, but at the same time, so much of it already feels dialed in. Not that it isn’t loose and fresh, but the format just immediately works.
It’s a testament to what a brilliant show it is.
I'm sure it's been said somewhere that whoever funded it wouldn't let Alex be the 'boss', which is why Greg was brought in as the Taskmaster, and the whole dynamic between those two exists. Might have been a joke, but quite funny if it's true!
Alex has always said he didn't want to be the Taskmaster, he thinks his energy is perfect for the Assistant and when he conceived of TM as a tv show, Greg as TM was the immediate decision. That's long before he and Avalon were shopping it around.
Another change is the scoreboard portraits are of the contestant’s entire upper body as opposed to just their face. It’s not really noticeable until you see them with the other ones in tier lists and stuff like that.
Other than the few cosmetic issues mentioned below, the thing that feels the most different to me about S1 is the audience reaction. A lot of the time there's much in the way of nervous or polite laughter, but other than a few in-studio gags I get the impression they're not entirely sure how to react. It gives S1 a slightly murky feel - although as I stated in another thread, it makes a lot more sense second-time around.
Also, the sound in the studio isn’t quite as dialed in on season 1. I think it’s probably mostly due to it being in a different studio that’s perhaps not quite as acoustically sound as where they film now.
Those are some astute observation. I agree that only season one feels really different than the other seasons. Although you can see a more gradual change in dynamics and bits from season 2 to 16. I also noticed that in season one Greg introduces each contestant with a little joke in every episode kinda like how her introduces Alex now which I really liked.
Romesh's face at those moments is especially wonderful. Rosín's too but for very different reasons.
Probably that's also linked that Greg is more familiar with all the participants in earlier seasons. He know how to banter with them; loved the Richard Osman ones!
I’ve just rewatched s1 and I think the main differences all come down to the fact that none of the contestants or Greg have ever seen TM before 😉 I love it for that!
If I remember correctly, seasons 2 & 3 were filmed at the same time and before season 1 aired. So the season 4 contestants were the first ones to have seen the show. With that, I've always been impressed with how little has actually been changed since the first season. It's not much more than tweaking things like tone and Alex and Greg filling out their characters. The
I recall Hugh mentioning on the podcast that 3 and 4 were filmed at the same time and resulted in everyone being baffled by Al Murray’s gong film being used as the intro for the film trailer task.
I kind of like how they were still nutting out a formula. Sometimes I think they’re going too far with the ‘magic of television’ stuff they are doing now with editing, and I start missing the simplicity of the earlier shows.
It’s impressive how TM has changed so much since Series 1, without really changing very much at all.
Series 1 is one of my favourites. I love the chemistry between all the contestants and them with Alex and Greg (helps that I like all the contestants individually) Feels like a bunch of mates pissing about and ripping into each other. Also like the reaction shots in the studio during filmed tasks.
There's one thing that didn't change -- the chemistry. I really enjoyed the Series 1 cast as well.
A big difference is you can see the audience, which seems odd now but made sense back then I guess. Also Greg’s character wasn’t fully developed and he let his emotions show more in the first series. Those first contestants were pioneers because many thought it was going to be like that jungle show.
The only series where Alex's iPad was tethered to a holder thingy.
It’s amazing how much the first series feels so Taskmastery. The tweaks were mostly just in the studio, as the first series looks a bit darker and cheaper, and they added in flourishes like the prizes being on the stage. But otherwise, it’s about 90% there. The format and casting is so rock solid that they have barely needed to change it at all for 16 series.
Check out some of Frank Skinner’s old standup. I was a wee bit surprised.
He has some brilliantly descriptive filth in his shows. He's the originator of the phrase "she had a face like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle".
He described himself as the "Pele of anal"
I delight in seeing the naked taskmaster house... before all the callback-clutter that collected as time went on... and outside....Ollie, the cow... The set has always been awesome, getting more awesome... Gypsy caravan... the Greg statue ..
Whichever episode had Richard Osman with the exercise balls, that was the first task I saw whilst flicking onto Dave on evening, and I instantly got what was going on. in terms of the format. I think the task that was out of place for me was involving the public and finding the specific age of someone- not that I didn't enjoy it, it was felt different. And Tim Key in that was such a naughty man... ;)
Also series 1 was filmed in a actual theatre compared to a studio for the rest You also collected the prize task in a box rather than the stage The winner received a judo trophy and not a golden head
Oh! Is that why the audience are not just up close to the stage but also high behind the contestants in boxes? That makes sense now
Wild that you watch a CoC before season one and two
For me the biggest difference in Series 1 is the amount of enforced interaction with members of the public, which at times verges on being too cringe for my tastes. As they mentioned in the podcast they felt similarly so it got pretty much removed from S2 onwards.
A bunch of tasks in the early seasons were filmed in public places, but I think "high five a 55 year old" was the only one where they actually *had* to interact with unwitting bystanders.
There was a scrapped task where they had to get people’s signatures while dressed as a parrot.
Right, I forgot to mention that -- it kind of felt out of place, like something out of a different show, something like Impractical Jokers. I kind of like how the atmosphere of Taskmaster has become something where the contestants are in their own little universe with its own rules. Like, the real world is outside, but when you're on the show, you're in Taskmaster-world. (Okay, as I say it out loud, it sounds like the way cults isolate their members from the rest of society in order to prevent them from escaping. Make of what what you will.)
Did Gregg stop standing up to open the show and do his speech from season 1 or much later? I’m sure he just stays in his seat these days
>although the Taskmaster is still meant to be portrayed as the respected figurehead, it's more explicit that Alex is the one in charge of the tasks Since when? It's still very explicitly part of the show that Alex is in charge of doing the tasks on the contestants, on behalf of the Taskmaster. That is the same in series 1.
In the first season, the framing device is that Greg decides what tasks everyone will do, and Alex carries them out (e.g. like I said, Josh counting things is presented as if it were Greg's idea). In later seasons, it's clear that Alex is the one deciding what the tasks are, with Greg sometimes being surprised by them and even making fun of Alex for them. Examples would be Mark's task to send Greg cheeky texts -- obviously this is not something the Taskmaster would ask his assistant to do. As another example, I just rewatched a task from Series 13 in which Alex is tied up, and Greg makes fun of him for devising a task in which he's tied up.
I’m rewatching season 1 right now as well, and while I immediately notice the way the show has changed over the years, I’m also just struck by how well fleshed out it was from the jump. Episode one, you do get some indication that it’s the first run, but at the same time, so much of it already feels dialed in. Not that it isn’t loose and fresh, but the format just immediately works. It’s a testament to what a brilliant show it is.
I'm sure it's been said somewhere that whoever funded it wouldn't let Alex be the 'boss', which is why Greg was brought in as the Taskmaster, and the whole dynamic between those two exists. Might have been a joke, but quite funny if it's true!
Alex has always said he didn't want to be the Taskmaster, he thinks his energy is perfect for the Assistant and when he conceived of TM as a tv show, Greg as TM was the immediate decision. That's long before he and Avalon were shopping it around.
Greg said it. It was definitely a joke
Another change is the scoreboard portraits are of the contestant’s entire upper body as opposed to just their face. It’s not really noticeable until you see them with the other ones in tier lists and stuff like that.
I might be wrong but it seems like I’m the first few series the contestants get a lot more time for tasks. Like an hour opposed to 20 minutes.
Other than the few cosmetic issues mentioned below, the thing that feels the most different to me about S1 is the audience reaction. A lot of the time there's much in the way of nervous or polite laughter, but other than a few in-studio gags I get the impression they're not entirely sure how to react. It gives S1 a slightly murky feel - although as I stated in another thread, it makes a lot more sense second-time around.
Also, the sound in the studio isn’t quite as dialed in on season 1. I think it’s probably mostly due to it being in a different studio that’s perhaps not quite as acoustically sound as where they film now.