Presented by Greg Davies and Alex Horne (who also created the programme, originally as a show for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), the first series of Taskmaster was broadcast in 2014 on comedy channel Dave, before expanding its audience after being poached by Channel 4 in 2020.
There have only been 17 series proper, along with three special one-off ‘Champion of Champion’ and four ‘New Year Treat’ programmes, comprising one or two episodes.
The show sees (mainly) comedians take part in a range of challenges which are then marked by the hosts, usually (but not always) winning a maximum of five points per task.
In order to judge which Taskmaster alumini have been most successful, and to take into account the often convoluted rules, we’ve taken the maximum amount of points available in each series and worked out what percentage each contestant has won – so if there were 20 points available in an episode and a contestant won 10 points, they would have a 50 per cent success rate.
For the purposes of this list we have restricted it to the 85 celebrities who have appeared on the 17 completed full series of the show – one-off special episodes don’t count.
So, here are – currently – the top 14 Taskmasters of all time.
9. Guz Khan
Guz Khan may have only come second in series 12 with 167 points, but his 63.74 success rate puts him in the all-time top 10. Photo: Stuart C. Wilson
10. Ed Gamble
Contestants don't get much more competitive than Ed Gamble, who won season 9 with 167 points and a success rate of 62.78 per cent. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
11. Bob Mortimer
Bob Mortimer's relaxed demeanor hid a steely drive for winning points that saw him triumph in season 5. His 138 total meant he had a success rate of 62.73 per cent. Photo: Eamonn M. McCormack
12. Richard Herring
King of comedy podcasts (and of Edinburgh) Richard Herring has dropped out of the top 10 following season 14, with 162 points amassed on the way to being crowned season 10 champion. He had a hit rate of 62.55 per cent. Photo: Tim P. Whitby