Current Taskmaster contestant Amy Gledhill has just announced a big tour so we thought fans might like to read this interview. Gledhill haa become a familiar face on TV in recent years, appearing in shows as different as Last One Laughing UK and the Netflix drama Run Away. You can find out more about Amy's tour and how to buy tickets here.
Taskmaster, Thursdays, C4, 9pm.
Interview: Amy Gledhill
Why did you want to do Taskmaster?
It's the easiest yes in the business, isn't it? I didn't say ‘yes’, I screamed, and was just like, oh my god. It was my first day on set for a drama, and I was in my dressing room, and my agent rang me and said, ‘I'm just going to put you on speakerphone with all of the team’ and I was like, I've either been cancelled or something good has happened. They told me I’d got Taskmaster and I screamed so loudly and made such a racket that the second AD had to come and check on me.
Who did you tell first?
It’s obviously meant to be a secret but I always tell my mum and dad everything, and they've got nobody to tell so I knew it wouldn’t leak. The only person they might tell is Janet. She's eighty. So if there's ever a leak, I say we go straight to Janet from Hull.
Do you know comedians who’ve done Taskmaster before?
So many people. Most recently Phil Ellis, and he's a great friend, and he did so well not telling anyone. What's annoying is when your friend's on it and you only find out at the same time as the public finds out, and you're like, how dare he! Stevie Martin from the series before that was actually staying at my house while she was filming the tasks and didn't tell me. I couldn't believe it. But that's how seriously people take it. I went to watch her in the studio record and she came to watch me, which was really nice.
Did Phil or Stevie give you any tips?
There are no tips. Nobody can tell you how to do it. They both said I’d be really nervous for the first show, maybe the first two shows, but then I’d ease into it. But I think I've been so lucky with our team. We gelled so quickly that I felt comfortable and supported from the second we walked on stage.
Has it been at all competitive?
It’s weird. You're laughing the whole time, and you're genuinely thrilled when someone does really well, but you're also thrilled when they do really badly. You're just thrilled about everything. Every task is so different and we've all approached them in different ways.
Let’s talk about your fellow contestants.
When I found out who else was in the cast, I was like, oh well, Armando will win anything that involves lateral thinking. Kamail and Joel are so strong, I thought they’d be good at all the physical ones. Joanna is a mum of four, so I thought she’d be able to multitask and keep loads of plates spinning. I thought everyone was going to have their strengths.
I’d never met Armando before. I was nervous about meeting him. I haven't told him this because you don't want to make it eggy, but I'm such a fan. I did put in my card to him, ‘Turns out, you should meet your heroes. You just shouldn't watch them butcher Old Macdonald’, because he did a task where he had a meltdown and a breakdown all in one. He said before the task was played that he might come across quite disturbed. And we were like, no, don't be silly. And then it started and we were like, oh no, he's gone mad.
He's unhinged in such a brilliant way. He is obviously so smart and has created all the good comedy that's existed in my lifetime, so when he fails at a task spectacularly, it makes you feel better as a person.
You should tell him you're a huge fan.
I will when we’ve finished filming, but you’ve got to be on the show as if you're peers. It has to be the most normal thing in the world that I'm sat next to Armando Iannucci instead of making it obvious you’re thinking, ‘You've got an entire glass cabinet at home for your BAFTAs’. The whole reason I do comedy is because of The Thick Of It, and Alan Partridge, and Veep. He's probably the most influential person in my life, but you can't open a conversation with that and then just be sat next to each other laughing and joking. It's too much. I've had to play it really cool. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve played it too cool and he genuinely thinks I’ve never heard of him. Little does he know I’m a complete freak. At the wrap party I’m going to ask him if I can be in his next thing, with Joanna playing my sister. I’m going to ask Kumail for a part in the next Marvel film. And I’ll give Joel a handshake.
What do you make of Joel?
Bless him, he’s like an overgrown toddler. He's the most adorable human being on the planet, and it's not an act: that's who he is. He's a dad, and I keep looking at him being like, oh my God, he's a tiny baby boy, but he's got a tiny baby boy. I imagine his son being like, come on, Dad, put the toys down, you've had enough excitement for one day.
He's so lovely and generous and positive. He’s actually the one I looked up to when I started comedy. I used to put the chairs out at a comedy club when I started, and one week they had Joel and he was so good. This was before he'd done I’m A Celeb or any of that. I just remember thinking he was such an incredible comedian. He was lovely, even to the idiot girl that put the chairs out. He worked so hard, cycling to gigs, doing two or three a night. He's known as one of the nicest guys in comedy. He's doing so well in his career and he's so buff, he could probably get away with being a bit of an asshole, but he just never has been. He doesn't have it in him. He's a little rescue puppy dog.
What about Kumail?
Joel and Kumail had the ultimate bromance. You see it on screen, but off-screen is where it's really strong. Before we go on stage, we're stood near the audience waiting to go in, and they'll be admiring each other's clothes. They’re like little boys on playdates, and me and Joanna are their mums. They're so sweet and they love each other so much. I hope we're all lifelong friends. We’ve got a WhatsApp group.
Who's on the WhatsApp group the most?
Joel created it. It's called Taskmaster Cool Peeps, which is a dreadful name – we're meant to be comedians. He put a lovely little picture of us all on it, though. Joel's definitely posting the most on it. Joanna's put the most exclamation marks. Kumail’s done the most jokes. And Armando is the only person I've ever seen sign off a message in a WhatsApp group with his name. He put “Kiss, Armando.” The class of that man.
How are you getting on with Greg? He finds your accent hilarious.
I have to not be offended by that. I'm going to take it as sexual tension. Like in the playground, if the boys pull your hair, it's because they like you. He said hello to my mum in a Yorkshire accent down the camera. It was a hate crime but also sweet. I thought, that’ll make Christine’s life. I think Greg's just got sexual tension with everyone. That's how I'm reading it. He's not mean, really. He's just sexy.
What about Alex?
I'm such a fan of Alex. He reminds me of Noddy. Noddy was my first crush, with his lovely sparkly eyes and little rosy cheeks. Everyone loves Alex. He's like a real-life Noddy, and Greg could be Noddy’s best friend, Big Ears.
Interview/picture: C4/Avalon
