Why did you want to do Taskmaster?
As a comedian, the dream is to do Taskmaster. I just really like the show. Sometimes I found in the studio records that I was sat there not doing my job properly and not being funny because I’m watching and going, ‘This is great’, and I forget that I’m actually in it too. Everyone else is so funny, and it’s so brilliant, but I have to remember I’m not sitting at home watching it on telly.
It honestly feels like a dream come true. I love it. It’s so funny.
Were you an uber-fan of the show, then?
Definitely, and I think that’s been maybe sometimes to my detriment because I can overanalyse certain stuff. But there’s other times where the others are floundering and I get it immediately because I understand a bit about how Alex’s weird little brain works. I’ll think to myself, “I understand you’re trying to catch me out – I don’t know how, but I’m suspicious of you.”
But sometimes that suspicion is unmerited and it’s a straightforward task. So it might be swings and roundabouts.
It has to be a benefit compared to, say, Matt Lucas, who has never seen it and doesn’t know what’s going on.
That man hasn’t got a clue what’s going on. But that’s what so great about Taskmaster: you need a variety of characters. Richard wants the world to burn, I want the world to be lovely but I want to do everything exactly right and perfectly, and then there’s Matt who’s just here. It’s like someone’s brought Grandad for a day out.
Why do you think you’re so competitive on the show?
That’s interesting to me about the competitive element is, firstly, I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to win. But I also think what’s quite vulnerable about competitiveness is that it’s a feeling — and not just “I want to win”, but something deeper, something from your childhood or the therapist’s couch.
It’s not something I wear lightly, where I can just go, “Yeah, I want to win.” It’s more like, “Yeah, I want to win,” and then if it comes out in a big way, I feel guilt and shame afterwards — like, “Oh my God, that’s so bad.” So it’s been really interesting for me as a psychological experiment, having to manage all of that while the nation watches. It’s been interesting to learn about myself and to accept it.
I was in the shower today saying to myself, “Don’t be too competitive today, Chloe. Don’t want to win it too much.” And then I just went, why am I trying to stop it? Just admit you want to win this stupid thing. You want to do your best, and that’s okay.
You want the stupid gold head that doesn’t look anything like Greg?
Yes — and I want to sleep with it next to me every night.
Have you tried to argue your case with Greg when he marks you down?
Yes. There was one episode where I stood up to him, and it did feel a little bit like when my parents used to let me win at Uno when I was a kid to save a tantrum. I was like, he’s let me get away with one there because he just can’t be bothered with the argument.
Do you want to win because of your childhood trauma, because you want the stupid gold head, or because you want to be in Champion of Champions?
This is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I will be bereft if I don’t get to do it again — genuinely bereft. I personally believe there should be a retirement home for Taskmaster contestants where, once a month, we can all go and do tasks, not filmed, just for ourselves.
You have been quite aggressively full-on, on occasion.
I know! There were three episodes consecutively where most of the funny things I said did involve the C-word, and I’m like, well, I hope they make the cut — or the c**t, as it were.
I find that dichotomy quite funny, because I’m actually quite a gentle soul. That’s why, when that side of me comes out, it’s even funnier. I go to the football a lot and I know how to fight for space. But I also find one of the funniest things ever is just being grossly unreasonable to someone who doesn’t deserve it. I just find it really fun.
That’s why my favourite task I’ve ever watched on Taskmaster is Bob Mortimer, Sally Phillips and Aisling Bea doing “Rosalind’s a Nightmare”. The first time I saw it, I sobbed with laughter, because this poor woman had done nothing wrong. It was so unreasonable, and that’s what was so funny about it — just completely undeserved malice.
How did you get on with Alex during the tasks?
He’s quite hard to manipulate. But what I will say is that I’ve always given him credit where it’s due. I’m in this for the love of the sport — if there’s a good task, I’ll be like, “Oh Alex, this is a good one. You’ve absolutely smashed this.” I’ll give him credit where it’s due. But in the next breath I’ll be like, “You’re a little b**ch, Alex, this is really unfair.”
There’s no rhyme or reason to this show, so why would there be any rhyme or reason to the way its contestants treat Alex?
What do you make of Greg and Alex’s relationship?
It’s been quite incredible watching Greg and Alex work together in person. My main thought has just been: you two are so good at your jobs. Every bit of back-and-forth banter between them is so funny, every single time. It’s been a real pleasure to watch how they’re enemies and friends and teammates and lovers — they’re just everything.
Greg is so funny, and they’re both incredible. You can’t have one without the other. It’s just the perfect comic dynamic. The other day we were just talking, and Greg held Alex’s wrist, and I was like, that’s so funny. They’ve created an amazing thing together.
Tell me about the other contestants. What moments have you enjoyed from them?
Nina’s song had me crying — she had to do an impassioned duet with herself. It was so random, and obviously there were two of her, so she couldn’t possibly be in the room at the same time, but both versions of her were reacting to each other in such an authentic way. She looked genuinely surprised by herself and kind of puzzled by what she was doing. It made me laugh so much.
She’s quite mad, but insanely lovely, and she has a really lateral brain for it. She’s also a very good artist, so a lot of the arty tasks she’s really excelled at.
Isy is my little buddy. It’s really nice to have her as an ally because she has a real sense of justice and she’ll go to bat for me — she’ll fight for me, and I’ll really try and fight for her. But a lot of the stuff she says and does is f***ing moronic, so I’m like, I don’t know how long I can keep backing this. She fights with Greg even when he’s actually in her corner, and she’s about to ruin it. I’ll have to be like, “Isy, stop arguing — you were about to get an extra point.”
I feel like she’s really emotionally supported me through it, and I’ve coached her through the gameplay to try and make her a bit more cut-throat. Maybe we’ve had to learn from each other.
We were next door to each other in the dressing rooms, and I’d knock on and be like, “Can I eat dinner with you?” or we’d chat about whatever we were reading, or gossip about comedians. So yeah, I feel like Isy and I have become really close, which has been lovely.
What about Matt?
I know Matt quite well because I used to write for him on Fantasy Football. He’s actually quite different on this from what people might expect. He’s just quite a chill guy. I’d say he’s the most interested in people — he’s very sincere in the green room, asks a lot of questions, and he’s asked me a lot about my identity and how I identify. He’s been really open to just asking questions. He really doesn’t want to be a dinosaur; he wants to learn.
And Richard?
Richard has been a really interesting one. He’s such an interesting comic because off-screen he is the loveliest, shyest, most humble, gentle person in the world. Maybe he wouldn’t want me to say that because he wants to keep the persona up, but he’s so smart, so intelligent, really interesting.
He’s really kind and really gentle, and then obviously when he comes on screen and we get the character of Rich, he’s really funny. He’s had years of perfecting being the belligerent man. As soon as you try and argue back with logic, it’s like he’s turned up with a gun to a knife fight and you’re just like, “Okay, well, I guess I’m getting shot now.”
Who would you love to see doing Taskmaster next?
Catherine Bohart and Olga Koch. Both of them would be sensational. They’re both so good at certain stuff and so inept at other stuff, which is exactly what you want. Olga would be good at everything. Catherine Bohart would be so, so good at some things, and then she’d absolutely flip out on certain tasks. You’d get some of the worst performances you’ve ever seen — like two hours to complete a task.
Taskmaster is on C4 on Thursdays at 9pm and 10pm BST / 5pm EST / 2pm PST on the Taskmaster YouTube Channel across the rest of the world.
Read more Taskmaster interviews here.
Picture & Interview supplied by Publicists
