Taskmasters Alex Horne and Greg Davies react to the explosive Series 21 finale

Greg, let's talk worms

There's a ton of debate around the topic of what a worm actually is

This series. Of the three we've done, two of them have not found worms

Me a worm is not a worm and a bookworm. A mealworm is a worm

It's not a worm. How would you define what a worm is

How would I personally? Yeah. That's something that wiggles and has no legs and isn't a snake

Well, I'll tell you now, I'm making a judgment. The mealworm's a worm. So if that was presented, it's a worm

There was plenty of online flack about it, but what those people don't realise is that every bit of flack

makes me more powerful. It energises you. It's your mana. It's absolutely what keeps me going

I'm actually 150 years of age. And it's purely because every time I make a call

that might not be accurate and people get cross about it, I'm fueled. I'm top full

I take the game very seriously, but we're not dealing with life or death here

And the definition of a worm will not haunt me. Was there a moment in this series that truly surprised you

Well, I may have said this before, and Greg might well agree with me, but it was Kamel being brave

This is my computer, and I'm going to let Alex look at my internet history

And he was really shaking next to me. He couldn't believe he'd done it. I mean, there was an audible gasp in the studio

and I was one of the gaspers. Yeah, there was no need for him to do that

As soon as he said the words, you can look at my internet history, you knew there was going to be stuff there. Camel, Ghostbusters, Watch Porn, Blue Sky

You don't want to praise one cast over another, really, but it did feel like a special one

and we didn't know that before, so it was a relief as well as anything else

I bet, because it just makes it easier, I'm sure, for you guys, when they're gelling and when they're just game

I mean, I have the same, Mark. if they gel too much it doesn't make it easier if they're too united it um it falls on us to to uh

disrupt that unity in some way so but i thought they were just a wonderful mix of personalities

and it worked for the show and for their no doubt enduring friendships in what ways do you in those

moments feel like you have to sort of like uh like like pump the brakes or like or disrupt them

If they're too united and they're all sort of very courteous about how it scores and, you know, laying the coat down on the puddle, so to speak

then, you know, it makes my job, weirdly, a bit harder, I think

If there's a bit of fractious atmosphere in the room, it's easier to have fun sometimes

But that does not apply to this group. I thought they were the most fun and a great combination

One thing, Mark, that happens is that by episode 9 or 10 in the studio

we've got all these running jokes, but the audience have no idea what's going on because this is the first time they've seen them

So that's sometimes you need to remind them, we need to bring everyone with us. I guess it that slightly But yeah this group were savvy as well as funny As the show has gotten more and more popular have you found it has your approach to curating these groups changed at all

Or is it more objective? Not really. We still just try to get people we want to do the show

You know, I want to get people who I'm surprised. What is that? This is a cat who, yeah, it's George Harrison

Every time I'm doing an interview, he's like, who are you talking to? What's going on? Classic George Harrison

Classic George Harrison. I always wanted to be a part of it. That's what he was like. What I want is someone who I want to see what they do

every time they open the envelope. I don't like coming in here because there's always something evil normally

Oh, my God. I don't really care if they're really famous or not

He's so famous. He's so famous. So, no, it hadn't really changed

And also, I should say, we just need people who've got a gap in their diaries

You know, that's... That, unfortunately, is still a huge factor in booking people

You brought back the prank task with Joel with the egg Oh stop it

Quick quick quick Quick Well done

The final moment at the end was so satisfying where everyone pulled out the egg

Ignited by egg Was there any other object you considered using before you landed on the egg

Always eggs I think no I just think an egg is inherently funny because it's so delicate and messy and eggs are good

The fact that Joel went to such trouble to construct a papoose for it, to keep it safe, was sort of heartbreakingly endearing as well

Going through all that trouble just to find out that he wasn't getting any points for it was incredible

I'm so sorry, Joel. I'm so sorry. And also you'll notice it didn't say if you do it, you'll get any points

So it's up to you, Greg. If we get to episode 10 and he's still got the egg

and he still reveals it on the horn... Oh, no, there'll be no points. You'll notice he was in no way aggrieved

And I found that remarkable because, you know, my feeling was if it had been done to me

I would be incandescent at the reveal. But he's like, OK, I guess that's life

Adorable. He really didn't know the others had their eggs, so he was so touched by that

Yeah, that was a nice moment. I find that your pranks tend to have these satisfying endings that celebrate the person as opposed to totally embarrassing them

What do you think are the keys to a perfect prank? Well, it's good you think that

Like, say with Mark Watson not doing... You know, Mark had to send Greg a text every day for six months or whatever

Sends the taskmaster an anonymous cheeky text message every single day for the next five months

and the outcome of that was he missed one day, so he didn't get any points. This task has overshadowed five months of my life

The real victim of the Mark Watson task, in case you don't know, was me, by the way

because rather than Alex just giving Mark Watson any number to send the civious text to

he gave Mark Watson my real number. Every single day for five months

And I'm such a needy human being that literally every night my phone went beep and I went ooh who texted me for weeks on end I was being hit on by Mark Watson Let be clear about this In a move that was absolutely unnecessary

there was no need for it to be my real phone because I wasn't required to reply

So the prank was on you, really? Yeah, maybe that's the perfect one. I'm only just realising now perhaps the prank was on me

Yeah, there's two victims to that one. It's ideal. Do you feel like you've ever pushed a prank too far

no I think that's where we are quite good on the show like say if we'd said get a tattoo

and they end up not showing it you know it's never meant to be cruel

so hopefully we're pretty good at holding it back I think production would kick in if Alex

suggested that they had to break into a neighbour's house every day

for a few months there are safety measures in place yeah yeah

I think we've got enough of an instinct now to know wedded all alone are there any tasks each season and were there any tasks this this this series

where you you hone in on a uh on a contestant on on what you know about the contestant like

do you gear them towards contestants or do you or are they just more objective that's interesting

we don't really because you know if we've got somebody who plays music

i don't think we'll go well let's definitely do a music task but that tends to be something

um but if we had a magician on we wouldn't say okay this one is best magic trick in the same

way as if we had a really fast runner we wouldn't go run as fast as you can so so no we don't tailor

it at all really and often the the result of the tasks reveal something so different something new

about the person that um yeah i think that's that's the more interesting area really is uh

to give an open-ended task and for us to go wow well i didn't i didn't think you would behave in

that way now that's uh that's the more um it's more about leveling the playing field and and

having it yeah yeah yeah in the same way lots of people ask if we put the specific tasks in a

specific episode to make sure a specific contestant will do well in that episode which we never do we

just try to balance it up for the funniest tasks we never look at the scores so i think we just try

It's always on what's funniest rather than people-specific things. The comedy clearly drives this show as opposed to the competitive nature of it

Exactly. We talked last time about the Manzoukas effect in the Taskmaster audience

What's going to happen when we graduate? And now you've had Kumail on

How have you found that Americans approach the show differently than the UK folks

I mean, I just think they both have approached the show in a very full-throated manner

Look out! Can I ask, did she beat me on this test

Well, they have not held back. There has been no reserve and it's been pretty joyous the way that they went in with both feet

They've specifically come to do the show. They've crossed the Atlantic to do it. so that changes things a bit whereas lots of our comics do the show and then they go off and do it

something else that evening and you know they fit it in so i do think yeah there is something about they are even more invested if they come all this way The moment where Kamel like you gave everyone five

You're giving us all five points. You've done nothing. You might as well give us zero points

I'm giving everyone five points apart from Kamel. It was such a like, no, but the rules

Okay, can you give us five points again so I can have a bit more TV-friendly reaction

Okay. No. I enjoyed that as well. Alex, if you had to choose a character from film or TV to have as a dream contestant. Yeah

On the show, who would it be? Well, I'd probably have one of the Blues Brothers

I think I'd have Elwood. Just because I grew up watching that movie over and over again

And I like having my heroes on the show. They're not going to catch us. We're on a mission from God

And I think their anarchic attitude to life, they would go the full mile on every task

Absolutely. Yeah, Jake or Elwood Blue. Lovely choice. Yeah. Greg, how about you

Gut instinct is former president Jimmy Carter. Peanut farmer and former governor of Georgia

He's an interesting combination of someone with grounded rural roots in peanut farming

who went on to attain great power. And I think that would bring something to the show

You've always heard that. Yeah. I'm always saying that. The peanut bit, particularly

Peanuts are the key to a successful Taskmaster series. Coming from humble beginnings and attaining great power would be a good dynamic for the show, I think

Who doesn't like peanuts, Mark? I think most people who are allergic to them. Yeah, those guys

Greg, if you had to choose one of the characters that you've played on television to bring on as a contestant, who do you think would fare best

Fare best or who I would find most entertaining? Most entertaining. Well, I will surprise you here because obviously there are some roles that are perhaps better known

like Mr Gilbert from The Inbetweeners would be an interesting character to have on it

But my choice would be I played Henry VIII in a lesser known British TV show

You look somehow different from my other wives. One of my first TV gigs, I played Henry VIII

In fact, I've played him twice on children's television shows in the early 2000s

and that's my answer. I would like to have ideally the Henry VIII on the show

but either of my portrayals would also work. Henry VIII on a children's show

sounds to me like chaos. Definitely not good for the kids or it turns out

especially good for my career. Greg, there's a song since we last met

that has just been just living rent free in my brain and it's

Big Bear I like to go dancing Big Bear I like to go dancing

I'm a big bear now. Do like I do. It's in there and it's never leaving

That's probably the last thing that I hear before I die. I'm thrilled, as will Cora, the child I wrote it for, be thrilled as well

And I found out recently that her first connected words in life were big bear

That's the first two words she put together. was Big Bear. So it's a great honour to have it spoken about internationally as well