Ben un-celebrates the New Year

After reading the task brief, Ben moans that he hates New Year’s, and that this task is therefore his nightmare.

In the studio, when Jeremy asks Ben if he likes New Year’s parties, Ben confirms he hates New Year’s Eve, and then says sarcastically, “Oh tonight we’re staying up to midnight!”

For his drink, Ben reaches for what looks like a small bottle of champagne on the table, but soon discovers that it’s actually a party popper. He then picks up a thimble and says that in the story of Peter Pan, that’s what a kiss was.

As the New Year begins, Ben performs the floss dance, before sharing a drink from a champagne flute with Paul, and giving Paul “the kiss” (the thimble).

Ben’s New Year’s resolution was to never do New Year’s again, so when Paul asks if he has any New Year’s plans this year, Ben says no, and announced that he’s going to do anti-New Year’s celebration instead.

To begin his anti-New Year’s celebration, Ben takes an already-extended party blower, and sucks it back into a curl. When Paul asks Ben what the opposite of dancing is, Ben suggests “standing”, and then just stands in front of the Taskmaster’s portrait.

When Paul asks Ben if he would like to go to a music festival, Ben says “No thanks. Anti-New Year!”, before saying “Welcome to 1st January, just like any other day”. He then starts to walk out of the room backwards, before realising he doesn’t actually have to do everything backwards.

In the studio, Jeremy decides that since he will not know if Ben sticks to his New Year’s resolution until the following New Year, he should earn just 1 point. After Jeremy then awards Tofiga 2 points for telling a story about eating a dog, Ben questions how not celebrating New Year’s Eve is worse than murdering a dog.

(Written by JoGo and proofread by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by JoGo & Will G and adjusted by David Fuller)