Richard's Bitter Sweet Symphony

Richard notes, while browsing through popular nursery rhymes on his phone, that as a child, he used to change the second line of the rhyme ‘Hey Diddle, Diddle’ to “The cat did a piddle”.

Back in the studio, Alex says that Richard is the only one who didn’t know any nursery rhymes off the top of his head. Greg suggests that perhaps Richard was born at the age of 32.

Before his video is shown, Richard explains that he included a short advert at the beginning, in the style of YouTube videos. The ad in this case features Alex promoting Johnnson’s Wheelbarrows.

After a short simulated video buffering delay, the video proper then starts, featuring Richard performing a version of ‘Coming Round the Mountain’ while walking towards the camera from the road outside the Taskmaster house, to the shed.

Along the way, he carries out a series of actions: kicking over a traffic cone; knocking a tray of (empty) plastic drinks glasses out of someone’s hands; climbing through a white van; snatching a ladder from someone, knocking them over in the process; then knocking another person over with the same ladder; casually kicking a wheelbarrow out of Alex’s grip; then kicking over a watering can.

The video ends with him leaning the ladder against the shed and then going inside, closing the door behind himself.

Back in the studio, Richard confirms that the performance had been an homage to the music video for The Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’.

Greg says that his favourite part of the whole thing was the idea that Richard lives in a shed.

Richard is ultimately placed second last in the task, but gets three points due to Greg’s award of a joint first place to Doc and Jon.

(Written by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected and adjusted by: Karl Craven)