Episode 1: An imbalance in the poppability

Episode synopsis

In this episode the contestants must bring in the nicest thing to sit on, strike Alex with a ball, paint a flattering picture of the Taskmaster in action, pop a balloon, and strike poses to represent a hobby, an animal, and a celebrity.

Title context

'An imbalance in the poppability' was what Guz Khan blamed for his inability to 'Pop the balloon'.

Alternate Titles

• On Finland's MTV Katsomo streaming platform, this episode is titled 'Poksahtavuuden epätasapaino', which translates as 'An imbalance in the poppability'. [Translator credit: zador]
• On Sweden's SVT Play streaming platform, this episode is titled 'Saxen och poppsnöret', which translates as 'The scissors and the pop-string'. The 'pop-string' here is a reference to the string which had to be cut to drop the portcullis on the balloon, during the 'Pop the balloon' task. The word 'popsnöre' is usually used to refer to young pop musicians or pop music fans, though. [Translator credit: DANI]
• On Norway's Discovery+ Norge streaming platform, this episode is titled 'En sprettende ubalanse', which translates as 'A bouncing imbalance'. Note: this Norwegian translation of the title only appears in the subtitles for the episode, whereas the episode title listed on the platform is the original English title. [Translator credit: Jan Harald]

Assistant Intro

And now to my assistant. Usually, I introduce him in a derogatory way but, for a change, I though he could read the introduction I've written for him. Over to you. [The introduction he has written for him: 'My name is Alex and, in interviews, I pretend Greg and I are friends in real life but, in truth, we barely know each other. Also, I've got a little winky.'] It's little Alex Horne!

Taskmaster's Sign-off

So, what have we learnt today? Well, we've learnt that life is a continuous struggle, but if you apply yourself, you can learn new skills, make new friends and do great things. We've also learned you should never borrow Alan Davies' toothbrush. See you for the second instalment but for now, our first winner is Morgana Robinson!