TaskMaster.Info

(aka Ivo Graham's Taskmaster Wiki)
Obsessively documenting the international Taskmaster franchise. Warning: This site is lousy with spoilers!

Episode 1: An imbalance in the poppability

Image of a blob of bright green paint on the end of a paintbrush (a reference to the 'Paint a flattering picture of the Taskmaster in action' task), with the episode title, 'An imbalance in the poppability', superimposed on it.
Air date:
23/09/2021
Title coined by:

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]

    Taskmaster Intro

    Hello, one and all! I'm Greg Davies, and I am the Taskmaster, and this is Taskmaster! It's a brand-new series with a brand-new cast and a brand-new set of tasks. But I'm not brand-new. Quite the contrary. I'm a living relic, an almighty deity, resurrected time and time again. I'm not as good as God, but I sure am one swell guy. So, who are the five so desperate to get their hands on my golden goblet that they would go against the explicit advice of their agents? Well, let's cast our eyes across five faces of fear.

    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!

    Official episode video

    This is a full episode video from an official YouTube channel source. Due to international streaming rights, it may be blocked in your region.

    Official podcast episode

    Episode stats

    Official Points
    74
    Disquals
    0
    Assignment Type
    Solo
    5
    100%
    Team
    0
    0%
    Special
    0
    0%
    Split
    0
    0%
    Tie-Break
    0
    0%
    Task Format
    Prize
    1
    20%
    Filmed
    3
    60%
    Homework
    0
    0%
    Live
    1
    20%
    Judgment Type
    Objective
    3
    60%
    Subjective
    2
    40%
    Combination
    0
    0%
    Unjudged
    0
    0%
    No. of Task Briefs
    Single
    4
    80%
    Multiple
    1
    20%
    Task Originality
    Original
    3
    60%
    Adapted
    2
    40%

    Subtitles

    The following episode subtitle files are available for download.