Episode 4: The customised inhaler

Episode synopsis

In this episode the contestants must bring in the best thing that has quite a few layers, complete a bicycle obstacle course as slowly as possible, spread jam on toast in a really cool way, solve a riddle, and get the most forks in their bucket.

Title context

'The customised inhaler' was a phrase used by Victoria Coren Mitchell to characterise the world from which the 'Solve the riddle' task had been drawn.

Alternate Titles

• On Finland's MTV Katsomo streaming platform, this episode is titled 'Kustomoitu inhalaattori', which translates as 'A customised inhaler'. [Translator credit: zador]
• On Sweden's SVT Play streaming platform, this episode is titled 'Att vara helt ute och cykla', which translates as 'To be completely out and cycling'. The phrase 'Att vara helt ute och cykla' is a Swedish expression used to describe someone who's completely lost (mentally-speaking), in somewhat the same way that we might figuratively describe someone as 'lost at sea' in English. Many Swedes cycle to let their minds drift, and therefore joke about being absent-minded when they are cycling. In this case, the phrase is clearly a reference to contestants' struggles during the 'Complete the course as slowly as possible' task. [Translator credit: DANI]
• On Norway's Discovery+ Norge streaming platform, this episode is titled 'Den pyntede inhalatoren', which translates as 'The decorated inhaler'. 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! Hello, and welcome to Taskmaster. I'm Greg Davies, and I've been Taskmaster for some time now, and sometimes children stop me in the street and they say, 'Why are you so mean?'. And I always smile and I reply, 'Why are you talking to me? You don't know me. Where are your parents anyway? What are you, feral? Look at me. Look at me. Are you crying now, are you? Good! Get your mum. Get your mum, and I'll tell her the same. I'm not scared of your mum.' So, let's meet the in-studio children desperate for Daddy's approval.

Assistant Intro

And sitting next to me, a man who once drunkenly told me that, when it comes to childcare, he doesn't think his wife, Rachel, pulls her weight. It's... little Alex Horne!

Taskmaster's Sign-off

What have we learnt today? Well, I read an article recently that said that Samuel L Jackson was the coolest man on the planet. But did Samuel L Jackson ever learn to ride a bike on national television? I'm fairly sure he didn't! So what we've learnt today is coolness is subjective and everybody can be cool in their own way, except anyone who chooses to wear plastic slip-on shoes. It's time to say goodbye but, before we go, let's recognise the achievements of tonight's winner. Once more, oh my goodness, it's Alan Davies!