Episode 9: A show about pedantry

Episode synopsis

In this episode, the contestants must bring in the sneakiest thing, paint some fruits and vegetables the same colour, deliver a one-minute history lecture, make exactly 99 holes in a piece of paper, and estimate the heights of some things.

Title context

Frankie Boyle described Taskmaster as "a show about pedantry", during the 'Make these things the same colour' task.

Alternate Titles

• On Finland's MTV Katsomo streaming platform, this episode is titled 'Pedanttisuus ratkaisee', which translates as 'Pedantry counts'. [Translator credit: zador]
• On Norway's Discovery+ Norge streaming platform, this episode is titled 'Et program om pedanteri', which translates as 'A programme about pedantry'. 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! Whoo! Yes! Welcome to Taskmaster with me, your taskmaster, Greg Davies. Oh, you can feel it, can't you? That end-of-series atmosphere. Things are getting tense as we go into this penultimate episode, with several of our competitors jostling for the coveted top spot that will lead them into the Taskmaster history books. Also, Ivo Graham is here. It's at testing times like this that our competitors might look to the wisdom of those that have trodden life's rocky path before. I remember only too well the wisdom my own grandmother gave me the day before a big swimming contest. I wrote it down immediately, and I hope it will inspire our brave competitors tonight. She said, 'I can't feel my legs. Don't just stand there, boy. Call someone. Do something.' Worth thinking about, isn't it?

Assistant Intro

And next to me, a man who drunkenly confessed that, until the age of 14, he thought that his penis was an 11th finger, to be used for putting stamps onto letters. It's little Alex Horne!

Taskmaster's Sign-off

So... what have we learned today? You may think you know someone - your friends, your family - but everyone is capable of being sneaky. Even me. Open your mouth.

Note: After he instructs Alex to open his mouth, Alex complies, and finds a piece of folded-up paper inside, with the words "Jenny Eclair's new book is out now." written on it. This is a call-back to Jenny's prize task submission, which she had used as an opportunity to promote her own book.