Taskmaster Portugal: What we know so far...

Over the past weekend, the publicity campaign for the anticipated Portuguese version of the Taskmaster franchise appears to have kicked up a notch, with several short video clips of tasks from the show being posted to the show’s official Instagram and Facebook pages.

It seems likely, then, that we are not far from some kind of official announcement on an air date for this new version of this show. Now seems like a good time to recap everything we have learned so far.

Back in September 2021 it was announced that long-time entertainment collaborators Vasco Palmeirim and Nuno Markl would be hosting a Portuguese version of Taskmaster, with production scheduled for October 2021, and a premiere in ‘early 2022’. Nuno appeared keen to stress that the show had received Alex Horne’s blessing, and he later posted an image on his Instagram account depicting a Zoom call with Alex and a representative of Avalon, indicating that he might be actively involved as a consultant to the show.

In October and November, Nuno posted a series of teaser images to his Instagram account from the production of the show, including photos of: a large Taskmaster logo waiting to be mounted; falling rubber ducks; and the corner of a throne on the studio set.

In November, the identities of four members of the ‘fixed cast’ of the show were leaked as Jéssica Athayde (actor), Inês Aires Pereira (actor), Gilmário Vemba (comedian), and António ‘Toy’ Ferrão (musician, actor). The fact that the term ‘fixed cast’ was used, and only four names were leaked, leaves open the possibility that the show could follow the approach taken by Het Grootste Licht, Bäst i Test, and Suurmestari, of having a different guest contestant fill the fifth seat from week to week. This possibility has not yet been confirmed or contradicted.

Starting on 10 January 2022, the official Taskmaster Portugal Instagram account began posting weekly teaser images from the show, including: a rubber duck on a lawn; a polystyrene head floating in a pool; a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a bunch of roses; a pile of Taskmaster-branded note cards; teabags scattered on a lawn; a golden bathtub; and the well-stocked shelves of a shed.

On 23 January an article was published, based on an interview with Vasco Palmeirim, in which it was disclosed that the first season of the show would have eight episodes.

On 27 January it was disclosed in a post on atelevisao.com that the show would begin airing on Saturdays, starting in March, and that the episodes would each be 90 minutes long. It is unclear whether this is the total run time, including ads, or the length of the show itself.

On 26 February the first video footage from the show was shared on the official Taskmaster Portugal Instagram and Facebook accounts, showing a clip from a task involving Inês Aires Pereira, a water hose, and some traffic cones. The text on the envelope at the end of the video did not give away any air date, instead simply indicating that the show would be coming 'soon'.

On 27 February two more video clips featuring footage from pre-filmed tasks were released on the show’s official Instagram and Facebook accounts. The first showed Gilmário throwing a basketball at a fence panel upon which a row of ducks was balanced. The second showed Jessica Athayde (sporting a pink wig) standing blindfolded in a field with Nuno.

Two short audio-only clips were also released on the official social media accounts over the weekend, but do not appear to give away any useful information.

So when might this new show actually begin to air? Well, we know from the atelevisao.com report that it’s supposed to air on Saturdays, starting some time in March. However, it has been brought to my attention that the semi-final and grand final of Portugal’s Festival da Canção (the country’s equivalent of the UK’s Song for Eurovision contest) will be taking place during the first half of March, with scheduled broadcasts on RTP on the first two Saturdays in the month. This makes it more likely that Taskmaster Portugal would begin airing on 19 March 2022, at the earliest.

All indications so far are that the show is going to feature a lot of tasks that we will be familiar with from the original UK show, and its various international adaptations. Based on the photos and videos released to date, these are likely to include: ‘fell all the ducks’, ‘throw a teabag into a mug’, ‘empty the bathtub’, ‘make the most striking water feature’, and ‘travel blindfolded for three minutes and retrace your steps’. Presumably more teaser clips will be released over the next couple of weeks, giving us a better idea of whether this version of the show is bringing any original tasks of its own to the table.

Notably, in response to a comment on one of the recent Instagram video posts, in which a fan expressed concern about the re-use of tasks, Nuno personally responded to emphasise that the same task completed by different people is ‘a new game’. He suggested that the re-use of established tasks was part of the ‘format adaptation contract’, but that Alex Horne had approved the use of ‘twists’ on each task. Nuno urged fans to ‘remain as calm as possible’.

What about that 90-minute run-time, though? With an episode of most versions of the show sticking to the 45-60 minute format, what changes will we see in Taskmaster Portugal to account for the extra time? Those who have watched the unsuccessful Spanish adaptation of the show, Dicho y Hecho, might start to feel anxious about the prospect of longer episodes since, in that version, a large proportion of the extra time was filled with inane chitchat, and much more relaxed editing on the pre-filmed tasks. Surely the Portuguese production wouldn’t make the same mistakes? We can only hope that this extended format instead incorporates additional tasks to fill the time, following in the footsteps of the very successful Bäst i Test.

Stay tuned for further updates!