Work out who is following you
Task types:
Solo
Filmed
Mental
Objective
Single brief
Original
Locations:
Task brief
The task brief is laid on a TM-branded red circular marker spot, near the edge of a field on Kennel Farm. The brief for the task is as follows:
Work out who is following you.
You must stare at the duck at all times, and take an average-length step towards the duck every time it quacks.
If the person following you agrees with you, they will say the name of a mammal.
If the person following you disagrees with you, they will say the name of a bird.
If the person following you doesn’t know if they agree or disagree with you, they will say the name of an amphibian.
The correct answer furthest from the duck wins.
Your time starts when the duck quacks.
Task notes
- A few metres behind the marker spot, there is a small tent (just large enough for one person to stand up in).
- Quite a distance across the field, there is a plinth with a large rubber duck on it.
- The contestants arrive in the field sporting headwear which resembles the bonnets worn by female characters in The Handmaid’s Tale. The headwear serves both as blinders to block their peripheral vision, and also has a small camera mounted at the front, to record their faces during the task.
- After the task brief has been read, Alex hands the contestants a remote control device, unzips the tent, and tells them to press the green button on the device. As they do so, an electric golf caddy emerges from the tent and moves towards them (running into the backs of several of the contestants’ legs in the process).
- Each time the contestants ask their follower a question, it is answered (in the form of the name of a species of mammal, bird, or amphibian) by a feminine voice (in the episode of the Taskmaster: The People's Podcast released on the 15th of April 2024, it is revealed that this was the voice of the self-confessed Blobby obsessive and production team member Sophie Williams), through a speaker attached to the golf caddy.
- Approximately every five seconds, a duck’s quack is heard (presumably also through the speaker on the caddy), prompting the contestants to take one step forward.
- The identity of the individual following the contestants is eventually revealed to be Mr Blobby (or, at least, an inflated balloon representation of him, attached to the golf caddy).
Task stats
Points
14
Disquals
1
Attempts
Click on the thumbnail images below to read a description of each attempt.