Q&A With Greg Davies and Alex Horne at The Town Hall in NYC - Part One

I really didn't need a third ovation like that, but thank you.

Very generous.

And a fourth.

All right, people of New York City, Town Hall.

It is time for the moment you've all been waiting for.

Please welcome to the stage the Taskmaster and the Taskmaster's assistant, Greg Davis and Alex Horn.

Well, well, well.

I mean,

I can't tell you how weird this is.

In the most wonderful way, thank you.

I'm so thrilled to be here.

Thank you.

Did you do a wee?

I did a little wee when I walked out.

I have.

I've had a two wee break.

That's how excited I am

Thank you for that.

That was yeah, exceptional by the way Josh, you're doing an amazing job

And your

clothing matches the rug

I Had him send me reference photos

You're such a pro

I don't mess around in sweaters.

Thank you so much for being here.

It's so great to see you.

Less than a year ago for the premiere of Taskmaster Season 17, you were in town for the first time as Taskmaster and Assistant Taskmaster together, yeah?

Yeah.

First big U.S.

trip for press.

We were in a room that seated 100 people that was full of, I think, 6,000 people.

And now we're here in Town Hall.

How does it feel?

Amazing.

Better, better.

Yeah.

And we are very sorry to the people.

We know some people didn't get in because of the

bad organization by us.

Yeah, so sorry, sorry.

It's our fault.

But some of those people are here tonight who didn't get in first time around.

So that's great.

And this, yeah.

And you can stand up straight in this room, which is better, isn't it?

Much better.

Much better for the freak.

So you've done two.

There have been two seasons of Taskmaster.

Series.

Series.

Sorry, two series.

No, you're right.

You're right.

It's their rules here.

It's their rules.

Yeah.

I'm in New York City, I say seasons.

And in Los Angeles, I say, I miss seasons.

Don't encourage this shit.

This is for them.

And then there's a new series going to premiere soon that we saw the first episode of.

How

did you do all that?

How has your year been?

It feels like you've been, you must have been constantly tasking.

I was.

I've eaten a lot of chocolate on a chaise lob.

Yeah, no,

it is my life.

You know, that is my year is doing that.

But I really love it.

You know, I think it's the best job in the world, and it suits me.

It suits my personality very well.

But yeah, it's personality.

Some would say personality disorder.

It's not normal, is it?

It's not normal to be able to constantly generate weird tasks.

Ah, that's nice.

I sort of love him in a weird way.

Oh, me?

Okay, cool.

That didn't work out well.

You could have some of my chocolate collection.

But yeah, we have it scheduled in pretty well.

So we task for three months, then we have a month of editing, and then we invite the man to the studio, and he judges them, and then we do that again.

So twice a year, every year, forever.

That's amazing.

It's an incredible job for someone like Alex to work for three months and then ask me to come in and shit on everything.

It's quite a privilege.

We have a bunch of questions from the audience.

We've got to get through as many as as possible.

I've got so many, but I want to start.

I invoked

I invoked a moderator's prerogative, and I

reached out to series 18 winner Andy Zaltzman.

I said, Andy, is there anything you want Greg and Alex to know, and any questions you have for them in front of an audience in New York City?

Andy said, say hello from me.

Tell them I still want vengeance for being disqualified from the cans task.

Brutal.

And then, so here, we're going to open it up with a question from Andy.

This is kind of a multi-part, as you can imagine from Zaltzman.

There's a lot of moving parts here.

Yeah, there'll be a lot of words, I imagine.

A lot of words.

What have you learned about the nature of humanity from doing Taskmaster?

Not done.

Not remotely done.

You can't slow.

Stay in the pocket.

Would American politics work better if it was conducted on a Taskmaster basis?

Do you dream that one day Taskmaster will be part of the Olympics or vice versa?

Are there plans afoot to hold a special Taskmaster with Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg in space in which they have to find their way back to Earth using only a pineapple, a rubber duck, and a pogo stick?

If not, why not?

So field as many or as few of those questions as you'd like.

I I can't remember any of them anymore.

I do think there's a parallel universe where there is Taskmaster and Trump is the Taskmaster.

And you are President of America.

What do you think?

So it's a bow.

Oh, I'm not an arrogant man, but I'd sort this place out.

Yeah, I think the rest is pretty much.

He answers himself, I think.

I do like the idea that the Olympics would become part of Taskmaster, because the Olympics, a lot of the events are tasks, really.

Like the pole vault,

get over that.

Yeah, you get this, this is all you got.

Yeah, highest wins, you've got 15 seconds, your time starts now.

That's a great task.

It's great.

They don't think around it enough, though.

They all do it in the same method.

I've long been lobbying for a squid game element to Taskmaster.

I think it'd be nice for us to evolve into some real jeopardy.

I'll tell you what I've learnt about humanity.

I'm going to answer the question seriously.

What I've learned about humanity is that all of us jump at the chance for some escapism from the horrific reality of

some people in the world.

And,

you know,

it's a sort of weird parallel universe, Taskmaster, and one that you know, that I, a mess of a man, fall into and suddenly given power.

And, you know, it's all quite hypnotic and exciting for a little bit to dip in and out of it.

And I think everyone I meet just loves getting lost in the world for a little bit.

There you are.

That's a semi-serious answer.

No, that's really beautiful.

And when

he says he's a mess of a man, because you look at him, you think, no, he's got it together.

But on the first

on the first night, can I tell them?

Yeah,

I was hoping you wouldn't in that I'm still looking for a wife, but yeah.

I'm not, I've given up, I'm joking.

There was a moment where I thought you lost a wife several days ago.

Like, I'm looking for a specific wife.

Well, I said at breakfast, how did he sleep, Greg, because of jet lag?

And he said, not great, because at four in the morning, he woke up.

He'd gone to sleep with a large amount of chewing gum in his mouth still

yeah I mean let's put it in context we got very drunk

very quickly as soon as we landed so he fell asleep with chewing gum in his mouth and he woke up because the chewing gum had fallen out of his mouth and had smeared all down one arm

like really matted the full length of my arm

So I essentially at four o'clock in the morning I was sort of waxing my arm in the bathroom and I thought God almighty people would lose respect for me if they saw that.

And now it's nice that everyone knows.

You can never let the contestants out.

I've got one bald arm.

Ladies.

And just, you know, we were very concerned, myself and our traveling party, that he fell asleep with chewing gum in his mouth.

And you're not going to do that again, are you?

Oh, no, I was told off as well.

Anyway, let's get back to me being a really important authority figure.

I have one more question before we get to some of the audience questions, which is, Greg, you mentioned that the show is a real escape for a lot of people, and I think people find it to be like a really beautiful, safe place to spend time and to take delight in.

How,

like,

how do you

be, how are you so silly?

Like,

how do you cultivate this kind of silliness that feels safe and beautiful instead of like

putting your head in the sand?

Does that make sense?

Like, yeah.

Question concluded.

I really

did.

Well, my theory is that

we all stop developing around age 12 and then we spend the rest of our lives pretending to be something other than what we truly are, which is silly.

And I think that Alex's show affords everybody the opportunity just to revert to being silly children.

And

again, I can't believe I've come up with a serious answer to that question, but there it is.

I'm just slightly offended that everyone keeps saying it's silly.

I mean, I think it's quite a

serious.

You wouldn't believe how seriously he takes it.

I've watched him having high-level discussions with other adults about how many ducks there are in a bucket or something.

It's got to be fair.

It's got to be fair.

So I take it.

But genuinely, I do take it very seriously, and I think that's how I cope.

I think we have to take the show seriously.

We have to take the rules seriously and the judging of it.

You know, you do genuinely think it's important while you're doing it.

It's only afterwards that you realize it's madness.

But you saw the heartbreak that Matthew had during the P Olympic one.

Like, they really take it seriously themselves.

They're not going, this is just

being paid to do a comedy show.

They throw themselves into it as well.

And so that becomes their life for

yeah.

And I sometimes watch someone like Matthew's taking the P-task that seriously.

I'm sometimes watching the VTs, and I become the emperor from Star Wars.

I find myself going, yes, break him.

Perfect answers.

Okay, I've got these, some of the, some of the audience questions are pretty wild, so we're going to run through them.

Dan Roberts.

Woo!

Oh, Danny.

Oh.

He says, how often do the taskmaster and little Alex Horne hang out together?

Have you two hot-tubbed together?

Good question.

Have we hot-tubbed?

I think we, you had an inflatable one for a while.

I did.

And I think we hot-tubbed then

seven years ago

and a week.

I think we increasingly have hung out quite a bit.

And I think we broke the back of it after a few years of working together when we went camping.

camping and

we

genuinely went to a campsite and erected tents and within 10 minutes we both got so drunk that neither of us remember anything

of the trip.

We literally woke up the next day and put our tents away and

drove home.

So God knows what happened that night.

No.

And

my dog was in my tent.

Yeah.

And she survived, but there's never been quite that.

Since then she's had a haunted look in her eyes.

Wake up, dog, covered in gum.

I mean, I don't know if you've looked on the internet, but there's so.

We talked about this on TV last night.

There's so much pornographic fanfiction

about him and I.

It's like really fucked up.

I find it...

I mean, the most we've done together is go camping once.

Yeah, there's 867 stories.

867 stories on one website.

There's more than two being added every day.

What is the shouting person?

10,025.

Has it gone up?

Is it up?

You've been busy overnight.

But some of them are long.

There's one which is 20,000 words.

They're little novels.

Yeah.

And they're well written.

They're very good.

Thank you for being here, the person who I assume is the web admin for a website I assume is called Assmaster.com.

I suspect you're the one that wrote Daddy's Little Screamer, are you?

An actual title, by the way.

Well, if it was you, you are on the Seth Meyers show right now as we speak.

Alex, if you were a contestant, what would your costume be, or what would you suggest as the most strategic outfit to wear?

Great question.

I think if I wasn't the Taskmaster's assistant, this is about the series that I'd have a chance of getting in.

In terms of my comedy career, I think I'd be sort of thinking this soon, maybe, but maybe not.

Yeah, there might have been a drop over.

I would be an awful contestant.

I think I would wear...

Good.

What's the most strategic question?

That's a very good question, because there are no rules.

You can bring whatever you want, you can wear whatever you want.

So I'd definitely have pockets.

I'd have zzzzzzzzz, I'd have a zip, I'd have, you know, easy access to everything.

What do you need that for?

You never know.

You never know.

You never know what?

Well, you might need to quickly...

Do you mean easy access to your genitals?

I did mean that, yeah.

But I'm slightly off-put by the fact that the writer's in.

So whatever I say will be in print tomorrow.

I can't believe you said you never know.

You're the only person who always knows.

Good point.

I've never thought about that.

I've got awful dress sense, as you can see.

It would probably be something like this.

I wear quite

loud jumpers with ducks on.

Oh, you dress like a 12-year-old.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Great.

Not a very good answer, but I'd have practical things.

I'd have things hidden beneath me.

I don't understand why people don't have bum bags.

What do you call them here, funny packs?

Is that one of them?

Full of snacks and knives.

the uh jason manzuka system

the lock picks that was incredible yeah well i mean the man's a psychopath let's get it out there

he's uh he has a bag of he has a bag of tools yeah weapons for every occasion come the inevitable nuclear war the world will have um

cockroaches and Jason Manzuka's left

first uh first American contestant.

How did that end?

Yeah, first resident.

Desiree first person that's flown over.

Yeah.

First current American resident.

How did that all come together?

Weirdly, he

asked to be on the show.

So what happened was

Jason was at home.

Jason was a big fan of the show, which we still struggle to come to terms with, which is lovely.

And he was watching it and he went, I want to be in that.

And two months later, he was in that.

He has a magic ability, which I don't, I watch Tellian say that, and it never happens.

Yeah.

It was really exciting having him come over.

It was so great.

And that he was such a fan and straightaway knew all the rules and knew all of Alex's little tricks with the tasks of looking under tables.

It was so funny.

I think he did it with this between us at a loss in the end as well because he had to find back.

And he had to pay to be on our show.

He told us.

Financially or like a deep personal loss?

Better both.

Better both.

And I'll tell you something fascinating about, as we've come on to Jason, is that, you know, he's big and loud and a powerful presence.

But he stuck to the rules.

And if I told him no, he abided by it.

And if I told him off, he accepted it.

But at the end of every task, when it was all finished and the points were given out, he would smash the setup.

I'm not joking,

he repeatedly cost us thousands

just by smashing everything up.

There's not much you can do because he's stuck to the rules, he's finished the task.

And I always kept forgetting to say, don't smash the setup when you finish.

You didn't lay that one rule out,

incredible.

The previous audience question was from Sam Nagurney or Nagerne.

So thank you, Sam.

Next, this one is, this might be kind of a Chekhov's question because I'm asking it now, but I don't know if the answer will come now.

This is from Ian Brady.

And the question...

Ian Brady.

It's seven words.

Greg.

We do need to check.

Ian Brady.

Ian Brady.

Okay, one of the most immediate serial killers from Britain.

I didn't know that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Did you all know that?

No.

Oh, enjoy the light entertainment show.

He was a child killer.

Wow.

Wait, I don't know your serial killer.

Do you know our serial killers or just yours?

Yeah, I know your serial killers.

It's American exceptionalism, I guess.

I should learn more.

People are worldly.

What did Ian Brady ask us anyway?

Well, I guess this is a little more sinister

knowing that with that context.

I'm sure it's a coincidence.

Well, we can find out, surely.

Ian, you killed anyone?

Are you, did they let you out?

Greg,

could you pick up Alex, please?

You mean physically pick him up?

I don't know that there was a picture from a basement yet.

There was no specification.

So it's, Greg, do you have enough game to pick up Alex?

I'm sorry, Ian.

Where is Ian?

Oh, he's in Penterville prison, of course.

Oh, right, yeah.

Ah, it's a fucking weird country.

I flew.

I flew, mummy.

This is for both of you.

Using only long dead historical figures, create the perfect Taskmaster lineup.

Yes.

Long, long, dead.

Long dead.

Long dead.

So we can't.

Richard Roundtree is out.

I know it's too soon.

That was the premise of the question.

Well, using my t-shirt, are any of these long dead?

They're all dead.

They're all dead, but are any of them long dead?

Betty White was the most recently.

Betty White died recently.

I think the

is this is this is this bad taste but I wouldn't mind a golden girl in the lineup

yeah

long dead long dead is fun

is it can we get Moses who is the Moses is good that's good so so we've got the two big ones a golden girl and Moses

a little mow and go yep

I'd love to write a task for Moses

across this river, but you may not use your special trick.

What did I tell you about parting the sea?

You've sort of done with the biblical characters now, with Moses.

I was going to have the big JC, but I guess Moses can handle that.

We should have someone evil?

Genghis Khan.

Okay.

Fun evil.

An element of danger.

Yeah yeah yeah.

Yeah.

So you've got Moses.

Yeah yeah.

We've got Moses a golden ghoul and golden girl and Genghis Khan.

I guess let's have royalty.

We've always wanted royalty.

Do you think Queen Elizabeth, one of the royalists?

Maybe Who was the king that went crazy?

Henry VIII would be a high-risk guy.

What period, Henry, though?

You want sporty Henry or sort of?

How many wives has Henry done away with at the point we...

It's getting halfway through, shall we?

Okay, three.

So Carrie, what is it?

Marry, kill, behead?

What's the system?

We've got Henry, we've got Henry.

Not to be pedantic, I think Behead and Kill are a little redundant.

Yeah, both of them.

I think we...

Have we got any women?

We have one.

We'd like to have another one.

One.

We would like one more.

Okay, let's get a woman.

Let's get another woman.

I think.

Yeah.

Pudden?

Joan of Arc's interesting.

She was very young when she died.

I'm worried she's not experienced enough in the studio.

It's a lot of loud voices there.

Who was the lady you

died with the horse?

Catherine the Great.

Maybe Catherine the Great.

Because she's clearly up for anything.

That's it.

Joan Rivers is a great shout, but not quite long enough to.

So yeah, I think that's our lineup.

That's our lineup.

I'd be quite scared of Joan Rivers as well, but it's a good shave.

Incredible.

That question came from Jordan Gwadjowski.

Well,

Jordan, our collective apologies for our answer.

Well done for not being a murderer, Jordan.

This is a great question.

After the success of junior taskmaster, this is from Alex Forzenhausler.

After the success of junior taskmaster, would you ever try senior taskmaster?

This is a very good question.

And you know what, Alex?

We have thought about doing this as an April fool, of releasing a trailer for the forthcoming senior taskmaster.

Just have five very elderly people.

But I think that's such a great idea.

I've just spent Christmas with my 83-year-old mother.

And while I was with her, I was thinking, there must be some formalised way of me punishing you.

So to be able to do that on television would be just wonderful.

Yeah, no, it's a great idea.

It's a great idea.

I mean, the children, the junior one is really, if you've not seen it, too, watch it.

Can I say what you said about...

I probably shouldn't.

I don't know what you're going to say.

But what you said about having to phone your parents today.

Ah, yes.

I went, oh, how was the phone call with the parents?

He went, boring.

Well,

I loved them very much.

But he does love them.

He does love them.

But

this is one of the most exciting weeks of my life.

They did not ask where I was or what I was doing.

And I did not tell them.

And it's fascinating, isn't it?

I rang my mum today from New York, where,

you know, we're on a chat show in New York, and the phone call was 40 minutes long, and the only thing we spoke about was a camera she's got in her garden to look at birds.

Like,

someone's got to take these people down.

And if we can do it formally, I'm up for it.

You know my mum's name.

So lovely to

hear the voice of the person who will kill me.

Just can we say, by the way,

we're very, very fond and proud of Taskmaster fans.

We are.

But you are

unusual.

We got given, and

this is our normal life rest.

We got given two gifts when we got here.

Yeah.

They were.

Shall I go and get them?

I'll show you.

I will go get them.

They're over here.

Thank you, by the way, for the people who send these.

The first one

is.

oh, hello.

The first one

has been moved.

Oh, they're here.

They're under a coat.

The first one is a beautiful stained glass.

Someone made the effort of making a stained glass duck, which is absolutely beautiful.

It's really lovely.

It's wonderful.

Thank you so much.

We've got your name and your details.

We'll write to you formally to say thank you.

But who gives stained glass?

Beautiful.

It is an unusual thing.

The other one.

That is some really lovely glass glass work.

I mean, genuinely incredible.

More stained glass.

Is that you guys?

These are separate people, you understand that.

We got two gifts tonight from two separate people and they're both stained glass.

These were made by um and apple.

Is that why I say your name right

apple and urn oh you spelled it um unfortunately so it's um and apple

and you've written a very lovely letter saying if you don't want them you want to keep them but we are definitely keeping these urn up these are the best things we've ever been given and we will

i don't know they will go on our window i mean apart from apart from this

but thank you so much but this is sort of not it's not normal but this is it's they're they're just beautiful we love them and it's such a shame that our manager has to leave his clothes here because these are going in his suitcase

We also bumped into somebody outside who, and this is not unusual either, who said, Yes, we met you last time we were here.

You signed our piece of paper and that is now tattooed on my foot.

Lovely to see you again.

Yes, it was very nice to see you.

You're up in the balcony, aren't you, somewhere?

There you are.

Yeah.

See that lady's foot at some point.

Can I just tell you a small thing, a gift that I got given recently?

Someone who owns a a jewelry company gave me a

beautifully hand-engraved

key ring in silver.

Absolutely artisan, beautiful.

And it had this quote on it, and I presumed it would be something touching from the many stories I've told of my family and life.

And it was a quote from my dad that I'd mentioned in an obscure show years ago when he lost his temper with me when I was 17.

And engraved on the key ring really beautifully, it just says, Don't mess with me, you fuck pig.

And I showed it to my mum, and she went,

Love you, Pauline.

The De Tolvo Glass Studio made that little duck.

They're really beautiful, both of them.

Thank you.

It's lovely.