Alex Horne
Nominated for best show at the 2014 Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Awards.
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The Horne Section TV Show series 2
TV review
Would The Horne Section TV Show exist if its frontman weren’t also responsible for Channel 4’s most successful comedy format? The question might be moot, but whatever the reasoning, this is one of telly’s few unabashedly silly shows in a landscape full of heavyweight comedy-dramas.
It’s also rare in effectively being a sketch show, albeit one based in one locale: Alex Horne’s house, where he and his band continue to tape a TV programme. Were it a sitcom, the ‘world’s strongest musician’ premise that drives episode one would certainly struggle to hold up a narrative – especially as, ironically, these scenes are not always that strong themselves.
But it’s OK as glue between better scenes – and especially the songs, which remain the big draw. The visual image of saxophonist Mark Brown as a baby is creepily strange, and the production number on the catchy showstopper Shit Show is impressive. This is surely the stuff of viral videos
The chaos can be hard to get a handle on, but the show just about holds together by embracing its own likeable amateurness, an ethos that also defines Horne’s endearing comic persona. And in the spontaneous scenes in the rehearsal room, the camaraderie and friendship between band and frontman is palpable.
The show full of running gags about what a beta-male Horne is – unable to play an instrument, barely capable of singing, confined to living in a tent in his own back garden. Recurring guest star Reggie Watts is the polar opposite, musically talented and effortlessly cool a constant counter to prey on the fictional Horne’s insecurities.
The second series is full of familiar comedy faces – from returning acts like Desiree Burch as Horne’s voice-of-reason agent and John Oliver Zooming in his desperation to be part of the show, to new turns like Stevie Martin as a disconcerting psychic investigator in a later episode.
• The Horne Section TV Show retuns to Channel 4 at 10pm tonight, after Taskmaster, with a double bill.
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Published: 22 May 2025
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Products
Book (2024)
An Absolute Casserole: The Taskmaster Compendium
Book (2024)
Make Some Noise by the Horne Section
Book (2021)
Bring Me The Head Of The Taskmaster
Misc (2019)
Taskmaster Board Game
Book (2018)
Taskmaster: The Book of Champions
Book (2010)
Wordwatching, by Alex Horne
Book (2009)
Birdwatchingwatching
Past Shows
Edinburgh Fringe 2014
Alex Horne: Monsieur Butterfly
Alex Horne: The Percentage Game
Horne Section: Milk the Tenderness
Agent
We do not currently hold contact details for Alex Horne's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.