Kiell Smith-Bynoe on appearing in Taskmaster

 Kiell Smith-Bynoe talks about taking part in series 15 of Taskmaster, which starts on Channel 4 next week.

Why did you say yes to Taskmaster?

If I wasn’t asked within the next two years, I would have set fire to the Taskmaster house.

I realised that all of the non-creators of Ghosts have done it – Lolly [Adefope], Katy [Wix] and Charlotte [Ritchie] – so I was like: ‘Excuse me, why is my phone not ringing?’

I was desperate to do it. I don’t really love being myself on TV. I don’t think it’s my strong point – I’m an actor first and foremost, and I play characters – but this is one of the very few things that I really, really wanted to do.

I wanted to do Catchphrase and I did that, and I wanted to do this and now I’ve done that. I’m sorted now.

So we’re not going to see you on Strictly or Celebrity MasterChef, then?

Not for me, really. No matter how much my mum wants me to go on Strictly. I’m sorry, Mum, but I don’t think I will be doing the jive any time soon.

Did you talk to any previous Taskmaster contestants about it?

I spoke to Guz Khan. Guz doesn’t really get excited by anything. He’s equally happy being the main person in the biggest show of all time as he would chilling at home watching TV. But he was like, ‘Bruh, you’re gonna smash it. You’ve got to do it.’

Charlotte came to watch me in the studio recording. She’s like me: as an actor, you sometimes don’t really want to see yourself in that scenario, especially with a bunch of comedians. It can be daunting, and you worry whether you haven’t said enough, or you’ve said too much.

Have you learned anything about yourself?

I don’t think I knew I was that childlike. I knew I was silly, but watching it back I’m like: ‘That’s a small boy.’

I particularly enjoyed your reaction whenever you first heard the task. There’s always a real confusion.

When things sound too easy I think, ‘That’s got to be a trick.’ But also if things are really complicated, I’m like, ‘Why has that been written like that?’

It’s harder than you think. There’s one task where, without giving too much away, there were probably about four different ways I could have fucked it up and I did all four. Actually, I probably did five. And also, how close I was to actually getting it right is really annoying.

Are you a competitive person?

A lot of people came in this like, ‘I’ve come here to win a trophy.’ I said, ‘I don’t care about the trophy, I just want people to say "Kiell won Taskmaster one time".’ That’s all I care about.

It started to get backstabby in the studio in the final episodes.

Yes. I think it was a really great dynamic for this group. The dynamic was really funny. Frankie [Boyle] didn’t give a shit, he’s hilarious, but he did sometimes stir the pot for fun. Jenny [Eclair] was very comfortable, Mae [Martin] and Ivo [Graham] were the most competitive.

What surprised you most about the other contestants?

I’ve met Ivo a few times but this is definitely the longest time I’ve spent with him. He’s a very funny boy. His structuring of a joke is like working backwards. It’s like in an exam where you’ve got to show your working. I can’t even think like that. But he was loads of fun.

Frankie, I didn’t know what to expect either. I was actually blown away by how funny he was whilst also not caring. It was like he thinks in a slightly different way to everyone else.

I was really in awe of his ability to sit in his own thoughts; not on his phone, not reading a book, not watching anything, just sitting and observing the room – and sometimes not even that. I can last about three and a half minutes before I need to be on Twitter.

I want to take Jenny home. We had such a laugh. If the house next door to mine comes available, I’ll buy it for her, just so she could live next door.

Mae I know quite well; we’ve done various improv shows together. Mae has an Escape Room brain, and that is what I don’t have. At all.

I’m going to name drop a little bit. It’s not a great one, but I once did a show with Noel Edmonds, and he told us about pranks that he used to do in the 1980s. Obviously, he had a lot of money in the 1980s so he was able to pay for some quite elaborate pranks.

He went on a stag do and he paid a bricklayer to build a brick wall outside of the best man’s hotel room, so he’d open his door to a brick wall. I wanted to do that to Mae.

What was your tactic with Greg in the studio and trying to win a few extra points?

Greg was really annoying but I did try to convince him. Every now and then I was surprised by thinking that Greg was going to absolutely hate something, then he loved it, and vice versa, so I felt it was always worth having that conversation.

Sometimes it would be going in my favour and Alex would pipe up like, ‘Ah, but what about…’ Shut up, Alex, I’m chasing victory.

Was Alex helpful on the actual tasks?

He was at first, but then I felt he turned against me. He could be a master of destruction.

Is it true that you invented the term ‘Platty Jubes’ for the Platinum Jubilee?

That’s correct. I was thinking about that during filming because Greg used the phrase and I said, ‘You owe me £50, that’s my copyright.’ I got nothing for coming up with that. I didn’t get an endorsement deal. I didn’t get lifted up by the England team. Nothing. I want a Gregg’s black card. I want Jubilee sausage rolls for life.

Does it feel like life has changed a lot in the last couple of years as Ghosts has grown and grown?

Firstly, I think Charlotte Ritchie should get a Bafta. Her performance is incredible in this show, and what she’s doing is brilliant.

She’s a horrible person [laughs], but her performance is fantastic and I think she needs to get something for that. It’s a people’s favourite, but in terms of accolades and stuff, it hasn’t really done as much as it deserves because it’s a good show, it’s funny, it makes you laugh, makes you cry, it makes you think. It’s relatable – there’s at least one character that you can be like, ‘Oh, That Reminds Me of…’ And it’s very rare to make a show like that, that can be enjoyed by all ages and that can move you.

I think it’s been a bit under-appreciated by the industry. Not by the fans, because the fans love it.

• Taskmaster series 15 starts on Channel 4 at 9pm on Thursday March 30.

» Greg Davies and Alex Horne
» Frankie Boyle
» Ivo Graham
» Jenny Eclair
» Kiell Smith-Bynoe
» Mae Martin

Published: 20 Mar 2023