The Taskmaster interviews: Maisie Adam

Why did you want to do Taskmaster?

Taskmaster is the one every comedian wants to do. There really is no other show like it and I know that sounds corny, but it's true. If you’re doing a show and you try to explain it to your auntie at Christmas, she can usually get the gist if you use other references, but Taskmaster is of its own kind and slightly unexplainable. Even now, on the twentieth series, the stuff they're coming up with is so original. It’s such an insight into how their weird brains work, the way they can keep coming up with new ideas. 

So it's definitely the one that you want to do when you work in this world. I've been really hoping for the call-up for years.

Did you speak to anyone who’d done it before, or prepare in any way?

No because you're not supposed to talk to anyone before your name has been announced, which is after you’ve finished filming, and you don’t know who else is doing it until you get to the house for the first group task. 

When I've watched it previously, I’ve felt it works best when people go in with a completely clean slate, all from all the same starting point. Also, as a group, you want to have as much of a collective vibe as possible, so I was quite keen to keep it as neutral as possible.

Did you try to do the tasks well, or be funny?

Great question! That’s the biggest challenge because you film all your tasks in the house long before you even meet in the studio, and you have no idea if you're doing the task well or correctly, or if you’re funny. 

From a comedy perspective you're like, ‘Should I narrate what I’m doing, or does that look like I’m always "on" – and is that worse than being silent and not giving anything?’. The whole time, Alex is just stood there writing away so it's not like you've got a lot to bounce off. It constantly throws you. In the end I just had to do what felt natural.

I was more comfortable in the group setting of the studio shows, having a laugh and bouncing off each other, which I suppose comes from my panel show background. The tasks were so out of my comfort zone. A lot of it is like throwing spaghetti at a wall and seeing what sticks.

Was there anything about Taskmaster that surprised you, having watched it?

The house is smaller than you think. And the detail surprised me: there's nothing that's not been deliberately done. In between tasks, the crew and Alex and I would all have our lunch in the living room, and I’d start noticing these little details: like they had this artwork where they put Alex's face into tiny little bits that you wouldn't notice unless you were going right up to it. They spend so much time on everything. Nothing is done blandly or by chance.  The props department are earning their money!

What about those tasks where you ask them to go and buy you stuff: was there anything that surprised you about that?

It was incredible how quickly they were able to find Lady Diana's revenge dress for me! Jenny from the props department was just like, ‘I've got four options here, do you want to pick one?’ Like – what? How have you got four revenge dresses so quick? That was alarming!

There was also a prize task where I wanted to bring in something huge from my home and I thought that would get a ‘no’ but they were just like, ‘Yeah, that's fine, we’ll get that.’ Although, they didn’t offer to reinstall the huge item, I noticed. That’s obviously not in the contract.

How did you get on doing the tasks: better or worse than you imagined?

The thing about this show is that you learn so much about yourself. I've realised I make a lot of assumptions. There were so many tasks where I just assumed you weren't allowed to leave the room, and I’m just sat there on my own thinking I’ve done okay, then you get into the studio and see how everyone else did it and they’ve left the room and got something from the kitchen or whatever and done something absolutely amazing. It seems so obvious afterwards but at the time, you just don’t think of the alternatives.

There was a group task where we knew we hadn’t done it well but we thought, ‘How on earth are you meant to do that?’,  then we watched back the other group in the studio and the way they did it was amazing. It was like watching Mission: Impossible: they were meticulous, they were professional. They had planning and they were slick. 

Let’s talk through your fellow contestants, starting with Reece Shearsmith.

Reece is funny because he's got this demeanour that's so calm most of the time, then every now and then he gets scary head teacher energy. He doesn’t often shout, it's not like a yell, it’s more of a stern look – quite Hannibal Lecter because it’s so calm and chill but ultimately terrifying.

And Sanjeev Bhaskar?

He really made me laugh! Honestly, the lad is so laid back he's horizontal!. It could go either way. I'm still not 100 per cent sure Sanjeev knows what just happened, to be honest.

And Ania Magliano?

She’s really bright, and she's watched every season of the show so she’s sometimes a little bit more clued up about how to play a task. 

Oh and she has a great memory, which was another thing I realised wasn't one of my strengths. There was one task which when it came up on screen, I genuinely didn’t remember doing it. Every time Greg would say, ‘Let’s see the task’, and Ania would go, ‘Oh yes, it’s that one"’ and it would take me 20 seconds for it to even remotely register with me. She’s very bright, and she thinks laterally as well, which is perfect for the tasks!

And finally, Phil Ellis?

Phil is the total opposite of Sanjeev. He's so hyperactive and immediately goes to the physical element of it. He's brilliantly bonkers, and in the same way that Sanjeev’s laid-back approach can sometimes go for him and sometimes go against him, it’s the same for Phil.

So Phil is physical, Reece is literal, Sanjeev’s laid-back, and Ania’s dead clever. I don't think I've found my strength. I'm there paddling away, trying to get inspiration from each of the other four to try and get a whiff of any of those qualities!

I think one of your strengths is having a go at Greg and Alex in the studio recordingss. There was one where you looked disgusted and said, ‘I can’t believe this show’s won a Bafta.’

Haha, well that’s true. You look at some of the tasks and you go, ‘God, how on earth did you come up with that? That’s incredibly clever, the brain you must have’, and others you go, ‘I’m sorry, that can't be a task, that’s just silly’, and I sometimes got so wound up I would snap at Greg and Alex about their much-deserved success… oops!

Did you realise you would be that irritable with Alex and Greg, or did that come as a surprise?

It came as a surprise to myself, but I knew within two or three days of doing my tasks. I was saying to myself, ‘Don't lose your rag at this one, keep a cool calm head’, and then you go into it and Alex says: ‘Your time starts now’, and suddenly you’re totally stressed. 

Then you watch it in the studio and everybody else has stayed calm, so that winds you up, and then they make fun of you, so that winds you up. The whole show has basically been like being on holiday with siblings winding you up.

Did you manage to get any extra points out of Greg by arguing your case when you felt you’d been unfairly judged?

No. I’d just lose my rag, and that made me look like even more of a tit. I once tried to argue my case, and it riled up the other contestants, so then we were just internally fighting. I looked over at Alex and Greg, and they were both sat there gleefully watching us all fall apart. So then we made a conscious effort to try and be more united against them, not against each other.

We’ve got a plan for the last episode. We've got something up our sleeves.

You mentioned Alex in the tasks being less than helpful: can you tell me a bit more about your relationship with him?

Oh god he was so annoying! I found him to be totally useless - incompetent with his own tasks, about as clear as fog, and just a really irritating presence. Stood there with his silly little clipboard and his silly little pen, judging me. 

What's he there for?! He’s not helpful. You ask for help and he just repeats the task, and then you watch it back and he's giving little pointers or little helpful things to other people! Yet when I was there, he was a mute. A mute stood there with his stupid clipboard and his whistle, writing stupid little notes. What a little weasel.

You seem to have really bonded with the other contestants. Will you stay in touch?

One hundred per cent. There's a WhatsApp group already, which has been really fun. It's been such a nice group dynamic. We were all so nervous on the first studio day but after getting that one out the way, we’d be cracking up and having a laugh with each other and keeping little running gags going. We’d all sit and have our lunch together like a dysfunctional family.

Ania made a really funny observation one day, that Reece and Sanjeev looked like two liberal dads taking their three kids out, saying to them, ‘You can express yourself however you like’, because the three of us all wear quite wacky clothes.

Talking of which: can you talk us through your task outfit?

Yeah! I thought there'd be a bit more chat about that the start, but there wasn't so now it just looks like that's how I dress on a on a standard day! So I’d just like to make it clear that I've never worn satin trousers before, and I won't ever again. When you see the show, you’ll see they don’t ride well.

I was trying to be Sandy from Grease, with the thinking being that Sandy does whatever it takes – changes everything about herself (even taking up smoking!) to come out on top and win the ultimate prize. I mean, for her the ultimate prize is a man, which I don’t think is a good message, but anyway.

So I thought: I'm willing to do anything to win, that's the message I need to send, the vibe I need to carry. Then I realised I couldn’t do the tasks in red stilettos, so I switched them out for red Converse trainers, and it quickly unravelled because the outfit wasn't great. 

It's quite cheap: £9.20 for the entire outfit, which I believe is the cheapest outfit they’ve ever had on Taskmaster. I was going for Olivia Newton-John but it looked more Shirley from Eastenders.

• Taskmaster Series 20 starts on Channel 4 at 11pm tomorrow

» Greg Davies​ and Alex Horne​
» Sanjeev Bhaskar​
» Phil Ellis​
» Ania Magliano​
» Reece Shearsmith​

Published: 10 Sep 2025