Alex Horne takes his format to a care home

Alex Horne has staged a Taskmaster challenge for residents of an Oxfordshire care home.

The comic said his session at Seccombe Court in the village of  Adderbury was ‘probably he most memorable’ of all those he’s done.

Four contestants had to close their eyes and raise their hand when they thought one minute had passed; ‘identify everything related to pineapples’; transfer sweets from one plate to another using only a straw; and build the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows.

Ruth Johnson, aged 100, said: ‘At first I didn’t know what was expected of us, and I wondered what we’d need to do with all of that spaghetti… Alex was so nice! I thought I had met him before, but I think I just knew him from the television.’

Winner Christine Jesson was presented with a trophy by Horne after completing the charges – which were filmed for future release on Taskmaster’s YouTube channel.

The comic, who created the Channel 4 format, said: ‘I've done Taskmaster with kids in schools, stags and hens in pubs, boys and girls in scout huts, executives in offices and over a hundred comedians on telly over the last ten years, but this was perhaps the most memorable task session for me.

‘The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules. Chrissie was a worthy winner on this occasion but I'm hoping this will be the first battle in a long Taskmaster series.;

Wojciech Kuczkowski, general manager at Care UK’s  Seccombe Court, added: ‘The residents love to watch Taskmaster and we wanted to give them a chance to take on the challenges for themselves.

‘All four competitors did an amazing job, and it was great to see their competitive spirits come out. I’d like to extend a big thank you to Alex for joining us and hosting our challenge.'

Published: 3 Jun 2025