I remember that day vividly – Alex Horne and I sat down for what was supposed to be a normal chat about the show, but it quickly spiralled into something much more bizarre and hilarious. Honestly, it was brilliant fun.
Right from the start, we were throwing things back and forth. I asked him how he knew my middle name, and you know what he said? He claimed he'd met my husband secretly and even had a brief fling with him back in his student days. I was gobsmacked for a second, but honestly, it just added fuel to the already crazy fire. The mood shifted slightly when he complimented my outfit, joking it was from Topman. It was all in good fun, of course.
We talked about my background, and Alex tried his best to guess where I'm from. He had this little theory about me being from a 'rubbish part of Surrey', specifically Tollworth. I didn't deny it, mainly because I couldn't remember if that was true or not. He also made a point of saying I have a great lateral thinking ability, even though I didn't always succeed in the tasks. He reckoned I could think outside the box, which felt nice to hear, even if it was coming from him.
Then I asked him if he'd ever done anything naughty. And he didn't hold back – apparently, he's into the whole 'buying and selling' of vitamins, pretending they're illegal drugs. That was unexpected, but hilarious.
We touched on my chances of winning tasks, and Alex dodged that one pretty cleverly. He also made some witty comments about my school days, suggesting I might have been the 'outsider'. I denied being one of the cool kids, but he pointed out that I could rewrite my past if I wanted to. Point taken.
The conversation took another turn when I asked about his love for cabbages and whether he'd ever been to Ipswich. He said I had an 'Ipswich vibe' but probably never been there. He also mentioned that I'm very pro-space exploration and NASA. Who knew?
We wrapped things up talking about the show's schedule, with him joking it airs on Channel 5 at 2 pm and 3 pm on Saturdays and Mondays. The final question was about climbing versus wrestling – he reckoned I'd choose wrestling if I had to do a six-month course. He also speculated that I often think about smoking before falling asleep, given my history as an ex-smoker.
When I asked if he'd enjoyed himself, he praised me for doing tabata exercises and said I looked well despite being an ex-heavy smoker. It was all very light-hearted, and we ended the chat with mutual admiration and thanks.
This interview really captures the offbeat humour and wit of Taskmaster perfectly. The banter between Alex and me was fast-paced and genuinely funny. There were unexpected twists and turns, and the whole thing was just entertaining. It’s definitely a must-read for fans of the show and anyone who appreciates that kind of comedy.