Just airing a TV show isn’t enough anymore – they need a slice of this £80,000,000,000 pie

I’m crawling around the floor, looking desperately for clues that could tell me which red button will turn on the correct light bulb, and lead me to victory.

The voice of Little Little Alex Horne, our tour guide who is named after assistant to the Taskmaster, Little Alex Horne, gently reminds me I have one minute until I must lock in an answer.

If I get it correct I will score favourably, and if I get it wrong, I will remain at the bottom of the leaderboard. The prize is the chance to sit on a throne for 30 seconds, which feels like the most important thing in my life at that moment. With nothing to show for myself, I lock in an answer based purely on a vibe. It is incorrect.

How did I go from casually dipping into a few episodes of Taskmaster on Channel 4 and seeking out ‘Taskmaster Most Iconic Moments’ YouTube when I need a boost during a bad day, to being part of the show?

In 2024 it is harder to make a profit from a TV show than ever before, due to factors including competition for attention in a crowded market, and the internet’s impact on traditional broadcasting. In 2023, ITV made 15% less on linear ads than the year before, the BBC lost around 420,000 license fee payers, and Channel 4 reported a loss of £52 million.

To stay viable, the TV industry has had to get creative, and the immersive entertainment market has provided a lifeboat. It has become such a juggernaut that the sector is said to now be worth £80 billion, according to statistics from Grand View Research.

All this means that if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to participate in Taskmaster’s ludicrous games, there is a much easier route than becoming a successful comedian and getting an overworked agent to book you on. Instead, you simply have to part with £50-£100 and find a way to get yourself to Dock X in London’s Canada Water.

With 18 series airing since it began in 2015, there is a readymade fanbase for the experience, and when I arrive at the premises on a Tuesday evening that is abundantly clear.

Inside the converted warehouse, excited ticket-holders are pointing out the carefully positioned references to the series in the ‘Taskmaster garden’.

The toolshed, giant cow, and golden pineapple in a dome are there for those who’ve never skipped an episode. While the more obvious – a clay replica of host Greg Davies sat on a throne, can’t even escape my never-seen-an-episode-friend, who had joined me after a last-minute drop-out.

The bar, museum and gift shop in the garden are all free for anyone to walk in and enjoy, but what the ticket investment grants you is the chance to enter the replica Taskmaster house.

Visitors have a choice of two ‘lanes’ – Melon Buffet, which embraces the sillier challenges, and Absolute Casserole, which requires those giving it a go to be observant, accurate and sneaky. There are also proposed plans to introduce more if the site can retain its popularity.

Once through the door and across a very long hallway, I entered into the first room and found an obnoxiously large Greg and Alex painting in a golden frame. Within minutes, they came to life to tell me I could become a Taskmaster Champion if I listened carefully.

The projections, that wouldn’t look out of place in a Harry Potter movie if you added a cloak, then guided me through a whole lot of throwing, building, switching, bouncing, and adding as I manoeuvred through a maze of rooms. They are assisted by Little Little Alex Horne, who gently ribbed our mistakes and diligently noted down the points throughout the five rounds.

The day out encourages attendees to embrace the silly side that they usually reserve for when conversing with toddlers and to utilise more mental math skills than when they tried to work out if an air fryer would bring down their bills in the long term.

My main gripe would be the tasks are designed to be quantitative, and not qualitative. When judgement comes into proceedings it can allow for a lot more humour, something fans have grown to love about the series. So while there would likely be practical difficulties with introducing more creative tasks, it’s something they could consider for the future.

The whole day ended with the grand finale, which – without giving specifics and ruining it for you – involved socks, tins, and turning on each other. I may not have won, but I do get to take home a consolation golden rubber duck that now sits proudly on my bathtub.

It reminds me first and foremost that I am a bit of a loser, but more importantly, of a truly bonkers 45 minutes.

Adult tickets range from £50-£100 depending on date and time of booking. Discounts are applied if booking in groups. Tickets are available here.

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