Tonight, the final episode of Taskmaster series 19 airs. In all honest, I’m pretty bummed – because this is the best group we’ve had in three years (since 2022’s lineup of Dara Ó Briain, Fern Brady, John Kearns, Munya Chawawa, and Sarah Millican).
In previous seasons of this Channel 4 hit, not all cast members clicked with each other, which is only natural. But the chemistry between these five contestants is abundantly clear. Stevie Martin mentioned that they’re (apparently) the first cast to eat together every day during filming – see photos of the lunch club below:
This little ritual prompted Alex Horne to say the following, according to an interview with Jason Mantzoukas with pvguide on Substack: “No cast has ever eaten before together. No cast has ever gotten along this well.”
But it’s not just that this group are so supportive of each other – their personalities and approaches to tasks contrast masterfully. So, let’s break down what makes each contestant on Taskmaster series 19 earn a place in the show’s hall of fame.
Fatiha El-Ghorri – Greg’s new wife
Taskmaster is not shy when it comes to dry humour, with past contestants such as Jo Brand and Jack Dee – but Fatiha’s East London bluntness adds an extra edge we’ve never seen before (innit, bruv).
She’s always ready for a fight, whether it be with the hosts, her teammates or her auntie, who has brought her pillows for her birthday three years on the trot. However, she also has some surprisingly endearing moments, such as when she brought in her gifted prayer mat during a prize task.
Most people will probably be following Fatiha’s ongoing love story with host Greg Davies – her future husband, as she calls him. We can see a perfect example of her unashamed flirtation below.
Jason Mantzoukas – Pure destruction
Jason Mantzoukas is arguably the biggest name in this series and, as a huge fan of the show, he basically invited himself to be part of this year’s group, which is neat… but does that stop him from destroying everything within his sight? Absolutely not.
Whether it’s throwing a set of drawers after winning on stage, or attempting to bring in a torch so powerful that it could have blinded the audience, Jason has come ready and prepared to bulldoze his way through every task – taking all the jibes about his homeland of the USA from Greg and Alex with stellar humour and quick clapbacks.
He also had what was arguably the most surprising moment of this series, when he managed to swap in a lookalike comedian – a face familiar to any fan of Taskmaster…
Mathew Baynton – Balls to the wall
In previous years, I’ve often been annoyed with contestants who are so clearly running away with the trophy because they just ‘get’ this show in a way that the others don’t. But I just can’t feel any resentment towards Mathew Baynton, no matter how hard I try.
Watching this kind, gentle man slowly lose his sanity over the course of this series has been a joy. He’s also had to say goodbye to his dignity several times, with several accidental flashing incidents in his short shorts.
Mathew goes above and beyond, with some genius reveals. Nothing is a better example than the biggest anticlimax prize task:
Rosie Ramsey – No shame, no apologies
I hadn’t followed Rosie Ramsey that much going into Taskmaster, but after discovering how wildly unhinged she is, I will be rectifying that mistake ASAP.
She approaches every task with gusto and self-assurance, even when she’s hopelessly failing… and falling – remember when she went flat on her face during the cushion task? But perhaps the most chaotic thing that she did was during a prize task.
Remember that heartwarming moment I mentioned above about Fatiha’s prayer mat? Rosie then unashamedly followed this up with her admitting she’d borrowed a pelvic floor exerciser. That’s already grim, but it gets worse when she drops the bombshell about who the original owner was (which she now refers to as the juice situation).
Stevie Martin – I’m locked in
Rounding off the group is the legendary Stevie Martin. Her outsize facial expressions give everything away, while her goofball personality is just so appealing to watch – even when she’s on the verge of a meltdown, which is often during the prize task when she gets placed third and can’t seem to break the ceiling.
I’ve particularly enjoyed watching her dynamic with Jason during the team tasks. One moment that stands out was during a final task, where the contestants had to use giant spoons to pass tennis balls through a fence. Stevie’s repetition of the phrase ‘I’m locked in!’ has stuck with Taskmaster fans.
Perhaps what makes Stevie so fun to watch is the way she so sincerely, and so relatably, shares embarrassing moments:
There has been no official announcement about who the cast of series 20 of Taskmaster will be (although Reddit allegedly has a leaked list, look at your own peril), but I expect they’ll be revealed soon. Whoever they are, they have big shoes to fill as these five have set the bar so high.
I can’t wait to see the final episode tonight, and no matter who lifts that trophy, they’re all winners in my heart.
Taskmaster series 19 airs the final episode tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm BST. Taskmaster series 20 will likely air in September 2025, based on the usual pattern of the show.
In addition, based on previous years, there’s a highly likely chance that the series 20 cast will be announced tonight after the show, on Thursday 3 July 2025.
