Taskmaster Australia Season 2 has officially kicked off and it’s already delivering laughs across the nation with its stunning new cast of comedians.
Based on the UK television hit of the same name, Taskmaster Australia first premiered on screens in 2023 thanks to Network 10 and was an instant hit. It was such a hit that it copped a Logie nomination — which is kinda like an Australian version of an Emmy for our international friends who are reading this — and a second and third season.
If you’ve never seen it before, Taskmaster follows a cast of comedians who are forced to complete a variety of confusing and bizarre tasks. As they attempt to complete these cooked challenges, they compete with each other, and the person who rates their performance is a cruel and unforgiving judge.
Although Season 2 kicked off with laughs across the board, some fans weren’t too keen on the amount of ads the premiere copped. Especially when a live task featured an ad break in between.
Excuse me what ? Going to break DURING a live task. Noooo. I don’t like. #taskmasterau
— Book of Taskmaster (@BookOfTM) May 23, 2024
But regardless, the show still received a buttload of love from punters looking for a giggle.
So, if you’re gagging to find a show that’ll make you smile (or cringe), we’ve got all the information you need to know to give Taskmaster Australia Season 2 a go.
Here’s everything you need to know about Taskmaster Australia Season 2.
Table Of Contents:
- When is Taskmaster Australia Season 2’s release date?
- Who is the Taskmaster Australia Season 2 cast?
- Is there a trailer for Taskmaster Australia Season 2?
- What is Taskmaster?
- Where to watch Taskmaster
When is Taskmaster Australia Season 2’s release date?
The chaotic load of laughs that is Season 2 of Taskmaster Australia kicked off on Thursday, May 23, at 7.30pm.
It will air every Thursday at this same time slot, with a total of 10 episodes that go for about an hour.
Who is the cast of Taskmaster Australia Season 2?
The five comedians who will be competing for fame, glory, and a golden bust of Tom Gleeson‘s head in Taskmaster Australia Season 2 are:
- Anne Edmonds
- Jenny Tian
- Josh Thomas
- Lloyd Langford
- Wil Anderson
The funny five will be forced to follow the rigorous instructions of Taskmaster Australia’s host and ‘fair’ judge Gleeson, and the Taskmaster’s Assistant, “lesser Tom” Cashman.
Here’s more about each member of the Taskmaster Australia Season 2 cast:
Josh Thomas
Josh Thomas has been a darling boy of the Australian comedy scene ever since he won RAW Comedy in 2005 at the age of 18. He’s since done a million things, but you might recognise him from the award-winning ABC show Please Like Me, Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, or those Optus “Yes” ads from 2014.
He is also credited as the person who informed politician Bob Katter of the dating app Grindr on an episode of Q+A.
@joshthomasboy This was on #QandA 9 years ago! When I was so brave! #AusPol #ABCtv #lgbt🌈 ♬ original sound – Josh Thomas
Josh said that he approached his season of Taskmaster Australia with zero strategy, but has watched almost every episode of the UK series.
“I didn’t really have a game plan. I just knew that I wanted to win – and had decided to ignore the cameras and try my best. I think the show is better if the comedians are really, really trying. So I really tried my little heart out!” Josh told told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
Standing between victory is, of course, his cruel Taskmaster Tom Gleeson, whom Josh says “pretends he hates me but is actually in love with me.” Admittedly, this works in his favour more than the judges on previous competitive TV appearances, which were still sore topics (sorry Josh).
“Kirk Pengilly won my Celebrity MasterChef ep, and Matt Moran was the guest judge, and Kirk was the best man at Matt’s wedding,” Josh said, connecting the dots of the dire plot against his appearance on a show in 2009.
“I will never forgive Matt Moran for what he did to me that day with the meringue. He’s my arch nemesis.”
Josh is more than familiar with competitive TV shows, appearing on a whole bunch of them over his career. Iconically, he lost at every single one of these, and is hoping that Taskmaster Australia delivers his game-show redemption arc.
“I was out on the first round of Celebrity MasterChef and Celebrity Splash. I always lost on TBYG. I lost Ready Steady Cook against Claire Hooper and I lost Celebrity Come Dine With Me,” Josh said.
“I really went in thinking Taskmaster would be my retribution!!!”
But judging by a sneak peek the Taskmaster Australia team shared with us, Josh already seems to have thrown the points system out the window and is playing his own game. Love that for him.
@pedestriantv Peter Dutton would be the type to charge birds for rent. #taskmaster #joshthomas @Taskmaster Australia ♬ original sound – PEDESTRIAN.TV
Will Josh get his gameshow retribution? Better watch and find out — hopefully there are no meringue technical challenges on Taskmaster.
Jenny Tian
Jenny Tian joins the Taskmaster Australia cast for Season 2 as the comedian with the most online followers by a country mile.
Receiving five-star reviews for her recent stand-up comedy show “Chinese Australian: A Tale Of Internet Fame”, where she hilariously shares her experience as an internet celebrity, Jenny may be the youngest contestant this year, but that doesn’t mean she has anything to worry about.
@nomnomjenny I’ve got a special dropping on Nov 18! Link in bio #australia #aussie #racism #standupcomedy #asiancomedian ♬ original sound – Jenny Tian
Making appearances on other TV shows such as Celebrity Letters and Numbers and The Feed, Jenny will be sure to showcase some of her dry wit and observational comedy that fits so perfectly with the Taskmaster vibe.
In the lead up to the debut of her season, Jenny also promoted Taskmaster Australia by giving her followers an exclusive look at what it’s like recording an episode of the show.
@nomnomjenny I’m working late ‘cause I’m a comedian @Taskmaster Australia starts Thursday 7.30pm on channel 10 and 10play #taskmasterau #taskmaster #vlog #behindthescenes #dayinmylife ♬ espresso sabrina – celebs media
“I had the absolute best experience on this, and I can’t wait for you to see it on Channel 10!” Jenny exclaimed in the short sneak peek.
There is also a funny AF clip of Jenny layering insults onto poor Taskmaster Assistant Tom Cashman, and though he doesn’t deserve it, we are sure Jenny has her reasons for the emotional destruction.
@taskmasterau Things @nomnomjenny might say if you don't tune in to @taskmasterau! 😮 #TaskmasterAU Starts Thursday May 23 on @channel10_au ♬ original sound – Taskmaster Australia
Anne Edmonds
Anne Edmonds is Australian comedy royalty. Known for her outstanding character work on shows such as ABC comedy Get Krack!n, and as an absolute legend amongst the stand-up comedy scene, Anne is a multi-award winning comic of international acclaim.
@melbcomedyfestival There’s always one on every bus. #AnneEdmonds #comedy #standup ♬ original sound – Melbourne Int. Comedy Festival
Another fascinating aspect of Anne’s appearance on Taskmaster Australia‘s second season is that she will be competing against her partner, Lloyd Langford. The two will be the first ever couple in Taskmaster history to compete against one another.
And according to a teaser released by Network 10, they aren’t going to play fair against one another for something as plain as “love” or “having a child together”.
If Taskmaster Australia wants chaos, Anne Edmonds is going to be the person to bring it, and lord help the two Toms if they try and reign her in.
Lloyd Langford
If Anne is the queen of Australian comedy, then Lloyd Langford is a foreign royal who has been paired together with an Aussie to create an international power couple.
@hybpa Father of the Year! #hybpa #comedy #lloydlangford #anneedmonds #tvshow ♬ original sound – HYBPAau
The Welsh comedian has been a mainstay of Aussie comedy shows since he moved Down Under and began to kill it on stage and on screen, appearing on shows like Have You Been Paying Attention, and Thank God You’re Here.
In fact, Langford is a Taskmaster alumn, competing in the OG live show before it made its way to TV, sharing an exclusive photo of himself competing in the second-ever Taskmaster show in 2011.
Whether this provides Lloyd with an unfair advantage is yet to be seen. If his appearances on other comedy game shows are anything to go on, he enjoys going for the big laughs more than actually winning.
A set of priorities that Gleeson is sure to drill out of him in no time.
Wil Anderson
Wil Anderson wouldn’t be blamed if he felt more at home hosting Taskmaster Australia than he did competing on it, as he’s already the host of ABC’s multiple Gruen shows, and gameshow Question Everything.
Despite being a contestant rather than host, Wil shared with his X (formerly Twitter) followers that filming for Taskmaster Australia Season 2 “was a fun experience.”
This was a fun experience https://t.co/dVx5Mb4o5A
— Wil Anderson (@Wil_Anderson) May 1, 2024
Wil Anderson has written books, hosted podcasts and radio, and performed a ‘yuge amount of live shows without ever running out of puns on his name to title them with.
A few short trailers featuring Wil have been released onto the Taskmaster Australia socials, that don’t give us a single clue what is going on — and that’s exactly how we like it.
All we can tell is that Wil’s sketch comedy skills do not impress Tom Gleeson, and that his motive for appearing on the show is that he needed money.
@taskmasterau #WilAnderson joins Taskmaster! 🤩 WIL he or won't he be up to the task? New #TaskmasterAU Starts Thursday May 23 on @channel10_au ♬ original sound – Taskmaster Australia
Wil, if you ever need cash my DMs are always open.
Notably, Wil Anderson is NOT fellow Aussie comedian Adam Hills, despite the decades-long running gag that they are the same person.
Is there a trailer for Taskmaster Australia Season 2?
The contestants on Taskmaster Australia may work hard, but the social media team works harder, as there are a TONNE of trailers and snippets online and on ya TV.
@taskmasterau Big names, bigger tasks! 😮 #TaskmasterAU Starts Thursday May 23 on @channel10_au and 10 Play @anne_edmonds @nomnomjenny @joshthomasboy #WilAnderson ♬ original sound – Taskmaster Australia
In the lead-up to the season’s premiere, the social media account shared ~quirky~ videos to countdown the days to the big shebang.
It was usually an out-of-context small clip — usually featuring Tom Cashman — highlighting that there’s only so many days left until the show begins. It was like a social media Taskmaster advent calendar!
@taskmasterau 🚨1 WEEK TO GO🚨 This is not a drill! #TaskmasterAU Starts Thursday May 23 on @channel10_au and 10 Play. @nonstoptomgleeson @tom.cashman ♬ original sound – Taskmaster Australia
@taskmasterau Mark your calendars… only 4 days to go! 📅 #TaskmasterAU Starts 7.30 Thursday on @channel10_au and 10 Play. @tom.cashman ♬ original sound – Taskmaster Australia
@taskmasterau Just 1 day to go… we can't ducking wait! 🦆😝 #TaskmasterAU Starts 7.30 Thursday on @channel10_au and 10 Play. @tom.cashman ♬ original sound – Taskmaster Australia
As well as this, each Taskmaster Australia cast member has had various short videos shared focusing on them, to give them all their deserved time in the spotlight.
But the first trailer was definitely the most fun, in which the five comedians were challenged to “bring in something they would marry if they could”, which we hope Anne Edmonds wins based on the trailer.
@taskmasterau Watch out Taskmaster! Comedy couple Anne and Lloyd DEFINITELY didn't come down in the last shower 🚿🤣 NEW #TaskmasterAU Starts Thursday May 23 on on @channel10_au and 10 Play. @Anne Edmonds #LloydLangford @Tom Gleeson @cashman.tom ♬ original sound – Taskmaster Australia
What is Taskmaster?
Taskmaster as a television format was created by UK comedian Alex Horne, who takes the role of the Taskmaster’s Assistant in the UK/original version of the show.
The UK Taskmaster is played by the iconic Greg Davies — the principal from Inbetweeners — and he treats this role with brutal seriousness.
@taskmasterbestmoments ladies and gentleman, noel fielding🍌 #taskmaster #taskmasterchallenge #noelfielding #britishcomedy ♬ original sound – TASKMASTER BEST CLIPS
Even if you’ve never watched an episode of the show before, you’ve probably seen clips of it online somewhere because of how funny the show is — across all nations that have done a version of it.
There’s something about the format of the show, where the Taskmaster sets a task and comedians take a crack at it, that just works. It seems to hardly matter if the task is elaborate and has hidden tricks, or if it is straightforward, the results are always worth a laugh.
@channel4 Sam’s cobalt has a curious story #Taskmaster #SamCampbell #GregDavies ♬ original sound – Channel 4
At its purest, Taskmaster is a group of incredible comedians proving their wit and wisdom, and doing whatever it takes to win in a game where the only reward is pride. It’s the best.
Where to watch Taskmaster
You can watch Taskmaster Australia Season 2 on Channel 10 by tuning in live with a television — if that’s your MO. Alternatively, you can watch it live or on-demand online using 10Play, because despite what Tom Gleeson thinks, it is the 21st century.
And if you haven’t already, you can catch up on the first whole season on 10 Play too! It can also be watched on Paramount+, and on Amazon Prime Video.
Looking to binge some international seasons of Taskmaster? You can watch all 17 seasons of Taskmaster UK (the OG), and four seasons of Taskmaster NZ on Binge.
Image source: 10Play / Taskmaster
The post Taskmaster Australia Season 2: When Does The Season Start & Which Comedians Are On It? appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
