All-star line up compete for victory under Taskmaster Greg Davies

17th June 2015 Taskmaster, a six-part series, starts Thursday 30th July at 9pm on Dave

Greg Davies is the Taskmaster, and with the help of his loyal assistant Alex Horne he has set out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five hyper-competitive comedians: Roisin Conaty (Man Down, Channel 4), Fosters Comedy Award winner Tim Key, Romesh Ranganathan (Mock the Week, BBC Two), Frank Skinner (Room 101, BBC One) and Josh Widdicombe (The Last Leg, Channel 4). With the chance to be crowned Taskmaster champion, and to win each others actual belongings, expect cheating. Expect arguments. Expect both cheating AND arguments.

In his role as Taskmaster, Greg Davies will set a series of stupefying tasks to test our group of comedians, before deciding who should be victorious. As the Taskmasters assistant, Alex Horne will coax the contenders to show their creativity, conniving and competitiveness; rivalry will be encouraged, dodgy tactics rewarded and bribes accepted in what is set to be the most dogged, hard-fought and ridiculous comedy show on TV. Taskmaster started out as a critically acclaimed live show, devised by 2014 Fosters Comedy Award nominee Alex Horne, which ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 and 2011.

Taskmaster will air on Thursday 30th July at 9pm on Dave, and follows a summer of new programming on the channel including original commissions Hoff The Record, Storage Hunters UK and Undercover plus brand new US acquisitions, Parks and Recreation and The Last Man on Earth.

Notes to editors Press preview episodes are available to view at: http://pressoffice.uktv.co.uk

For more information please contact Gem Pinkney, UKTV Publicist

or

Lottie Robertshaw at Avalon. Email: Lottier@avalonuk.com Tel: 020 7598 7222

An Avalon Television production, Taskmaster was commissioned by RICHARD WATSHAM, Director of Commissioning at UKTV and ordered by Dave General Manager, STEVE NORTH. The series is directed by ANDY DEVONSHIRE (The Apprentice and The Great British Bake Off) and produced by ALEX HORNE, while the Executive Producers are RICHARD ALLEN-TURNER, JAMES TAYLOR and JON THODAY for Avalon and HILARY ROSEN for UKTV. Avalon Television is currently in production with: season two of hit USA show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO); the second series of GREG DAVIES critically acclaimed sitcom, Man Down (Channel 4); Comedy Centrals (USA) breakout hit Workaholics; and series two of Catastrophe, the hit comedy series written by and starring ROB DELANEY and SHARON HORGAN (Channel 4).

ALEX HORNE The creator of Taskmaster, ALEX HORNE was nominated for the 2014 Fosters Comedy Award with his Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Monsieur Butterfly. Alongside his band The Horne Section, ALEX has hosted Nevermind the Buzzcocks (BBC Two) and three series of the acclaimed Alex Horne Presents: The Horne Section (BBC Radio 4). The band appeared on John Bishops Christmas Show (BBC One) and in dictionary corner on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4). ALEXs other television credits include: Daves One Night Stand (Dave), Celebrity Mastermind (BBC1) Drunk History (Comedy Central) and The Games That Time Forgot, a documentary ALEX wrote and presented for BBC Four. ALEX has hosted three series of the iTunes chart-topping, Chortle Award nominated podcast ALEX HORNE BREAKS THE NEWS.

WHAT THE PRESS HAS SAID ABOUT MONSIEUR BUTTERFLY Take your kids, take your granddad but get them to wee before they go in because once this show starts you quite simply could not bring yourself to leave - The Scotsman (4 Stars)

Metro - 4 Stars

Funny, fresh and original - The Times (4 Stars)

A delight of a show - The Independent (4 Stars) The Guardian - 4 Stars / Evening Standard - 4 Stars / Time Out - 4 Stars

Mail on Sunday - 4 Stars / Chortle - 4 Stars / The List 4 - Stars

GREG DAVIES GREG DAVIES is an acclaimed stand-up comedian and actor; the creator of the hit Channel 4 series Man Down, Mr Gilbert in the TV series and film The Inbetweeners and BAFTA nominated star of Cuckoo (BBC Three).

PRAISE FOR GREG DAVIES Davies weaves a magnificent web. Fact or fiction, he sells the whole show, frequently leaving you helpless with laughter. - The Independent (5 Stars)

A wonderfully feel good show that demands repeated viewings. - The Sunday Telegraph (5 Stars) Hilarious - News of the World (5 Stars) Rip-roaring solo show - Sharon Lougher, Metro (5 Stars)

Plenty of outrageous laughs - Nigel Andrews, Mail, Weekend (4 Stars)

5 stars - Mark Wareham, The Mail on Sunday / 4 stars - Boyd Hilton, Heat

5 stars - Time Out / 4 stars - TV Times

About Dave HD Sky 111/232, Virgin 128, HD: 129, Freeview 12

Dave proudly presents a plethora of original commissions; Crackanory, Ross Noble Freewheeling, Dave Gormans Modern Life is Goodish, and Dara O Briain: School of Hard Sums, all laden with the biggest names in British comedy. Not to mention a brand spanking new series with QI favourite Alan Davies in Alan Davies As Yet Untitled. If that wasnt enough to whet your appetite we also have a stack of national treasures like QI, Red Dwarf X, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You, plus the Red Bull trilogy of Cliff Diving, X-Fighters and the Soap Box races. And of course, we still have Top Gear. Obviously we have to add, Dave is the UKs most watched non-PSB channel broadcasting to over 27 million people per month, featuring hit US shows including the sharp-witted and sharp-suited Suits, the ludicrously addictive Lizard Lick Towing and the wonder that is Storage Hunters, the gift that keeps on giving.

www.joindave.co.uk / @join_dave

About UKTV UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers every month.

UKTVs eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, Watch, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food - include the most popular non-PSB channel in the UK and account for 9% of the

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