TF1 commissions French version of much-travelled Avalon format Taskmaster

Comedian Greg Davies (left) and Alex Horne host the UK Taskmaster

MIPCOM: TF1 has commissioned a French version of UK indie Avalon’s comedy entertainment format Taskmaster, becoming the latest international broadcaster to adapt the show.

The commercial broadcaster’s 6×60’ primetime series will be hosted by comedian Camille Combal and produced by 1367 Productions. It is currently in production and is due to launch in 2027.

France joins 15 other territories that have made local versions and Avalon says more than 100 seasons and 1,000 hours of the format have now been produced worldwide.

Julien Degroote, exec VP of content development at TF1 Group, said the broadcaster believed audiences wanted shared moments of comedy. “Our recent successes have confirmed something we strongly believe at TF1: audiences want to laugh, have fun and share joyful moments together,” he said.

Julien Degroote

Announcing the deal here in Cannes, Paula Warwick, Avalon’s head of distribution, said the format has had a strong year in terms of sales. “With deals in seven new territories alone in 2026, Taskmaster is now the third most-travelled format globally this year,” she said.

Beyond its original UK homes on Dave and Channel 4, local versions have been brought to life by networks such as Network 10 in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand and Noovo (Bell Media) in Canada. In Europe, the format has been adapted by major broadcasters including SVT and TV4 in Sweden, Discovery and Warner Bros Discovery in Norway, TV2 in Denmark, MTV in Finland, RTP in Portugal and VTM in Belgium.

The show’s footprint continues to grow with recent commissions and productions by TVN in Poland, RTL4 in the Netherlands, TV3 in Estonia, Sýn in Iceland and TVE in Spain, alongside an earlier adaptation for Comedy Central in the US. Avalon said the Polish version is already in production on a second series for next year while the local versions in Estonia and Iceland have been recommissioned following debuts in 2026.

The UK original has been commissioned by Channel 4 through to season 27. Sweden and Norway are both launching their 13th seasons this year, Denmark its 11th and Finland, New Zealand and Portugal have each made seven seasons. Australia and French Canada are commissioned through to S6.

Taskmaster creator Alex Horne, who hosts the UK original, said he always tries to see local versions as they are being made. “I try to see it live wherever it is made and it turns out France is a lot easier to get to than New Zealand,” he said.

Horne was recently featured in C21’s How to Make a Hit TV Show, https://www.c21media.net/department/how-to-make-a-hit-tv-show/taskmaster-how-british-silliness-became-a-global-hit-2/ discussing how the Rose d’Or-winning format made it to screen.