Three new European versions of Taskmaster extend Avalon format’s global footprint

Taskmaster has seen more than 92 seasons commissioned outside the UK

MIPCOM: Broadcasters in the Netherlands, Estonia and Iceland have commissioned local versions of British entertainment series Taskmaster, taking the number of territories now airing the Avalon format to 13 across the world.

RTL Nederland has placed a two-season pick-up for the Netherlands (8×60’ per season), with the series produced by The Human Factor. TV host and comic Arjen Lubachstarring will appear as the Taskmaster.

Meanwhile, Estonia’s TV3 has picked up their first local season of Taskmaster (12×90’), which is currently in production with Thor Films. Iceland is also set to have its own version for Sýn, which will be produced by Sagafilm (10×60’).

The deals were unveiled by the show’s distributor Avalon on day two of Mipcom here in Cannes.

Originally created by Alex Horne and produced and distributed by Avalon, Taskmaster has seen more than 92 seasons and 921 episodes commissioned outside the UK, where it debuted on UKTV’s Dave in 2015 before shifting to Channel 4. Greg Davies stars as the all-powerful “Taskmaster” who, with the help of his loyal assistant Horne, sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of five comedians through a series of strange and surreal challenges.

Local versions of the Bafta and Rose d’Or-winning format also air in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Croatia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Portugal.

The Taskmaster YouTube channel has also reached more than 13 billion impressions since it first launched in October 2019. With more than 1.2 billion views and more than 1.9 million subscribers, it is said to be the biggest British comedy channel on YouTube.

Carly Hardman-Betts, Avalon’s SVP global formats and programmes, added: “We’re thrilled to announce Taskmaster will be arriving in these new territories with RTL Nederlands, TV3, and Sýn, continuing its meteoric rise and making it one of the world’s foremost comedy entertainment formats.”

Kristjana Thors Brynjólfsdóttir, director of media at Sýn, said: “Producing a local version of Taskmaster is a fantastic milestone for Sýn. The show’s unique mix of humour, competition, and creativity has captivated audiences around the world, and we’re excited to give it an Icelandic flavour.”