Taskmaster Season 20 Cast Revealed: You Won't Believe Who's Competing

Taskmaster is back for season 20, which means more ridiculous tasks dreamed up by Alex Horne and more chaos marshalled by Greg Davies. If you know the show, you know the drill: the setup is the same, the people are new, and the wheels fall off in surprising ways. That unpredictability is kind of the point.

"I mean, more of the same, but with different people. We expect people to behave a certain way, and they never do. This group are brilliant – and they confound expectations, just as everyone else did. The ones you think will be clever aren't; the ones you think could be physically good at tasks aren't. It's fascinating."

Greg said that ahead of the new run, and honestly, it is the Taskmaster experience in a nutshell. On paper you can guess who will ace logic puzzles or physical stuff, and then the tasks hit and your picks face-plant in the most entertaining ways.

Here’s who is stepping into the arena this time:

• Ania Magliano
• Maisie Adam
• Phil Ellis
• Reece Shearsmith
• Sanjeev Bhaskar

Ania Magliano

Age: 27 | Instagram: @aniamagliano | Job: Comedian and writer

Magliano has been on a quick upward swing since landing as a finalist at the Funny Women Awards in 2020. She picked up Best New Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival in 2022 with her debut, 'Absolutely No Worries If Not'. On the writing side, she has credits on Amelia Dimoldenberg's 'Chicken Shop Date', Frankie Boyle's 'New World Order', 'Newsjack', and 'The Now Show'. A quietly deadly combo of sharp writing and calm menace usually plays well on Taskmaster, so keep an eye on her.

Maisie Adam

Age: 31 | Instagram: @maisieadam | Job: Comedian

You’ve likely seen Adam on 'Mock the Week', 'The Big Fat Quiz of the Year', and 'A League of Their Own', plus stints on 'Celebrity MasterMind' and 'Tipping Point'. Her stand-up special 'Appraisal' is up on Sky and NOW, and she co-hosts the women's football podcast 'Big Kick Energy' with Suzi Ruffell. Also on the horizon: season 2 of 'Last One Laughing UK' on Prime Video in 2026. Yes, 2026. It is what it is. Expect quick-fire instincts and a competitive streak.

Phil Ellis

Age: 44 | Instagram: @philelliscomedy | Job: Comedian

Ellis has popped up on 'The Russell Howard Hour', 'Drunk History (UK)', 'Roast Battle', and 'Redknapp's Big Night Out'. His cult Fringe hit 'Funz & Gamez' won awards and became a BBC Three one-off, and he fronts the BBC Radio 4 series 'Phil Ellis Is Trying'. He’s touring a new show, 'Bath Mat', later this year with a five-night Soho Theatre run in London tucked into the schedule. Expect deadpan grit and a willingness to try something unhinged when the clock is ticking.

Reece Shearsmith

Age: 56 | Instagram: @reeceshearsmith_ | Job: Actor and comedian

One quarter of 'The League of Gentlemen' (with Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson), Shearsmith later teamed with Pemberton on 'Psychoville' and the brilliantly twisted anthology 'Inside No. 9'. 'Inside No. 9' wrapped last year, but the duo followed it with a limited West End run that did big business. On screen, he’s turned up in 'Saltburn', 'See How They Run', several Ben Wheatley films, and he voices Norbot in 'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl'. Inside baseball: he’s meticulous and crafty, which could be terrifying in a sand timer situation.

Sanjeev Bhaskar

Age: 61 | Instagram: @tvsanjeev | Job: Actor and comedian

Bhaskar is a sketch-comedy staple from 'Goodness Gracious Me' and 'The Kumars at No. 42', and he leads ITV's 'Unforgotten' as DI Sunny Khan. Other TV runs include 'Mumbai Calling' and 'The Indian Doctor'. Film-wise, he’s in all three 'Paddington' movies, plus 'Notting Hill', 'The Flash', and 'Yesterday'. He’s got warm energy and sneaky timing, which Taskmaster has a habit of rewarding at the oddest moments.

Taskmaster season 20 lands on Channel 4 on Thursday 11 September at 9pm. Alex Horne will be lurking with a clipboard. Greg Davies will be dispensing judgment. And the rest of us get to sit back and watch five people make incredibly funny mistakes under pressure. Business as usual.