The seventh series of Taskmaster, currently being screened on UKTV’s Dave channel, is delivering its highest audience yet.
The programme’s average consumption is currently running at 1.44 million, an increase of 7% on the last series. UKTV director of commissioning Richard Watsham told the Broadcasting Press Guild the audience was one that BBC Two or Channel 4 would be proud of.
Figures, which also include on demand audiences, are expected to further increase once complete 28 day data has been calculated. “We’re seeing massive gains, particularly on our VOD platform and that tends to be the younger viewers,” said Watsham. He added that in his early days with UKTV it had been a struggle to get talent to work on Dave because it was perceived as a repeat channel. “It’s completely flipped round the other way and I genuinely don’t care whether people are watching one transmission on the BBC or three transmissions on Dave and VOD mixed in.”
Taskmaster was created by Alex Horne as a live show which ran at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010 and 2011. The comedian then worked with Avalon Productions to develop the show for television. It has subsequently been sold internationally to 26 territories including the United States and Belgium.
The UK version features Greg Davies as the Taskmaster who, with the help of his right-hand man, Alex, sets out to test the wiles, wit and wisdom of comedians through a series of ingenious challenges.
