Musings

November 2018

#taskmasterbook update

Welcome to November’s Taskmaster Book report. Here we are. Sorry it’s late. I hope you are well. I am well, but still tired because of (1) a Taskmaster Book event in Manchester on Monday night that meant I got two hours sleep, and (2) three children that mean I will never catch up on that sleep.

Thanks very much to all who came to the book thing: we did some tasks and some questions then I wrote in some books and set some more tasks and was picked up by three bigger boys and held like a bride across their middles. I left at midnight and the M1 was shut but it was still a very nice evening. It’s inordinately exciting to meet people who have taken the book to heart.

And so, here’s who does and doesn’t get points this month:

Thanks to Lucy Bell, Alex Goulding and Sasha others for some lovely postcards for Task 168. No points yet though (did you get the book back, Sasha (in Oz)?).
And thanks to Holly Iliadtea for the badges. Ideal. 5 points.

I have been handed my face in the correct way by many people. 5 points to all these people (and if you know I’ve missed you out, please do claim your 5 points too).

@Paul_Garner1 

@MichaleaKayla

@Macca_91 (good luck with task 164…)

Cara

Alex

Alex

Louise

Deal Breaker Sam (the highest shoulder rider in Manchester)*

Gini

Amanda

Chris

Esther

Paul

Ashley

Sean

Laura

Jumy

Alice

Samantha

Carl

Jess

Matt Dyson

The full five points also go to Steve Howe for sending me something very unusual (Task 198). I agree that cassettes are about to make a comeback and I’m glad to be at the forefront of that movement (and I’ve always loved Elton).

@steviebay1 also receives a handful of points for proving that Task 154 wasn’t doable last month, and forcing the publishers to sort it out as soon as possible…

I’ve got to give enormous credit and 10 points to Alex from @ManchesterArena for the most unusal block of ice so far (Task 169). A 60m x 30m ice rink is certainly not, in my opinion, a usual thing to freeze a page of a book in.

But this month I mainly want to single out Marianne Roberts from Manchester and Isabella Hardwick from Perth, Australia, both of whom completed the book’s ante-penultimate task, WITH APLOMB.

It does state that the “fastest wins”. What it doesn’t state is that many people can be the fastest. Please do keep trying this one. The points won’t run out.

And so, Isabella (@iolambda1), please accept 20 points (yes, twenty), for being first. You shall, of course, receive your extra prize in due course. And Marianne, you genuinely were second. Congratulations. Keep going. 19 points for you (and something in the post when I get myself as organised as you).

Mainly though, thanks to everyone who is getting stuck into the book. It is meant to be something to be played with, rather than left on a shelf/looked at occasionally/simply read. I love that it has brought at least some fun to some people.

That’s it then. Keep using the hashtag #taskmasterbook and keep staying in touch. If you’ve received points, treasure them and add them up. Plenty of time to go in the global competition.

Yours,

 

Greg Davies (‘s assistant, Alex Horne)

Ps. There were some more poems submitted, all starting with: 

 

There once was a lady called Sue

 

No points this time as the best I received was this:

 

She had a very large poo.

It was all up inside her

She drank loads of cider

And cried for an hour on the loo.

 

*I’m sorely tempted to get the flesh tunnels full time.