Taskmaster

The fearsome Taskmaster, Greg Davies, returns with an eighth series of the show that bears his title. Together with his miniature sidekick Alex Horne they will be putting five fresh contestants through their paces: Iain Stirling, Joe Thomas, Lou Sanders, Paul Sinha and Sian Gibson. On today's show: baby monitors, powerful smells and seductive dummies.

The race continues for Taskmaster Greg Davies's alluring golden head trophy. Today, Lou Sanders displays some unusual facial hair, Iain Stirling's beatboxing causes him some problems and Paul Sinha shows off his full acting range. As usual, Alex Horne provides data analysis in his role as the Taskmaster's private secretary and live-in companion.

It's Lou Sanders who leads the pack at this early stage of Series 8, but there's a long journey ahead for the five comics hoping to claim Greg Davies's gilded head. With the Taskmaster's keen admin enthusiast, Alex Horne, recording events, Joe Thomas struggles with the definition of a mammal, Iain Stirling devises an explosive chemistry experiment and Sian Gibson sends a NSFW text to Greg.

The competitive nature of Taskmaster bubbles alarmingly to the surface as a simple team task involving a hammock exposes tensions between two of the five comics vying to win Greg Davies's monumental golden head. Further controversy arises with Iain Stirling's definition of a loo roll, while Paul Sinha attempts to engage a toddler with a thresher shark.

This hard-fought series is about to reach the halfway mark. To celebrate, Taskmaster Greg Davies invites all five contestants to have some global fun with a beach ball. Elsewhere, will Lou Sanders wise words for the youth of today hit home? Can Paul Sinha invent a revolutionary new use for a basketball? And will Sian Gibson rescue Little Alex Horne from the sharp beak of an aquatic bird?

One of the secrets to the Taskmaster's successful reign of tyranny is that he's ruthlessly unpredictable which means things can change very, very quickly in this game. Today, Alex Horne takes scrupulous notes as Paul Sinha squats in a telephone box and Iain Stirling stakes his claim for the Scottish national football team.

Taskmaster's office assistant Alex Horne is hoping his lord and master Greg Davies will be tickled pink by the tricky tasks the five brave contestants have to wade through in today's presentation. Joe Thomas grapples grumpily with some awkward hand-wear, Sian Gibson seems to find proof that she may be psychic and Iain Stirling shows some tasty shortbread who's boss.

Greg Davies and his servile serf Alex Horne do love to be beside the seaside, even when they're not beside the seaside. This perhaps explains why the tasks in this episode feature sand, beach balls, water and an angler's keepnet. There are also coffee pots, which don't help Joe Thomas, and a trumpet, which doesn't help Lou Sanders.

It's very much the business end of the series, and nothing says 'business end' quite like Alex Horne sucking fresh dust through a makeshift vegetable-based straw. Elsewhere, Sian Gibson seeks to redefine the definition of the verb 'bounce'. Greg Davies sits in judgement as usual, ready to both laud genuine achievement and to lambast pathetic failure.

It's the final episode of Series 8 and one of the five intrepid comics is set to win Greg Davies's gorgeous golden head. Lou Sanders chews on some stationery, Sian Gibson is crushed by a caravan, Paul Sinha wrecks a camera, Joe Thomas gets cross and Iain Stirling waves a stick about. The Taskmaster's loyal lickspittle Alex Horne stands by, gripping his tablet for dear life.