Review: Taskmaster: The Live Experience (DockX)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s always a lot of fun when different interests of mine collide. As well as being a huge lover as all things theatre (can anyone tell?) I also happen to be a huge fan of the television series Taskmaster - though really, who isn’t? When the news came out that there would be  Taskmaster Live Experience opening in London, it was a no-brainer to combine these two worlds and head there to see how they have managed to bring this concept to life. Would the daunting task of recreating such a well-loved programme prove too impossible a task, or would they end up getting a full five points… I mean stars?*

*The fact the stars are at the top of this review kind of ruins the surprise a bit but just go with me on this one and practice your shocked faces as you read the final verdict.

Taking over DockX in Canada Water, Taskmaster Live Experience is split into two parts – the house and the garden. The house is the experience itself you have to pay for, but the garden is open to all, featuring a bar, store, museum and many surprises to explore around the premises including iconic props from the series (I just HAD to explore the caravan) and even mini tasks to attempt yourself. If you’d have told me on a Tuesday evening I would be throwing a potato attempting to get it into a hole… well, I’d have probably believed you, to be honest. The best part about all of this is this part of the experience is completely free to attend for all fans to enjoy and immerse themselves into the world of Greg Davies and Little Alex Horne.

I should clarify that Alex Horne and Greg Davies won’t be there every day, sadly. But the Taskmaster fan in me couldn’t resist this once in a lifetime photo opportunity – and obviously I told Greg Davies he was very tall… just in case he didn’t know.

The attention to detail and level of care that has been taken into crafting this location cannot be understated. I gasped as soon as I set foot inside the garden and saw the meticulous realisation that has been the Taskmaster world-building – for once my need to be ridiculously early for everything proved useful as I had plenty of time to explore every nook and cranny of the experience. Whether hunting for hidden aubergines, enjoying a glass of delicious bin juice (no, really) or having a taste of the VR experience, boredom was never an option here as I constantly impressed myself with my failure on every task (a theme that would continue throughout the night), starting with the difficulty of figuring out how to put my bag into a locker (in my defence, this was AFTER the bin juice).

One of the cleverest aspects of the Taskmaster Live Experience was the inclusion of a Museum. Featuring artwork and many memorable items from all of the previous episodes of the show, this was an absolute feast for any Taskmaster fan as you walked around taking in paintings that should well be hanging in the Louvre, but DockX is a close second. This area itself really sets the tone for how thorough the creative team (with Alex Horne heavily involved himself) have been in putting this experience together, and the fact that anyone can walk in and experience this part for themselves is inspired.

After hours loitering in the garden and taking in every element multiple times, it was time for me to enter the house. If you are a Taskmaster fan, you will probably love statistics so here they are:

Each house experience consists of five different tasks, all in their own rooms.

There are two different experiences, named ‘Melon Buffet’ and ‘Absolute Casserole’ meaning there are currently 10 different rooms/tasks in the experience.

Each experience is doubled on-site so that, theoretically, 20 different groups can be playing the experience at any time.

Each group can hold up to 14 people, though my one only had 7 in it (any accusations this may impacted the end result is probably accurate)

While Greg and Alex make appearances via video throughout the tasks, each group is accompanied by their own Little Little Alex Horne in person. Keeping in theme with the television show, each Little Little… Let’s just call them Alex for now, expertly takes you through the tasks, keeping score and commenting on the goings-on. This improvisation provided to be one of the best aspects of the experience, with my Alex continually commenting on my failures, of which there are many. This essential chaperone makes the whole experience that much more personal, and enjoyable – especially if you find yourself in a group with strangers who want to destroy you.

For my house experience, I was given ‘Melon Buffet’. Me and my friend quickly made pleasantries with the other five initial strangers in my group and were quickly told we were all playing against each other and only one could be crowned the champion. As the pleasantries stopped and the side-eye and snarls commenced, we were taken into the first task which was REDACTED. As I REDACTED I couldn’t believe I had to REDACTED and when the REDACTED appeared I was REDACTED.

Yes, as you can imagine, it would be no fun to tell you what the actual tasks inside the house are as that would spoil it for everyone and where would be the fun in that? I can tell you they are a mix of tasks that may seem familiar to those who love the show and could definitely be seen on any given episode. Tests of logic and physicality all proved useless as I muddled my way through. With all players doing the first four tasks and only the top five making it to the final challenge, I knew I had to find a way to find myself in that top five somehow… and even if with good odds of 5/7, I knew I was going to fail.

After placing a respectable 4th in the first task, I completely ballsed up the second – the pride I felt when I thought I had figured out, rushed to be the first to complete it and realised my mistake instantly, uttering a four letter word that can’t be repeated here but rhymes with twit. My incompetence was tested further in the third task which saw me at the bottom of the leaderboard. As I became content with never seeing that elusive fifth task, suddenly my luck changed with a fourth task where I ACTUALLY employed a strategy that ACTUALLY worked… and had me jump into the top five. My usual incompetence returned in this final task where the slate was wiped clean and I continued to fail. However, in a completely fair and not at all lucky series of events, the other four competitors found themselves knocked out so I won by default. You can enjoy me celebrating my breathtaking win in a new peak for British pride in this photo before. The deserving winner shooting daggers at me for snatching victory from her is not pictured, sadly.

Following my completely deserved (no matter what anyone else may say) win the men’s England football team could only dream of, I made sure to grill several of the 48 (at least) Little Little Alex Horne’s about the experience and got some fantastic nuggets of information about the technology and accessibility of the experience. Taskmaster Live Experience has been created with accessibility in mind, so that everyone can feel safe and get the most out of the experience. Every eventuality has been considered so that the house can be open to all who want to take par, with a special “Watch me” button for anyone who may need that extra care. Hearing how passionately this aspect of the experience was talked about warmed my heart, given the importance of ensuring all theatrical and immersive spaces should be available for all to enjoy.

I love a good immersive experience and not all of them hit the spot, especially when inspired by an existing franchise. Taskmaster Live Experience masterfully avoids any trap going, ensuring this not only feels right for the brand and provide many satisfying moments for the fans, but also stands on its own two feet, providing an exciting and always enjoyable experience for anyone who dares enter the house, even if they have never seen an episode of the show before (madness!). It is how well thought out this experience has been and how much that has gone into creating it that makes it such a resounding success. Quite honestly one of the most fun evenings I have had in a long time, the fact that I won is completely irrelevant (though again, very much deserved). I would have enjoyed this experience had I finished dead last as my friend did, as it really is the taking part that counts (though can I mention again in case I haven’t said it enough already, I did win). While I loved my ‘Melon Buffet’, I will definitely be returning to experience an ‘Absolute Casserole’… and possibly have another litre of Bin Juice while I’m there.

As an experience I really can’t recommend this enough. Through its innovation and ingenuity, it comes top of the leaderboard for immersive experiences in London and wins a recreation of my glorious golden bonce. Now if you’ll excuse me, my next task is to find someone to actually create that for me.

Taskmaster: The Live Experience is now booking at DockX in London until January 2025. Tickets from https://taskmasterliveexperience.com