Never before in the field of entertainment was so much owed by so many to so few. The comedians who appear on Taskmaster are brave souls willing to expose the inner workings of their minds for the sake of dumb fun (and a boost in tour and book sales).

Taskmaster is a great leveller that celebrates both genius and failure. There’s nowhere to hide. You can start off in week one as a famed intellectual, by week eight you’re the man who couldn’t successfully hide an aubergine. Exude cool as a stand-up on stage in your professional career? Try to maintain that composure while competitively throwing wet teabags into a mug and let’s see who’s the cool guy now.

It’s a show that rewards originality, unique thinking and commitment to absurdity and laughs. All of the contestants below demonstrated that and more, earning them...