Taskmaster is back and with it five new celebs (Joanne McNally, Nick Mohammed, John Robins, Steve Pemberton and Sophie Willan) who will be fighting it out for the honour of being named champion. The puzzles and games filled TV show has been going strong since 2015 and series 17 promises even more brain-teasers designed to stump and surprise.
Who will be this year’s outside the box thinker and join the likes of Bob Mortimer and Lou Sanders in the hall of fame?
Let’s take a closer look at those in the running to take home Greg’s golden head.
Who is Nick?
Leeds-born actor Nick Mohammed is no stranger to challenges that require brainpower. With a first-class degree in geophysics and an offer from Cambridge for a PhD in seismology, his star performances as part of the Footlights Revue and at the Edinburgh Fringe changed the course of his career.
Where do we know him from?
He is now known as a critically acclaimed actor and comedian, his most famous role being the comedy character Mr Swallow who he has played on stage and on screen for a decade. Outside of this role, you might have spotted him in sitcoms such as BBC’s Reggie Perrin, ITV’s The Job Lot or even in the CBBC show Hank Zipzer. He also plays the shy kit man turned football manager – Nate Shelley – in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso.
Yet Nick Mohammed’s work isn’t limited to his roles in front of the camera. As well as creating the Sky One television sitcom Intelligence, he’s also hugely successful on the radio waves, writing and performing Nick Mohammed in Bits and Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed for BBC Radio 4.
Our prediction
Nick has decided to join the likes of Daisy May Cooper and Phil Wang with an unconventional costume choice. Will this work in his favour or will an unexpected garlic-based task scupper him? As the interview below shows, he’s surviving in daylight, which is encouraging.
As Mr Swallow, multi-talented Nick has been known to perform magic tricks, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for any sleight of hand.