Channel 4 is piloting a new play-at-home gameshow, Your Time Starts Now (w/t), devised and developed by Alex Horne, creator of Taskmaster and Andy Devonshire, Series Director on shows including The Apprentice, The Great British Bake Off and Taskmaster.
Set in the Taskmaster universe, the new show builds on the earlier incarnation The Button, which Horne devised and narrated in 2018, and HomeTasking that saw Horne on a mission to entertain a world stuck in 2020’s lockdown. Your Time Starts Now will see five UK households compete against one another while tackling a host of his tasks without leaving their homes.
The Button aired for one series on the BBC. HomeTasking had over 6 million views across YouTube. It was watched in 125 countries.
Tom Beck, Head of Live Events and Commissioning Editor said: “Wildly inventive, properly funny and rooted in real people being brilliant (and, occasionally, absolutely rubbish), Your Time Starts Now feels perfectly Channel 4. It’s an utterly distinctive celebration of British family life in all shapes and sizes, and I can’t wait see how our families get on as they try and tackle Alex and Andy’s ludicrous tasks. Why should comedians get all the fun?”
Alex Horne, creator and host, said: “I’ve had the pleasure of being in the room while countless comedians have tried and usually failed on Taskmaster and I’ve learnt that for the most part, that lot are sneaky loveable idiots. With Your Time Starts Now, I’m now excited and intrigued to see how the rest of the country can cope doing simple things under the pressure of time-constraints, dogged rivals and my own snarky gaze. Good luck people of the UK. I shall be watching.”
Jon Thoday, Executive Producer at Avalon, said: “After years of being asked by fans about a little-known show we produced nearly 10 years ago called The Button and following the success of HomeTasking in lockdown, we are delighted Channel 4 has given us the opportunity of seeing if combining the spirit of those shows may bring more comedy gold from the brilliant minds of Alex Horne and Andy Devonshire.”
Andy Devonshire, Director and Executive Producer, added: “It’s a beautiful gift to have the chance to bring the joy and mischief of Taskmaster into homes and see how families cope with a direct dose of Alex Horne’s invention.”
Executive Producers for Your Times Starts Now are Alex Horne, Richard Allen-Turner, Jon Thoday, James Taylor and Andy Devonshire (The Apprentice and The Great British Bake Off), who also acts as Director. The show was commissioned for Channel 4 by Head of Live Events, Tom Beck.
Pippa Considine
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