The spin-off has enlisted some familiar faces.

By David Craig

Published: Tuesday, 16 May 2023 at 12:00 am


Rose Matafeo and Mike Wozniak will serve as the Taskmaster and their assistant in a children’s version of the popular comedy game show.

Spin-off Junior Taskmaster was announced by Channel 4 earlier this year and will see a group of five kids aged nine to 11 take on the show’s typically bizarre challenges.

The series was commissioned in light of the all-ages appeal of the main programme, with a censored family-friendly version titled Taskmaster Bleeped also available on the broadcaster’s free streaming service.

Today, it has been confirmed that BAFTA-nominated Starstruck creator Matafeo will lead the show, with actor and comedian Wozniak as her suffering underling. Both are former contestants, each placing second in their respective seasons.

Rose Matafeo, the Junior Taskmaster, said: “To be appointed as Junior Taskmaster is one of the greatest honours of my already wildly successful career. I am greatly looking forward to the power going to my head.”

Mike Wozniak, the Junior Taskmaster’s Assistant, added: “All I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a Little Alex Horne (or a regional manager for a major provider of motorway service stations) so this is literally a dream come true.

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“I hereby vow to do my utmost to hold the office of Junior Taskmaster’s Assistant in the spirit of the original Little Alex Horne: with his courage, his grit and his dignity.”

In addition to Junior Taskmaster, the main adult series has also been renewed for an additional six iterations on Channel 4, with the current 15th season due to conclude in June.