Six comedians are about to put their survival skills to the test.

By David Craig

Published: Tuesday, 28 September 2021 at 12:00 am


A brand new comedy challenge series is heading to UKTV channel Dave which might just fill the void left by hit series Taskmaster, which made a surprise jump to Channel 4 last year.

David Mitchell (Peep Show) serves as host of Outsiders, which will see him test the survival skills of six comedians as they camp together in the woods for a week.

Challenges will range from the physical exertion of chopping a tree down to the more thoughtful pursuit of writing a rousing motto or anthem, as the contestants discover how they would fare in a post-apocalyptic society.

Several of the Outsiders cast have previously been put through their paces by Greg Davies and Alex Horne, including three Taskmaster champions – but it remains to be seen whether that will give them the upper hand.

Read on for everything you need to know about David Mitchell’s Outsiders on Dave, including release date and full cast line-up, ahead of the show’s premiere.

Outsiders start date

CONFIRMED: Outsiders will premiere on UKTV channel Dave at 10pm on Wednesday 29th September 2021, with new episodes airing weekly until the finale on Wednesday 3rd November.

Outsiders cast: Full line-up of contestants

In addition to having Mitchell himself as host – known for Peep Show, Back, and Would I Lie to You – Outsiders has also assembled a strong line-up of celebrity contestants.

The comedians will be grouped into three pairs with good teamwork being essential to their success; the teams are comprised as follows:

"Outsiders
Outsiders line-up (L-R) Jamali Maddix, Jessica Knappett, Toussaint Douglass, Kerry Godliman, Lou Sanders and Ed Gamble
UKTV

Outsiders premise explained

David Mitchell began developing the idea for Outsiders in summer 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, and it would be fair to say the premise was influenced by the immense strain that society found itself under at that time.

Many of the show’s challenges imagine situations in which an unspecified disaster has reduced humanity to living in the woods and surviving on only the most basic means.

Viewers can expect to see the comics chop down trees, milk goats and perform farcical first aid, as well as chopping hair, writing inspirational mottos and designing flags.

In May 2021, Mitchell said: “Civilisation is clearly crumbling so it’s high time we worked out whether we can cope without it. And if you can think of a better way of doing that than making six comedians learn survival skills, then you weren’t involved in the development process of this programme.”

Is there an Outsiders trailer?

Dave is yet to release an official Outsiders promo online, but we’ll update this page as soon as one becomes available. Watch this space.

Outsiders premieres on UKTV channel Dave at 10pm on Wednesday 29th September. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.