Taskmaster has confirmed when the next season will debut – and fans won’t have too long to wait.
The upcoming episodes will see comedians Rosie Jones, Jack Dee, Andy Zaltzman, Babatunde Aléshé and Emma Sidi go head-to-head to impress Greg Davies and Little Alex Horne.
It’s now been announced that season 18 will premiere on Thursday, September 12 at 9pm on Channel 4, slightly earlier than its traditional late September launch date.
Related: Taskmaster star announces new Channel 4 show
To celebrate the news, Taskmaster‘s official Instagram account also shared a first look at the new theme for the nautical-themed house, including a submarine-inspired annex.
The show is also launching Taskmaster: The Live Experience the following month on October 2, which will allow fans to compete in a series of silly tasks. Tickets are on sale now.
The line-up for the new season was announced back in May following the conclusion of season 17, which was won by John Robins.
Elsewhere, thoughts are already turning to season 19, with Horne recently teasing that a “big name” could be appearing on the show.
Appearing on Sunday Brunch, the star was asked whether they ever worry they will run out of comedians to appear on Taskmaster.
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“I don’t think we will,” he responded. “We will run out of the legend-type – the Dara Ó Briains or the Frank Skinners, but there’s always new people coming through.”
Horne went on to reveal: “We’ve got someone in the next series, series 19, from abroad, who’s a big name overseas, which we’ve not done before. So yeah, there’s always different avenues to go down.”
He further quipped: “I’m going to tap into the Americans! Are you going to tap into the Americans?”
Horne then confessed to host Tim Lovejoy that he “might not have heard of” the person, offering to whisper the contestant’s name in his ear, adding: “Or her, or them!”
Taskmaster will return on Thursday, September 12 on Channel 4, where you can also stream previous series.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.