Comedian and actor Ardal O’Hanlon, 56, on why is one of his top jobs, his cameo on and why he won’t do .
What made you do Taskmaster?
I’ll be honest, it was a mixture of things including boredom. We filmed the tasks last summer so it was in the middle of lockdowns. I was housebound in Ireland for the previous year and a half so I wasn’t able to travel over and back to the UK every week to work.
Normally I shy away from this sort of thing but it was one of the most exhilarating working experiences I’ve ever had and I don’t say that lightly. You’re totally at the mercy of these cruel people, Alex Horne and Greg Davies.
It’s like skydiving, you’re just running on adrenaline.
Why do you shy away from this sort of thing? Because you like being in control?
Yes, kind of, and I don’t want to put myself under any unnecessary pressure but I know Alex from comedy festivals and I’m a huge fan of Greg, and it’s a fun and friendly show that’s stupid and giddy with no real side to it.
So I took the plunge and I’m so glad I did.
We live in a world where social media is toxic, there’s war in , there’s poverty, there’s all these problems, and this show is just pure joy and escapism.
Who made you laugh the most?
Bridget Christie, because she came at everything from a very offbeat point of view, which was always really funny. But we all got on so well.
There’s a kind of a manufactured rivalry, which we had to work very hard to manufacture because we loved each other so much. It’s a unique experience.
Even though this is the 13th series, our challenges were unique to us, which definitely brings you together.
And with the pandemic, just to film it was an achievement in itself. I barely moved from my chair for a year and a half doing a lot of writing and online gigs so to be in an environment like that with a proper audience was just great.
What did lockdown put a stop to for you?
I finished my tour in March 2020 so I was one of the lucky ones. I’d been touring for the best part of a year and a half before that so I’d gotten it out of my system.
There were a few acting roles lined up but they all came back in the end. Apart from the existential crisis, it could have been worse and my body welcomed a break.
I’d been particularly busy the previous five years with stuff like Death In Paradise, which took me away for up to six months of the year. And then doing stand-up in between other jobs, you don’t really realise until you stop how badly you need a break.
Did you write a book in the middle of it?
It was a book I’d started a few years ago but it had been on the shelf. When I was stuck at home and looking for a bit of focus it was the obvious thing to turn to.
I dusted it down and got on with it and it was a godsend to have a bit of structure.
It’s my second novel — I write one about every 25 years — and is a fairly dark thriller set on the border region in Ireland about three people trying to find out what happened to a missing person.
Did you enjoy doing Derry Girls?
I loved it. It reminded me of Father Ted, to do this show that starts small and just grows and grows in the imagination of the public.
It was just fantastic watching these people run with it and watching it become a big show worldwide. It was really enjoyable to be a part of that just briefly, to do a little cameo.
How much did Father Ted change your life?
It did to some degree. I was getting on fine doing stand-up in London at the time and was really enjoying it. But Father Ted takes you to another level, it opens doors for you in a way that I never imagined.
It’s funny when a show like that stops because you just move on to the next job and don’t really dwell on it.
But because the show became so popular, people associated me with that character, who I was very proud of and happy to play.
I look back fondly on that show and that whole period in my life.
How has the world of comedy changed since you started out?
It has a lot. You have to be more careful about what you say with social media. Any little faux pas or slip-up will be seized upon so you censor yourself a bit more.
There are far more female comedians now, from more diverse backgrounds, more disabled comedians, so there’s great variety. And it’s kind of changed slightly from joke tellers to storytellers.
People are telling their story, which is unique to them. Ultimately, the objective is the same, which is to make people laugh.
Bill Bailey won Strictly. Would you do any reality shows?
Taskmaster is probably the nearest I’ll get to a show like that. I’ve been asked to do those shows but it’s not something I’d be comfortable with. I’m quite a private person.
I’ve been tempted sometimes — like, Strictly is such a great show and I really do like watching it — but I just don’t think it would be for me.
Taskmaster is on Channel 4 at 9pm every Thursday.
