Present, in November 2024, were: The Ant, Aunty Ant, Queen Sand

Escape Room-adjacent style activities have been popping up, mostly in London, for a few years now. Some have been original, like Phantom Peak, but many have been big IP names – Tomb Raider, Monopoly, The Crystal Maze (and soon, The Traitors). Stepping into the second category, if in a slightly quirkier way, is the Taskmaster: The Live Experience, based on the super-successful Channel 4 and Dave comedy challenge show. Conceived by comedian, writer, musician and borderline sadist Alex Horne, the programme sets a group of comedians a series of increasingly off the wall tasks and records their glorious successes and even more glorious failures, has spawned many versions internationally and is beloved by many Escape Room fans for the use of puzzles and mysteries in many of the challenges. It has always been a show where at least a portion of the audience has said “I’d love to have a go at that”.

Well, since October and currently until the end of February, the general public has the chance. A warehouse area in Canada Water (coincidentally bang next to Phantom Peak, literally you can stand next to one and see the other) has been transformed into the Taskmaster house and garden and a ticket will get you an hour-long game experience plus an all-day access pass to the venue. It isn’t cheap, especially at weekends, but regular discounts are available and we paid £50pp for a mid-week slot. Our team had a good cross-section for reviewing – one Taskmaster fan who loves Escape Rooms, one Taskmaster fan who has never done Escape Rooms and one Escape Room fan who has never seen Taskmaster. 

The venue is very much a shrine for lovers of the show, with a museum, mini-shop and a couple of the minor, legendary TV tasks dotted about. But the main draw is the one hour game itself. It is a tricky one for spoilers, particularly as half the fun is the edgy unpredictability that is the Taskmaster shtick. However, the general gist is a series of short tasks, with players assigned points depending on their success and the highest scorers going on to play an end game. Unless you have a very large team you are put in a slot with strangers – the three of us were in with seven others (a couple, a group of four and a singleton) – but the games are played solo or in pairs, so it doesn’t detract from content in the same way as it does in public Escape Rooms. Our group seemed to be mostly American or Canadian and very lovely, if slightly confused.

Of the tasks we had to do, maybe two are Escape Room-adjacent. Our team were strong on these, others in the group were politely bewildered. We did maybe less well in the other two sections, which were more physical skill. Only four tasks, for the players that didn’t make the final, is a little disappointing. But the two more complex tasks were very enjoyable and cleverly done and the whole experience was elevated by the in-game host of Little Little Alex Horne – our girl was brilliant, funny and absolutely on-brand. Aunty Ant made the final, which was a hoot to watch, and we had a terrific time with the games; our non-Escape Room friend was maybe less enamoured with the tasks but loved the vibe.

The experience is generally young person-friendly, for tweens and older but, like the show, it leans more towards adult. The challenges would mostly be suitable for younger age groups as long as they had some adult help, although some tasks I reckon the kids would smash while their grown-ups struggle. Bear in mind we were there on a mid-week afternoon and it was quite sedate, while a Friday or Saturday evening with the on-site bar might get more rowdy.

In total, we spent about three and a half hours at the venue. We hung out in the (indoor) garden for a while afterwards, played the side tasks and had some food (slightly lacking in vegetarian options unless you are a fan of fake meat and aubergine). Overall, we found it really enjoyable. You need the right level of expectation and a willingness to participate (and probably a discount) to get absolutely the most out of the experience, but I would still recommend this for Escape Room enthusiasts, especially those who are fans of the show.

• Storyline: If you have watched the show, it does follow a similar format, although the points are less arbitrarily allocated.
• Theming and Set: Sections of the Taskmaster house have been nicely replicated, with plenty for fans to spot.
• Searching: Observation is encouraged, but searching isn’t really a thing.
• Puzzles: Half a reasonable challenge, half not puzzle related.
• Physicality: More hand-eye than anything strenuous. Much less running about than the actual show.
• Scare factor: The sarcastic insults of the show are in full force here, usually via video, which some people might find intimidating.
• Company Age Guidance: “Children aged 9+ can play The Live Experience. While children aged under 9 (including babes in arms) are unable to enter the experience, they are welcome in the front of house, bar and museum areas. All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.”
• Age suitability: Teens especially might enjoy this if they are fans of the show. And the bite-sized tasks might be well suited to shorter attention spans. But overall, I think adults might appreciate the experience more.

Taskmaster: The Live Experience website