Ed Gamble pilots culinary Taskmaster spin-off Foodmaster
- Ed Gamble is piloting Foodmaster, a Taskmaster spin-off in which celebrity contestants try to answer the question: "Food is great, but how can it be improved?"
- Gamble, who has just written his first book, Glutton, returns to hosting the Off Menu podcast with James Acaster on Wednesday
- Foodmaster will see five celebrity contestants using their imagination, ingenuity and lateral thinking to showcase their "culinary creativity"
Ed Gamble is piloting a food-related Taskmaster spin-off, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.
A non-broadcast taster of Foodmaster is being recorded next week, with the stand-up and Great British Menu judge joined by five celebrity contestants in a competition in which they must use their imagination, ingenuity and lateral thinking to showcase "culinary creativity" rather than cooking skills, as they try to answer the question: "Food is great, but how can it be improved?"
Gamble has just written his first book, the memoir Glutton: The Multi-Course Life Of A Very Greedy Boy, to be published in October. He also co-hosts the hit Off Menu podcast with James Acaster, in which guests choose courses in their dream restaurant.
Returning for a tenth series on Wednesday, the podcast has attracted more than 120 million downloads to date and Gamble and Acaster will be touring 13 Off Menu live shows around the UK in October and November. Gamble also hosts the Taskmaster companion podcast.
Foodmaster, like its predecessor, is made by his management company Avalon. If picked up by Channel 4, its seemingly most likely destination, it would further cement the channel's relationship with Taskmaster creator Alex Horne and the show's production team.
In March, Channel 4 committed to six more series of Taskmaster, plus Junior Taskmaster, with Rose Matafeo to feature in the titular Greg Davies role and Mike Wozniak in the Horne role of sidekick.
That same month, BCG revealed that Horne is also piloting the game show People Watching with the channel, and last month it revealed that Channel 4 has recommissioned The Horne Section TV Show for a second series.
Channel 4 previously made three series of the BAFTA-nominated series Snackmaster, presented by comedian Jayde Adams and Fred Sirieix, in which professional chefs competed to recreate a brand-name snack as faithfully as possible.
Gamble will be touring a stand-up show around the UK next year, with dates to be announced imminently.
Foodmaster is being recorded on Wednesday 19th July in London, with free tickets already booked up.