Taskmaster series 14 lineup: new season’s contestants, including Munya Chawawa, Fern Brady and John Kearns

After the Taskmaster: Champion of Champions special, Channel 4 revealed who will be taking part in series 14 of Taskmaster.

Series 14 will see Dara Ó Brian, Fern Brady, John Kearns, Munya Chawawa, and Sarah Millican compete against one another to win the Golden Greg Davies trophy. It’s set to begin on Channel 4 on Thursday 29 September, with a new episode every week through to the start of December.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Taskmaster season 14 contestants.

Dara Ó Briain

Who are they? Dara Ó Briain is a stand-up comedian, presenter, and broadcaster, probably best known for hosting Mock the Week.

Where do I know them from? You’ll recognise Ó Briain as the presenter of shows like Mock the Week and Robot Wars, as host of science programmes like Stargazing Live and Dara Ó Briain Meets Stephen Hawking, and quizzes like One & Six Zeroes and The Family Brain Games.

What’s a fun fact about them? Dara Ó Briain previously held the Guinness World Record (shared with Jack Whitehall and Jon Richardson) for the highest altitude stand-up comedy gig in the world, after performing on a plane in 2011. The record is now held by Lekhmani Trital and Umesh Kumar Gautam, who performed on Kala Patthar mountain in Napal in 2021.

Fern Brady

Who are they? Fern Brady is a stand-up comedian from Bathgate, West Lothian, in Scotland.

Where do I know them from? Brady has appeared on shows like Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Live from the BBC. She co-hosts the podcast Wheel of Misfortune for BBC Sounds, and presented the travelogue British as Folk with Ivo Graham and Darren Harriott for Dave.

What’s a fun fact about them? She went to the same school as Lewis Capaldi (though not at the same time).

John Kearns

Who are they? John Kearns is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He’s the only comedian to have won both the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show (in 2014) and for Best Newcomer (in 2013).

Where do I know them from? Kearns is probably best known as the assistant host on Comedy Central series Guessable – he’s a little like the Alex Horne to Sara Pascoe’s Greg Davies – but you might also knonw him from roles in BBC Three comedy Top Coppers and the daytime soap Doctors.

What’s a fun fact about them? From 2010 to 2013, Kearns worked as a tour guide at the Houses of Parliament in London.

Munya Chawawa

Who are they? Munya Chawawa is a comedian and presenter, best-known for his online viral sketches. He’s described John Oliver, Andy Zaltzman, and Sacha Baron Cohen as his chief comedy influences.

Where do I know them from? On television, you might know Chawawa from presenting Munya and Filly Get Chilly, Complaints Welcome, or Race Around Britain, but you’ll also likely recognise his viral comedy sketches, like this parody song about Matt Hancock’s resignation. He was also the voice of a demon in The Sandman.

What’s a fun fact about them? Chawawa first started making comedy videos as a child, sending them to his grandparents instead of writing letters.

Sarah Millican

Who are they? Sarah Millican is a prolific standup comedian.

Where do I know them from? You’ll know her from things like Live at the Apollo, The Sarah Millican Television Programme, Mock the Week, Have I Got News for You, Thoroughly Modern Millican, House of Games, QI, and Would I Lie to You.

What’s a fun fact about them? Her favourite film is Thelma and Louise. She’s also only ever owned diesel cars, but that seemed like it’d be stretching the definition of “fun” a little bit.

Who’s going to win Taskmaster series 14?

I’m going to make the early prediction that Munya Chawawa will win Taskmaster series 14. You can quote me on this in a few months’ time.

When will Taskmaster series 14 air?

Taskmaster Series 14 will begin on Thrusday 29 September, with a new episode airing every week through to Thursday 1 December.

It will likely then be followed by a New Year’s Day special, though we don’t yet have official confirmation of that.