Alex Horne fuels fan theories by confirming ‘Oscar winner’ contestant is coming to Taskmaster

Taskmaster series 21 isn’t even upon us yet, and already Little Alex Horne has teased what the future holds for the comedy franchise.

Next month, five new contestants will take to the Taskmaster house and studio, with Amy Gledhill, Armando Iannucci, Joanna Page, Joel Dommett, and Kumail Nanjiani facing off to win a life-size trophy of Greg Davies’ golden bonce.

Alex has already hinted that there are big things to come from this series – including a ‘never-before-seen moment’ with Marvel hero Kumail.

And after that?

With season 22 (series, Jason) almost wrapped up too, Alex is looking to the future, telling Radio Times that the show has ‘got an Oscar winner in a future series.’
Assuming this means series 23, then which A-lister is set for a trip to the Taskmaster house?

Olivia Colman

And one name quickly rose to the top of the pile – Olivia Colman, who won an Oscar in 2019 for her performance as Queen Anne in The Favourite.

Coming from a background in British comedy – most notably alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb on Peep Show – Taskmaster very much seems in her wheelhouse.

Writing on Reddit, user ArcXivix said that her participation ‘would be amazing,’ while citrustaxonomy agreed that she’d be ‘so fun!’
‘Colman all day, surely,’ wrote mrrouge.

Last year, Olivia appeared on a festive edition of The Great British Bake-Off, alongside other members of the Peep Show cast… meaning that her return to Channel 4 isn’t outside the realms of possibility.

Peter Capaldi

Pushing the limits of what Alex might have meant by ‘Oscar-winning,’ some fans have wondered whether Peter Capaldi’s 1995 win for best live action short film might put him in the running.

‘The 12th Doctor and King Hydroflax rematch we’ve been waiting for,’ wrotegeek_of_natue, referring to Greg Davies’ role in a 2015 Doctor Who episode.

Who do you think Taskmaster’s Oscar winner could be?Comment Now
‘Greg Davies would definitely treat him like a naughty schoolboy,’ joked teddymeed in response.

xixbia agreed: ‘I could easily see Capaldi wanting to do it, and if he did Alex would absolutely have him on.’

Emma Thompson

Another British national treasure with a background in comedy, Dame Emma Thompson is another predicted frontrunner for a chair in the studio.

Dame Emma has won two Oscars to date – best actress for 1992’s Howard’s End and best supporting actress for her role in Sense and Sensibility (1995).

Like Olivia, she rose to fame in television comedy, including the 1980s sketch show Alfresco, which she worked on with frequent collaborators Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.

Pointing out that she’d done an episode of QI in the past, Mundane-Parsnip-7302 suggested: ‘if it was something she wanted to do, she would.

She doesn’t seem to be someone that would be above it.’
‘Emma Thompson does all kinds of things that at first glance seem “beneath” her just for s**ts and giggles.

Unlikely, but I can totally see it,’ agreed TuckTuckG00se.

Riz Ahmed

‘Hoping for Riz Ahmed since he’s on a comedy tear right now,’ wrote eisoj5, while pointing out the actor’s friendship with series 12 contestant Guz Khan.

Riz won the 2022 Oscar for best short film after co-writing and starring in The Long Goodbye.

He also has a long history of working in comedy, rising to fame with the 2010 comedy Four Lions, and hosting the third episode of Saturday Night Live UK when it airs next month.

TomClark23 agreed that he could be in contention, describing the possibility as ‘a very strong shout.’
Riz can currently be seen with pal and Taskmaster alumnus Guz in the Amazon Prime series Bait, which follows a young actor in the wake of his audition to be the next James Bond.

Kate Winslet

Another long shot, but some are convinced that the actress’s good sense of humour and game-for-it attitude means that Kate Winslet could be the Oscar winner in question.

She won best actress for her role as Hanna Schmitz in The Reader at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 – a few years after sending herself up in an episode of Ricky Gervais’s Extras.

‘She’s done the odd reality show and I think she’d be hilarious,’ said snarkysaurus.

Daniel Kaluuya

Actor Daniel Kaluuya exploded into Hollywood with his role in the Jordan Peele thriller Get Out, earning him an Oscar nomination in 2017.

Like many of the stars on this list, Daniel made his name in British comedy – appearing alongside Taskmaster future contestants Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith in the black comedy series Psychoville.

‘Throwing in Daniel Kaluuya, before his movie career he was in Psychoville and was a regular in Harry & Paul,’ noted Last-Saint.

This, in turn, evoked a cry of ‘Tealeaf!’ from Gratuitous_sax_ in reference to his Psychoville character.

Series 21 of Taskmaster airs on Channel 4 on Thursday, April 19, 2026.
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