03 January 2024 , 23:06
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Taskmaster's Alex Horne has lined up an "old skool" comic to make a TV return.
The Channel 4 TV show's creator and co-host has set his sights on a legendary comedian to join the programme as a host. He has shared his list of comics he wants to sign up for Taskmaster as it has been renewed for a sixth series. Alex has declared he wants to get Jasper Carrott back on screens for the show.
Jasper, who is considered one of the "godfathers" of comedy, still performs stand-up but has remained low-key. He now favours one-off regional dates rather than full UK tours. However, Alex is keen to get Jasper back in the spotlight by offering him a slot as one of the five Taskmaster hosts.
Alex Horne [right] has shared who he wants on Taskmaster (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Jasper has stayed out of the spotlight in recent years (Graham Stone/REX/Shutterstock)Alex said: “There’s a few old skool people who i’d love to have, like Jasper Carrott. I think he’s fine, he’s not chasing things [career-wise], but I think Joe Pasquale would do it and I think he would be great.” Speaking to the Always Be Comedy podcast, he added: “But it’s a big conversation because if you’re having Pasquale, you’re not having someone else and it’s ten weeks - do you want ten weeks of Pasquale? I don’t know Pasquale.”
Jasper, 78, has had an impressive career having performed huge tours and starred in hit TV shows including Canned Carrott and The Detectives. Comedians including Bob Mortimer, Frank Skinner, Julian Clary and Jo Brand have all appeared on the Channel 4 programme.
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Alex fronts Taskmaster alongside comedian Greg Davies. The show appeared on Channel 4 back in 2020, after five years on Dave. Back in 2018, Jasper was forced to postpone his Stand Up and Rock tour when he was taken ill. He was later given the "all clear" to resume his tour.
Jasper’s daughter, actress Lucy Davis, posted online: “Dad’s back on tour after his quad bypass last year. Proud of him.” Jasper opened up about the shock of discovering he needed heart surgery, as he said: “I’d felt a bit of tightness in my chest so I had some scans. The doctors said: ‘Your heart’s fine – but the arteries are a bit blocked up’. Thank God I had the checks, otherwise I could have ended up like Tom Petty.”
The comic added: “An operation like this does give you a vulnerability that I think is a state of mind. I thought I was going to live forever.” Jasper admitted he was really upset to have had to cancel 30 shows when he had only ever missed one performance in 43 years. “In 43 years of performing, I’d only missed ONE show,” he said. “And even then I got as far as the steps to the stage when I suddenly threw up after eating mackerel.”