This space has never been a place to share TV show recommendations, but in this case my favourite show in the whole wide world – Taskmaster – has unfortunately been met with online attacks against of its most recent contestants, British comedian, podcaster, reporter, and comedy writer Rosie Jones. How these two topics merge together reminds me of just how important inclusivity and accessibility is to me, not just to my school or paid work but also to me as a person.
Rosie Jones has Cerebral Palsy, and for her this means she speaks slowly and deliberately, which for most audience members means she’s a bit more difficult to understand. From what I understand fans watching Taskmaster in the UK can benefit from closed captions generated by the production team, which makes Rosie’s comedy more accessible (Universal Design at it’s greatest, benefiting even non-disabled folks!). For those like me watching on YouTube, the auto-captions just don’t past muster, but if you listen closely you’ll hear Rosie doing what she does best… using her slow speech to her advantage. Just when you think you know where a joke is going, BAM! She hits you with a surprise out of left field. After the first episode of this series Rosie’s comedy left me laughing hard enough I was crying.
But that’s the brilliance of Rosie’s story – if you spend a little bit of effort listening to Rosie you will be delighted with her intelligent and daring humour. Is her comedy for everyone and do I always agree with her? No, of course not (Rosie used a word I find very offensive in the title of her 2023 documentary about online hate speech; People are complex and you can agree with their message without always agreeing with how they express it). Will I be watching Rosie this series and cheering her on loudly? You better believe I will.
If you happen to be a fan of Taskmaster like I am and have watched the first episode of Series 18, what did you think about it? Did you find yourself watching the show differently so you could understand Rosie’s jokes?
You made so many good points, Andrea. I haven’t had the chance to watch the new season yet, but I look forward to seeing Rosie and how she does throughout the series!
Thanks for replying Catherine!
Do check out the current series (18) as it’s great fun. The last episode (#3) had an interesting twist which allows contestants to earn double points on one task!
One big change I’ve noticed since initially posting this blog is that the producers have posted episodes with full captions on YouTube since episode 2. For the first viewers who watch the show on YouTube (which includes anyone who lives outside of the UK) had to rely on YouTube’s auto-generated captions, which butchered the spelling of Babatunde Aleshe’s name and often mis-captioned Rosie’s speech. With these verified captions now available for all viewers, hopefully those who found it difficult to understand Rosie in episode 1 can make use of this accessibility aid!