Outsiders (British TV series)

Outsiders is a British comedy game show broadcast on Dave. Pairs of comedians compete in survival-themed tasks for badges awarded by the host David Mitchell. The show was widely compared upon release to Taskmaster, a Dave original programme where comedians were set tasks to complete as individuals, which had moved to Channel 4 in 2020.

Outsiders
GenreGame show
Presented byDavid Mitchell
Theme music composerOli Julian
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes18
Production
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companiesThat M&W Company and Renegade Pictures (2021-22)
Wall to Wall Media and That M&W Company (2023-)
Release
Original networkDave
Original release29 September 2021 (2021-09-29) –
present

In the first series, which premiered in September 2021, the contestants were Toussaint Douglass, Ed Gamble, Kerry Godliman, Jessica Knappett, Jamali Maddix and Lou Sanders. Series 3 of Outsiders is set to premiere on 11 October 2023.[1]

Production

The panel show Outsiders was announced alongside other Dave productions—Question Team, The Island, British As Folk—on 5 May 2021. Its six-episode run of hour-long episodes features David Mitchell judging three pairs of comedians: Toussaint Douglass and Kerry Godliman; Ed Gamble and Lou Sanders; and Jessica Knappett and Jamali Maddix.[2][3] The first series aired on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. It debuted on 29 September 2021.[3]

Mitchell was approached by producers with a Scouting-based theme where comedians compete for badges. To add significance to the concept, he suggested the programme should be "about the survival of humans in the wild", with specific reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such it was filmed entirely outdoors. Mitchell reported good relations with Dave, who welcomed the production team's input and were pleased with the final product. The filming lasted a week and saw good weather. The tent in which Mitchell resided was designed after his personality, with old-style furniture and military paraphernalia.[3][4] While contestants slept in tents overnight, Mitchell returned to his home.[5]

According to Mitchell, in the first series, each pairing had tension within it, but not nastiness.[6] Godliman positioned herself as a keen camper but her teammate Douglass felt he was doing most of the work; Gamble was competitive but his partner Sanders did not care about the results; and Knappett acted as "a sort of adoring pretend-wife" to Maddix, who had "a real survival streak".[3] Mitchell described his role as "a slightly befuddled, irascible and indecisive leader".[7]

The series drew comparisons to Taskmaster, where contestants compete individually in a number of tasks that are then judged in a studio show. Taskmaster was originally a Dave programme, but moved to Channel 4 in 2020. It had been one of Dave's most successful original programming, with high rating figures, a number of awards and several international adaptations.[8] The contestants in the first series, other than Douglass, had all appeared in Taskmaster; three of them had won their series.[2][7] Mitchell said that, rather than modelling his hosting style on Greg Davies, the eponymous Taskmaster, he drew on his chairing of the radio show The Unbelievable Truth.[7]

Transmissions
SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
129 September 20213 November 20216
216 November 202221 December 20226
311 October 202315 November 20236

Reception

Steve Bennett of Chortle rated the show 3.5 out of five stars, praising the relationships between the contestants, and the "dry wit" of Douglass. Bennett reviewed that Mitchell is "less mercurial and arbitrary" than Greg Davies, but that the tasks are "relatively mundane".[9] Stuart Heritage of The Guardian criticised that in contrast with Taskmaster, the challenges in Outsiders are mostly not open-ended and the comedians' responses are not unique to their personalities. However, Heritage praised the line-up, particularly Sanders, and the fireside conversations between the group.[8] Bruce Dessau gave a positive review in Beyond the Joke, finding it "a lot of fun to watch" and praising Mitchell as "a great host, playing up to his bumptious persona".[10]

References
  1. "Outsiders". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. Anderton, Joe (5 May 2021). "Peep Show's David Mitchell to front new game show with Taskmaster favourites". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  3. "David Mitchell interview". British Comedy Guide. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  4. Green, Alex (19 September 2021). "David Mitchell: More straightforward working with Dave than traditional channels". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  5. "'People assume comedians are nasty... but they are actually quite supportive'". Chortle. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  6. "'Outsiders is apposite now with the pandemic and climate change' - David Mitchell". The Scotsman. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  7. Craig, David (29 September 2021). "David Mitchell talks Outsiders, Peep Show and what makes the BBC amazing". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  8. Heritage, Stuart (30 September 2021). "Outsiders: David Mitchell's desperate bid to outdo the genius of Taskmaster". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  9. Bennett, Steve (29 September 2021). "Outsiders". Chortle. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  10. Dessau, Bruce (29 September 2021). "TV Review: Outsiders, Dave". Beyond the Joke. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
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