Alex Horne hosts Taskmaster at Banbury care home

A care home in Banbury has welcomed Taskmaster creator Alex Horne for a competition inspired by the hit Channel 4 TV show.

Residents at Care UK’s Seccombe Court, in Adderbury, were joined by Alex as he set a series of challenges that saw four residents compete against each other.

The tasks included identifying everything related to pineapples and residents closing their eyes and raising their hand when they thought one minute had passed. The competitors also had a plate of sweets they had to transfer to another plate with only a straw, with the final task involving residents building the tallest tower using spaghetti and marshmallows.

The winner of the overall competition, Christine, was presented with a trophy by Alex.

Resident, Ruth Johnson, aged 100, said: “At first I didn’t’ know what was expected of us, and I wondered what we’d need to do with all of that spaghetti! Alex was so nice! I thought I had met him before, but I think I just knew him from the television.”

Wojciech Kuczkowski, General Manager at Seccombe Court, said: “The residents love to watch Taskmaster and we wanted to give them a chance to take on the challenges for themselves. 

“All four competitors did an amazing job, and it was great to see their competitive spirits come out. I’d like to extend a big thank you to Alex for joining us and hosting our challenge.”

Alex Horne added: “I've done Taskmaster with kids in schools, stags and hens in pubs, boys and girls in scout huts, executives in offices and over a hundred comedians on telly over the last ten years, but this was perhaps the most memorable task session for me. 

“The four contestants were as competitive as anyone I've tested before, and they demonstrated different ways of lateral thinking, as well as some creative interpretations of my rules. Chrissie was a worthy winner on this occasion but I'm hoping this will be the first battle in a long Taskmaster series.”

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Seccombe Court incorporates plenty of space for leisure activities and hobbies. The home provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care, as well as short-term respite care, with luxury facilities including its own cinema, café and hair and beauty salon.