Why are the Anti-Bullying Alliance partnering with Taskmaster?

• "You're a bad dad." 
• "I don't want anyone to think that you're competent." 
• "I'm going to call you Plankhead." 

If you've ever watched Taskmaster, you'll know that Greg Davies spends a surprising amount of time publicly insulting Alex Horne. 

In fact, one of our favourite clips begins with Greg saying: "I read on social media all the time on the dynamic between them. It's just bullying. It's just old fashioned bullying." 

It's a comment that many viewers have made over the years. 

So why on earth would the Anti-Bullying Alliance choose to partner with Taskmaster Education? 

The answer is actually very simple. 

Because it gives us the perfect opportunity to talk about one of the most complicated questions facing young people today: When is it banter and when is it bullying? 

Humour matters 

At the Anti-Bullying Alliance, we spend a lot of time talking about bullying, but that doesn't mean we think all joking or banter is a bad thing. 

Far from it. 

Humour is one of the ways we build friendships, strengthen relationships and create a sense of belonging. Most of us can think of a friend, sibling or colleague who shows affection by teasing us. Shared jokes can help people feel connected and included. 

We don't want young people to stop joking around with each other. 

What we do want is for them to understand when a joke has gone too far. 

Why isn't this bullying? 

The relationship between Greg Davies and Alex Horne is actually a brilliant discussion starter because, on the surface, some of the comments sound quite harsh. 

But context matters. A lot. 

When we look more closely, we can see lots of clues that suggest this is banter rather than bullying: 

• both people are willingly taking part 
• Alex often sets the jokes up himself 
• the humour is reciprocal 
• there is clear trust between them 
• they have worked together for years 
• Greg openly describes Alex as one of his best friends 
• neither person appears upset, isolated or targeted 

And perhaps most importantly: Alex isn't actually powerless. 

Although Greg plays the all powerful Taskmaster on screen, Alex Horne is the creator of Taskmaster and an executive producer of the show. The relationship is much more balanced than it first appears. 

Both are in on the joke. Both understand the joke. And both are helping create it. 

Could these comments ever become bullying? 

Absolutely. That's why the clips are so useful. 

Imagine if exactly the same comments happened: 

• between two people who didn't know each other well 
• after someone had asked for the jokes to stop 
• where one person had significantly more power than the other 
• where the teasing focused on genuine insecurities 
• where the comments happened every day 
• where a whole group joined in against one person 
• where someone was clearly upset but felt unable to respond 

Suddenly the situation looks very different. The words might be the same. The impact might not be. 

That's one of the key messages we want young people to understand. Bullying isn't just about the words that are used. It's also about context, intent, impact, relationships, power and how the person on the receiving end feels. 

Why we're working together 

That's why we're delighted to be partnering with Taskmaster Education ahead of this Anti-Bullying Week. 

Together we've created a free classroom activity for secondary schools that uses Taskmaster clips as a starting point for discussions about: 

• banter and bullying 
• friendships 
• humour 
• boundaries 
• power dynamics 
• consent 
• respect 
• recognising when something has crossed the line 

The aim isn't to tell young people that all teasing is bad. 

The aim is to help them develop the judgement and confidence to recognise when someone is no longer enjoying the joke. Because good banter should make people feel included. Bullying makes people feel excluded. 

Free resources for schools 

We're also incredibly grateful to Taskmaster Education for supporting Anti-Bullying Week by making a Taskmaster Club resource available free of charge to schools accessing our Anti-Bullying Week resources. 

Taskmaster Club uses the creativity, teamwork and problem solving that fans of the show will recognise, helping young people work together while developing communication and collaboration skills. 

We know schools are always looking for engaging ways to start important conversations and we're delighted to be able to offer this opportunity as part of this year's Anti-Bullying Week activities. 

A final thought 

Perhaps the best thing about the Greg and Alex relationship is that it reminds us that humour and kindness are not opposites. 

The funniest friendships are often built on trust. The best jokes are the ones everyone is laughing at. And if we're not sure whether something is banter or bullying? That's probably a conversation worth having. 

Quote from James Blake-Lobb, Taskmaster Education 

‘At Taskmaster Education, we're always looking for creative ways to spark discussion, teamwork and critical thinking in the classroom. The relationship between Greg and Alex provides a useful starting point for conversations about humour, power, consent and respect. We're delighted to be partnering with the Anti-Bullying Alliance to help young people explore the tricky distinction between banter and bullying, and to encourage thoughtful conversations in classrooms across the country.’ 

Quote from Martha Boateng, Director of the Anti-Bullying Alliance 

"Humour is a huge part of growing up, building friendships and finding your place in the world. We don't want young people to stop joking around with each other. We want them to understand when everyone is enjoying the joke, and when someone might be getting hurt. Taskmaster gives us a brilliant way to start that conversation in a way that feels engaging, relevant and genuinely fun."