It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week. Thereby, Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for clicking and downloading on today's episode with Tom Cashman, who is currently on Network ten's Taskmasters, which is on weekly Thursday nights at seven thirty, which you can also catch
up on on ten Play once those episodes drop. Sitting by Tom Gleeson's side is his trusty assistant, Tom Cashman, dutifully taking notes and reporting back on all the ups and downs of each and individual task. For several weeks, the comedians face tasks that are then played in front of each other and to a live audience. They're all competing to score the highest amount of points to take
out the competition. Based on the UK series, task Masters has become a worldwide phenomenon, meaning that when the Australian version was launched in twenty twenty three, there was a pressure to stand up to the success of the other international spin offs. I have to say I have absolutely loved catching up with Tom Cashman. Here's a very funny comedian and you will get to know him in a way that I don't think we've really heard from him before.
I will talk about being cast alongside Tom Gleeson and what their relationship was like before shooting the series. We will unpack the pressure of being a comedian and how it can affect your day to day life. Tom will share some honest stories from meeting his idols like Peter Hellier, and he will explain why he ignored Anne Edmund when he first met her. You will find out how the show is actually put together, and we'll find out why the skits are never shown in order of how they're
actually screened in front of the live audience. There's actually so much to unpack with Tom, so sit back and relax as we unpack the wonderful world of Task Masters Australia. Then, Hey, Tom, how are you well? Yeah, I'm good. I was just saying before that I've been watching. I watched like three episodes back to back last night with my partner because I wanted to watch someone's reaction of the show different to what I think of it. Oh wow, just wanted
to have his graduly. Yeah, he loved it. It's good. It's fun because I love watching reactions of things and I think that's the magic of this show is that tasks are being done and then you're unpacking it and there's some hilarity in reflection.
Totally. I agree with you. I think it's kind of more like Google Bops than people think comedians watching themselves in the past. Sale that's a good show.
Whoever was in the Network ten pitch room when that was being pitched is a great idea. Actually, no, because we have to understand that Task Masters is so big in the UK. This is a show that's been around for a while over there and it's massive there.
The other thing to consider is that if you did a Google Bop version where they watched themselves, Yeah, that would be fun, like Google watching google Bop. But then the problem with that was then then they'd be the feat to do it again, and then Google would be watching Google.
Is your favorite movie inception? By any chance.
I got there, it's up there.
I love Christopher Nolan. You know, it was interesting. I was like scaring the internet for things while I was preparing myself to chat with you today, and I read somewhere that you felt more relaxed this season going into it. You know, what was the difference, Like, what did it take for you to feel more relaxed from season one into season two.
It's just going through the whole process. So I suppose you're always a bit more anxious when you're going into you don't know what's going to be. Obviously I had it of a sense of what it was going to be, but you know, it's a very specific job running around in a field with comedians and basically being the referee. But it also was the biggest TV gig I've had, so you're a bit nervous going into something that we haven't done. The stakes of it were higher than something
that I was doing before. And I think the other thing is just that it's an established format. It's very popular in the UK overtwe which has been in such a treat Like the first episode of the first season, the crowd was full, there were one hundreds of people there, really enthusiastic to watch, and what a privilege for like the first episode of the show. At most shows, you know, you start from scratching. You've got to build an audience.
But I suppose the kid side of that is there are exist exams that kind of expected to be a certain way, so a lot to move up to. But I was after season one, it was received pretty well, I thought, like, and then although watching myself back like I was happy with about a web and that obviously come be down somewhere.
I mean, I don't know how I would do this, but I feel like for me, I would watch a whole lot of the UK version, or maybe I would, because I'd then be worried that I was impersonating that role. Again, how did you go with that process? Because there's that temptation to sort of go and dive deep right into it to see how something else has made it successful and then go, oh, how do I make this my own?
Like?
What was that process like for you?
I was lucky enough so when I got off to do it, I happened to have been already going over to London to do some shows, and while I was there, I got to meet Alic Horn, who created the UK show, and when like a pretty quick tour of the UK the house and I chatting in about it. I was kind of expecting in that kind of it wasn't so much a meeting as it took a bit of a
catch up. I was kind of expecting him, I guess to have a few points or like instructions on what to do, but he was so relaxed about it, and I think the only I mean, I think the only things in said is kind of make note of what people do after it, because you forget the funny things they did. And he's only other advices, just like see
yourself with that kind of thing. And I think that will last me because yeah, he wasn't being prescriptive about it, I suppose, but here's a format that you know, you've still got to fix the format and in doing the show. But I have exactly the thought you just said. I watch I forget exactly how many, but like I've already seen a few seasons but not for a while, and then I think I watched like maybe one more season, and then have that exact thought that you said before.
I don't want to keep watching this and then get into the lynt of because you just naturally copy. If I watch a bunch of like a stand up comedian, for example, we find himself the next day kind of talking the way they talk. You know, we do it naturally adaptive in that way. So I wanted to kind of familiarize myself at the format again and then kind of just keep it out of my head and go in. But then after doing the third season, I watched every single UK to them.
Because you kind of know that you're owning what, you kind of understand how to own your own space by that point, because you've found, yeah, I don't you know what I mean exactly.
I already kind of had found kind of how I was going to be. And then because you know, we're doing completing seasons, you're writing involved in the past writing and stuff now, so you've got to make sure you're not overlapping too much past. And I thought, after I've kind of got the tone of what I'm doing, why not all of it's kind of become a bit of a completion of in terms of and understand that that's the kind of work and how we can do a bit of a push the boundaries in our own and stuff.
What's the process though, on watching yourself Because I can imagine watching this with you know, watching it all back and watching a whole season of it back and seeing what works and what doesn't work. I'd want to know whether or not you lean into the things that you think worked better, and so you now start sort of doing that or I mean ridiculously or does it. You just start feeling like you're impersonating yourself.
Yeah, I think it's not funny. I'll worry about I think it's a bit of something that I'm that you do with stand up comedy, Like when you start watching yourself it cringe. It's prim as hell, whats yourself about there? Because you're going to know what's going in a little bit more and you're kind of worry about how you're going to be the seas and stuff. But I think I'm I'm like seeing me over that just by the stand up comedy you're going to have to you don't
have to live to do. I need to yourself on the internet that you get a lot of. It's going to get a shot of stand up social last year and the state money I edited it, so it's like you watching yourself perform from for the angle to hours doing an edit. You kind of get over it a little bit.
I find to be in the editing room of my own work to be quite complicated because it actually infiltrates my way of being social.
Would you say it affects how you are socially?
Yeah, I find it really strange if I edit my own work and I'm listening to the way in which I do podcasting, it does start to affect the way that I socialize, because when you're socializing is a different flow of conversation and so you've got to try and break Yeah, you know, and I know that from my friends that are comedians they feel that as well, Like I've had that conversation about it, where they're like, when they're being social, what's the difference between the personality that
they are on stage when they're being comical. And the expectation that you also have is that you think other people have a view, you know what I mean that you're like, I'm a comedian, so does everyone expect that I'm funny? And then for me that I'm like talking to someone, I'm like, I'm a podcaster, I'm an interviewer.
You know, I should be being very interesting and I should be asking questions, and then like that can sort of penetrate my social ability because when you're just hanging out with people, it shouldn't be like that.
I agree, Yeah, I think that's like, yeah, I'm I don't think it's about the editing and watching yourself as much as it just the instinctive Like right now, I mean, I'm loving the chat, which is very beached up in terms of what it's like. I now like I have an obligation to talk when you book, Yeah, and if they's silence in this conversation and awkward causes and stuff like that, and we're not doing a right job, Whereas
in a social contact that's still a bit true. And I think that's the thing that I've got of struggled with so much. I'm a bit like this anyway, and that kind of part is why I think I became a air median early. Is ultimately I just hate awkward vibalance. So I feel like, over the course of my life, I've been battling off with violence. So you just get better and better at coming up with things to say
in social situation to feel silent. But I have had to get better at son of yet if you're just hanging out with trends or whatever, not feeling responsible for the pisk Exactly, it's not it's not my problem. It's as an awkward thing. There's five people here, it's the
fifth of my problem. Whereactly, Yeah, it can feel like one hundred percent of your problem, because that's kind of just how I'm wired I think the problem with comedians, and some comedians are like this, and they're kind of almost like warning times when like my friends who you know, aren't comedians, just normal, very funny people, very interesting people, and then you induce them become comedian persons who just and then they just talk for like, you know, you
hang out for an hour of the time, it's just a comedian talking and they don't even they never asked the question of a friend that I've introduced them to. And it's a bit that you feel a bit and it's because of exactly what we're saying. They just usually kind of having to do the talking, but like and be able to such that off otherwise who isolated them.
I've got friends though, that are comedians that are very well known, and I don't want to throw them under the bus because they'll be listening to they'll hear it. But you know what's really funny is that the more successful that they become, the more introverted that they've become.
It's so bizarre. Yeah, really, I'll be out with them and I'll be like, oh, you know, this is such and such, and you watch people's face go, oh, I know who you are, and then they say nothing, and I'm like yeah, and I'm like, but they weren't like that to start with, do you know what I mean? Like, as they were entering the careers, they were feeling the silences, they were performing, they were you know, and then the more and more successful they got them now mutes, I'm like, say something.
I think the thing to me, I mean, now we're talking about how to kind of approach social thing is the difference trying to be present. Yeah, no, I mean I'm very happy talk about it. It's just trying to be present and listening because I think, yeah, it's fine to when necessary, like if you if I've come in with a I've got a few funny stories in the past few weeks, and then there's the silent, and I think everyone's happy to hear the story. Well I can
you know, I can talk the Sailand I suppose. Yeah, I don't know whether your friends are like overtheaking it more more and they're kind of worried about what I'm talking about, like being seen to be the kind of like coffee guy. Who ll maybe there could be some other reasons out have just said this tie.
I remember this is now going to haunt you, because it still haunts me. I remember once I was hanging out with someone who had just met and then they said to me after a while, they said, you know, you're not as interesting as I thought you would be. I remember being like I remember being like what, and they're like, oh, yeah, because I had seen me, that's seen some of my work, and that sort of sort of had a heightened version of who I am. And I was like, Okay, that's lovely.
Yeah that's dud then yeah it is.
It is.
Yeah, that's such an inevitable part of I think sometimes you will make people on people Oh your Canadian told the birth whatever, and it's like, oh no, that's not really. Yeah, they're kind of wanting you to do a weird thing and they're kind of teasing you, but it's all out
of awkwardness. I think. I think there is something natural about I've never being like fifteen, I was went to see a company show with my family and Peter Hellier was in the pa foyer and I just walked past him and he wasn't smiling, he just had a regular normal face. And I remember, as a gen year old that kind of disturbing me or I'm like, oh my god, what's wrong with that? As hell? Because and then it was close to you. I've never su seen him, not
with his grid because he's always like in performed. So that's just part of the meeting of someone in regular life. Get you to it better. Yeah, people can't be like on the whole time, and the people that.
Are on the whole time, they well, that's exhausted.
Alf A. I did live, which is the connected people because they're gone nuts.
I wanted to ask you about Tom Gleeson and the chemistry that the two of you have been able to put together on this show, which is great. Did they screen test you before getting you in, Like what was your relationship with Tom Gleeson before you know, stepping in front of the cameras well.
I mean we'd already kind of been booked and we filmed all the filmed all the task Season one Comedian and then we did a we did like A show zero or like a because we shoot more tasks than the youth. So with some of the tusks we weren't going to use for the benefit I think mainly of me and song Beton, but also for the benefit of the contestants. And I guess for the people working on the show, like shooting it and stuff with the larting
and gamers and stuff. We did like that fake first one that was a bit of a stink cap looking at the chemistry between us. In terms of our relationship before, I've met him a few times at stand up big but like we know that way.
Wow.
I mean I grew up watching him on I was the perfect gauge to be a shitouse fan. I was thirteen and yeah, Ali Bowler and Stuff was the one DV. So I was a big Vanitis and I've seen multiple of his stand up shows of the views, but in terms of the relationship back neither action. Yeah, we've only met a few times shows, and.
Then you'd probably meet a lot of comedians, you know, because that's what happens when you're on those comedies. You know, when you're on the comedy circuit at the festivals, you're always meeting people. Now that you've got your TV show, and you know, spoiler a lot for people listening to this. You know, you guys have already filmed a season three, so you have a successful show. Comedians being nicer to you.
I mean, I've joked about that, but because we were talking on the play about social interaction platform, I now want this one on the floor in the direct way I reckon had. Maybe, But like I don't book the show, and I think people know that. I don't think really, I think it hasn't really changed my relationship to I
guess I knew what people. I think it's someone if I hadn't met them before and they've just started, then perhaps people are a bit more like deferential or something because they've been aware of you as a played to, you know, five years ago or something where like actually introducing yourself. Yeah, but I don't think anyone that I had a relationship with before. I don't think I've noticed any actual different thing.
It's interesting because I'm going to say something really embarrassing at this point, and I feel like it's just really appropriate. About twenty years ago, one of my friends was dating Hamish Blake and so okay, she is. This is like in between I think him being sort of like on Community TV and sort of getting his radio gigs. It was early days, but he was sort of up and coming.
Wow.
Yeah, anyway, I was invited to this breakfast and I literally treated the breakfast like an audition. I didn't mean to, but I just was there. I was like, you know, and then I just started being this version of myself and I was like, yeah, I wonder you know if that happens, you know, to you, whether all of a sudden you say, like this person being themselves or are they auditioning for me? What's going on?
I think, pretty honest, I think that's naturally kind of what happens with new comedians. That's how I felt when I started. Whenever I met and they're not talking about people like Cambis Blake even or you know, it's just someone who's been doing comedy for ten years. I idolized someone like that because they were just so good at what they did and I thought they were so funny. And then you have this natural inflamation when you meet them,
because like, I want to impress them so bad. I'm going to I'm going to show them how funny I am, and then I'm going to be best mate. And then I think what happens is you do that and you have situations you just to tribe where you're humiliated because you're flying way too hard and you're not being.
Will you drive that home feeling embarrassed, you know what I mean, Like, that's what happened to me. I drove a when I was like, who was that guy?
You're creating business between because you're trying, you're kind of pretending, and they're awkward because they know what you're doing and they're trying to be nice, but you know, no actual connections going on. And then I look to a second phase, and I think a lot of people do this as well, where then, because I've had a few humiliating experiences, then when I meet someone that I was beet or kind of want to show off to, really, I'll just be like, look,
I'm not going to talk to me. You know, I don't want to. I don't want to go through that, like say you're doing it. I remember this happening a few stand up so I reckon an Dan, who you know, was on the season of chap and after now as a friends but back then, yeah, I've never met her, love her work. I remember just kind of doing one of shows that her and just kind of avoiding her really because I'm like, I don't want to do the
thing where I'm trying to suck up. And then a friend of mine said well, now you're actually being rude, you know what I mean, But now you're on the same show. Like if you're normal or nice, like, it doesn't mean you're being sucked up in embarrassing. You can just be normal and just avoiding is actually because the other way. And then that really resonated with me. I'm like, oh yeah, true, And then I think after that, I'd
like to think I became normal. But every now and then you kind of find yourself doing the show off eating and whatever it is, what it is. I do feel that from and got nothing to do with TV or anything. I think just any community and stand ups an example of one. When you're new, you're kind of you're exactly what you at that preference, you're trying it too hard. I remember having an experience with a friend when I was eighteen. We went to see a play
called I think called Like Dead Singer. Why I'm not sure, but Andrew Henson and Chris Taylor from the chaper and they were doing like a meet and greet afterwards, and I was like seventeen, eighteen years old. We a freentered school and we got to the front and my friend, I forget what he did that he was just trying really hard to contest them, and it was it was a bit cringy Okay, not to tell him about it
just felt wrong, you know what I mean? Like it became clear of what we're only talking them for ten seconds. What do we think that they're going to be?
Like?
You guys are actually awesome years off you.
That's the true.
I think that's something that I think of as well. That's like, what are you actually hoping for here? Just be just be normal?
And then you now know, because when you do those sort of meet and greets yourself, you never remember anyone, you know. I remember I used to do this. Sounds ridiculous, but I used to do like meet and greets at dream World after doing Big Brother and Yeah, and there would be hundreds of people queuing up to like just get a photo of it, and they all would just be in this hyper sensitive, hypercentual. I don't know what
the word is for it. I'm not saying it correctly, but I could see them all sort of being this sort of bonkers version wanting to sort of stand out and have an interaction. And the weird thing is you don't remember any of it.
Yeah, you're the thing kind of. I think that was part of it as well. I think you can kind of tell not to go back to my career because I've never done that, that meet and great thing.
Haven't you. Oh you've got to do that. Bonkers, they're so weird.
I don't know. I remember feeling that the Shaper guys were out of the nessity putting on a bit of a show in terms of how they were, like they weren't being completely because they're yeah, it's a very artificial. Yeah, you've got to be just keep up or whatever.
It's very much.
Are you an extrovert? No, I'm like, that's so much energy.
I'm an introverted extrovert. So I can be highly extroverted, but then I also can be really quiet, which is a lot like comedians, Like all my comedian friends, their personality. It just feels that way because when you watch them working, there's this big, larger than life personality, and then in their real time, in their personal time, they're really really quiet. You know, it sort of makes it stand out a
little bit more. But you know, I think that most comedians are introverted extroverts to be honest, and if you're a very good comedian. My belief is it's the it's what you've captured with what you watch from other people that makes good comedy. You do need to be quiet to be able to capture what you're watching.
Yeah, totally.
That's where I think comedy works really well. And Chris Lily is like that. I remember I went to the same gym as Chris Lily wants for a long time. Actually he went to the sink kilto Sea Bars. He doesn't go there anymore, so don't go there. For people who Chris Lily fans, they'll be down at the sinkilter Sea Bars waiting for him, and then he'll send me a text message and say fuck you for running my privacy.
But you know, it's really funny. I had a conversation with him one day about him watching people, and I noticed that at the gym he was borrowing things, he was stealing things, he was capturing what he was watching and using it for his work. You know, it's fascinating.
I think that's also another argument for trying to be authentic, because it does feel bad if you kind of break someone and then they're trying to keep the point at what that rood. But I think that's an inventive also to be like to the extent that you can be yourself in your work, then you have to worry about that lass I agree.
I also saw an IMDb that, you know, You've got the most bizarre thing in your IMDb credits, which is a Beastie Boys movie.
Do you know that?
Why is that there is someone put that there as a joke like were you in.
A beast I have no idea what that is, but I'm used to it because my name is also the name of one of the best Irish hurlers of all time, Irish hurling being a sport, the sport, but they don't kind of like look off or something like, I think he's he's got a fantastic irishurler that he's also I think for maybe like five foot six or something like that. So if you google my name, one of the comes it's kind of merges out two identities together and says
that I'm much shorter than I actually am. So I'm used to I'm used to being mugged off by people. It's the same name as me, and it's being said to be in a Busy Boys video is not the worst of it. It happened to be three years before I bar that's the trouble.
It was so weird because I looked at it and I was like the credit was like nineteen eighty four or something, and I was like, pretty sure times were alive at this point this maybe your dad was there?
Yeah, might you have my dad's ball with that counts me.
I mean, he's an abusive boys movie. Anyway, I have to finish this off the same way I do with all my podcasts. Could not not do this after this many episodes. But what's something from behind the scenes of Taskbusters that we as an audience might not necessarily know? Kind of kind of like the behind the scenes secret about what it's like to be in this show?
Good question. The thing that comes to mind for me, I guess, and the kind of touched on after with me as like being nervous about there first season. But I think the show, which is kind of most of it in a way, but every time wise is shooting the pask sover on location in the path mater or tree, and it's a bit I think it's basically all real
that the contestants don't know what they're walking into. It's a bit more like a psychological experiment rode than I think people probably understand, and that the contestants are all in a room between the past where they're pretty much
not like to believe we're not lost or anything. But if they left it would you know what, you can't have any clues about time that's walking for And I mean I've never been a contestive, but this is what they all say, is that like a big part of the challenge is, you know, he's got half an hour, did the silliest thing with this hat? Go, you're being filmed,
blah blah blah. But then they have to go back afterwards and suit in this room for like forty minutes and overthink the last past and they did well, then so what the next one is? And so by the end of the week that they're doing past and real by the end of each day they're pretty exhausted emotionally from performing. But also just like the overthinking as well, I do the right thing then forms a big part
of why. Like when people make a big mistake or something or they kind of miss a detail, and then it's often because I think they're like overthinking what they thought they did wrong in the last pluck because they've
been kind of stuck alone for half an hour. So I think that kind of isolation together with the nerves are coming out and being filmed and they're trying to be funny, and I think it's often, yeah, I take a bit of a behind reason for why they're they're doing what they're doing, particularly when what they're doing is kind of pretty stupid or something big oversight. I think
all they have some change of boats. I think that's often kind of why where you don't see the audience doesn't see, you know, we don't show the task in order, so they might they might have done one in episode one, they've just been a task in reality that was from
episode nine. And also because I think don't do the same order a task, so you know, some people might do like a creative one after they've just been tricked and they think the creative one is a trick as well, and then they get kind of they got from some new whereas everyone else did it in a different order, so no one else bought that was the trick. So I think, yeah, the order and the isolation is kind of formerly a bigger part of the approach.
Do you know what I think you should do. From just listening to you talking about this, I've gone going off on a bit of a tangent, but I reckon you should go and do the UK one. Would you be a contestant? Could you be a contestant? Could you put yourself in that position now that you've been in I mean, I mean.
I mean yeah, would love the opportunity.
Yeah.
But the trouble is, I think how I become myself down if I go and do an audition or like a job, I'm like, the people here want me to succeed. Everyone wants to just half this part, or anyone just wants to just have yourself where If I went and should because I'm now for fifteen different Australian comedians stood there and kind of smurf that people sail and needle them to the mistakes they're making. If I then go
and do it like, it's better be pretty good. Otherwise all the people that I've been criticizing the whole line would very much enjoy me failing.
I would love to see her on that show. You know, my best friend's daughter, she's about seven. She calls you the dirty man, and I thought that was hilarious. To finish the podcast on that, which I think is funny because you know, younger the ready man, she calls you the dirty man, and I was like, well, I love the dirty Who are you talking because you've got the beard, like the s double.
Oh my god? How dirty? How know I'm never going to go down food out there? I know.
How hilarious is that? That? That's why what my friend's daughter thinks of you.
And I was like, dirty man, she's a dirty girl than an adult.
And she was like, you know, Ben's interviewing the dirty man and she I was like, what are you talking about? And she's like, oh yeah, Harriet think calls him the dirty man. And I was like why and she was like, oh no, it's because he's got the beard, like she was saying it to me like it was fact, like it was like something you should all know. And I was like, just.
A dirty stick guy, okay. Mate biologue involved in Dirty to seven year old said I win.
I told her she can't.
Ye first play with her child mate.
I just want to say I had such a good time talking to you. I think that this has just been so fun and I love the show. I hope people get to keep enjoying this series. I'm excited about season three, which I know we're getting, and I can't wait to be in your audience and and watch this show evolve. I think it's I think it's fun.
Yeah, it's so much fun to do. And yeah, thanks for the chat, which is lovely to get into the nitty greet.
Yeah, because you're used to being on shows where they make you do it like a three minute ad break, and you're like, you turn up and you're on the show movie and it's over in three minutes, and you're like, did I say anything good? Was that? And then when you're in a long form podcast, you're like, yeah, I'm happy to just tell you about meeting Harish Blake at a breakfast, you know what I mean.
Like, it's just yeah, when it gets into times one of your stategies and both of them brush, it was just like, oh, I'm.
Overthought enjoy chatting to the media about the show today. So I just want to say thank you so much for your generosity with your time as well to even be to be here and to do this, So thank you.
Oh thanks, Then all right, I'll chat to you soon.
I'm sure I'll see you around fine ske