Interview with Rebecca Lucy Taylor (AKA Self Esteem) for Taskmaster

21 December 2022

You seemed absolutely beside yourself with excitement to be on Taskmaster. Is it fair to say you’re a fan of the show?
Yeah, I fucking love it, it’s the best show on telly.

What is it that makes it so special?
It’s just so daft. Doing stupid shit for no reason is important to me, it’s part of my lifeblood. And lots of grown adults doing that makes me very happy.

Did you learn anything about yourself?
I think I’m more competitive than I thought I was. And I think I still need to work on my frustration levels when things don’t go my way.

Did you go into it with any sort of strategy?
I was pretty confident. I remember doing a lateral thinking extra-curricular activity in my school, and it was one of the first times I remember them saying that I was very good. I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder that I can’t drive a car or do times tables, but I’m really good with logic. But I’m not sure how much I displayed that on the show.

As well as being very logical, you’re quite sporty. You had dreams of becoming a cricketer when you were younger, didn’t you?
Yeah, I was really good at cricket, but I don’t think I was anything special. It wasn’t that hard to be in Under 16s Ladies in South Yorkshire and be regarded as alright. I don’t think there were many people doing it. I might have misremembered my likelihood of making it as a pro. But as soon as they changed the ball to a hard cricket ball, when you hit 16, I was like “Fuck this!”

Did that sporting aspect lend itself to any of the tasks?
Yeah, I suppose it did. I got down on the floor a bit, I jumped around a bit.

You mentioned at one point that you didn’t know whether to suck up to Greg or antagonise him. Which option did you choose?
I went for what I believed to be highly charged sexual energy. And I think it worked.

In spite of all your excitement, you seemed to get quite grumpy during some of the tasks. Was it very frustrating at times?
Yeah. I think I was quite triggered by Alex’s silence and lack of encouragement. Which also taught me about myself! But that’s not his fault, that’s how he does it.  But I think my praise kink was not satiated enough.

How did you all get on with one another?
It was so delightful. It was so sad it was only that one day together. I can’t get enough of any of them, they’re all amazing.

You said you’d join a cult with Mo as it’s leader. Why was that?
He’s just got such a calm, beautiful, innocent nature. It would be ripe for corruption as a cult leader.

How are you feeling about watching the show? Who will you watch with?
I’m very excited. I don’t know where I’ll be, actually. I’m worried about how much I swear, so I don’t know if I’ll watch it with my parents. I’ve got a few mates who are also into being silly, so hopefully we’ll get together. I still get excited when I’m on the telly, and we put a spread on for the big ones, so I’m sure Taskmaster will get that treatment.

What will the spread involve?
When I was on Jools Holland my friend Lyndsey did me a British buffet, and it was absolutely sensational.

Having seen it up close, how would you describe the relationship between Greg and Alex?
I think Greg is incapable of having any relationships that aren’t highly fraught with sexual energy, so I’d say the same for them two.

Given your levels of excitement at the start, was being on the show everything you hoped it would be?
It was even better. Because it’s also made by really nice, kind people. It reminded me of when I used to make comedy sketches with the boys from school. They were always the best days of my life, doing something fucking stupid all day, but committing to it. It felt like that. It was really joyful. I literally would love to be a runner for the show.

The show is billed as a New Year Treat. What treats are you hoping for from 2023?
I’d like my disc-bulge to correct itself, and then I’ll be happy.