Taskmaster has been a “beacon of silliness” for families during difficult times, Alex Horne has said ahead of a fundraiser to help beat childhood cancer.

The Channel 4 hit game show has teamed up with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for a special livestreamed competition to help raise money for a new children’s cancer centre.

“Little” Alex Horne, the creator of the Taskmaster, said he felt he had “very little choice but to get involved” after visiting the London children’s hospital where he met patients and staff to see the “impressive” work done there.

Speaking to the Press Association, Horne said: “We’ve always been told that Taskmaster is a bit of a safe haven for people and during lockdown families saw it as a bit of a beacon of silliness in a time of difficulty.

“Firstly, that’s not the plan. That’s not why we’re doing it. Second, we’re not saying we’re in any way… you know, we’re not the doctors.

“But I do like that we’ve been a slight symbol of safety and togetherness for families”

Horne said he hoped the fundraiser would “tap into” the “real community” built by Taskmaster fans and the livestream would be an opportunity to “see how the sausage is made”.

“You’re going to see me say the tasks, the players, the contestants, the creators having to cope with the instructions. They don’t know what’s going to happen.

“It’s going to be a properly authentic, genuine thing. Some of the tasks will probably fail, which is always fun.”

During the visit, he met Alannah Griffin, who has just turned 13 and is being treated for a very rare type of cancer after first visiting GOSH in January 2024.

Alannah’s father, Kieron Griffin, said his daughter was as strong as “10 of him” and the care she had received had been “amazing”.

Her first years of treatment coincided with her move to secondary school, he said.

“Sadly, it was the first time she had lost her hair,” Mr Griffin said.

“She just picked herself up and went to a new school which was really quite something.

“Obviously, from the word go, as scary as it was, thinking ‘how are we in Great Ormond Street? How did this happen?’

“You quickly realise how blessed you are to be there with the most amazing team.”

Mr Griffin, from Isleworth in west London, said the family had “amazing relationships” with the staff at GOSH, who have become almost like “extended family and friends”.

Asked how he thought the new cancer centre will benefit families like his, he said: “It’s just going to take the care and everything onto another level.

“We can’t imagine it because we’ve been so lucky.

“Everything looks so good, but you can just imagine it’ll be just on another level and truly world-leading.”

Hosted by Horne alongside comedian Jake Bhardwaj, the fundraiser will see influencers including TommyInnit, MatPat, Ayame and Hayley Morris competing in two teams for a chance at Taskmaster glory.

Taskmaster, where celebrity contestants take on a series of challenges set by Greg Davies and Horne, is returning to Channel 4 next month for its 22nd series.

Asked what task he would like to set competitors on the television show if budget constraints were no issue, Horne said: “My genuine, boring answer is actually budget restraints are really useful because it forces you to be more creative with little things and I think the best tasks are the ones when you’re watching at home and think, ‘Oh, how would I do that? Because it’s using an egg.’

“But I wouldn’t mind seeing five comedians trying to catch an ostrich.”

“One football pitch, one ostrich, five comedians.”

Of the upcoming series, which will include Matt Lucas, Richard Ayoade and Chloe Petts, Horne said it will feature the same Taskmaster house but there is a “new secret location” contestants have to discover by “going through a portal”.

“Richard Ayoade is the most stylish man in the world so you get to see a lot of outfits,” he said.

“If you think you know Matt Lucas, you’ll get to know much more. You get to see Matt Lucas panicking.”

The charity livestream is set to take place on Saturday September 5 at 5pm across multiple platforms including Taskmaster’s YouTube Channel and Twitch.

Of the fundraiser, Horn said: “Please do donate throughout. We will be pestering you to donate, but we don’t want to.

“We want people to watch and donate, but please do, and also I don’t know if I’m meant to do this but we’ve got nice companies who are sponsoring various bits of the tasks and we’re really grateful to them and if anyone else wants to come in and chuck more money around, it all goes to the Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“No one is being paid from our side, so please do be as generous as you can.”

The new children’s cancer centre at GOSH will include state of the art inpatient wards that are tailored to patients, allowing children to remain connected with loved ones in a “home from home” environment as well as a new critical care unit and hospital school.

Series 22 of Taskmaster will begin on September 3 on Channel 4 and YouTube.