For most of us, taking our work home means the occasional email at dinner or a laptop on the sofa. But for Alex Horne—the creator of Taskmaster—it means testing games on his three sons, getting heckled by them at charity football matches, and becoming “the slightly embarrassing dad” at school events.
In the latest episode of The Dadsnet Podcast, Alex chats openly about the unique crossover between his creative work and his parenting. Whether it’s bringing Taskmaster into schools or having his sons invent challenges that later appear on the TV show, he’s proof that sometimes the best ideas start at home.
“One of the kids invented a game where you run across a field screaming until you run out of breath. It ended up becoming a real task. It’s one of the most fun ones we’ve done with school groups.”
Alex describes being invited into his children’s classrooms to run Taskmaster-style activities as both exhausting and brilliant. While his kids pretend to be mortified, it’s clear there’s a quiet pride in seeing their dad bring creativity into their world.
“They roll their eyes, but I know they’ll look back and think it was cool. Probably.”
He also reflects on the reality of fatherhood while working in comedy—a job that often involves late nights, festivals, and weeks away from home. That shift from solo performer to fully-immersed dad isn’t always smooth.
“I’d go away for a month to Edinburgh Festival and come back short-tempered. It would take me three days to adjust to family life again. If I could change anything, it would be to chill out a bit more.”
Now, with three teenage boys, Alex’s relationship with parenting has evolved. He’s less focused on being funny about it—and more interested in being present for it. His advice for new dads? Record the little things.
“I’ve made a six-second video of the kids every Saturday for 16 years. It’s now an hour and a half long. Every five years, my wife and I sit down and watch it with a glass of wine and cry.”
It’s a reminder that behind the comedy and chaos, fatherhood is full of fleeting moments worth capturing—and revisiting.
