Dai Henwood and Melanie Bracewell. Photo / Supplied
Dai Henwood and Melanie Bracewell. Photo / Supplied
It’s out with the old and in with the new for the fourth season of TVNZ 2′s Taskmaster NZ.
Dai Henwood and Melanie Bracewell are part of the clean slate of comedians for this year’s show.
Jeremy Wells is back on his throne with Paul Williams as his sidekick, andRay O’Leary, Sieni Leo’o Olo — aka Bubbah — and Karen O’Leary round out the cast.
Bracewell tells Spy she used to work for Wells at Radio Hauraki and is used to trying to do tasks to earn his approval. Henwood has been a regular on Wells’ radio show, but it will be the first time working with him on TV.
It’s not lost on Henwood that it’s the second Jeremy he has worked with, after Jeremy Corbett who hosts Three’s 7 Days.
“I like to always have a Jeremy on shows — it makes things comforting,” says Henwood.
“Both have different qualities but always turn heads. Jeremy Corbett is a classic MG BGT in British Racing Green and Jeremy Wells is a Porsche 930, turbocharged for action at the top and tail of each day.”
As for the other new comedians, Henwood says they are all friends of his and people he really respects on a comedic and personal level, and they all have a different take on the tasks.
“I tend to just go with the first and craziest thing that pops into my head. I think Ray will be a wild card. Karen will take the smart and sensible approach and who knows what Bubbah will get up to?”
His greatest praise is for Bracewell, who he says really brought the competition.
“I have a feeling she left it all out at Taskmaster Ranch.”
Bracewell took it very seriously and says she genuinely brought her competitive edge.
“I am such a fan of the show, so I couldn’t sleep before every day we spent filming. The sleep deprivation you might be able to catch when you watch the show,” she says.
In saying that, Bracewell adds that her brain runs at a mile a minute so she is sure there will be some tasks that she thinks she has nailed until she watches it back.