In recognition of his role in the School Tasking outreach project, Taskmaster creator and star, Alex Horne, has been invited by the University of Warwick to receive an Honorary Doctorate. Alex’s support for the project since it first piloted at Warwick Law School in 2021-22 has helped School Tasking to grow into a national competition across 26 mainland UK universities from September this year.
In response to receiving his invitation, Alex said:
I’ve seen some other comedians get this sort of an honour and have always been envious of the accolade and clothing. So I’m genuinely very grateful to Warwick University for thinking my nonsense means I should also now get a new gown and some extra letters. Also, the Taskmaster Education team really do deserve all the praise for the work they do to give kids rewarding and enjoyable experiences, so I’m absolutely representing them both here and in all things from now on.
Alex was nominated by Warwick Law School’s Dr Ali Struthers, creator of School Tasking and co-founder of Taskmaster Education, who has said:
Alex has been a huge supporter of School Tasking from its inception, taking time out of his busy schedule to create videos that the children adore and to chat with the finalists in a live Q&A. He is generous, down-to-earth, and always willing to go out of his way to make others feel like they are important and valued. It’s wonderful that Alex’s contribution to the Warwick community and beyond through School Tasking is being recognised with this doctorate – we’ll just have to wait and see if his promotion from ‘Little’ to ‘Dr’ is acknowledged by the Taskmaster…
School Tasking is an interactive and engaging university outreach project that enables young people to learn about interesting aspects of the law through tasks set in the style of Taskmaster. During the in-school sessions, Year 5 classes are introduced to some of the most thought-provoking areas of law and are given a chance to practise key skills, such as teamwork, communication, and lateral thinking. Just as in the TV show, School Tasking provides the opportunity for all children to shine based on their particular talents and skills. The project also aims to widen access to higher education for under-represented pupils, with eligibility based on widening participation data (higher than average percentage of pupils receiving free school meal pupils and/or lower than average school progress scores). For more information, please visit the website.
