The Bafta-winning comedy game show, Taskmaster, has returned to Channel 4 for its 21st series. Part of the show’s long-running appeal is its lighthearted exhibition of human creativity.

Recently, I was part of the Warwick Business School Lead out Loud podcast with Alex Horne, the show’s creative mastermind and star, to talk about Taskmaster’s lessons for leadership. His creativity is an inspiration. The show is ripe with insights on how to be more creative in our daily tasks – even if they are more subdued than the ones the contestants must solve in the Taskmaster house.

Below are five lessons in creativity we can all take from the Taskmaster playbook.

1. Thinking inside the box

One of the biggest myths of creativity is that constraints limit our imagination. But decades of research have shown this is not true – constraints actually spur creativity, often through associational thinking where the constraint triggers other related thoughts or ideas.

In the last series of Taskmaster, one task was to bring “a very soft thing that would be most beneficial for Greg [the Taskmaster]”. The constraint of “soft” led to very different mental associations for each contestant, resulting in a hilarious assortment of solutions – a cushion made of cat hair, a bonnet with a manly design, a bird that tells fortunes, a blanket that can be worn and “the hands and voices of the elderly”.

Constraints have also served as inspiration for Horne when developing the tasks. In the Lead out Loud podcast, he described the COVID constraint of keeping contestants two metres apart. “It was a really fun constraint to work with,” he explained. “It gave us something to play with. The whole show is about constraints.”

2. Reframing the problem

When we face a problem, most of us jump immediately into idea generation. However, there is great power in pausing to fully explore the problem and consider how it can be framed and reframed.

This may involve asking the question differently, exploring alternative perspectives, or considering all of the factors associated with the problem. Even more challenging is rethinking assumptions about the problem itself. The most creative contestants often turn the challenge on its head, breaking assumptions about the task’s rules.

In a series two task where contestants were instructed to place three exercise balls on a yoga mat on top of a hill, four contestants assumed this meant the balls must be moved up the hill and placed on the mat. Richard Osman, however, brought the mat down to the balls instead and won the round. Unlike the others, he paused to reread the instructions and reframed how they could be interpreted, capitalising on the ambiguity.

3. Embracing experimentation and failure

The joy and humour of Taskmaster is primarily in the meandering, hilarious journey the contestants take to their final solution. We have a window into how five very different people think through a problem from their unique perspectives.

It also highlights that there is no one right way to solve most problems, whether they are an absurd task on a game show, developing a new sales strategy, or figuring out how to entertain your toddler.

In embracing uncertainty and improvisation, the show also implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) makes failure okay. The key to this is the psychological safety we see on the show – a key component of innovative teams and an intentional part of the show’s design. Psychological safety means, among other things, that you feel it is safe to take risks and make mistakes, you can ask for help and those around you won’t ridicule or reject you.

When asked how contestants respond to moments of failure, Horne said: “The comedians have to feel safe. Because I’m a comedian and a producer on it as well … they feel a bit more in safe hands that they can take risks and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter. So from the beginning we’ve tried to create this place where you can muck about, and we’re not going to show you in a bad light.”

Allowing for experimentation and tolerance of what professor of leadership Amy Edmondson calls “intelligent failure” is essential to innovation.

4. Creativity breeds creativity

After coming up with so many tasks, Horne was asked on the Winging It podcast if he feels his well of ideas is drying up. He responded that he often thinks of new tasks when he’s creating other tasks. “That’s when you’re most fertile. Wells don’t dry up. Wells are built near natural springs.”

When generating ideas, it can often feel like we are “running out” of ideas because the pace of idea generation slows down. This is an artefact of the rapid production of the more obvious solutions at the start. However, as the pace of idea generation slows down, the originality of ideas goes up. When the pace slows, we must shift into strategies that require more effort, but ultimately result in more creative solutions.

Generating ideas in teams can help this because it enables cross-fertilisation, where one team member’s ideas spark ideas in someone else, causing the well to fill up again. Team challenges on the show provide many examples of this.

5. It’s all fun and games

At the end of the day, Taskmaster is a game show. Our lives of crafting AI prompts, inbox management and Teams meetings may seem a far cry from the hijinks in the Taskmaster house. You may therefore think that our real work lives are not a fair comparison for lessons on creativity from Taskmaster. But the research on playfulness and creativity in organisations would say otherwise.

Creating a sense of playfulness in teams and organisations can foster creativity, as can humour. Perhaps the key to facilitating your own team or organisation’s creativity could be hosting your own round of Taskmaster!

Chloe Haynes, 21, was found dead in her Adelphi Hotel room in 2022

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A city council will take Britannia Hotels to court after a 21-year-old woman was found dead in her room.

Liverpool City Council announced the legal action after the body of Chloe Haynes was found at Adelphi Hotel.

The tragic discovery was made in the early hours of September 10, 2022 LiverpoolEcho reports. Three men were arrested on suspicion of murder but were released without charge when police concluded her death was accidental.

In the months that followed, the local authority’s Environmental Health department launched an investigation, with a source telling the ECHO in 2023 a criminal prosecution remained a possibility. The investigation has concluded and the council is set to prosecute the company.

It is understood proceedings are being brought against two Britannia Hotels companies over alleged health and safety breaches. Proceedings are believed to start on May 7 at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

It remains unclear as to what the details of the case are and the ECHO has contacted the court service for more information. A spokesperson for the council confirmed to the ECHO proceedings are due to take place.

A spokesperson for Britannia Hotels said: “We can confirm that Liverpool City Council has initiated legal proceedings in relation to the Adelphi Hotel and we are fully cooperating with the legal process. Our sympathies remain with the families and loved ones of those involved.

“As this matter is now before the courts, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.”

Chloe’s mum, Nicola Williams, said at the time of her daughter’s death she is determined to find every detail of how the “petite and beautiful” girl she nicknamed “birdy” died. Chloe, who had a twin brother and three other siblings, had travelled to Liverpool from Hafan y Mor Haven Holiday Park in Pwllheli, North Wales, where she worked, for a night out.

She was sharing a room at the city centre hotel with her colleague who found her body and raised the alarm.

Miss Williams, from Wrexham, told the ECHO: “Chloe left Pwllheli around 7.40pm and they went to the Adelphi, there was some sort of engagement party or something. By midnight, she had been drinking shots and so on and she was a bit drunk, so her friend has taken her back to the hotel to sleep it off and then he’s gone back out.

“It seems she has got up out of the bed confused, not knowing where she is, and she’s opened the door of the wardrobe maybe thinking it is the toilet or the door to go back out of the room. It was a big, old, heavy wardrobe and it’s fallen on her and crushed her windpipe.”

Miss Williams said Chloe’s friend returned to the room in the early hours of the morning and was confronted with the horrific scene. She said he shouted to get help and two men from other rooms came to help lift the wardrobe off Chloe but it was too late to save her life

It was those three men who were initially questioned over Chloe’s death by police. One of the men, Wayne Kenny from Bootle, told the ECHO how he was stunned to be arrested on suspicion of murder after trying to perform CPR on Chloe.

Shortly after Chloe died Mr Kenny told the ECHO: “I was thinking could I get accused for something I haven’t done, could they make a mistake? To be thinking that for ten hours was hard work.”

Speaking about her loss, Miss Williams said: “She loved animals. She had a little dog called Archie she was obsessed with.

“There are so many photos of them together. My little nickname for her was birdy.

“She was so petite and little and when she ate she was like a little bird. She was quiet, she was somebody who didn’t speak unless it needed saying.

“But in the last 12 months she was coming out of her shell. She was gaining her confidence and she had a wide circle of friends.

“She was kind and caring and she seemed to connect with gay men and that was how she met the friend she went to Liverpool with.”

Following Chloe’s death, Liverpool Council carried out spot checks on the premises and on September 22, issued prohibition notices to Britannia Hotels regarding the safety of the wardrobes found in Chloe’s room. The spot checks also found issues regarding the windows at the hotel.

While not required by law, where window restrictors are in place to prevent falls, they must be kept in good condition. Britannia appealed the notices regarding the safety of wardrobes and the council agreed to drop them after seeing evidence that work had been carried out to make them safe.

The company dropped its appeal against the notice regarding windows and that was affirmed.

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North Yorkshire Police have updated their appeal to find a wanted 47-year-old man – Steven David Green – who is wanted for breaching his sex offender register requirements and has been recalled to prison.

As reported by The Press last month, Green, who is originally from Merseyside, but has previously lived in Newcastle and is believed to have headed to Carlisle in Cumbria.

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He also has connections in Hull and his home city of Liverpool.

“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to find him and we are appealing for people with possible sightings and information to get in touch as soon as possible,” said a spokesperson for the force.

Anyone who has seen Green is urged to call North Yorkshire Police on 101.

If you have an immediate sighting of him or know where he is now, please call the police on 999 and if you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online via their website.

Please quote reference 12260043991 when passing on information.

Adam Carruthers, 33, was sentenced to four years and three months for causing criminal damage to the famous tree beside Hadrian’s Wall, Northumberland, when he was jailed in July last year alongside Daniel Graham.

Mrs Justice Lambert told the pair they would serve 40% of the sentence behind bars, with the remainder being served on licence in the community.

PA understands Carruthers has been released under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme, as first reported by ITV News Tyne Tees, which said the decision was taken by the governor of the prison where he was serving his sentence, after a risk assessment.

Tyne Tees spoke to him off camera at a Cumbria turf business where he used to work. He told the broadcaster he was happy to be out of prison.

In a statement issued to PA, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Anyone released into Home Detention Curfew faces strict licence conditions and must be tagged. Those who break the rules can be returned to prison.”

It is understood that prisoners must have 12 months or less to serve before their conditional release to be eligible for the Home Detention Curfew Scheme and must be risk-assessed.

They are subject to strict licence conditions and the curfew is enforced with an electronic tag and they must stay at their registered home address.

Former friends Graham and Carruthers were convicted of criminal damage to the much-loved tree, which had stood for more than 100 years.

They were also convicted of criminal damage to Hadrian’s Wall, which happened when the tree fell on the ancient monument in September 2023.

During their trial, Newcastle Crown Court heard the two engaged in a “moronic mission” to cut down the landmark, travelling for more than 40 minutes from their homes in Cumbria, then carrying their equipment across pitch-black moorland during a storm in September 2023.

They took a wedge from the tree as a trophy that has never been recovered, and revelled in the media coverage as news of the vandalism caused national and international headlines.

Mrs Justice Lambert was sure that Carruthers cut the tree down while Graham drove him there and filmed it on his phone.

The tree was a symbol of Northumberland and featured in the Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Its destruction took less than three minutes.

Planning request from Leech Weir Residents Association seeks approval for tree felling works at to the north of Meldrum Mains, a site partially covered by a TPO.

North Lanarkshire Council has been asked to consent to the felling of trees in Glenmavis, despite a tree preservation order.

A planning request from Leech Weir Residents Association seeks approval for tree felling works at to the north of Meldrum Mains, a site partially covered by a TPO.

Supporting the application is a report from a tree consultant which explains they were commissioned to assess the trees for risk and nuisance, with this having been done in 2023 as well as April 2026.

The report notes that although the southern area of woodland is registered as “ancient”, meaning it has been present since at least 1750 and is considered irreplaceable, other sections of the woods do not share this status, due to some trees having been felled and replaced, usually with non-native species and these areas could be restored.

The survey recorded 41 trees as being of concern or requiring work, including 29 close to houses on Glenwell Street which were recorded in line with a request from the residents’ association.

For further information on this application, or to leave comment for consideration, visit the council’s website and search for planning reference 26/00422/TPO.

READ MORE: Gartcosh Classic & Sportscar Club show at Summerlee Museum to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease charity

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As the number one importer of Iranian oil, China has a major problem with any constriction of exports in the Gulf – including the US blockade of Iran’s ports, which began on Monday.

Beijing has condemned the US blockade, calling it “irresponsible and dangerous”.

It has also reportedly sought to play peacemaker in the conflict, steering its ally Iran towards talks with the US in Pakistan last weekend.

But the blockade creates a serious political, economic, and possibly military risk that both the US and China will want to avoid.

The BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner explains why China’s role in the conflict is too big to be ignored.

Staff at the BBC were told about the redundancies during a company-wide meeting on Wednesday afternoon

The BBC has revealed its largest workforce reduction in almost 15 years, confirming it will axe 2,000 jobs as part of sweeping cost-cutting measures.

The broadcaster is targeting a 10% reduction in running costs over the coming three years in response to what bosses have called “substantial financial pressures”.

Staff were told about the redundancies during a company-wide meeting at 3pm on Wednesday. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

While the magnitude of the cuts is now confirmed insiders suggest that exact information about which departments or roles will bear the brunt of job losses remains under wraps, reports the Manchester Evening News.

It also remains unclear how BBC Wales will be affected by the redundancies.

The announcement arrives at a pivotal moment for the organisation following the departure of outgoing director general Tim Davie on April 2 after a spell marked by considerable internal and external challenges.

Acting director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies is currently overseeing operations before former Google executive Matt Brittin formally takes the role on May 18. The huge reduction in headcount is seen as a significant overhaul in preparation for Mr Brittin’s appointment.

The cost-cutting drive has already started to affect prominent programming.

The BBC recently disclosed that its specialist unit covering significant national events, including royal occasions and state funerals, will be reduced to a single full-time employee with the corporation depending on freelance staff to bridge the shortfall.

This comes after an announcement at the start of last year that 130 roles would be axed from the BBC World Service in order to save £6m during the following financial year.

The broadcaster continues to face a challenging struggle for audiences as streaming giants such as Netflix and Disney+ command the market.

While the annual licence fee – the BBC’s main funding stream – increased to £180 on April 1 the corporation remains under significant political and public scrutiny to prove it offers value for money.

A special episode of the ITV soap has been dedicated to raising awareness of domestic abuse after Todd spoke of his experience

Coronation Street stars have explained the use of the colour purple in a special episode of the long-running show dedicated to raising awareness of domestic abuse.

There were difficult to watch scenes in the ITV soap on Wednesday (April 15) night as a bloodied and bruised Todd Grimshaw headed to the police station to report his husband, Theo Silverton, after he subjected him to a horrific beating after months of both mental and physical abuse.

Corrie fans thought things had come to a head when the pair split last month. But Theo didn’t make things easy for Todd as he launched his latest games, and the pair ended up reconciling, with the break-up just another part of Theo’s manipulation tactics.

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After that, things took another shocking turn when they ended up married days later, after Theo sprung a surprise wedding on Todd. Backed into a corner, Todd felt like he had no choice but to say ‘I Do’ and the news didn’t sit well with his loved ones who have become aware of just a small portion of what Todd has been subject to.

But with Todd terrified, he’s only backed Theo more, and was seen agreeing to leave with him for a new life in Belfast. In Wednesday’s (April 15) episode of Corrie, specially dedicated to the abuse storyline, Todd was seen getting his injuries documented at the police station when he locked eyes with another domestic abuse victim. It stopped him in his tracks as she appeared horrified by what she could see.

Todd was then heard telling Kit and DS Lisa Swain the true extent of what he’s been facing at the hands of Theo. He told them about the secret camera footage he’d collated to prove what was going on. He also mentioned that the late Billy Mayhew was the only one aware of the cameras, and that they’d attempted to leave Debbie Webster’s wedding early so that they could come up with an escape plan.

Theo found them, and joined them for the journey back to Weatherfield. Disaster struck when the minibus was caught up in a horrific crash which claimed the vicar’s life – after Theo intervened and stopped him escaping the vehicle before it went up in flames.

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While Todd was giving his statement, back on the street, Gary Windass cornered Theo and threatened him with a wrench. With Gary making it clear that no one would know if he were to attack him, Theo followed his orders and climbed into the van, and the pair made their way to the police station where Lisa was later seen questioning the abuser, after Kit was seen arresting him for ABH and false imprisonment.

After trying to push the blame onto Todd, Theo was held for the night in custody by Lisa. Meanwhile, Sarah took Todd to the hospital, where he collapsed outside the building and was rushed to be helped by paramedics waiting nearby.

As this was going on, Lisa was heard discussing domestic abuse with her colleague, PC Jess Heywood, with a number of scenes showing its impact on a series of extras that were featured throughout the episode, all of which had a flyer for a domestic violence survivors’ support group, in the colour purple.

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Earlier in the episode, Tyrone Dobbs, wearing a purple hoodie, was seen taking the news about Todd difficult following his own experience of domestic abuse. It was all part of a wider initiative by Corrie to highlight domestic abuse awareness, which accompanies a new video created by ITV Pictures and ITV Digital

The actors featured in the poignant video, which is now available on YouTube, play both well-known Corrie characters and guest artists and are all seen either dressed in an item of purple clothing or featuring a purple accessory, as part of a collaboration with the show’s design team as purple is the colour used globally to represent domestic violence awareness, seen as a symbol of peace, courage, survival, and dedication to ending abuse.

Both the video and episode serve to remind people of the saddening reality of how many people suffer from domestic violence, both men and women, at the hands of their partners, with sadly many cases still going unreported.

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Gareth, who plays Todd, shared how important it has felt to work on the episode. He said: “So many domestic abuse survivors have shared their experiences with us throughout this storyline, and weaving those voices into this episode, through the use of colour, felt like a powerful reminder of how widespread stories like Todd’s are.

“I haven’t seen the finished episode yet, but the moment Todd first locks eyes with another survivor in the police station was particularly raw and cathartic to film. It’s been a tough watch at times, and I think the story team – especially writer Debbie Oates and Director Gary Williams – approached this episode with both care and innovation.”

Harriet Bibby, who plays Summer, also recently said of the episode: “I think it is a really powerful episode. Debbie Oates, who wrote it, did a fantastic job because it really does tune you into the reality of things like this, you think it’s few and far between but sadly it isn’t.

“We notice throughout the episode Todd isn’t alone in this, we use the colour purple throughout the episode to signify other people who may have been in an abusive relationship in the past but are maybe in a stronger position now, having come out the other side of it. If you tune into that during the episode, I think it is really powerful, seeing those people alongside Todd’s journey as well.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — An effort to ramp up U.S. weapons production and build more ships, planes and drones will require a massive upfront investment, President Donald Trump’s budget director told a House committee Wednesday.

The testimony from Russell Vought jump-starts the White House’s push to increase defense spending to nearly $1.5 trillion in the next budget year, up from nearly $1 trillion this year, while cutting health research, heating assistance and scores of other domestic programs by about 10% overall. Such cuts do not cover mandatory spending, which includes such programs as Social Security and Medicare.

The debate over Trump’s proposal underscored the sharp divide that will shape some of the most significant policy debates going into a midterm election that will give voters the ultimate say on the direction of the country.

“For the industrial base to double or triple and build more facilities, not just add shifts, it requires multiyear agreements to purchase into the future,” Vought told lawmakers. “That cost has to be booked in this first year.”

The White House is calling for about $1.1 trillion for defense through the regular appropriations process, which typically requires support from both parties for approval. An additional $350 billion would come through a separate bill that Republicans can accomplish on their own, through party-line majority votes.

Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the ranking Democratic member of the committee, said he believes in a strong national defense. But he said the idea of increasing defense by more than 40% while cutting programs that people need shows that the Republican administration’s priorities are “out of whack.”

The committee chairman, Rep. Jodey Arrington predicted the hearing would be more “amped up” than usual, and that proved to be true, beginning with his opening statement focused on criticizing Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency. Arrington, R-Texas, said he did not know of any president in his lifetime who “inherited such a complete and utter mess as President Trump did in January of last year.”

Since then, Arrington said, Trump has secured the border, cut taxes and constrained nondefense spending.

It was the beginning of several back-and-forths at the hearing.

“You know how bad this economy is when we hear Joe Biden being invoked, we hear trans people being invoked. I was waiting for Jimmy Carter to be blamed next,” Boyle said in response to Arrington’s opening remarks.

Boyle said consumer confidence is plummeting under Trump and noted a gas station he passed in Philadelphia recently was selling gas at $4.11 a gallon versus less than $3 a gallon some six weeks ago because of Trump’s “war of choice in Iran.”

Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., called the proposed defense spending increase shocking.

“We’ve never in the history of this country seen spending like this, paid for by slashing health care, education and housing,” Balint said. “Mr. Vought, yes or no, is $350 billion for the war in Iran lowering costs for Americans?”

“It is certainly not defunding child care. We fully fund child care in this budget,” Vought said, not directly answering the question.

Balint went on to incorporate Trump’s “America First” mantra in her questioning.

She said $350 billion could pay for an enhanced health insurance tax credit for 10 years and that her constituents are asking how the country can continue to spend money on wars and not find a solution to helping people afford health care.

Vought said the president has made clear he was not going to let Iran have a nuclear weapons, missiles and a navy that affect U.S. national security.

“He is doing what is necessary to keep us safe, while at the same time trying to pursue diplomacy so that we can get out of wars and lower those costs over time,” Vought said.

Vought said it was unclear how much the administration would seek to fund the war during the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30. That money would be part of an emergency supplemental spending bill and would be on top of the funds the White House is seeking to boost defense spending next year.

“Would it be more than $50 billion?” asked Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas.

“We’re still working on it,” Vought said. “I don’t have a ballpark for you.”