Hoots, tasks and minimalists make for NYD telly

TV highlights for New Years Day 2021.

For the first time ever, the almighty Taskmaster Greg Davies welcomes five new faces from the worlds of TV, film, radio, dance and journalism, to set them a series of ludicrous challenges in a one-off festive special with his little assistant Alex Horne.

How will actor John Hannah, Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan, TV and radio presenter Rylan Clark-Neal, and internationally renowned dancer and Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas fare in the most hard-fought, high-stakes game show on television?

Taskmaster’s New Year Treat, 9pm, Channel 4

Join Jools Holland as he takes a look back at some of the many artists that have joined him and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra on that very special night of nights to see in a new year.

Featuring performances by global stars like Adele and Michael Bublé to Soul, Reggae and Jazz legends like Desmond Dekker, Betty Wright and Gregory Porter plus classic duets from the likes of Amy Winehouse & Paul Weller, and Ronnie Wood and Slash. Dust off the dancing shoes and relive some timeless classics!

Jools’ Annual Hootenanny Best Bits Ever, 10.45pm, BBC Two

The film’s title was inspired by the popular maxim “Less is more,” popularized by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), who used this aphorism to describe his design aesthetic; his tactic was one of arranging the necessary components of a building to create an impression of extreme simplicity.

The Minimalists have reworked this phrase to create a sense of urgency for today’s consumer culture: now is the time for less.

The Minimalists: Less Is Now, streaming from today on Netflix