The last few series has seen a lack of tasks, in particular ones which are lighthearted and fun. It seems the focus nowadays are tasks designed to cause conflict.

What's happened to the weekly shopping tasks? I miss the ones which drag out for a few days. Bring back the blackboard for the shopping list too, it used to create natural arguments with the housemates adding up in a limited amount of time with too many people chipping in.

Are tasks essential to Big Brother? Are you happy with the standard of the tasks lately and what are your favourite BB tasks from the past?

of course tasks are essential? What else do you expect them to do?

I do agree with you view of recent tasks all being about causing conflict which is no fun at all. I would like to see the blackboard too.

There is no question that the single greatest week in the whole history of BB - taskwise - was the week in BB7 which started with the best friends task and then led directly into the prison task. The sheer amount of planning that went into that whole week, how everything fitted together so perfectly was BB at its very best. From the very funny gifts the friends gave each other, to their unknowing choosing who to be a guard and who to be a prisoner, the revelation of the twist (and the prisoners desperate attempts to keep it secret), the still oblivious guards thinking they had the best deaL, (Michael in the DR was classic smugness!) and the climax with the letters from home, the one and only time there was real emotion in any letters (remember Richard's ) and thats just s few of the highlights of that incredible week.

I do think they are essential to the show. It's just a shame the producers no longer seem to think so with their inability to come up with anything that doesn't involve outside information, stirring up discord, outing everything the housemates have said etc ....

I really do miss the 2 or 3 day long shopping tasks, especially when some HM's would have to work a night shift.
I miss the imagination and creativity that went in to them, even the secret missions and daily tasks. I miss the housemates being properly challenged.

Of course the most stand out task ever was the infamous box task. So simple yet so brilliant.

I think the success of those tasks might be due more to clever casting than the task itself?
If the same thing had been given to recent housemates would it have been as entertaining?

That is true, timing is everything. Everything including the hms were just right for that week - doing the exact same thing in another BB with other hms (even if it never happened in BB7) would not have had the same effect.

Tasks are better than twists.

The example i gave featured a twist within a task !