The Crystal Maze ReturnsMovies

[Robin]

Hot on the heels of every channel digging up the 80's and 90's best loved programmes another favorite The Crystal Maze is coming back, but only for a charity celebrity special. If it gets good ratings they could make another series.

It will be set in the The Crystal Maze Live Experience attraction in London which unfortunately is no where near on the scale of the original set. David Tennant was rumored to be the host which would have been a perfect fit but somehow we have ended up with Stephen Merchant which is a poor choice imo.

Remember how dopey the original contestants used to be! The special will feature Rio Ferdinand, Michelle Keegan, Jonnie Peacock, Sara Cox and Josh Widdicombe.

 

[Samus]

As is usually the case I have a feeling this will be terrible and not a patch on the classic.

 

[Liquid]

One of the best TV themes ever.

 

[Samus]

As a kid it was the greatest game show ever. IIRC it was on at 7pm which for a little kid was pushing close to bedtime, so if you were allowed to stay up to watch it it was a great treat.

Watching them all back on Challenge as an adult was still greatly entertaining, only the first series really aged.

 

[Robin]

It was really excellent. Perfect example of when you put a lot of money and effort into a program it can pay off big time. None of this scripted reality made on the cheap nonsense, this was ambitious and riveting to watch. I also was a kid when it was airing and it did really well with that demographic... who are now all millennials and obsessed with everything retro!

 

[Wiegert]

Tudor-Pole hosting the final series is one of my earliest TV memories. Nothing will ever surpass that level of prime-time nostalgia, although it's a shame I never witnessed anything from the O'Brien period until much, much later.

David Tennant was rumored to be the host which would have been a perfect fit

Imagining any of the recent Doctors in a hosting role centred around eccentricity and odd dress habits is easy enough, I guess.

 

[Samus]

What was great about it beyond the host and general format is that it was, as a kid, believable. You really felt the atmosphere of each zone, with the transitions between them, sailing up the "river" to start and so on. You wanted to visit the zones and explore, you didn't just feel like they were stages in an air hangar.

With the remake hopefully they also manage that feeling. The reviews for the public version that they'll be using seem to be good so who knows.

 

[Robin]

What was great about it beyond the host and general format is that it was, as a kid, believable. You really felt the atmosphere of each zone, with the transitions between them, sailing up the "river" to start and so on. You wanted to visit the zones and explore, you didn't just feel like they were stages in an air hangar.

With the remake hopefully they also manage that feeling. The reviews for the public version that they'll be using seem to be good so who knows.

This. The greatest thing about it was the fantasy was so believable. You could really get into it and as you said much of this came from the excellent set design and also the narrative from the host. It was almost like a stage play at times. A bunch of people traveling through time with an eccentric guide was riveting TV because your imagination made it even bigger in your mind!

They would never spend £250,000 (£560,000 in today's money) on building a set like that again. TV stations don't really want to spend money like that anymore on anything other than dramas. They can make TOWIE for 50p!

 

[Samus]

Seen a couple of trailers for this, looks alright. Merchant is in character with what looks like a bald cap and there is a cameo from Richard via video by the looks of it. Games looked to be mostly familiar favourites.

 

[Samus]

Thought this was pretty good. Certainly looked and felt lower budget but it still worked without the high production, the classic games were still fun to watch.

Merchant did a good job, wisely took a completely different approach than the old hosts with more comedy and I liked it.

Hope they bring it back properly, complete with dippy contestants.

 

[Robin]

Channel 4 is bringing The Crystal Maze back for a full series hosted by Richard Ayoade. I'm not sure if it will be filmed on a purpose built set or where the special was filmed. It could do with a higher level of production and budget IMO if they are going to make a proper go of it.

 

[Robin]

The Crystal Maze: First look at Richard Ayoade as host of all-new series

The first of 20 hour-long episodes will air in June.

Beloved game show The Crystal Maze is returning in June with Richard Ayoade on presenting duties, and Channel 4 has released a first look at the actor-director in action.

Ayoade will host 20 hour-long episodes taking over from Stephen Merchant who oversaw a one-off celebrity version in October 2016 in aid of Stand Up to Cancer.

This new run will take place at a purpose-built maze in Bristol that was devised by original designer James Dillon; it spans over 30,000 feet.

Ayoade, star of C4 sitcom The IT Crowd and director of films Submarine and The Double, will bring his irreverent wit to proceedings, taking over from past hosts Richard O'Brien and Ed Tudor-Pole.

The series' format will remain largely the same with teams of five contestants putting their physical and mental skills to the test in a bid to make it to the crystal dome. They'll navigate the Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Future zones of the maze facing "a range of skill, mystery, physical and mental challenges."

Glad to see it's a purpose built set, the London experience one looked pretty terrible.

 

[Sting]

I used to watch this religiously as a kid, and always, always wanted to go on the show. My favourite zone was Ocean as I loved the set design, back story and even the water themed challenges.

 

[Robin]

I used to watch this religiously as a kid, and always, always wanted to go on the show. My favourite zone was Ocean as I loved the set design, back story and even the water themed challenges.

I also loved the Ocean Zone, it really had the feeling of a sunken ship with an air pocket in its interior and it had some of the most interesting challenges (usually water based). It's a pity it was discontinued and hasn't been brought back for this new one either.

 

[PeterJB]

Was there even a Ocean zone? I remember Aztec, Medieval, Futuristic and Industrial.

 

[Robin]

Was there even a Ocean zone? I remember Aztec, Medieval, Futuristic and Industrial.

Yes, they replaced Industrial with Ocean from series 4 onwards. Originally it was a pristine sunken ship then got grottier to reflect it being underwater for a long period of time. The attention to detail with all of this was staggering.

 

[Sprite]

Ussed to love watching this back in the day. If I'm not mistaken usually earlier on in the night before Red Dwarf?

Richard O'Brien was perfect too.

 

[Famine]

This week's episode was terrific in a "cringe yourself into your own perineum" way.

There's so much I want to say about it, but it will spoil that fact that it is unwatchably watchable even from the moment the team is introduced.

I will say that they absolutely destroyed a game that everyone else has struggled with, and deserve credit for that. However...

... just watch it.

Spoiler: This ruins the team reveal, but may compel you to watch it

They're furries.