WH
Whataday
Founding member
Quote:
Channel 4 has today confirmed the commission of a brand new series of The Crystal Maze from Fizz, RDF Television’s entertainment label. The 20 x 60 series will be hosted by new Maze Master Richard Ayoade, and includes a set of celebrity specials for Stand Up to Cancer.
Producers are already looking for teams of five contestants who have what it takes to navigate the Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Future zones of the maze. They will face a range of skill, mystery, physical and mental challenges to win crystals that equate to time in the final test – the legendary Crystal Dome. Details of how contestants can apply will soon be announced.
The series will be filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, where a purpose built maze spanning over 30,000 square feet is being created by the original Crystal Maze designer, James Dillon (The Mighty Boosh, The Royle Family).
The Crystal Maze, which originally aired from 1990 to 1995, returned to Channel 4 in October 2016 for a Stand Up To Cancer celebrity special and proved a hit with loyal fans and newcomers alike, winning a consolidated audience of 4.3 million viewers. The new series will air this year.
The Crystal Maze will be executive produced by Peter Usher and Neale Simpson for Fizz and has been commissioned by Tom Beck, Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, and Head of Entertainment, Ed Havard. The Crystal Maze is a Banijay Group Format.
Tom Beck, Head of Live & Events at Channel 4 said of the commission "The Stand Up To Cancer special was so brilliant and so successful that commissioning a series of The Crystal Maze was almost a no-brainer. And I couldn’t be more pleased and excited that Richard has agreed to become the new Maze Master – he’s an inspired choice."
Neale Simpson, Creative Director at Fizz adds: "It was a huge privilege to bring this channel-defining show back as a special for Stand Up To Cancer. We’re thrilled at the prospect of building a maze to the scale and cinematic spectacle of the original, and our hope is to bring a new vision to the legendary time travelling adventure that will excite the next generation of viewers."
Producers are already looking for teams of five contestants who have what it takes to navigate the Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Future zones of the maze. They will face a range of skill, mystery, physical and mental challenges to win crystals that equate to time in the final test – the legendary Crystal Dome. Details of how contestants can apply will soon be announced.
The series will be filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, where a purpose built maze spanning over 30,000 square feet is being created by the original Crystal Maze designer, James Dillon (The Mighty Boosh, The Royle Family).
The Crystal Maze, which originally aired from 1990 to 1995, returned to Channel 4 in October 2016 for a Stand Up To Cancer celebrity special and proved a hit with loyal fans and newcomers alike, winning a consolidated audience of 4.3 million viewers. The new series will air this year.
The Crystal Maze will be executive produced by Peter Usher and Neale Simpson for Fizz and has been commissioned by Tom Beck, Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, and Head of Entertainment, Ed Havard. The Crystal Maze is a Banijay Group Format.
Tom Beck, Head of Live & Events at Channel 4 said of the commission "The Stand Up To Cancer special was so brilliant and so successful that commissioning a series of The Crystal Maze was almost a no-brainer. And I couldn’t be more pleased and excited that Richard has agreed to become the new Maze Master – he’s an inspired choice."
Neale Simpson, Creative Director at Fizz adds: "It was a huge privilege to bring this channel-defining show back as a special for Stand Up To Cancer. We’re thrilled at the prospect of building a maze to the scale and cinematic spectacle of the original, and our hope is to bring a new vision to the legendary time travelling adventure that will excite the next generation of viewers."
NJ
Neil Jones
Founding member
Size of two football pitches apparently the original set. How big's a football pitch these days, 100m by 75m, something like that?
PC
Interesting that they're actually building a set to make this on. I would have assumed they would have waited for the Manchester experience to be finished, and then film on that.
WH
Whataday
Founding member
The difference in cost for a series is probably negligible considering how much easier it will be to shoot in a studio. They could do up to 2 or 3 episodes a day in a studio and get the series shot in a couple of weeks. Couldn't see them doing that in one that has to open to the public.
NJ
Neil Jones
Founding member
Wonder if they'll film it original series style with just two cameras or do it "properly" (for want of a better term) with a multi-camera setup?
It was no secret the original series was done with a limited number of cameras but was ultimately packaged in a way as to suggest they had more through use of the pick-up shots. Think it was something like five weeks filming for 13 episodes and another four months to edit things together. I dare say these days one can turn the edit around far quicker than you could twenty five years ago.
It was no secret the original series was done with a limited number of cameras but was ultimately packaged in a way as to suggest they had more through use of the pick-up shots. Think it was something like five weeks filming for 13 episodes and another four months to edit things together. I dare say these days one can turn the edit around far quicker than you could twenty five years ago.
HC
Should show you all you needed to know from the old CM location of RAF North Weald (or as credited Aces High Studios)
DA
It was a secret to me! (on original viewing) And I never did find out how those on-screen token counters worked...
It was no secret the original series was done with a limited number of cameras
It was a secret to me! (on original viewing) And I never did find out how those on-screen token counters worked...
SP
These days you'd probably have a load of Go Pros strategically placed to get additional shots to drop into the edit
LL
I wonder if Little Lion Entertainment were rubbing their hands hoping they'd get a deal with them.
NJ
It was a secret to me! (on original viewing) And I never did find out how those on-screen token counters worked...
Actually now I think about it the secret (on filming) was probably given away in one of the Crystal Maze books and the Bob Lishman website (he was a contestant on the show in Series 6) confirmed this was the case then so it probably applied earlier on as well.
And they apparently got through Danish Pastries in the green room like there was no tomorrow, according to Lishman anyway.
Neil Jones
Founding member
It was no secret the original series was done with a limited number of cameras
It was a secret to me! (on original viewing) And I never did find out how those on-screen token counters worked...
Actually now I think about it the secret (on filming) was probably given away in one of the Crystal Maze books and the Bob Lishman website (he was a contestant on the show in Series 6) confirmed this was the case then so it probably applied earlier on as well.
And they apparently got through Danish Pastries in the green room like there was no tomorrow, according to Lishman anyway.