The Crystal Maze returns to C4

Of course who's to say the original show wasn't going to be a fast-paced "oh you screwed that up, never mind, let's play another game" type affair, because all that pace left the show with O'Brien. The Tudor-Pole episodes may be closer to the new version, as those had more "padding" (for want of a better term) and all teams played thirteen games. Previously most teams played at least 14, sometimes 15 games and a 16th in one episode.

I think I read somewhere it was O'Brien's input/style or perhaps personal decision that kept it fast-paced rather than what happened after he left where it was more "you found that rather easy/difficult, how come?" self-assessment/filler in the later two series.

Stings being used as the ident bumpers with a crystal rolling through amaze of blocks.

An interesting article on the set design for the new series (which will be 20 episodes, 5 of which are celebrity specials, and one a Christmas special):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40354288

The new set looks beautiful and faithful to the original.

As to the dome, well it's probably no surprise that the onscreen map and the real life location don't match, really.

I'm more surprised that they did match in the olden days!

From speaking to someone who played the game on the original set twice, once on TV with ETP and once for a charity event with ROB, I was told pretty much everything was how you it was represented on screen and that seems to be pretty much the same now.

Sorry to ruin your Friday night plans. But look what's been uploaded.

https://4id.channel4.com/login?intcmp=header_sign_in&redirectUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fthanks4.channel4.com%2Fvideo%2Fthe-crystal-maze-celebrity-special-premiere

6 minutes to the first game is too long. Hope it's shorter for the norms. First game itself is great though. Will watch the rest later.

I quite enjoyed it, but it felt rushed in places.

They're definitely playing up to how much of the show is edited, but having the timer taken off-screen does make it blindingly obvious that some of the games are being cut down for time constraints.

It's something that happens with a lot of revived TV shows though due to the slight increase in advert break lengths - Gladiators went from six events per show in 1992/3 to just four in the 2008 revival, and I feel that The Crystal Maze is suffering from something similar with fewer events being played, and a lot of the old filler being removed.

Richard Ayoade is a strong host though - I think he'll take a few episodes to settle in, but he's not trying to emulate Richard O'Brien or Ed Tudor-Pole and instead, he's trying to make it his own show.

Richard Ayoade's persona has been fairly well established over the years and I don't think he could get away with trying to be anything other than himself.

I'm going to reserve final judgement until the civilians get a go but my God, I found that team incredibly irritating. Or maybe I've just grown out of celebrity specials of things.

On the reduced game levels, the edits to the Ed Tudor-Pole episodes on Challenge to hem a third break into them and still fit 13 games in into just over an hour long slot showed it was possible, though not in the way it was originally planned, but clearly possible.

On the back of the revival it's clear they prefer pointless padding and inane chatter over game action. Hopefully this will change in the civilian episodes, though as they're only playing 10 games a show I doubt it. Timers vanishing on cutaway shots I hated in the first special and I just hate even more in this one. Oh and I want a timer on the crystal dome as well, though I suspect that'll be edited down too when you go in with 30+ seconds.

Pity the old Crystal Maze record of 10 crystals can't be beaten. Theoretically matched but no team ever won 100% of their games so I fail to see why it should be any different this time round.

I think I'd rather the clock disappeared then the sped up clock of the original series. I didn't think it was that noticeable either.

I think people were always going be slightly disappointed to some extent and the more hardened fan of the original more so.

My main gripes though.

The intro was too long, could have cut it down and snook in an extra game somewhere. Richard was good in the introductory chat, but he's clearly less comfortable than Merchant was, but then that's he's whole schtick. it didn't help the group weren't as good as on the first special. You'd hope they don't spend so long on the intros in the civilian series.

They've built all the same exit points as the original and then not even bothered to use them. I don't think this will bother too many 'normal' viewers, but it does add something to the idea of the Maze that everything is interlinked. And if they're going around in a correct order, even if they have to fudge the transitions it's worth doing. I think the teleportation is probably what I'd have done to replace the lift to Aztec.

Think Richard's going to be an acquired taste, more so than Merchant. For the most part I thought he did a good job. I missed the idea it was his Maze and he lived in Medieval which I didn't pick up on.

On the whole a good TV hour. But just felt it was missing some punch.


I don't think that in itself is a problem really. Your average viewer certainly won't even know what the record is.