The Crystal Maze returns to C4

If we hadn't been teased with the idea of David Tennant then we might have given Stephen Merchant a chance. But I just can't imagine him being as good as David Tennant, even though we've nothing to based that on.

At worse though those of us who haven't been able to get to the experience are getting a glimpse of it on TV. At best it's paving the way for a future series and a very useful low cost on air pilot. Despite regularly being named amongst the shows people would like to see return this is the first time in 21 years it's return is actually being genuinely discussed, so now the cards are on the table so to speak I think it's a question of when, not if. Even if C4 passed up on it after the celeb edition I think it would proceed elsewhere.


Fizz TV are producing it - they also make Tipping Point and are part of RDF Television. Not quite sure how that all goes back to Chatsworth Television.

RDF is owned by Zodiak who own the Fort Boyard/Crystal Maze format.

Thanks. Thats good news then as it paves the way for the show to sell internationally, making a set which all versions film on a viable prospect. I don't think too many foreign versions of Fort Boyard are made now so dusting The Crystal Maze off the shelf and repositioning it as the worlds next big format would make a lot of sense.

I actually find it surprising this is the first time the Maze has featured celebrity contestants, since even back in the 80s and 90s the odd "celebrity special" showed up on several gameshows. Bullseye, Catchphrase, 15-1 and Family Fortunes to name but a few.

The French Fort Boyard is celebs only, so I expect they may do the same thing with The Crystal Maze.

I think if they commissioned a full series in reality it would be civilian series. What Fort Boyard do is a bit of an irrelevance.

I'm imagining it to be a bit like an advert for GoPro. The size of decent broadcast camera equipment has decreased massively since Crystal Maze was last filmed.

Watching repeats on Challenge does make me realise how naïve I was, thinking they'd managed all those POV shots with some kind of amazingly microscopic camera, or that they'd had a cameraman keeping miraculously out of shot throughout the game until he rushed in to capture the crystal grab shot.

With the rise of the so-called staycation I'm surprised there has been no real effort to reboot the other Ch4/Chatsworth stablemate Treasure Hunt* as an opportunity to show off Britain and the many tourist spots we have.

*The 2002 BBC series really does not count since it was so half hearted.

There was an account written years ago now from one of the contestants about his time on the show. Was interesting to note how episodes were only filmed with a couple of cameras, and so you'd have the team filmed 'choosing' the player and the type of game to play next, the player's entry in to the game cell and then an immediate cut and the player pulled out before the game was played so that the cameras could be set up in that particular cell ready to begin recording. Reaction shots, closeups etc were filmed the following day.

Hardly irrelevant when celeb specials draw in viewers. Imagine the teen generation watching some reality thick person muck up one of the challenges?

if C4 were that daring, they'd do a one off with civilans. I'd prefer a civvy series, yet more celebrity editions would guarantee an audience who'd watch it for them.

It's all about the casting really. The fact is civilian gameshows in themselves still exist so I don't think there is any reason to suggest a 21st century TCM series would just be celebrities. The sort of contestants who were permitted to appear on gameshows in 1990 wouldn't be allowed to do so today.


It's also not relevant because if The Crystal Maze had been broadcast continually for 26 years, they'd have probably just resorted to celebrity specials to guarantee ratings. But there is a different history and legacy here. I would expect a well casted strong character lead a civilian series and lots of celebrity specials.

If you look at an episode of Fort Boyard today it looks like a movie or what I presume an episode of Game of Thrones would be like had I ever viewed such a thing. It's that highly produced feel with genuinely brilliant sets and a good soundtrack that any new TCM series would really need to work here and sell internationally.

I think the Live Experience set could look good on screen if there is good cinematography and trickery lighting will also be important think Aztec is the most iffy simply due to being such a small space, well it's a big space but over three rooms.