Treasure Hunt Vs The Crystal Maze

Treasure Hunt Vs The Crystal Maze

We can all remember the two highest rated gameshows on Channel 4 in the 80's and early 90's, they were the magnificance of Treasure Hunt and the mysteriousness of The Crystal Maze but which was your favourite?

We remember Treasure Hunt by either Anneka Rice's backside, her brightly coloured Jumpsuits or Kenneth Kendall. Treasure Hunt isn't dead - BBC TWO filmed two new series in 2002 and 2003, but with a new cast. Kenneth, Anneka and Wincey disappeared and were replaced by Dermot Murnaghan and Suzi Perry, who revived the show.
Ran from 1983-1989, and 2002,2003.

Then there was Interceptor. The fast paced adventure gameshow with Annabel Croft, the (ill-fated?) Tennis player as the presenter, and the stuntman Sean O'Kane as the evil Interceptor. The show was like a giant adult game of Hide and Seek.
Ran for a feeble one series

The Crystal Maze was the next big thing from the makers of Treasure Hunt. This was a giant fantasy world with games and was presented by Richard O'Brian- until he left in 1993, and Ed Tudor-Pole took the reins in 1994. The aim was to win crystals which meant time inside a massive crystal collecting Gold tokens.
Ran from 1990-1995.

Who was your favourite Skyrunner on Treasure Hunt?
Who was your favourite presenter on The Crystal Maze?
Which programme did you prefer?

Your lack of mention of The Interceptor has upset me beyond belief

Well technically for me it would be The Crystal Maze only because I was brought up on it, as I was only born in 1987 you see, when Treasure Hunt was axed in 1989 meaning I couldn't really watch it. Though I enjoyed the reruns of Treasure Hunt on Challenge TV these past few years. Though both shows are just as good as each other. I guess Treasure Hunt was ahead of it's time, but I think it went down when Anneka Rice left to go to the BBC.

Though I must have only been one of only few people who still liked The Crystal Maze when Ed Tudor Pole took over, but he couldn't beat The Crystal Maze.

Though I seem to remember that there was a Crystal Maze thing in Blackpool, though I din't think it is there anymore.

I couldn't really get into Treasure Hunt when it was on BBC Two it was a good effort for a remake but it didn't work. It didn't have that special thing about it, they would have been better if they got Kenneth Kendall to replace Dermot Murnagham and Wincey Willis to replace a computer.

Seconded!!!

Crystal Maze, though Treasure Hunt wasn't too bad for what it was.



I don't think the new version was anywhere near as exciting or interesting as the original version. It looked very polished and pretty but I do prefer the 80's one. Seems that plenty of remade material (Treasure Hunt, Basil Brush, Crossroads, Forsyth Saga etc) doesn't seem to have any of the appeal from viewers who saw them first time round.



ITV show, ran for 8 episodes. Challenge bought them all. Didn't see it first time round and watching it on Challenge, I find the concept pretty boring, really. I'm sure it was a good thing in 1989 but not my cup of tea.



I think the scale of the show bought its own downfall. I mean, 50 games every series? Ed Tudor-Pole was what Craig Charles on Takeshi's Castle would call a Wassock. Though he's done well for himself since: http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0876128/ Ed was okay for what he did but it just wasn't the same anymore. Seeing the episodes running on Challenge it felt a bit more dumbed down and easier in the final series than it did in the 1990 series.

Treasure Hunt by far in the Anneka Rice days. It worked best on commercial TV where the commercials were the ideal junctions for scene resetting.

I do know however of an amusing incident in the filming of one episode where they started recording an hour before they initially intended to and hadn't informed the sites. Of course the laid plans for the site 'host' to be ready went haywire and luckily the unfortunate person who had with no notice to stand-in after the chopper had landed pulled it off marvellously.

The PR guy for the company concerned arrived on site only to see the helicopter departing.

He was NOT amused (he was a rather smarmy character who wanted his 15 minutes of fame and didn't get it.)

The Crystal Maze was by far the better programme although Treasure Hunt was still great!

There was rumours on here last year that The Crystal Maze was going to return...made by Challenge? and it would also be shown on Channel 4.

Does anybody know anything more about this?

Maze was my top show (one of the best shows ever IMO) but Hunt was good (old and new) and, having discovered Interceptor through the Challenge screenings, that's cool too. O'Brien was the best host of the Maze.