The Crystal Maze
| The Crystal Maze | |
|---|---|
Title card used from Series 3 to 6 (1992–95)
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| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Jacques Antoine |
| Presented by |
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| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Zack Laurence |
| Opening theme | "Force Field" |
| Ending theme | "Force Field" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 6 (original) 1 (revival) |
| No. of episodes | 78 (inc. 5 specials) (original) 20 (inc. 1 special) (revival) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) |
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| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) |
Chatsworth Television (1990–95) Fizz in association with Little Lion Entertainment (2016–) |
| Distributor | Zodiak Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Picture format |
PAL (576i) (1990–95) 1080p (16:9) (2016–) |
| Original release | 15 February 1990 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
Interceptor Fort Boyard Jungle Run |
The Crystal Maze is a British game show devised by Jacques Antoine and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The show is set within "The Crystal Maze" - a labyrinth consisting of four different "zones" and its centrepiece called "The Crystal Dome". Each show has a team of contestants travel across the zones, competing in a range of different challenges, with a "time crystal" won for each challenge successfully completed. Upon reaching the centre dome, a time limit is calculated based on the crystals obtained and the team have to collect as many gold tokens as possible in the allotted time to win the prize.
The first four series, including three Christmas specials, were presented by Richard O'Brien, followed by two series and two specials hosted by Edward Tudor-Pole with a one-off, celebrity edition hosted by Stephen Merchant in 2016. On 13 January 2017, it was confirmed that Richard Ayoade would host a new 20 episode series later in the year.
In March 2016, The Crystal Maze Live Experience opened, allowing the public to buy tickets and compete in a replica of the game show's zones and challenges.
Originally Chatsworth Television intended to make a British version of the French show Fort Boyard. The original outlined concept was, according to Richard O’Brien, "kind of like Dungeons and Dragons" with the host acting as the "Dungeon master", O'Brien's name "was thrown into the hat at that point". A pilot of Fort Boyard was filmed, hosted by Richard O'Brien, but after Channel 4 commissioned a full series it became apparent Fort Boyard's set would be unavailable in time for filming. Producer Malcolm Heyworth contacted Fort Boyard's creator Jacques Antoine about developing an alternative format using themed zones as a means to keep the show visually fresh. The Crystal Maze concept was developed in "two days" creating a show which although similar to Fort Boyard, was substantially different in presentation and style.
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