The Crystal Maze to return with Stephen Merchant [Updated]

[Oakster]

The Crystal Maze to return to Channel 4 for Stand Up To Cancer.

Celebrity Special to be Produced by Fizz and filmed at Live London Experience

After a 21-year absence from our screens, celebrated adventure gameshow The Crystal Maze is returning to air as part of Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer campaign this October. Stand Up To Cancer is a joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.

Comedian, writer and actor Stephen Merchant will host the one-off special guiding a team of celebrity contestants around the Aztec, Medieval, Futuristic and Industrial zones before sending them in to face the fans in the iconic Crystal Dome.

Stephen said: "As a huge fan of the original series, I’m honoured to support Stand Up To Cancer by hosting this one-off edition of The Crystal Maze. Richard O’Brien and Ed Tudor-Pole leave big shoes to fill, but I have size 14 feet, so I’ll do my best."

The team of famous faces from the worlds of entertainment and sport who are limbering up to crack The Crystal Maze will be announced soon. Rather than win a day out at an adventure park (or the booby prize of a replica crystal) each of our celebrities will be playing for time in the Crystal Dome – the gold and silver tokens they collect will all raise money for Stand Up To Cancer.

The special will be filmed in London at The Crystal Maze Live Experience created by Little Lion Entertainment, and is produced for Channel 4 by Fizz (part of RDF). The Crystal Maze was recreated as a live experience earlier this year by Little Lion Entertainment who are building a selection of old favourites and new games for the special.

The original The Crystal Maze, presented by Richard O’Brien and Ed Tudor-Pole, aired for six series between 1990 and 1995 and became cult viewing. The hit series saw a team of contestants pitting their wits against the clock within four zones of games to gain entry to the Crystal Dome.

The Crystal Maze will be executive produced by Peter Usher and Neale Simpson for Fizz. The celebrity special has been commissioned by Tom Beck, Commissioning Editor for Live & Events and Head of TV Events Ed Havard.

Ed Havard, Channel 4’s Head of TV Events, comments: “We wanted something extra special for the Stand Up To Cancer campaign this year, so we’re delighted that Crystal Maze will be returning for a celebrity one-off. And in Stephen Merchant we have the perfect host – he is our dream booking for this show.”

Peter Usher executive producer at Fizz adds: “It’s an exciting challenge to make this celebrity special everything that fans of the show will be expecting whilst also entertaining a new generation of viewers who weren;t even a twinkle in Mumsy’s eye when The Crystal Maze first aired.”

Tom Lionetti-Maguire, Founder, Little Lion Entertainment says: “Seeing people’s joy at playing The Crystal Maze for themselves has been a dream and we’re overjoyed that the beautiful world we created will be the backdrop to such a special comeback and such a worthy cause.”

The Crystal Maze special, sponsored by BT, will form part of a wider season of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) programming on Channel 4, including a four-part all celebrity series of The Island with Bear Grylls, sponsored by Scottish Power.

Stand Up To Cancer is a joint national fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4 to accelerate new cancer treatments to UK patients and save more lives, more quickly. The special edition will air as part of Channel 4 and Cancer Research UK’s Stand Up to Cancer campaign this October.

Fizz and RDF are Banijay UK Companies. The Crystal Maze is a Banijay format.

[Hit Girl]

Bring it back with celebrity teams for occasional specials to raise money for good causes.

[DiBiase is Good]

This is one of the first times I can remember when The Crystal Maze is not being repeated on one of the various channels (normally Challenge). It upsets me because even though I've seen every episode at least a dozen times, I could watch them all again right now.

[FinalGwen]

I wonder if it'll be using anything from the already-set-up live experience thing. It'd need a few tweaks for a higher budget, but has most of the stuff they need. All it was really missing was a proper set around the Crystal Dome. I wanted the raising bridge, dammit!

But still, great news if they can get it right. Tennant could work pretty well, although I do wonder if he's too much of a big name. Richard O'Brien was known but hadn't been hugely active before that point on TV, and nobody really knew much about Ed Tudor Pole beyond 'Swords Of A Thousand Men', so he fit in pretty seamlessly. I can see Tennant pulling it off, because he does have the kind of humour that'd work for it, but I hope it doesn't strike too much of 'hello, I'm the celebrity host'.

[DiBiase is Good]

Aug 31, 2016 21:48:35 GMT -5 FinalGwen said:

I wonder if it'll be using anything from the already-set-up live experience thing. It'd need a few tweaks for a higher budget, but has most of the stuff they need. All it was really missing was a proper set around the Crystal Dome. I wanted the raising bridge, dammit!

But still, great news if they can get it right. Tennant could work pretty well, although I do wonder if he's too much of a big name. Richard O'Brien was known but hadn't been hugely active before that point on TV, and nobody really knew much about Ed Tudor Pole beyond 'Swords Of A Thousand Men', so he fit in pretty seamlessly. I can see Tennant pulling it off, because he does have the kind of humour that'd work for it, but I hope it doesn't strike too much of 'hello, I'm the celebrity host'.

The thing about both Richard and Edward (but you can call me Ed) was that they were both massive attention whores when hosting the show, yet somehow always kept the balance between showing off and actually hosting it spot on. For example, Richard would always play the harmonica (the same f***ing tune every time!) when there was a less action-packed game and likewise, Ed would flirt with the computer or have a duel with an imaginary opponent at a similar lull in the action (or at least, it was edited that way).
I'd love to see some kind of appearance from them both on the new special, maybe something similar to Ed's first episode when we got the clip of Richard leaving with Mumsy on a motorbike and handing the maze over to the new Custodian. Although I don't know if Ed would want to be involved as I read he isn't as keen to discuss his time on the show as there have been some very harsh criticisms of his hosting. Which is totally unfair IMO, Ed did a fine job as host, it's just that Richard was so beloved, no one could ever be as good.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Please no.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Sept 1, 2016 9:09:24 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Please no.

You got your wish.

Apparently it'll be Stephen Merchant.

[Fauxnaki]

Tennants to young and not bald. The old presenter made this show you truly believed that it was his maze. Tennants gonna bring his nice and quirky attitude to it which wont fit the show in my opinion. The presenter should never break kayfabe

[A Platypus Rave]

who will be hosting this tomorrow?

[FinalGwen]

Tennant, despite his fame, could have pulled it off with eccentricity and style. Merchant is the safe celebrity option. He won't have the writing behind Wheatley to carry him here.

[Hit Girl]

Sept 1, 2016 12:20:49 GMT -5 Fauxnaki said:

The presenter should never break kayfabe

This is essential.

When they switched INDUSTRIAL to OCEAN, Richard O'Brien explained, in character, that they found a lost ocean liner under the old zone during routine maintenance.

It was hilarious.

[Fauxnaki]

Sept 1, 2016 16:40:09 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

Sept 1, 2016 12:20:49 GMT -5 Fauxnaki said:

The presenter should never break kayfabe

This is essential.

When they switched INDUSTRIAL to OCEAN, Richard O'Brien explained, in character, that they found a lost ocean liner under the old zone during routine maintenance.

It was hilarious.

Don't forgot about his mum aswell

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Sept 1, 2016 13:11:20 GMT -5 FinalGwen said:

Tennant, despite his fame, could have pulled it off with eccentricity and style. Merchant is the safe celebrity option. He won't have the writing behind Wheatley to carry him here.

Yeah, as much as I hate his Doctor, I think Tennant could have run around like he lived there. Merchant I see as more "Hello, here's the Crystal Maze and I'm presenting".

If you're doing this, you need an actor, not a host.

[Legion]

Awww, really?

Merchant sucks. He has one mode, one character.

[sternrogers01]

A whole series has now been commissioned, but replacing Merchant is Richard Ayoade

www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a818911/the-crystal-maze-return-channel-4-richard-ayoade/

20 hour long episodes.

[crashmatsbazz]

Jan 13, 2017 6:40:56 GMT -5 sternrogers01 said:

A whole series has now been commissioned, but replacing Merchant is Richard Ayoade

www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a818911/the-crystal-maze-return-channel-4-richard-ayoade/

20 hour long episodes.

20 hour long episodes seems a bit much, what will Channel 4 put on for the other 4 hours of the day?

[Ryback on a Pole!]

I forgot all about this.

How was the Merchant special? I don't know much about Ayoade but a quick google shows he's famous for The Mighty Boosh which I couldn't stand and The IT crowd which I also couldn't stand.

[Jiren]

I like Steve Merchant, Looking forward to this

[Bo Rida]

Oh damn that's the guy with the travel show ain't it? He seems completely wrong for this. Well his real personality does, if he's good at playing a character it could work.

[sternrogers01]

Jan 13, 2017 9:23:32 GMT -5 Jiren said:

I like Steve Merchant, Looking forward to this

He's not hosting it when it goes to series