This story from The Sun has got a few people excited:
Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden is set to front a new game show based on 1990s classic The Crystal Maze.
ITV chiefs are understood to be planning to revive the cult series which saw contestants grab at fluttering gold foil tokens as giant fans blew them around a perspex dome.
The new show hosted by Amanda, below, will feature teams of celebrities instead of members of the public tackling brain-teasers in order to reach the Crystal Dome finale.
An insider said: “ITV are huge fans of Amanda and are looking at a number of different game-show concepts but this is certainly the one they are excited about.
“They are spending a lot of money and hope it will surpass – and blow away – the old Crystal Maze.”
(That story in full: Restart the fans please!)
“Understood to be planning”? That tells us NOTHING. Some pseudorandom thoughts, then:
1. “Spending a lot of money”? They’ll have to. The Crystal Maze is an expensive show to do right. Is ITV looking to build a facility and hire it out to foreign versions?
2. Amanda Holden? No, no, no.
3. Or could this in fact be Fort Boyard? It’s easy to forget that outside of a dozen or so game show fanatics on the internet, nobody in the UK has heard of Fort Boyard, or if they have, they’ve forgotten it. What’s the nearest thing in Sun-speak? The Crystal Maze. Wouldn’t want to confuse our readership, would we?
4. Celebrities? This could easily become more like The Adventure Game. Especially if it’s done on the cheap. That wouldn’t be so bad, actually.
5. I say again, Amanda Holden. NO.
I was ecstatic when I read The Crystal Maze was due to return, I am a massive fan and have waited years for this, but ITV cannot cock it up with celebrities and Amanda bloody Holden. The game show is held in high regard across the world, and the quality cannot slip. ITV will need to spend a LOT of money and keep to the original format and zones, and not “f” with it.
The old original set at Aces High Studio at North Weald Airfield cost £500,000 to construct and some 50,000 man hours to build. If ITV better this, then I will be very impressed.
All I can say is I hope it does come back to itv and soon! Its now 2012 and I hope that Crystal Maze will be back! I say bring back Richard o’brian as host and try and keep it orginal! Not this rubbish new them tune! I say its very possible for the cost to re-do but now these days have all the health and safety rubbish with it but I think that the crystal maze can overcome this! Its a fab show and I love it I have seen all the original series as well! Also how about keeping old games as well! that be more fab!