Channel 4 enlists Richard Ayoade to guide viewers through The Crystal Maze
Richard Ayoade is to headline a new series of the Crystal Maze as Channel 4 looks to resurrect the long-dead show.
The Crystal Maze come back
It follows a one-off episode hosted by Stephen Merchant on Channel 4 in October 2016 for a Stand Up To Cancer celebrity special, it garnered an audience of 4.3 million people, hinting at an interest in the show’s return.
There might be a wider UK trend of rebooting long-dead, but once popular TV formats, BBC's Robot Wars, which is currently shooting a second season, is one such example.
Tom Beck, head of live and events at Channel 4 said of the commission, said: “The Stand Up To Cancer special was so brilliant and so successful that commissioning a series of The Crystal Maze was almost a no-brainer. And I couldn’t be more pleased and excited that Richard has agreed to become the new Maze Master – he’s an inspired choice.”
Neale Simpson, creative director at Fizz, the production studio behind the show, said: "It was a huge privilege to bring this channel-defining show back as a special for Stand Up To Cancer. We’re thrilled at the prospect of building a maze to the scale and cinematic spectacle of the original, and our hope is to bring a new vision to the legendary time travelling adventure that will excite the next generation of viewers."
The Sun reports that in taking the role, Ayoade has effectively turned down a role in Channel 4’s rebooted Great British Bake Off.
The Crystal Maze originally aired from 1990 to 1995.