2019 is shaping up to be a good year, with lots of things to look forward to as Crystal Maze Fans. Firstly, we have the brand new London Crystal Maze at London's West End, which opens on 29th March 2019. I had one more visit to the original Angel Maze on 10th January, that is sadly closing for good in a few days. We owe a lot to that venue, if we all didn't crowd fund it the way we all did, it wouldn't of returned as a live experience, let alone another TV series. Let's not forget the 2016 Pilot with Stephen Merchant was recorded there.
We have tickets for opening day of the new West End Maze. They've spent £5 million pounds on the new Maze Live Experience, so we can't wait to see what it's like. In terms of new merchandise, we will just have to keep our eyes peeled and see what unfolds. Richard O'Brien turns 77 years old in March. He's one person we want to wrap in cotton wool forever. Edward Tudor-Pole meanwhile will be 64 in December this year. Richard Ayoade will be 42 in June. Keep supporting the Crystal Maze, let's keep it here for good. Next year it will be thirty years since the Maze was born.
11. Did any parts of Industrial Zone get recycled into the Ocean Zone set, and where did all of the Maze props come from? N: James re-used flattage from a few of the cells, but the design was so different as well as the layout and construction method that not much could be. Most props on series 2 were hired. There were/are several large film and TV hire companies around London and between them you can hire a truly amazing range of things from every period in history imaginable. Prop hire is quite expensive but very convenient and time saving – you turn up walk around an enormous Aladdin’s cave of warehouses picking what you want. But it is expensive because prop companies need to have big warehouses and stock so many things – many of which might only get hired for a few days or weeks a year or even over several years. When Channel 4 committed to the show longer term and we were able to keep the set up at North Weald for 5 years - we hired less and less each year and bought or had made what we wanted. This saved money that could be spent on other things. The one thing that was still hired each year was the table in Medieval – a beautiful large antique oak table that would have cost a fortune in a shop and would have cost a lot too to make from scratch. 12. Was the Crystal Dome visible from any of the zones? Where was it the most easiest to access from, as I have always wondered this, because the shot of them running to the dome was not geographically accurate in terms of the map?
N: You couldn’t see the dome, but you could see the black star cloths that encircled it – only by looking up and off the top of the sets though. The set was laid out exactly as the animated show graphic depicts in the programmes. You see it when teams arrive in a new zone and it rotates and camera zooms in on the new zone. The dome was in the middle and you could only practically access it from the ‘path’ that led from the edge of the set between Industrial/Ocean and Medieval and ran under the bridge obstacle that the teams used to get between the two. The shot of the run to the dome was artistic licence – just a visual mechanism for the transition!
13. What I particularly loved were the ‘zone events’ that brought the Crystal Maze to life, such as the meteorite storm in futuristic, the plane wreckage and parachute in Aztec, and the night setting in Aztec. Did your team think of any others, and how were they devised? N: Everyone contributed ideas and they added humour, variety and something for the presenter to talk about or do during a slightly boring or longer running game. David usually picked the ideas he liked. I came up with the idea of having a ‘What The Butler Saw’ machine which I used to see on Brighton Pier when I was a child. I thought Ed could peer in, turn the handle and make up a lot of nonsense about what he was seeing. David loved the idea and it grew into a production number. On one of our shoot days we dressed our floor assistant Sharon up like a Victorian French maid and Ed as a gentlemen with huge moustache, and filmed him chasing Sharon and waving a loofah! This was then edited to look like vintage Victorian “erotica” and shown in the episode. Another idea I had was a magic show already set up in Ocean when the team arrive and Ed would walk into the cabinet and re-appear at the top of the staircase - or similar such gag – but it never progressed.
14. What could have a Series 7 looked like, had the original show continued beyond 1995? N: We were talking about replacing a zone – probably Aztec. No-one had come up with a solid idea though as to what the zone would be. I think David and Malcolm had discussed Wild West zone as an idea. But apart from that I think everything else would have stayed pretty much the same with the addition of a new dome and funkier moving lights.
15. How do you feel about the continuing success of the show today, with re-runs, live experiences, the new series, merchandise and a new modern following? Why do you think it is still so enduring and popular? N: It is a perfect format and at the time completely original (although based on the Fort Boyard format that show had not been seen in the UK), and the new series is introducing a whole new generation of fans in addition that never grew up with the C4 series or wouldn’t watch re-runs of anything from so long ago. It was also very popular abroad. Star Asia (covering the whole of Asia and parts of Africa, Middle East and Oceania) ran all the series and repeated them quite often. Over the years we received quite a few fan letters that had been sent from this region – often not in English and some just addressed “Crystal Maze, England”. I take my hat off to the Post Office because most of these letters found their way eventually to Channel 4 (via BBC or ITV sometimes) but several got delivered directly to North Weald airfield! Merchandising, live experiences and the like are natural spin-offs of popular shows.
I haven’t watched the new series religiously, but have seen a few. I think it’s great. It’s always easy to criticise when things are remade and moan that they aren’t the same as the original. But if you are re-launching something you need to change some things and make it more ‘of the moment’. The set looks as good as ever and I think the lighting is far better, even accounting for newer technology and high definition. The games I’ve seen are particularly good. I have always liked Richard Ayoade and nothing personal against him but I still believe the show should have cast an unknown and not made any “celebrity” episodes, which I find a turn-off. Unfortunately many TV execs/commissioners and producers are just too risk-averse these days and simply not brave enough to try new things very often. As for the teams knowing each other, I think it works except for the buying out vs not buying out tension that has been lost. It’s a shame too that the Aztec river, dome tank and deeper water games we could do in Ocean have also been lost, but I suspect this has to do with time (I’m told they shoot 2 shows a day, but we had the luxury of 2 days to make 1 show), money and space pressures, which have also scuppered the vignettes (“Zone events” as you called them) that were so popular before. Is the new series any worse? Not at all. Is it any better? No, just a little different. The biggest disappointment for me is the costumes. Our costumes on the original series were pretty terrible – there never seemed to be enough money left over for the wardrobe department once design, lighting and special effects had spent so much. It’s a shame really because they are the one thing that is seen on screen all the time. I don’t think David or Malcolm were really happy until series 5 when we finally tackled it and they looked much more modern, were better fitting on all body types and also appeared more adventurous. The new series seem to have regressed back to what we had on our series 3 and 4 – ill fitting, baggy boiler suits that look like what they wear at your local tyre and exhaust garage! 16. Do you know why the original series was never released onto DVD? N: No and it’s strange – I guess that as the series are still shown on channels like Challenge, if people want them they can get them for free, and maybe DVDs wouldn’t sell very well?
Left, the egg timer today in 2019, and right, O'Brien holding it in Medieval
Ok, so today was an awesome day, I travelled to London and met up with Nick Badham in person, the Production Manager for Series 2-6 of The Crystal Maze. We met in a pub in Victoria this afternoon. I nipped to the bar to buy him a pint, came back and out came an actual Medieval Egg Timer Prop from the 90s set, which was used by both Edward Tudor-Pole and Richard O'Brien. Wow! He had started the timer with the sand running through and joked I had to get back with the drinks quickly.
There we were talking in a London Pub, with a prop from a massively popular TV show sitting there, as if it were a table decoration. He very generously gave me the original Medieval timer for me to keep! This lovely gesture was a token of being a true fan of the show. (Thank you so much Nick you've made my 2019 already, and we are only two weeks in!). I've supported and loved the original series through this blog. We spoke for an hour in depth about his previous and current shows, as well as Crystal Maze. What struck me is he is very talented and skillful in TV Entertainment. Some of his earlier shows did not enjoy the technology we have today, so Nick always sought to overcome production challenges. I enjoyed listening to all his stories about working on Crystal Maze. Some amazing things I learned today from him, were that there were actually three different types of Crystals used on the original series. One type for gameplay (clear), one type presented to contestants (colourful), and a colourful Crystal with mirrored bottom for the Crystal Table. Wow!
I learned that there was only ever one injury on the set of The Crystal Maze, however that was not a contestant. Unfortunately a Video Editor broke their nose on the Rat Run game. (Industrial, Series 3). There were several first aid trained team members and a Local A&E department very near by.
They had to keep rats at bay on set. I learned that they had to bring in a local swimming pool company to weekly treat the water tanks in Ocean and Aztec, and they had to construct a large element to keep the Ocean tank warm, as well as a filtration system. This was because trodden Aztec sand from the contestants would cloud the water.
I also learned that Ed Tudor Pole and Richard O'Brien only ever actually met for the first time ever back in 2012 at a Maze Crew reunion! I never knew this. Nick went on to say that C4 once received complaints about the 'House Burglar' Industrial game from Series 3, as some viewers believed it encouraged people to break into peoples houses! Sound effects such as thunderclaps and sounds of creaking, etc were dubbed in post production to mask airfield sirens/aircraft noise as they were filming in a hangar. All ticking clocks in the Zones had sounds added on afterwards.
As well as managing Production of TCM, Nick Badham designed four games on the show. He also played the dead scientist in the Futuristic Mystery game, as well as the Robot in Futuristic. Nick worked on Treasure Hunt as well, and loads of other notable shows. He is currently working on CBBC show Last Commanders, which is like Crystal Maze but using Skype and Avatars. I have seen a clip and it is really good. I showed him some of my Maze memorabilia, and he was kind enough to also sign some autographs for me to give to members of this blog. He told me so many amazing stories about working on the original Maze. What an iconic show indeed. And thank you, Nick, for awarding me with such a great piece of iconic memorabilia from my favourite all time show. The timer was used in Medieval Zone for every series, both Richard O'Brien and Edward Tudor Pole would have used it. I'm feeling like a Crystal Maze Historian now.
Any more pieces and I will have enough to reconstruct the original 90's Maze! There were only eight Medieval Egg Timers produced for the show, and I am lucky to have one of them, perhaps one of the only remaining ones left after 24 years.
Nick played the dead Scientist in the Futuristic Science Lab Mystery Game!
How were Richard O’Brien and Edward Tudor-Pole as Presenters to work with, on and off camera?:
N: Both Richard and Ed were great to work with and pretty undemanding really. Neither came in with any star pretentions or expecting to be anything but part of the wider team and treated similarly. Although they were building a part/character on screen their off screen personalities were not hugely different either. Of course productions always treat their stars properly and give them some additional luxuries and the strange thing about Crystal Maze was that its stars never wanted any of it. Key crew members and anyone working 6 consecutive days were put up at the Moat House hotel in Harlow just up the road from the airfield. Moat House hotels were the basic 2 or 3 star budget business hotels of the day – ok but very basic. When I told Richard that I was going to book him, Malcolm and David into a luxury hotel slightly further away he was horrified. He said he wanted to be with everyone else at the Moat House, have dinner with the new contestants the night before each show and be able to have a drink with us all in the bar afterwards. David and Malcolm were somewhat disappointed I think at having to stay at the Moat House too! I also offered him a decent chauffeur-driven car for his journeys to/from home but he said he’d rather one of the production runners did it in a hire car so he could have a “good chat about the day’s events”! When Ed joined us I went through similar suggestions, but he was of the same mind and lumped in with the rest of us too.
What part caused you the most challenges on set? I’ve read about the sand blowing into the fans of the Crystal Dome from Aztec. You also had the Aztec River and the Crystal Dome drawbridge, as well as the moving lift in futuristic. A highly ambitious, technical show. How did you ensure it all worked for the cameras?
N: Nothing really major just the usual annoyances that crop up on set. I don’t remember the sand in the dome but I’m not surprised – sand as they say gets everywhere. George our props man on most series was constantly raking it and hosing it down to keep it damp and contained. The airfield also had a few resident cats that got in and used Aztec as a giant litter tray – George had the glamorous job of dealing with that too! Very occasionally we’d have an issue with hydraulics on the dome drawbridge and Aztec lift – I remember once contestants using a ladder to get from Future to Aztec instead.The key to running a big set is to keep your eyes and ears open, constantly check for damage and wear and tear and deal with things before they get worse – just like you would in an office building or if running a fleet of vehicles.The biggest bugbear, which I mentioned above was the noisy environment. We had to stop recording completely a few times when the RAF decided to land. Malcolm used to tell me to tell them to go away but I explained that the RAF do what the RAF want to do! The gliding club next door, the occasional private pilots based there and airfield security were very helpful and used to call with likely times or advance warning of take offs and landings – on average there were probably only 6 or so a day though. In a few shows when aircraft noise was noticeable Richard or Ed would say “here come the next team flying into the Crystal Maze….”
Ladders. Never leave Earth without one.
Was it easy to transport games in and out of the cells?
N: Most of the time. Most of the cells backed onto a fire lane/walkway that ran around the entire set or onto hidden voids between the zones, and their rear walls were easily removed for access. The one game that was tricky was a game called Rat Run which was a 3 level enclosed wire mesh maze that contestants had to crawl around. It was huge and filled the biggest cell in Industrial. It came pre-constructed in 3 large pieces (one per level) and there wasn’t room between cell and hangar wall to turn them horizontal and slide them in. We had to bring in a team of riggers with chain hoists and ropes/pulleys and it took a whole morning to install.
9. Why did you pick teams who didn’t know each other, and avoid celebrities?
N: Again this was an early format decision. If teams already know each other they are often ‘too nice’ to each other on screen. I notice in the new series that all the normal teams (rather than the so-called celebrity ones) know each other and nearly always buy out any locked in team members before the dome. I think this is something the new series has got wrong. In the original series the teams only got to meet the night before over dinner. You can see the difference in the shows – the light frictions and strategic decisions whether to leave locked in or buy out based only on a desire to win rather than ‘being kind to your mate’. Back in the nineties, there wasn’t the vogue for all these celebrity shows so I don’t think the idea was ever mooted. What was desired were more episodes with children, but as we filmed during term time and there are a host of other issues when using children (licences and school/local authority permissions, additional parents/chaperones to travel/accommodate, restrictions on working hours etc) it wasn’t feasible. We managed to make the children’s Christmas specials by only taking them out of school for one day with just head teacher approval and working on a Saturday.
10. Did you have a particularly favourite game in The Crystal Maze?
N: I am a bit biased here because it’s a game I was in! I played the part (if it can be described as such) of a dead scientist in a laboratory in Future zone. Slumped over a desk (so you couldn’t see my face) the contestants had to solve various clues and finally place my hand on a palm reader to release the crystal. The game was in 4 episodes. Although my face couldn’t be seen so many people I know recognised me……usually with “Was that you being a dead body on the Crystal Maze last night?...I thought so, I recognised your bald patch”!
Part 3 here
How did your involvement with The Crystal Maze initially come about? N: I met David G Croft for the first time when we worked on a comedy special for Channel 4. It was a tricky shoot and there were numerous logistical and technical challenges to overcome, but I obviously did OK because a few weeks later Malcolm Heyworth called me to say David had recommended he meet me to discuss the production manager role on Crystal Maze series 2! I knew who Malcolm was because 8 years previously in my first ever TV job I was studio runner (aka teaboy and floor sweeper) on the first series of Treasure Hunt which was also a Chatsworth Television show. When I met Malcolm of course he didn’t remember a minion like me, but we both had the same memories of all the funny things and stories that happened in the Treasure Hunt studio, had a laugh or three and suddenly I was in! What Production challenges did you face filming on such a huge TV set, one of the biggest in Europe at the time? N: The first challenge was the biggest one so I will tell you about that! A couple of weeks after I started, Shepperton Studios (where series 1 had been made) reneged on the studio booking for series 2. Hollywood came a-knocking with millions of dollars and wanted to hire every studio at Shepperton for nearly a year for a Kevin Costner film called Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. So Crystal Maze was gazumped and basically told to shove off. Unbelievably Shepperton called me just before series 3 to ask if Crystal Maze would consider coming back to them – as you can imagine I left them in no doubt about our feelings on the matter! So I had to find a space and quickly – and a very big one which was the issue. The Crystal Maze set was 240ft long and 120ft wide – nearly 29,000 square feet, and with studio control rooms and space to move cameras around a total of at least 30,000 sq ft of useable open space was needed, with no pillars, walls or obstructions of any kind. There were only two proper film studios that size in the UK – the one we’d just been thrown out of and the 007 Bond stage at Pinewood, which is truly enormous, but was unavailable for our dates. I spoke with Eon Production’s (Bond film producers and studio owners) and explained that we were a TV show and didn’t have the sort of budget they were used to, but hopefully they could do a deal for two months hire. The great deal they came up with was £9,000 a day just for the empty space and wouldn’t budge – our budget was under £2,000 per day! I spent weeks looking at spaces and possibilities around the London area with no joy and then started further afield. We ended up in an aircraft hangar on North Weald airfield, just off the M11 near Harlow in Essex. It had the space but absolutely nothing else that we would need – no large electrical supplies, no running water, no toilets, no sewerage, no changing or dressing rooms, no office space, no workshops or set building areas or facilities – it was just a very cold, rusting tin shed in the middle of nowhere. There were other issues too, most of them affecting live sound – you could hear the roar of the M11 nearby, there was a clay pigeon shooting club which also peppered shotgun noise everywhere, private planes occasionally taking off or landing, an infestation of rats below and pigeons in the ceiling, when it rained hard you couldn’t hear yourself think for the noise it made on the roof, and being of corrugated iron construction was colder than a fridge (even during filming, which was always November-December, some mornings we had to break the ice in the dome, Aztec river and game water tanks and encourage them to melt.) It’s the only studio show I have ever worked on where the crew had to wear thermals, gloves and winter jackets indoors! But we made it work and to be honest we had to. We built or shipped in everything we needed – generators, mobile offices, portacabins, toilets, catering, dining bus etc – we built sound barriers, felted the roof and occasionally played a recording of a sparrow hawk to frighten the pigeons away! Despite everything, the loyalty of the suppliers and crews to the show was amazing and although it was not a particularly pleasant working environment the team spirit never diminished. A testament to that was that we stayed at North Weald for the next 5 years until the bitter end. We were also able to leave the set standing and kept the hangar on permanent hire which saved so much money on dismantling, transport, storage and builds between each series that each year we could afford to build and install better and more comfortable infrastructures. North Weald soon became a home from home and we wouldn’t have gone back to a film studio even if they’d paid us! Do you know the reasons why Richard O’Brien was chosen as Maze Master? N: This is really a question for David and Malcolm to answer in more detail, but the key element about Crystal Maze is that it is a totally fictitious world where suspension of belief is key to the fantasy and format. As such the best presenters are ones that are slightly eccentric and quirky, and can develop a character and act a part that cannot be associated with anything similar outside of that world. They definitely shouldn’t be themselves or widely known for other things because the viewer then won’t also be fully immersed in the standalone fantasy. Both Richard and Ed fitted this brief perfectly – neither of them were widely known in the TV world, both were great actors, definitely quirky and able to be 100% solely associated with the show.
What was it like working with David G.Croft, James Dillon and Malcolm Heyworth? N: Amazing – they taught me so much about format and creative development and execution, and gave me my first experience of managing large and complex productions. This led to being in demand for other major projects with other producers and broadcasters for which I will be eternally grateful. The key thing was that they knew exactly what they were doing, worked together very closely and between them produced a clear and decisive vision of what they wanted - then ensured that everything was communicated down the line so that every department could both contribute, embellish and most importantly pull in the same direction. These qualities are missing so much in the TV entertainment world of today which is often far less streamlined and tends to involve much larger teams pulling in all directions and not communicating effectively. What part of the original Crystal Maze set was your favourite part to work on? N: I always liked Medieval the most as it looked so real both on screen and when you were physically in it – as long as you didn’t look up of course as the lighting and scaffolding above spoiled the magic! Then Ocean came along and usurped Medieval in my affection – James Dillon’s overall design and attention to detail was fantastic – and although it was supposed to be a wreck at the bottom of the sea, it still seemed even more real than Medieval. Further parts will be posted on the blog over the next few days. I am actually meeting Nick in person in London next Tuesday, and I am excited about it.
The great thing about Youtube isn't the twentysomethings making far too much money sat playing games, although for many it would be the dream life. The great thing I find is that it's become a repository for VHS recordings keeping the memory of old content alive and kicking. I've wasted many an hour watching old episodes of They Think It's All Over and Have I Got News For You that would otherwise be gathering dust on an old Memorex tape in someone's loft.
This morning, this gem was uploaded, Richard O'Brien fielding questions on The Crystal Maze from the Going Live studio audience, and from viewers at home. It goes an awful lot better than it did for Five Star.
Just as an extra, here's a playlist of more uncommon clips, adverts and general Crystal Maziness that without Youtube, would never be seen again.
Yes, this is a virtual graphic and not the real thing!
Since The Crystal Maze aired back in the 90's, we've seen the handheld game, PC DOS Acorn CD-ROM game in 1993, the Pub Quiz Machine Skills with Prizes (SWP) games and the 2008 Dynamo Crystal Maze Phone App game. We have even heard fictional fan made versions on YouTube of the Maze theme in nostalgic Sega Megadrive/Genesis 16-bit formats. The best quality game so far was the JPM Crystal Maze Machine, seen below in this YouTube Clip:
Now, in 2019 we are in an era of VR (Virtual Reality) gaming experiences. You can fly planes, walk around worlds, ride rollercoasters. The choices of realistic VR experiences today are off the scale. The definition of Virtual Reality (VR) is: "It implies a complete immersion experience that shuts out the Physical World". Now isn't that what Crystal Maze did for us originally back in the 90's? It provided us with the illusion that we were escaping to this real life fantasy world of time zones.
When the Nintendo Wii came out, I thought to myself: "This gaming console where you have to really move and wave your arms about stupidly with the remote to bowl, golf and play tennis would be perfect for a Crystal Maze Nintendo Wii game wouldn't it?". Of course that never happened. Can you imagine the endless hours of family fun as you play a virtual Aztec game at home to win a Crystal? A game like Gag the Gods for example.
Now, even better there are Virtual Reality headsets widely available and affordable, such as the Occulus Rift and Playstation VR headset. Anything is possible these days pretty much. I know there is the real life Crystal Maze Live Experience, but how cool would it be to walk around and explore virtually inside the original massive 1990's Crystal Maze hangar set and play all the old games, without spending £50 odd pounds a ticket? We would be able to get wet in Ocean Zone as well, whilst staying dry.
The closest I have seen to a Virtual Reality Crystal Maze game thus far, is this truly fantastic modification by a Doom player. See clip below. He shows us all around the sets and plays some games. It's like Goldeneye meets Crystal Maze!
The Crystal Maze was built for TV, it has evolved into a Live Experience. But it's not over yet. It is also a clearly perfect and incredible choice to evolve into a VR game. I know the Producer of the new series told us that producing a brand new Crystal Maze App would cost hundreds of thousands, in terms of development, marketing, updates etc. So let's hope someone is out there, reading this who can turn our dream into a Virtual Reality to play at home. Nothing is impossible. There will be hoops like licencing, development, game updates etc. But it would be absolutely stunning and hugely popular, with massive potential. Here is another fan made effort of a Maze VR game:
Ironically enough, Richard O'Brien gave out a random Virtual Reality Prize at the Dome round in the TV series. I dread to imagine how bad that was. I remember how he said "Virtual Reality" in a funny American accent.
Massive thanks to Jacob of Jaywalks Blog, for providing us with his incredible virtual mock ups of the Crystal Dome. He has also started work on recreating some of Futuristic, but he still has a long way to go. His blog can be found here. Now can somebody please make this VR project happen? The hugely popular show Crystal Maze was built for escapism, and so was VR. Combined with nostalgia as well, and they are a match made in heaven.
Here at the Crystal Maze Fan Blog, we have had recent communication with some crew who were the forces behind the original series. These include Production Manager/Line Producer Nigel Badham (Series 2-6), who ran the Production Management side of Crystal Maze virtually single-handedly, and Production Secretary of Series 6, Lisa Davison (Now Lisa Rose). Lisa ushered contestants around the set, arranged the prizes and undertook various other pivotal duties. We are truly over the moon with our chats with them and thrilled to have you all onboard with us. It has brought back a lot of fond memories for them as well. Lisa has been taken aback by how popular the show still is. She was also interested in our time in 2018 testing the new series games at the new set for Channel 4.
I have an interview and face-to-face meeting planned with one of them in London later this month, I am really excited about bringing this to you in the next couple of weeks, with a surprise in store.
Let's also not forget our massive thanks to David G. Croft - and Richard O'Brien, who is now back in New Zealand. They both gave recent fantastic interviews. (Scroll below). On this blog we want to preserve the roots of The Crystal Maze. Here at the Fan Blog, we will always advocate the Original series but support the new series by keeping the Maze flag flying high.
Q: So what made you decide to apply for Crystal Maze? Did you watch it when it originally ran in the 90's?
Mike: "I simply heard about the interviews, and I thought why not. I've done plenty of interviews so I had an idea what may be required, so I wrangled my friends together and the rest is history. The original run of the show was a huge part of my childhood. All the way to the modern version of the show. I don't want to miss an episode." Q: Who was your favourite presenter and Zone? M: "With regards to the presenters, I love them all for different reasons. But I can say that Richard Ayoade is doing a smashing job, and I'd be happy to see him do this for many more series. Industrial Zone is my personal favourite, the aesthetic is something I've always liked."
Q: What was Richard Ayoade like in real life on set, on and off camera? M: "Ayoade was a great host. There were a few great jokes that were cut for obvious reasons, others due to time., including an argument with the dragon in Aztec. I do hope they eventually release some unaired material, like the outtake videos we eventually found on YouTube of the original series. He was a good laugh." Q: Were any games or situations pre-selected, prior to filming? M: "All of the games were pre-selected, I suppose to give a good mix on each show. We did not know these beforehand, so we couldn't really plan tactically if that makes sense. However, we all happened to get the game types we wanted in advance." Q: Were there any re-takes? M: "Yes, after the game was completed, some extra shots were required for the camera. Mainly closeups, picking things up, putting them down etc. My first game was interrupted by a fire alarm, and Jen's second game had a few issues." Q. Most embarrassing moment for you? M: "I would say for me it would either be during the interview, doing a very high pitched yay! Or getting told off by another crew in another studio after the fire alarm, as I was singing loudly outside."
Q. How did you feel about your teammate Rob's embarrassing moment, when he was stuck spinning on the Planet in the Futuristic Zone? That's had 350k views on YouTube! M: "He was also a disappointment! But its part of the games. Maybe I could have done that game, maybe not." Q. Favourite Crystal Maze game from your episode? M: "Personally out of the games we played, I liked the Futuristic cube game. I was just a little slow realising my mistake. However I think that one, in particular, was very well designed. I just wish I had taken my time in reading the clues." Q. Preferred type of game - Skill, Mystery, Physical or Mental? M: "Normally I prefer mystery games and mental. However if I were to get back on the show, I would be happy to give the physical and skill games a good go." Q. If a new Zone was introduced into the Crystal Maze again, what would it be and why? M: "Well I recently did a poll on Twitter. I do like the idea of an 'Apocalyptic Zone' or a 'Wild West' zone. But we shall see what the future has. Apocalyptic was my poll winner." Q. As an Escape Room Manager / Puzzle designer yourself, do you think The Crystal Maze has a lot to give for the success and rise of Escape Rooms all around the world today? M: "The Maze helps me to easily describe what an Escape room is, as I hear a lot of my customers say 'It's like a one hour long Crystal Maze game'. Escape rooms may have happened naturally on their own, but I like to think the show has helped with their success." Q: Do you get noticed in the street for your appearance on Crystal Maze? M: "It has happened a good few times. It happens a lot at work when people come in, or when out and about. Seems like the show is as popular as ever. Here is to many more Crystal Maze series in the future!".
Yes! At last, childhood complete! I have been successful in acquiring an actual winner's Crystal from Series 6 of The Crystal Maze, (1995). The Crystal is engraved with the famous line 'I CRACKED THE CRYSTAL MAZE 1995'. It is incredible to think that this iconic prize Crystal is reaching 25 years old now. My bank balance has taken a bit of a big dent, but this has completed my extensive Maze memorabilia collection. Click on the images to take a closer look. Absolutely stunning, and I am currently smiling lots. As a die-hard fan, it has been my dream to have a real one. It is beautiful and a REAL Swarovski Crystal. They refract all kinds of colours of light.
The Crystal is lovely, the engraved inscription is actually inside the Crystal, rather than on the surface. This creates a beautiful refracted effect where the words appear on all the facets. It is stunning and I am so lucky to have this. I need to give it a good clean and polish, as it was rather cold this morning and there was condensation all over it. Somebody who worked on the last series sold it to me. I now have an original 90's game Crystal (boxed, not engraved), on the left, and the winners' Crystal, also boxed, on the right. I will not be selling it, I will be hiding it in safekeeping and treasuring this piece of maze history for years to come, along with the jacket, original tokens, futuristic timer, etc. Good investments. I now have the entire set of Crystals spanning both the old and new series, as well as the experience. I am thrilled and this will definitely be a talking point with friends. I just need to get on the new series, and win a prize 'I cracked The Crystal Maze' Crystal from the new series, to complete my massive collection.
The crew member who worked on the show, who sold me the prize Crystal, sent me accompanying letters to prove her involvement with the show, adding to the authenticity of this piece of TV history. (Offer of work from Chatsworth, plus thank you letter and crew Photo). The Production Secretary, Lisa, received this Crystal from Producer/Director David G. Croft as a thank you for her work on Series 6, the final 90's series, filmed 31st Oct-16th Dec 1994, but aired 18th May -10th August 1995. She found it in her loft after 23 years. "Having looked at letters recently, I thought to myself 'I actually worked on this programme, that people still go mad about, and that brought a little smile to my face" Lisa Davison, Production Secretary, Series 6 - The Crystal Maze
Lisa said: "Having chats with you has brought it all back and made me realise how lucky I was to be there. Looking at those letters recently, I thought to myself 'you actually worked on this programme that people still go mad about', and that brought a little smile to my face. I even got a close up of my hand on one of the shows, as the contestant had to catch a train home and they hadn't finished the close-up shots. My hand was the most similar to hers!"
She added: "I was responsible for taking contestants around the set, arranging the prizes, taking phone calls etc. Edward Tudor-Pole was certainly a character, and working on the original Crystal Maze TV show was an experience I will never forget".
What an exciting start to the new year here at the Maze Fan Blog. Thank you Lisa.
Keep the likes, shares, comments and emails coming in to us. Expect a Series 3 this year. Also, don't forget the new West End TCM Live Experience opens end of March, and we will be first on the scene on opening day to test and review it for the blog.
