The Crystal Maze
The Crystal Maze is a British game show devised by Jacques Antoine, based upon his format for the French game show Fort Boyard, and produced for Channel 4. The programme focuses on teams of contestants, a mixed group of men and women, attempting a range of challenges to earn time required to help them complete one final challenge, which if completed successfully earns them a prize. The premise of the show is themed around challenges set to different periods of human history within a fictional labyrinth of time and space. It used golf ball-sized Swarovski glass crystals as a reward for each challenge successfully completed by contestants, and lock-in conditions for contestants that ran out of time or broke a three-strikes rule on a challenge.
The Crystal Maze originally consisted of six series, including five Christmas specials involving teams of children, which aired between 15 February 1990 to 10 August 1995. The first four series and three specials were hosted by Richard O'Brien, with the remaining two series and specials hosted by Edward Tudor-Pole. In October 2016, Channel 4 created a one-off celebrity edition for Stand Up to Cancer, hosted by Stephen Merchant. In 2017, the broadcaster began airing new episodes of the game, after reviving it following the 2016 special, revamping its format and creating several standard episodes along additional celebrity specials, and appointing Richard Ayoade as host. This run was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after three series with the final episodes airing in 2020.
A 10-episode American version of the show, filmed on the same set as the UK version, aired on Nickelodeon in 2020.
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.
Creation
The Crystal Mazes origins can be traced to an attempt to create an edition of Fort Boyard for British television, commissioned by Channel 4 in 1989 from Chatsworth Television. Complications in creating a pilot arose due to the fortress used by the TV game show, situated off the west coast of France, being unavailable for filming due to its ongoing refurbishments that year. As a result, the pilot was filmed in London at Elstree Studios, using a basic replica set funded by Channel 4, but the result was deemed unsuccessful and not broadcast, due to the considerable changes required to the French-owned format in order for it to suit a UK audience. Channel 5 later bought the rights and made their own British version of Fort Boyard, using the now refurbished set, which aired for four series from 1998 to 2001.In order to create a more successful format for Channel 4, who had commissioned a full series, Chatsworth Television producer Malcolm Heyworth contacted Fort Boyard's creator Jacques Antoine – who attended the pilot's creation, and who had created the company's other productions: Treasure Hunt, and Interceptor – and proposed creating an alternative format which conducted challenges within themed zones. Antoine eventually provided a rough sketch to the producers when taking them to Paris to view a full-size Crystal Dome created by the French, revealing it would be the centrepiece and surrounded by four other sets. The sketch was used as inspiration for the concept of The Crystal Maze, which was developed in just "two days", creating a show which although was similar to Fort Boyard, had substantial differences in presentation and style, creating a show akin to Dungeons & Dragons, with the host acting as the Dungeon Master.
Format
Each team that competes on The Crystal Maze undertake a series of challenges. Teams begin at a pre-determined zone, whereupon they compete in a finite number of games in each zone, accruing as many time crystals as they can before travelling to the large "Crystal Dome" at the centre of the maze to meet their final challenge. Upon entering a game's cell, the objective is usually determined by either a clear written message or cryptic clue. The remainder of the team watch their progress either through a cell's windows or monitors depending on the zone aesthetic, and may give advice to the contestant unless stipulated otherwise. The host will serve reminders of the time limit and of any special rules, and generally will not give hints unless the contestant is struggling badly.Each game falls under one of four categories:
| Category | Description |
| Mental and memory skill ranging from simple brainteasers, to acute memory and 2D/3D puzzles. | |
| Testing a contestant's problem solving abilities ranging from treasure hunts to large-scale mazes. | |
| Testing a contestant's physical abilities ranging from obstacle courses, to lifting, using, cranking, or manipulating objects. | |
| Testing a contestant's dexterity, accuracy and eye–hand coordination ranging from target-shooting, timing tests, to vehicle driving. |
Each game presents the potential of being locked within a game's cell. If locked in, the contestant is unable to take any further part in proceedings and will be eliminated. If the team's captain is locked in, the vice-captain takes over and may select a new vice-captain to replace them and so on. Reduction in team members poses an increased difficulty for future games and at their final challenge, so some teams may leave contestants behind if that secures more time in the Dome.
There are two ways a lock-in can occur in The Crystal Maze: if a contestant exceeds their time limit within the cell, or an "automatic lock-in" where they breach a game's special rules or restrictions, irrespective of their progress in obtaining the crystal. This is outlined prior to a contestant entering the cell by the Maze Master.
Once the team arrives at the Crystal Dome, they are told how much time that they have to complete the final challenge, based on the number of crystals they have brought with them. At this point, the team enter the Dome, and upon the challenge beginning, they must collect as many gold foil tokens as they can and deposit them into a container along a wall of the Dome, while avoiding any silver tokens mixed in with them; these are blown about by fans beneath the floor of the Dome. Once time is up, the fans are switched off and no more tokens can be deposited into the container; a slot is opened during the challenge, which closes up when the time is up. Once the team is outside the dome, they, along with any members who were not present for the final challenge, are given the tally of their efforts by the host. If the team accumulate a total of 100 gold tokens or more, after deduction of any silver tokens, the team wins the grand prize that they chose for themselves before partaking in the show. All contestants who participate in the show win a commemorative crystal saying "I Cracked the Crystal Maze", which acts as a consolation prize if a team fails to secure the required number of gold tokens.
Original series
During the run of the original series between 1990 and 1995, teams consisted of three men and three women, each aged between 16 and 40, who were put together by the production team and did not know each other before appearing on the show From their pre-determined starting zone, teams either travelled clockwise or counter-clockwise around the maze, engaging in at least three games in each zone, sometimes being given the opportunity to play a fourth game in a zone during their trip around the maze. Between the first and fourth series, the total number of games that could be played varied between 14 and 16 per episode, but for the fifth and sixth series, the number of games played was reduced to a standard of 13. Throughout the run, 3D maps of varying sophistication were used to highlight where the host and team were. Until the end of the third series, each contestant on the team could win a prize for themselves that they chose at a later date, if the team succeeded at collecting 100 or more gold tokens, but from the fourth series, this format was changed to the team choosing a prize that they shared together if they won the final challenge. During the first series, a runner-up prize could also be chosen by each member of a team, which they won if the final tally of tokens was between 50 and 99, but this format was dropped by the start of the second series.During the Christmas specials, the teams consisted of similar setup, with each aged between 10 and 15, and selected by the production team. While the format was similar to the adult version, there were notable differences, such as easier games with fewer chances of a lock-in, more lenient time limits and additional clues from the host. The prize would always be awarded at the end, irrespective of achievement.
Revived series
Following the one-off Stand Up to Cancer edition, Channel 4 revived the show featuring the original setup of zones, the same map design from the SU2C special, and a newly designed taller set. The format of the show was revamped to have five contestants who have a prior connection and a reduction in games to ten. Additionally, the team no longer selected the category of game they wanted to play: instead, this was determined for them by the Maze Master.In a similar vein to the 2016 SU2C special, a series of celebrity episodes was initially broadcast. The contestants taking part were given an extra crystal upon reaching the Dome to add to those that they had brought, and would earn cash for Stand Up to Cancer depending on how many gold tokens they got, after deduction of silver. Contestants earn £5,000 for less than 50 gold tokens, £10,000 for 50 to 99 tokens, and £20,000 for 100 or more tokens.
The 2019 series introduces the "Mega Crystal", a noticeably larger version of the Crystals within the Maze. The team has one opportunity to earn the Mega Crystal, and the team captain decides before each game whether they want that game to be played for the Mega Crystal. If the team earns the Mega Crystal, it grants them ten seconds of time in the Crystal Dome.