The Crystal Maze

The Crystal Maze was a game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1990 to 1995. The first four series were presented by Richard O'Brien; the final two by Edward Tudor-Pole. Each show was one hour long, including commercial breaks.

Popularity

The show's heyday was around 1991-1993, when word of mouth about the quality of show and it's eccentric presenter had spread. It was regularly Channel 4's highest watched programme, mainly seen by children and young adults (particularly university students who made it into a cult show), reaching a peak of 12 million viewers for the 1993 Christmas special. The Christmas specials were to cater for a younger audience, and often featured teams of children trying to crack the maze itself (of course some of the more difficult puzzles had to be edited and made more suitable).

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At the beginning of the 1993 Christmas special, a short two minute film was shown which featured Richard and his "Mumsey" (played by Sandra Caron) leaving the maze for a new life with her boyfriend Dwayne (a new age biker apparently, though he was never seen). Ed Tudor Pole was then introduced and became the host for the next (final) 2 series; Ed was not as popular as Richard, mainly because he lacked some of that eccentricity and charisma that had dominated the earlier seasons, and viewing figures dropped accordingly. When Channel 4's contract with producers Chatsworth TV expired, they did not renew it and the show ended in late 1995.

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Debates abound today about which series and presenter was the best, with many fans citing seasons 3 and 4 as their favourites. Although the games in the later seasons were less repetitive than earlier, the format had started to get tired and the increase of digital television meant that viewers began migrating to more advanced gameshows. Ironically, Challenge (a satellite digital channel, then known as Challenge TV) bought the rights for all six seasons and frequently shows the series throughout the year.

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