Total TV nostalgia.
We’re living in a golden age of TV right now with some fantastic shows available but that’s not to say we haven’t been treated to some cracking shows in the past.
Every week, we’ll be rooting through the archives to bring you some of our favourite TV memories.
We’re going to start with an iconic game show, The Crystal Maze.
1) The opening titles
2) The zones and set design
The show looks incredibly dated now but at the time, those four themed zones – Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval and Industrial -captuerd the imagination of kids everywhere.
The set design and production values made them seem like they were actually a living and breathing entity with real-life plants, water and booby-traps.
The decision to replace the ‘Industrial’ zone with the ‘Ocean’ one was a clever move also because it usually involved people getting soaked from head-to-toe, who doesnt like seeing that?
The maze cost £250,000 to build, was the size of two football pitches and featured some very cool tricks to link the various zones.
Rowing canoes in Aztec, answering the computer’s questions in the Futuristic one or climbing some ladders, lifts and tunnels in Industrial were all the norm.
This girl didn’t quite get the hang of it though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4GgXzoZ3mo
3) The tests
There was something for everyone here – no matter what your age, gender or physical feature was.
If you’re particular skill-set involved shooting targets, controlling miniature vehicles or testing your nerve in steady hand tests then you were in luck.
Zip-wires, tight-ropes, avoiding obstacles and crossing the water usually ended in hilarity while those clever-clogs that could do maths equations, puzzles and treasure hunts usually got their hands on some golf ball-sized Swarovski glass crystals.
This person is probably still stuck in the chamber. Not the brightest spark here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIWzdWaPAi4
4) The finale
We loved seeing people desperately jump around a 16-foot high crystal dome and pocketing anything that they could get their hands on. Just don’t deposit the silver.
5) The host
Richard O’Brien’s long fur coat, over enthusiastic and energetic style was a perfect fit for the show because he acted as both a guide and morale support for the participating teams.
We did love it though when people were ‘locked in ‘ during a task because they were unable to complete their task in the allocated time.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
