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Crystal Maze With Dicky-ade

Started by Twed, May 26, 2017, 06:10:12 PM

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Twed

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/first-look-at-richard-ayoade-in-the-crystal-maze

I can't wait. I think he'll be great. Nobody is going to be O'Brien again, but Ayoade has just the right level of oddness, and a strange warmth shining through the coldness.

Shaky

That costume looks terrible, though. Surely he's not going out in that?

Replies From View

QuoteThe new series will see teams of five contestants navigate the Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Futuristic zones of the maze

At some point during the 'classic' run, they dropped the Industrial zone and replaced it with the Ocean zone.  Interesting they've reverted it back.

Norton Canes

Wasn't the Ocean zone introduced because they thought the Industrial and Futuristic zones were too similar? Ocean certainly had a bit more of its own character. Perhaps the current team are so confident of success that they are saving their Ocean zone for a couple of years. Or perhaps it's just more expensive having to fill large water tanks.

I was initially pleased at the decision to cast Ayoade (given that there were so many far worse options) but I do worry that his apparently constant air of arch detachment will do him no favours. Also, I just can't see him running, in the way that his predecessors hared around the various zones. He doesn't seem to be the sort of person that ever runs.

Challenge have been showing the entire run weekdays 6pm over the last few months, and are now up to the last series. Ed Tudor-Pole was pretty ropey when he took over in series 5 - he seems constantly lost for words, and you can see him pause to listen for information through his earpiece whenever he has to head for a particular room or even give its time limit. They've obviously worked on him because he's better in series 6, though I think one of the instructions has been to be crueler to the contestants if they fail, because he's come out with one or two really catty remarks in the last couple of programmes. Richard O'Brien managed that sort of gentle chiding effortlessly, of course.

Another thing I've realised watching the later series is how technically impressive many of the puzzles became. Some of them are massive wooden or metal constructions, brilliantly inventive, real works of art. I hope that spirit continues into the revival.   

Twed

Richard running is hilarious (never seen Travel Man?). He's an ungainly giraffe nerd.

Icehaven

I'd seen the trailers for this over the last few weeks and was wondering who was going to be presenting, but now I know I doubt I'll even bother watching. Wasn't expecting Richard O'Brien back or anything but this is just going to be the Richard Ayoade show. Oh well, at least it isn't Russell Brand I suppose.

Replies From View

Quote from: icehaven on June 10, 2017, 02:18:11 PM
this is just going to be the Richard Ayoade show.

To be fair I haven't seen The Richard Ayoade Show, so I'm not already sick of the new Crystal Maze.

Rocket Surgery

Quote from: icehaven on June 10, 2017, 02:18:11 PMOh well, at least it isn't Russell Brand I suppose.

Christ, it so easily could have been, couldn't it?

It's unlikely that I'll actually watch this anyway, but if I knew Brand was hosting the new version it would have ruined my childhood memories of the show without even viewing a second of it.

Mister Six

Brand would have been fucking awesome, I think. He's not much cop as a stand-up or actor, but he's superb at off-the-cuff work. He was great on that Big Brother spin-off thing.

Rocket Surgery

He's Marmite in human form. Several folks who're into many of the same things I like have tried to persuade me that he's entertaining in certain contexts, but I just can't deal with it.

Enzo

I read somewhere that Adam Buxton will be playing an in game character of a head in a jar.

olliebean

Quote from: Enzo on June 12, 2017, 02:29:37 AM
I read somewhere that Adam Buxton will be playing an in game character of a head in a jar.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Shaky on May 27, 2017, 06:30:51 AM
That costume looks terrible, though. Surely he's not going out in that?

That's not a costume - he often wears awful garish suits.  On the other hand, he also often wears muted browns and tweed.


I have a lot of time for Ayoade, and I used to love the Maze when I was a youngster.  BUT I've seen some of the repeats on Challenge, both O'Brien and Tuder-Pole iterations and, have to say, with my adult eyes it's dogshit.  But then over the years I've developed a real dislike for anything quiz or gameshow-y.  So I dunno.  I might watch one.

Did anyone see the special with Stephan Merchant?  I know he was originally in the frame to carry on with the series, but obviously didn't and I wonder whether it was because he was shit, or if he thought the show was shit.  Or he just got a bigger cheque from Marvel.


EDIT - filmed at Bottle Yard studios in Bristol.  I was by there the other week.  I didn't think the studios were that big.  But they are.  Fuck it edit.

AsparagusTrevor

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on June 12, 2017, 01:00:32 PM
I have a lot of time for Ayoade, and I used to love the Maze when I was a youngster.  BUT I've seen some of the repeats on Challenge, both O'Brien and Tuder-Pole iterations and, have to say, with my adult eyes it's dogshit.  But then over the years I've developed a real dislike for anything quiz or gameshow-y.  So I dunno.  I might watch one.

I wonder if Challenge might not be the right channel for you?

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: AsparagusTrevor on June 12, 2017, 01:09:02 PM
I wonder if Challenge might not be the right channel for you?

You're right, it's not.  But I specifically switched on for Crystal Maze.  And Michael Barrymore prancing up and down those steps going "all woit?" of course.

Norton Canes

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on June 12, 2017, 01:00:32 PMI've seen some of the repeats on Challenge, both O'Brien and Tuder-Pole iterations and, have to say, with my adult eyes it's dogshit

Why? What is it you don't like?

Icehaven

Quote from: Replies From View on June 10, 2017, 08:51:48 PM
To be fair I haven't seen The Richard Ayoade Show

Well it was so crap they only broadcast it on one TV, which unfortunately happened to be mine.

Norton Canes

I have a theory that Richard O'Brien and Ed Tudor-Pole are alternative-universe 8th and 9th Doctor Whos. Look at the timing, for one thing - classic Doctor Who finished in 1989 and Crystal Maze ran from 1990-96, just in time for the Doctor Who TV Movie. In between defeating the Master in Survival and, er, defeating the Master in the TV Movie the Doctor spends a couple of incarnations guiding Earth tourists through different phases of space and time, challenging their their thinking, problem-solving, co-ordination and physical prowess.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Norton Canes on June 12, 2017, 01:25:55 PM
Why? What is it you don't like?

Euch, just everything.


I should say now that I have nothing against O'Brien or Tudor-Pole. 


I guess...I guess the show has aged very very poorly (in my opinion), plus my latter day hatred of gameshows needs to be factored in.

MuteBanana

Quote from: Mister Six on June 11, 2017, 01:33:48 AM
Brand would have been fucking awesome, I think. He's not much cop as a stand-up or actor, but he's superb at off-the-cuff work. He was great on that Big Brother spin-off thing.

True.

Glad to see Ayoade on a cult show after I picked him (and Nick Frost) for the new Robot Wars and was left disappointed.

Rolf Lundgren

Quote from: Norton Canes on May 27, 2017, 08:45:25 AM
Ed Tudor-Pole was pretty ropey when he took over in series 5 - he seems constantly lost for words, and you can see him pause to listen for information through his earpiece whenever he has to head for a particular room or even give its time limit. They've obviously worked on him because he's better in series 6, though I think one of the instructions has been to be crueler to the contestants if they fail, because he's come out with one or two really catty remarks in the last couple of programmes. Richard O'Brien managed that sort of gentle chiding effortlessly, of course.

A very fair assessment of the much maligned Tudor-Pole years. I think everybody thought he was rubbish because he couldn't really compare to Richard O'Brien in the same way George Lazenby couldn't follow Sean Connery. But I watched them a few years ago and he was much better than I remembered. The cosmic handshake was daft but his gung-ho eccentricity was perfectly in keeping with the show and much like O'Brien he was able to carry off an ambivalence to the whole thing.

Which is why I'm not sure about Ayoade because his persona is to be sarcastic and constantly unimpressed and neither of those are qualities that are useful when you're a game show host, let alone a show like The Crystal Maze where you're corralling a bunch of accountants and IT consultants and need to be the one who transports them to this mysterious place. I'm willing to be persuaded.

Norton Canes

#21
Oh fucking great, they're going straight in with a series of fucking celebrity specials. I knew they'd made a few celeb editions, didn't realise they were going to lead with them.

"The first episode will feature famous faces Louie Spence, TOWIE's Lydia Bright, Strictly Come Dancing champion Ore Oduba, former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison and The Last Leg's Alex Brooker."



Get to fuck. I'll be watching when the plebs are allowed in.

Twed

Oh no. That looks about as bad as it could be.


biggytitbo

Everything had to involve fucking celebrities these days doesn't it. Although I use that word very loosely in this case.

imitationleather

Ah. It's hard to imagine that line-up of celebrities being anything other than absolutely woeful. The problem with a celebrity special is that there are absolutely zero stakes because it doesn't matter if they win and get to go on a skydive (which is not shown in the programme) or something. I mean it's not the Olympics but the contestants taking the piss and trying to be in on the joke makes it a lot less entertaining and funny.

phes

Why does Ayoade keep getting totally inappropriate jobs. First a travel show and now this, and who suggested Robot Wars???  He sucks the life out of everything he does.

imitationleather

His travel show was okay, but he played up that totally unbelievable "I hate going abroad" persona a tad too much. Mate, you're a famous actor and director. Going abroad is part of the job description. The only person I can think of whose job entailed going abroad a lot but he couldn't is Dennis Bergkamp and Richard Ayoade ain't Dennis Bergkamp. Sorry, lost my train of thought and don't know what point I'm trying to make here.

Icehaven

Quote from: phes on June 20, 2017, 09:01:12 PM
Why does Ayoade keep getting totally inappropriate jobs. First a travel show and now this, and who suggested Robot Wars???  He sucks the life out of everything he does.

That's what I meant above by saying it's just going to be the Richard Ayoade show. He just does this slightly toned down Moss persona, presumably because that's what producers want, but it's just affected and disingenuous and annoying. At least when Tony Robinson was put on Time Team because he was in a few historical comedies he didn't actually present it as Baldrick (although actually that might have been quite good...)

Ugh, this looks crap and Moss is indeed an awful choice. He doesn't look like he's ever broken into a run in his life and will probably treat it all with ironic detachment and aloofness cos enthusiasm isn't cool these days.