Wasn't that the size of two football pitches? I'm not sure the Granada studio is that big! The first series though was made in a soundstage in Shepperton- they moved to the hangar because that studio was in use when they made season 2 and there apparently wasn't anywhere else big enough.
I think to be perfectly honest any set for any new version of Crystal Maze won't be as big or grand as the original series as that apparently cost a fortune to make, a fortune to run (apparently burned through electricity like there was no tomorrow - 50k kWh I believe per series) and it took near enough a full year a series to get it to a state ready for broadcast. In these modern times I doubt any broadcaster will foot that bill. Mind you, the Bake-Off story doesn't totally quash the idea but doesn't make it any more likely.
No, any set will almost certainly be one of the Live Experiences, it'll be cheaper to rent one of those rather than build it all from scratch again. Don't forget the original plan was a version of Fort Boyard and it was by pure luck the fort was unavailable which secured the format we all love today.
Electricity wouldn't be as much of a problem nowadays with advancements in LED.
As for the set itself, the premise is brand new games, and better zones... So they may not even be Aztec, Medieval, etc. They could be four brand new concepts to make a 2017 onwards version of the show completely separate.
A one off special set in the 90's makes sense. A brand new revamped series, maybe not so much.
The main question isn't whether it'll be back on our screens because I think that one is pretty obvious now. What with new studios, paying for orchestrated themes etc. The main question is whether Merchant, Tennant or someone else will be hosting?
I thought Merchant did a VERY good job, and I also think Tennant would be received very well. It's whether someone else could surpass either of them... And now Richard isn't going to come back!
Electricity wouldn't be as much of a problem nowadays with advancements in LED.
And aren't cameras more sensitive these days? I saw inside one of the Meridian newsrooms and it was like it was lit with a 60W bulb.
That would explain the occasional Aztec "night mode." No-one had 50p for the meter.
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As for the set itself, the premise is brand new games, and better zones...
When you say "set" do you mean the new live experience? There's no confirmation it's going to be a set yet!
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What with new studios
Again though, aren't they just building a new live experience? Which was already going ahead before SU2C?
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paying for orchestrated themes etc
The theme for the one-off sounded synthesized to me. I know there's a quote in one of the pages linked above where someone said it was an orchestra, but that sounded like a joke that the writer of the article took seriously (I wouldn't really expect the presenter to know how the theme music was produced one way or the another). Orchestrating it for a one-off wouldn't make any sense, especially when it was so little different from the original.
The point is they could have just used the old music if it was just a tribute to the original. The fact they made something new means they may have other plans.
The point is they could have just used the old music if it was just a tribute to the original. The fact they made something new means they may have other plans.
They made new graphics as well, but that doesn't mean anything, because they needed redoing for HD.
So the set's different, the graphics are different, the presenter is different... that would have left the music the only thing the same. So that might be a reason to redo the music.
And then I thought: was the original theme mono only? That might've been the final convincer to zhoosh it up.
I think on balance the evidence suggests the producers are after a series commission and it would be naive to think Channel 4 never had it in the back of their minds.
It's no secret the producers want a series - the ball is in C4s court.
172 days later
CY
cyberdude
Just a side note, this wasn't the first Crystal Maze tourist attraction, there were actually 5 before it in the UK. Set up by Cyberdrome, they were usually at larger bowling alleys. The last closed in Sept 2010 due to licensing issues.
Just a side note, this wasn't the first Crystal Maze tourist attraction, there were actually 5 before it in the UK. Set up by Cyberdrome, they were usually at larger bowling alleys. The last closed in Sept 2010 due to licensing issues.
Yes but the current Crystal Maze attractions are far bigger than any of the Cyberdrome attractions were, which was pretty much a cut-down version of the TV show and was presented, or so I'm told, as more of a video game than an physical experience as in the current attractions.