Challenge - June 2016 onwards

Though last time I checked UKTV, Sony and CBS didn't own and operate the largest pay-TV platform in the UK either. Why is the rule archaic? I don't see Sky's position in the market has changed hugely.

I’d partially agree with you with regards to Sky’s market position, but the 3 channel limit was designed at a time when DTT had much more limited capacity.

Sky at the time, were only allowed to carry three slots on Mux C, to prevent them from swooping up more than half of the capacity available.

DSO has arguably increased the capacity that a broadcaster can use, though of course, even with Sky just adding an additional channel to their suite of channels on DTT, it wouldn’t be as much of a big deal as it was years ago.

Though, one can say, does it matter? Especially when Sky are satisfied with providing three channels to those, who can’t, or won’t have Sky.

Watching Krypton Factor '95 again, and the respective disqualifications of Simon Evans and Alison Riley from the Super Round, has got me wondering...

Simon, of course, was disqualified for not completing the computer challenge before setting off down the laser matrix. One can't help but be amused at him reaching the top of Krypton Mountain thinking he'd won, before Penny broke the bad news to him...

Alison, meanwhile, was thrown out for pulling her batons out of the Response Revolve before the adjacent flashing lights released them. Unlike with Simon, however, the moment when she was informed of her disqualification wasn't shown on screen - she was seen starting her ascent up Krypton Mountain, before the appropriate caption appeared with Penny saying "she'll take no further part in the contest".

http://i64.tinypic.com/r2vzbp.jpg

The eventual winner of Simon's heat, Claire Nicholson, believed she had finished second, before Gordon told her what had happened to Simon. On the other hand, no mention was made of Alison's disqualification when the winner of her heat, Gavin Ingram, reached the top of the mountain.

So I assume that Alison was indeed given the bad news as she was heading up the mountain? In which case, she was told to stop building her ladder/climbing the mountain face (depending how far up she'd got), and to come back down immediately?

If so, I can see why it didn't make the final edit...

To be honest I don’t know how that whole series made it to the final edit. I tweeted Gordon Burns about it when Challenged showed it a few years ago, he wasn’t a fan either...

@sgordon_the87 @ChallengeTV Was rubbish.We warned them & begged them not to change it but new heads of dept always want to change.Disaster

— Gordon Burns (@mrgordonburns) December 20, 2013

And he isn't really hiding his displeasure in this photo:

Gordon Burns hosts The Krypton Factor in 1995: pic.twitter.com/WWoVZR9JTo

— Adam Beckwith (@AdamNostalgia) February 15, 2014

A few years ago, Geoff Moore recalled his two years as KF producer, '86 and '87 - which, of course, involved the introduction of the Response round, the morphing 'K' logo, and the Art of Noise theme tune. Notably, he says that Granada were getting bored of the show when he arrived:

http://www.granadaland.org/geoff-moore-recalls-producing-the-krypton-factor/

I wonder, then, if they had gotten bored again when Wayne Garvie came on board for '95? After all, Gerry Robinson had made his mark by then, and most of the old guard had gone - plus, of course, there was no series in '94...

At least the rebooted Krypton Factor series from a few years ago with Ben Sheperd hosting stayed true to the classic format. The only big difference other than the host was the location of the assault course. Any idea why it didn't last more than two series?

Well, dropping the Intelligence round for the second series was a big mistake...

And the Response round went too, though perhaps justifiable to a degree since Flight Simulator on the PC had become fairly accurate and available (though of course to get the full effect you had to spend a fortune - somebody I used to know had a full flight sim setup in his attic - two PCs, four monitors, the consoles, the pedals...

As for the Intelligence round... well that also went in the 1995 revamp too. While that had some good points in it it was ultimately crap as opposed to what went before. I always saw it as change for the sake of change. I can't seriously believe anybody thought it was going to work long-term but decision was made and history now tells us it was a bad decision. But there we go.

It got poor ratings.

A bit like the Crystal Maze now, many tuned in and said 'it's not as good as the original bring back Gordon Burns' and switched off and weren't interested in any new version.

The second attempt in 2010 with Ben Shepard saw the intelligence round dropped from the show.

Uh, DE88 already pointed that out...

The Crystal Maze has actually been going down very well on forums, twitter and talking to friends. The problem with the show in my opinion the timeslot, 8pm on a Friday going up against Coronation Street and EastEnders is always going to dent it and I hope Channel 4 recommission it and move it to a Thursday Night or maybe even Sunday where the 1st Stand up to Cancer special last year did very well and was the 3rd most watched show on Channel 4 in 2016.