Start the fans please! While we struggle to contain our excitement, you can bask in the wonderful nostalgic glow of the news that Channel 4 will be giving a minor reprieve to the glory of The Crystal MazeĀ as a part of its wider Stand Up To CancerĀ season. The celebrity version of the show will bring back the glory of the Aztec, Medieval, Futuristic and Industrial Zones back to your little goggle box after a hefty 21-year layaway in the dusty confines of Channel 4’s archive.
In a move of equal brilliance, the show will be hosted by Stephen Merchant, who will take up the chalice left so long ago by Dominic O’Brien and Ed Tudor-Pole. We’re not really expecting him to be as animated as his predecessors, although hopefully he runs better than Ricky Gervaise did in the woeful gun fight scene in Special Correspondents. However, his deadpan humour and outsized frame should make for some quirky viewing when the show airs later this month.
The celebs include former Manchester United defensive stalwart Rio Ferdinand, along with BBC Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox and actress Michelle Keegan, who we still hold in high regard for her Red Dwarf cameo back in 2009’s Back To Earth Episode 3. They’ll be joined by Paralympics champion sprint runner Jonnie Peacock, TV and radio host Sara Cox, and comedian Josh Widdicombe (The Last Leg).
The one-off Stand Up To CancerĀ edition of The Crystal MazeĀ will feature a new blend of challenges as the celebs are put through their paces in each of the zones in a bid to make it to the Crystal Dome with a crystal haul that will give them plenty of time to collect as much of the gold and silver credits as possible. What they manage to collect will then translate into money to add to the Stand Up To Cancer tally.
There has been a lot of talk over the years about the prospect of a full remake of The Crystal Maze, but nothing has materialised until the recent announcement from Channel 4 about the Stand Up To CancerĀ special. Instead, the cult show has since been converted into a live experience in Angel, London, thanks to a million pound crowdfunding campaign by Little Lion Entertainment, where the upcoming one-off show is being filmed.
We’re not willing to rule out the possibility of more shows in the future, and if anything the special episode is a good testing ground for a full return. The good news, though, is that even if the one-off special does end up being the only televised show in the next 21 years, at least you’ll be able to have a go yourself thanks to the new experience in North London.
In addition to The Crystal MazeĀ celebrity special, the Stand Up To CancerĀ season will also feature a celebrity series of The Island with Bear Grylls. There will then be a whole night of live mayhem on Friday the 21st October 2016 for the main fundraising blowout, which is designed to support the Channel 4 and Cancer research initiative to accelerate new cancer treatments in the UK. The addition of the Stephen Merchant-hosted one-off comeback for The Crystal Maze only adds to the plethora of reasons to dig deep.
