Richard Ayoade named as the new host of The Crystal Maze
- Richard Ayoade has been named as the new host of game show The Crystal Maze
- He will front 20 hour-long episodes of the challenge show, which will return to Channel 4 later this year
- The channel says: "Our hope is to bring a new vision to the legendary time travelling adventure"
Richard Ayoade has been named as the new host of TV game show The Crystal Maze.
The classic 1990s challenge programme was revived last year for a one-off special as part of Channel 4's Stand Up To Cancer programming, with Stephen Merchant as the host. Proving to be a big ratings hit with over 4 million viewers tuning in, the network has now commissioned a full series.
Twenty hour-long episodes have been ordered, including a new set of celebrity specials for this year's Stand Up To Cancer. However, with Merchant busy furthering his career in America, Richard Ayoade has now been signed up as the new 'Maze Master'.
He will follow in the footsteps of Richard O'Brien who hosted the show when it launched in 1990, and Ed Tudor-Pole who ran the programme between 1993 and 1995.
The series will be filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, where a purpose built maze spanning over 30,000 square feet is being created by original designer James Dillon.
Producers will soon be looking for teams of five contestants who have what it takes to navigate the Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Future zones of the maze. They will face a range of skill, mystery, physical and mental challenges to win crystals that equate to time in the final test - the legendary Crystal Dome. Details of how contestants can apply will soon be announced.
Tom Beck from Channel 4 says: "The Stand Up To Cancer special was so brilliant and so successful that commissioning a series of The Crystal Maze was almost a no-brainer. And I couldn't be more pleased and excited that Richard has agreed to become the new Maze Master - he's an inspired choice."
Neale Simpson from production company Fizz adds: "It was a huge privilege to bring this channel-defining show back as a special for Stand Up To Cancer. We're thrilled at the prospect of building a maze to the scale and cinematic spectacle of the original, and our hope is to bring a new vision to the legendary time travelling adventure that will excite the next generation of viewers."
Richard Ayoade, who rose to fame in sitcom The IT Crowd, has been named by some papers as one of the potential new hosts for the same channel's new version of The Great British Bake Off.
The new series of The Crystal Maze will start on Channel 4 later this year.