Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Crystal Maze

 The Crystal Maze
type
TVTItem
 The Crystal Maze
label
The Crystal Maze
 The Crystal Maze
page
TheCrystalMaze
 The Crystal Maze
comment
The Crystal Maze is a British Game Show that originally ran from 1990 to 1995, initially hosted by Richard O'Brien and later by Edward Tudor-Pole, and produced by Treasure Hunt and Fort Boyard creator Jacques Antoine. (Channel 4 originally wanted Fort Boyard, but couldn't get at the fort itself as the French series was massively popular at the time.)Each week, six contestants would have to complete a series of challenges in four adventure zones (originally Industrial, Futuristic, Aztec and Medieval. In the fourth series, Ocean replaced Industrial). Completing these challenges would mean receiving a time crystal. If contestants failed to leave the room (crystal or not) before time ran out, or broke certain rules in some games, they were locked in and could only be released in exchange for a crystal.The final part was always the Crystal Dome, where contestants would have a certain amount of time (determined by how many crystals won —5 seconds per crystal) to collect gold tokens* more like tickets or bills blown about by a big fan. Silver tokens were also present and these would result in a deduction from a score (which could —and often did— lead to a negative total score). If they got 100 or more after deductions, they would win prizes: usually adventure holidays in B-level British resort towns.Most of the show's appeal came from the wonderfully eccentric Richard O'Brien (of The Rocky Horror Picture Show fame) and the way he would present the show: his manic, restless behaviour; his razor-sharp put-downs of (frankly bad) team performances; and how he would always play that damn harmonica at the most inappropriate and distracting times. Edward Tudor-Pole never had a chance. It also became common for the viewer base to start shouting at the screen at the contestants when they missed the very obvious solutions. (Extracts from the show's blooper reel that have been leaked onto YouTube reveal that, in the privacy of the technical gallery, the show's director did it too.)Although it wasn't very apparent to the viewer most of the show was in fact fixed: for example, it was the production staff, not the Captain, that decided what games to play (Physical, Mental, Skill or Mystery), and was in fact decided well in advance of the show. Although on screen it looks instantaneous there was also a significant length of time between a contestant entering a puzzle room and actually playing it, sometimes in the region of 15 minutes. This was so the crew could set up equipment such as cameras and in some instances actually reset the game if the player in question mucks up too badly in order to keep it interesting to the viewer. A far more in-depth list can be found on the other Wiki.There were also Spin-Off Gamebooks, set in a more elaborate version of the Maze: The Crystal Maze Adventure Gamebook by Dave Morris and Jamie Thompson aimed at teens and adults, in which the more "realistic" maze was justified by it being set a hundred years in the future, with advanced holographics and robotics (including the robot host ROB); and four targeted at younger readers (The Crystal Thief, Tea at Rick's, The Sacred Necklace and Phantom in the Tower all by Peter Arnold), which just Handwaved it.The show remains a classic and repeats are still shown in syndication. In particular, it was and remains very popular amongst University Students, though there have been no DVD releases as yet. In 2015, it was announced that a "live immersive experience" in central London with Richard O'Brien's involvement would launch funding through IndieGoGo, which eventually opened in March 2016. Later that year, alongside a second live venue in Manchester being announced, a one-off Celebrity Edition Revival was shown on Channel 4, this time with Stephen Merchant as the host, raising money for the charity Stand Up To Cancer.Due to the popularity of the "Crystal Maze Experience" and the celebrity revival, Channel 4 commissioned a brand new series to be hosted by Richard Ayoade and broadcast in 2017, including a number of celebrity specials. Changes to the revival include the change from six random contestants to a group of five acquaintances, the return of the Industrial zone, and redesigns to the Future zone and the Crystal Dome. Medieval Zone was ditched in 2019 in favour of the new Eastern Zone, meaning that only Future and Aztec have been ever-present now. This revival ended in 2020, after 45 episodes spread across three series.A U.S. version premiered on Nickelodeon in January 2020, hosted by Adam Conover (of Adam Ruins Everything fame). This version whilst also filmed on the UK set this time features teams of families, with the youngest family member being the team captain. Only one season of 10 episodes was made; despite being renewed for a second season in February 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic went into full-swing almost immediately after, making filming the show unfeasible. While it's not confirmed to be cancelled, the ongoing effects of Covid and the cancellation of the UK version make it highly unlikely Americans will return to the maze anytime soon.
 The Crystal Maze
fetched
2024-03-08T18:47:37Z
 The Crystal Maze
parsed
2024-03-08T18:47:37Z
 The Crystal Maze
processingComment
Dropped link to TheRockyHorrorPictureShow: Not a Feature - ITEM
 The Crystal Maze
processingComment
Dropped link to ThemeTune: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 The Crystal Maze
isPartOf
DBTropes
 The Crystal Maze / int_151e1278
type
Menacing Hand Shot
 The Crystal Maze / int_151e1278
comment
Menacing Hand Shot: Downplayed in that occasionally, Richard's hand is seen ready to lock somebody in, while counting down towards the end of the game.
 The Crystal Maze / int_151e1278
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_151e1278
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_151e1278
 The Crystal Maze / int_17003b46
type
Magic Kiss
 The Crystal Maze / int_17003b46
comment
Magic Kiss: Played with in one game in Series 1: the contestant had to find their way through a maze of mirrors and glass, and kiss a sleeping princess (actually the producer's daughter), to win the crystal. Only the male contestants were selected for this game. The outtakes video shows one contestant having to do lots of takes of this, because her crown kept falling down. Another contestant tried to kiss her through a pane of glass, prompting his team to ask "did that work?".
 The Crystal Maze / int_17003b46
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_17003b46
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_17003b46
 The Crystal Maze / int_1b65dfad
type
The Cameo
 The Crystal Maze / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: Richard O'Brien and Mumsey make an appearance at the beginning of the 1993 Christmas Episode to explain their departure before Ed's takeover as host. Richard O'Brien makes a second cameo in the 2016 revival through a computer screen, telling Stephen not to mess the job up and that the guy who played Doctor Who would have made a better host.* When the revival was announced it was heavily rumoured that David Tennant would be the new host. The 2018 celebrity special has appearances by Alison Steadman (as the Fairy Godmumsie) and Pearl Mackie (as Sleeping Beauty).
 The Crystal Maze / int_1b65dfad
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_1b65dfad
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_1b65dfad
 The Crystal Maze / int_1ba17583
type
The Ghost
 The Crystal Maze / int_1ba17583
comment
The Ghost: Richard frequently called out to Ralph the butler, who was never seen. He also made phone calls to Duane, Mumsey's lover in Series 4.
 The Crystal Maze / int_1ba17583
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_1ba17583
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_1ba17583
 The Crystal Maze / int_1c8b3cc3
type
Mugshot Montage
 The Crystal Maze / int_1c8b3cc3
comment
Mugshot Montage: From the second series onwards, each contestant is introduced with a monochrome mugshot, showing them in full face, and in profile.
 The Crystal Maze / int_1c8b3cc3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_1c8b3cc3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_1c8b3cc3
 The Crystal Maze / int_1e7487cd
type
Breaking the Fourth Wall
 The Crystal Maze / int_1e7487cd
comment
Subverted for a while by Richard O'Brien who decided to make "Go for it!" his catchphrase, but whenever he used it would shortly after go off on a monologue explaining to the audience that he had decided to make "Go for it!" his catchphrase. However, in Series 4 he started disliking the phrase, and threatened to sanction contestants who used it, notably to one contestant also called Richard:
 The Crystal Maze / int_1e7487cd
featureApplicability
-0.3
 The Crystal Maze / int_1e7487cd
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_1e7487cd
 The Crystal Maze / int_20ebabe3
type
Thing-O-Meter
 The Crystal Maze / int_20ebabe3
comment
Thing-O-Meter: Series 2 had a meter which showed the number of gold and silver credits posted. It was not calibrated, and probably was not very accurate.
 The Crystal Maze / int_20ebabe3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_20ebabe3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_20ebabe3
 The Crystal Maze / int_23cfc88b
type
Creepy Old-Fashioned Diving Suit
 The Crystal Maze / int_23cfc88b
comment
Creepy Old-Fashioned Diving Suit: In the fourth series, one game in Ocean World involves the contestant having to enter a "submersible" in a darkened room, and rescue the crystal from a deep-sea cage. The cage also contains a dead diver in an old-fashioned suit, which adds to the creepiness of the game, as the contestant must also avoid bumping their submersible into two sharks circulating the room.
 The Crystal Maze / int_23cfc88b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_23cfc88b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_23cfc88b
 The Crystal Maze / int_26589ace
type
Show the Folks at Home
 The Crystal Maze / int_26589ace
comment
Show the Folks at Home: If the solution to a puzzle was not revealed in-universe, it would often be shown after the game; either as a series of cross-fades of the stages of the puzzle, or with subtitles. A notable example was when coloured wires had to be connected to the right pictures to form word chains (e.g. red tape, blue chip etc.), in a game which the contestants never figured out. Showing the solution was often achieved during the game with close-ups of the right answer; and at one point even discussed in-universe, with Richard saying "the camera gave you a clue" to the contestants watching on the monitor. Revealing the solution was averted at one point in series 2, with a maze game involving keys in the Futuristic zone, and Richard told everybody present "Who knows? You will never know!"
 The Crystal Maze / int_26589ace
featureApplicability
-1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_26589ace
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_26589ace
 The Crystal Maze / int_2677b1dc
type
Door Slam of Rage
 The Crystal Maze / int_2677b1dc
comment
Door Slam of Rage: In Series 3, Richard O'Brien has an angry outburst about his artist's beret going missing, and furiously slams his paint box shut, making a crash which echoes around the Medieval Zone. Sometimes he slams a door particularly dramatically when a contestant is locked in.
 The Crystal Maze / int_2677b1dc
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_2677b1dc
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_2677b1dc
 The Crystal Maze / int_273b4c2a
type
Some Dexterity Required
 The Crystal Maze / int_273b4c2a
comment
Some Dexterity Required: This applies to some devices used by contestants. Remote controlled vehicles often have very sensitive controls, and one game featured a robot, where to operate each control, a gadget had to be guided through a maze to operate a command, such as "raise arm". The robot then moves very slowly and awkwardly.
 The Crystal Maze / int_273b4c2a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_273b4c2a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_273b4c2a
 The Crystal Maze / int_2813c530
type
Laser Hallway
 The Crystal Maze / int_2813c530
comment
Laser Hallway: Sometimes appeared as a challenge in the Futuristic Zone. The original series used tripwires as they probably didn't have the budget for real lasers, but the revival is going for the real deal this time round.
 The Crystal Maze / int_2813c530
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_2813c530
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_2813c530
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a090d00
type
Lampshade Hanging
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a090d00
comment
Lampshade Hanging: Rather than showing the contestant put on safety helmets and knee pads for physical rounds like in the original run, the revival edits them out with Ayoade fully aware of it.
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a090d00
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a090d00
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_2a090d00
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a154192
type
Impossibly Tacky Clothes
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a154192
comment
Impossibly Tacky Clothes: Mr O'Brien dresses like a fashion designer, that is to say like a man who knows nothing about style. Not to mention the team uniforms. Ed, on the other hand, wears his "scruffy dandy" look remarkably well. The 2017 revival is no different with the team uniforms and Richard Ayoade's suits looking just as tacky.
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a154192
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_2a154192
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_2a154192
 The Crystal Maze / int_2af0378f
type
Mayincatec
 The Crystal Maze / int_2af0378f
comment
Mayincatec: The Aztec Zone.
 The Crystal Maze / int_2af0378f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_2af0378f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_2af0378f
 The Crystal Maze / int_31e9c24b
type
Hooking the Keys
 The Crystal Maze / int_31e9c24b
comment
Hooking the Keys: In the game "Key Collection", contestants must use a hook on the end of a long pole to collect keys through a grill, and then find the correct key to open a chest.
 The Crystal Maze / int_31e9c24b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_31e9c24b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_31e9c24b
 The Crystal Maze / int_33fa230b
type
Your Princess Is in Another Castle!
 The Crystal Maze / int_33fa230b
comment
Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: In the fourth series, a game involved creating a chain of words to release a sword from a stone (King Arthur reference). That sword had a crystal as the pommel, but the game had no crystal for the winner. Where is the crystal? In the hand of a suit of armour, possibly worn by a crew member, who is given the crystal-pommel sword by Richard O'Brien.
 The Crystal Maze / int_33fa230b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_33fa230b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_33fa230b
 The Crystal Maze / int_392372f9
type
Actor Allusion
 The Crystal Maze / int_392372f9
comment
Actor Allusion: When leading a team into the Medieval Zone, Richard warns them not to drop the portcullis on him. Richard's character on Robin of Sherwood was trapped behind a portcullis that landed on his master. There's also the episode where he exhorts a contestant to Take a jump to the left!
 The Crystal Maze / int_392372f9
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_392372f9
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_392372f9
 The Crystal Maze / int_3a4f1e40
type
Celebrity Edition
 The Crystal Maze / int_3a4f1e40
comment
Celebrity Edition: The show was brought back as a one-off edition in 2016 which rated well enough to bring the show back in 2017. The new series has started with a group of celebrity editions before reverting back to civilian editions.
 The Crystal Maze / int_3a4f1e40
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_3a4f1e40
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_3a4f1e40
 The Crystal Maze / int_3bfd0eb
type
Motion Capture
 The Crystal Maze / int_3bfd0eb
comment
Motion Capture: One of the games in the 2019 series now involves a contestant being mocapped in a white room whilst the rest of the team guides the contestant's digital avatar through obstacles (not too dissimilar to Knightmare) to get the crystal.
 The Crystal Maze / int_3bfd0eb
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_3bfd0eb
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_3bfd0eb
 The Crystal Maze / int_3ce9c9fa
type
Fortune Teller
 The Crystal Maze / int_3ce9c9fa
comment
Fortune Teller: One of the inhabitants of the Medieval Zone was a stereotypical fortune teller who asked quiz questions and handed over a crystal (which was hidden in the base of her crystal ball) if the contestant answered correctly. O'Brien would provide the contestant with silver coins to cross her palm with. The fortune teller is his in-show mother, 'Mumsey', something that O'Brien made up on the spot during a first-series episode and it stuck. In Series 3, 'Mumsey' was replaced by 'Auntie Sabrina' - which was strange, because they were both played by Sandra Caron (possibly it was just an elaborate excuse to change her costume, as the characters did dress differently). 'Mumsey' returns in Series 4, announcing her arrival back in the Christmas Episode which kickstarts said series.
 The Crystal Maze / int_3ce9c9fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_3ce9c9fa
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_3ce9c9fa
 The Crystal Maze / int_3eee0728
type
Captain Obvious
 The Crystal Maze / int_3eee0728
comment
Captain Obvious: Most of the team "advice" during certain games. Not that the obvious advice was necessarily unhelpful to their teammates...
 The Crystal Maze / int_3eee0728
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_3eee0728
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_3eee0728
 The Crystal Maze / int_433e732f
type
Only Smart People May Pass
 The Crystal Maze / int_433e732f
comment
Only Smart People May Pass: Although the audience might have argued that it was more like "Only a complete idiot cannot pass".
 The Crystal Maze / int_433e732f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_433e732f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_433e732f
 The Crystal Maze / int_4394b4be
type
Messy Hair
 The Crystal Maze / int_4394b4be
comment
Messy Hair: Ed Tudor Pole.
 The Crystal Maze / int_4394b4be
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_4394b4be
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_4394b4be
 The Crystal Maze / int_46ee4d3
type
Eye Take
 The Crystal Maze / int_46ee4d3
comment
In the children's special in series 5, Ed had the following advice to the youngest contestant, causing her to do an Eye Take.
 The Crystal Maze / int_46ee4d3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_46ee4d3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_46ee4d3
 The Crystal Maze / int_49d59be9
type
Scenery Porn
 The Crystal Maze / int_49d59be9
comment
Scenery Porn: The Aztec Zone is very beautiful to look at.
 The Crystal Maze / int_49d59be9
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_49d59be9
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_49d59be9
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e1edd37
type
Wizard Workshop
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e1edd37
comment
Wizard Workshop: The second series has a wizard's lab for the murder mystery game in the Medieval Zone, with books, scrolls, a bubbling cauldron, glass bottles of coloured liquid, small locking boxes containing ingredients such as coal and gold, a stuffed raven, cobwebs.
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e1edd37
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e1edd37
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_4e1edd37
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e3b5209
type
Beeping Computers
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e3b5209
comment
Beeping Computers: Lots of the devices in the Futuristic Zone beep. There is a code entered on a beeping keypad to open each door, although this seems to serve no purpose; a "bomb defusing" game has a background beeping, which becomes more urgent and high-pitched as the time runs out, and Richard O'Brien also runs a beeping radiation detector over a contestant who has been dealing with nuclear waste.
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e3b5209
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_4e3b5209
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_4e3b5209
 The Crystal Maze / int_52748705
type
Bamboo Technology
 The Crystal Maze / int_52748705
comment
Bamboo Technology: A feature of the Aztec Zone, with many of the games having elaborate bamboo mechanisms to release the crystal.
 The Crystal Maze / int_52748705
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_52748705
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_52748705
 The Crystal Maze / int_54adb6a3
type
Staircase Tumble
 The Crystal Maze / int_54adb6a3
comment
Staircase Tumble: In the Aztec zone, Richard O'Brien falls up a very short flight of stairs. Later, he plays a screeching note on his harmonica, in honour of the occasion.
 The Crystal Maze / int_54adb6a3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_54adb6a3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_54adb6a3
 The Crystal Maze / int_55f92df9
type
Wire Dilemma
 The Crystal Maze / int_55f92df9
comment
Wire Dilemma: Sometimes appeared as a challenge, notably in a burglar alarm game in series 3, where the instructions were "cut the wire coloured the mixture of the other two colours". One game in series 1 did this in reverse: the contestant had to connect wires correctly to stop a bomb going off.
 The Crystal Maze / int_55f92df9
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_55f92df9
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_55f92df9
 The Crystal Maze / int_5889ca1d
type
Mineral MacGuffin
 The Crystal Maze / int_5889ca1d
comment
Mineral MacGuffin: The Time Crystals, which grants the team 5 seconds in the Crystal Dome, or can be used to buy out a locked in contestant.
 The Crystal Maze / int_5889ca1d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_5889ca1d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_5889ca1d
 The Crystal Maze / int_58c3c1da
type
Boredom Montage
 The Crystal Maze / int_58c3c1da
comment
Boredom Montage: When the team had to decide whether to buy out contestants who were locked in, there would usually be a shot of the imprisoned contestants looking bored. One such contestant was seen playing a solitaire game with a pack of cards he'd found in the room.
 The Crystal Maze / int_58c3c1da
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_58c3c1da
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_58c3c1da
 The Crystal Maze / int_58dd1c53
type
Cobweb of Disuse
 The Crystal Maze / int_58dd1c53
comment
Cobweb of Disuse: The Medieval Zone is full of cobwebs, as part of the scenery. In the first series, Richard calls out "Ralph, I won't tell you again, you dust these cobwebs!". Later, if the contestant accidentally carry them on their clothes, Richard says that they are special to him, and he doesn't allow them to take them away.
 The Crystal Maze / int_58dd1c53
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_58dd1c53
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_58dd1c53
 The Crystal Maze / int_5effa7dc
type
Rebuilt Set
 The Crystal Maze / int_5effa7dc
comment
Rebuilt Set: Avoided with the 2016 special, which was filmed in the live experience site, but the 2017 revival has recreations of the Aztec, Mediæval and Industrial zones from the original plans. The Future Zone and Crystal Dome area were redesigned from scratch. The Dome was now in a separate set as its fans had previously blown sand around in the Aztec Zone.
 The Crystal Maze / int_5effa7dc
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_5effa7dc
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_5effa7dc
 The Crystal Maze / int_5fcb3c79
type
Golden Snitch
 The Crystal Maze / int_5fcb3c79
comment
Golden Snitch: Ultimately, the number of crystals gathered meant nothing if the team gather too many (negative-scoring) silver tokens in the final stage. And they frequently did. (In theory, they could have used the extra time to check for silver tokens instead of just shoving in as many as possible, but apparently no-one ever thought of that.) Conversely... One Crystal + Crystal Dome = Epic Fail. It actually happened twice. In one Ayoade episode, the team had NO crystals, the only way to top the above.
 The Crystal Maze / int_5fcb3c79
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_5fcb3c79
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_5fcb3c79
 The Crystal Maze / int_60bba69b
type
Magic Potion
 The Crystal Maze / int_60bba69b
comment
Magic Potion: One game in the Medieval Zone in Series 4 required the contestant to mix four potion ingredients in a cauldron, out of which the crystal would rise. The real challenge was that the ingredients were on shelves protected by rotating blades, in glass phials which had to be reached with a grabber. If a contestant dropped three bottles, they were locked in.
 The Crystal Maze / int_60bba69b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_60bba69b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_60bba69b
 The Crystal Maze / int_62cae28a
type
Losing Your Head
 The Crystal Maze / int_62cae28a
comment
Losing Your Head: In the revival, riddles are asked by "Jarhead" (Adam Buxton), a head in a jar who's been present in the Futuristic, Mediæval and Eastern zones.
 The Crystal Maze / int_62cae28a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_62cae28a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_62cae28a
 The Crystal Maze / int_69ff3fba
type
Beehive Hairdo
 The Crystal Maze / int_69ff3fba
comment
Beehive Hairdo: In Series 3, Auntie Sabrina has a beehive hairdo, as well as other bad fashion tastes.
 The Crystal Maze / int_69ff3fba
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_69ff3fba
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_69ff3fba
 The Crystal Maze / int_6a15a2c2
type
The Computer Is Your Friend
 The Crystal Maze / int_6a15a2c2
comment
The Computer Is Your Friend: A talking computer lived in the Futuristic zone, with whom Richard or Ed would frequently talk. Sometimes the computer was male, and sometimes it was female, and known as "Barbara".
 The Crystal Maze / int_6a15a2c2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_6a15a2c2
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_6a15a2c2
 The Crystal Maze / int_6ef9d3fe
type
Christmas Episode
 The Crystal Maze / int_6ef9d3fe
comment
Richard O'Brien, when he left the series. Although the Series 5 Christmas Episode helps to explain the transfer of the ownership to Ed Tudor Pole.
 The Crystal Maze / int_6ef9d3fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_6ef9d3fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_6ef9d3fe
 The Crystal Maze / int_72d30083
type
Cheaters Never Prosper
 The Crystal Maze / int_72d30083
comment
Cheaters Never Prosper: Kind of averted. Contestants who managed to get a crystal in a method other than the one the game intended were usually allowed to keep it. On the other hand, they'd usually misunderstood the game, rather than strictly speaking cheated. Examples include: The infamous contestant who spent half his time messing about with the plastic skeleton prop that was only there for decoration won by simply dragging the chest containing the crystal along the ground instead of using the wooden rollers like he was supposed to. Another challenge involved putting four weights of different values on four pressure points; however, there weren't enough weights for each pad. The solution was to place a metal bar across two pressure pads and then place the "2" on it. One child contestant just stood on the final pressure point; when the crystal vanished after he stood off the pad to grab it, he just moved it closer. O'Brien pointed out how he didn't really play it properly but decided to let him keep the crystal anyway. One contestant had to shovel sand into one end of a see-saw so there would be enough weight to counter-balance him, so he could reach up and grab the crystal on a platform. He just knocked the crystal off with the shovel. In the first series, one challenge involved finding the crystal in one of twelve cells, having to get between them by climbing ropes or ladders. Richard O'Brien would always say "Ropes and ladders only!", but never penalised the contestants who took a shortcut by clambering across the top of the frame. Played straight with a contestant who wasted upwards of twenty seconds just trying to break his way into the cage containing the crystal. Had he just played the game properly, he would have won the crystal with time to spare. Instead, he got locked in.
 The Crystal Maze / int_72d30083
featureApplicability
-1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_72d30083
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_72d30083
 The Crystal Maze / int_740f59b4
type
ColorCodedForYourConvenience
 The Crystal Maze / int_740f59b4
comment
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The contestants would wear uniforms which were different colours, but otherwise identical. The colours were never mentioned on-screen, although a former contestant reports that they were mentioned a lot by the production staff. The zones appeared in different colours on the map, and colour was important in many of the games.
 The Crystal Maze / int_740f59b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_740f59b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_740f59b4
 The Crystal Maze / int_754df088
type
Put on a Bus
 The Crystal Maze / int_754df088
comment
Put on a Bus: Richard O'Brien, when he left the series. Although the Series 5 Christmas Episode helps to explain the transfer of the ownership to Ed Tudor Pole. Due to her being his in-show mother, Mumsey also left at the same time as O'Brien. Mumsey did however return in the 2016 celebrity special (now played by Maureen Lipman) but Word of God said that she would not return for the 2017 revival.
 The Crystal Maze / int_754df088
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_754df088
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_754df088
 The Crystal Maze / int_7a4a1676
type
Comedic Spanking
 The Crystal Maze / int_7a4a1676
comment
Comedic Spanking: Richard tells a contestant "this game is so easy, I'll smack your bottie if you don't get this," and indeed, the contestant fails. In the same series, Richard is seen smacking a contestant's hand in the title sequence. Ed carries a riding crop, and once jokingly tells a woman to bend over.
 The Crystal Maze / int_7a4a1676
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_7a4a1676
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_7a4a1676
 The Crystal Maze / int_7ad2ca1b
type
Container Maze
 The Crystal Maze / int_7ad2ca1b
comment
Container Maze: One game in series 6 was a maze of stacked barrels, through which the container had to carry a small barrel on a long chain, which would only fit through the right gaps in the stacked barrels.
 The Crystal Maze / int_7ad2ca1b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_7ad2ca1b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_7ad2ca1b
 The Crystal Maze / int_823c6e3e
type
Large Ham
 The Crystal Maze / int_823c6e3e
comment
Large Ham: Richard O'Brien. Ed Tudor Pole tries to go one up, but doesn't quite make it.
 The Crystal Maze / int_823c6e3e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_823c6e3e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_823c6e3e
 The Crystal Maze / int_827f385
type
Safety Gear Is Cowardly
 The Crystal Maze / int_827f385
comment
Safety Gear Is Cowardly: At least, it was in the series from the 1990s, before health and safety culture became prevalent. Although contestants were given goggles for shooting games, not many games required the contestant to wear safety gear: a notable exception was the three-dimensional maze in series 3, for which the contestant would be kitted up in a hard hat, gloves, elbow and knee pads, which they would put on on-screen. In the later series hosted by Richard Ayoade, safety gear was used far more, and in a gesture of Leaning on the Fourth Wall, Richard would say "we will edit a helmet on to your head when you go through the door".
 The Crystal Maze / int_827f385
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_827f385
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_827f385
 The Crystal Maze / int_836a968e
type
Plunger Detonator
 The Crystal Maze / int_836a968e
comment
Plunger Detonator: One game in the Aztec Zone required the contestant to fish plunger handles from a river using a fishing rod, before using them to detonate the entrance to a mine shaft.
 The Crystal Maze / int_836a968e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_836a968e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_836a968e
 The Crystal Maze / int_864009e9
type
Pirate Booty
 The Crystal Maze / int_864009e9
comment
Pirate Booty: One of the challenges in the Ocean Zone was searching for the key to a treasure chest in a pirate cave, complete with pirate skeleton and stuffed Pirate Parrot.
 The Crystal Maze / int_864009e9
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_864009e9
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_864009e9
 The Crystal Maze / int_864ecbce
type
Weight and Switch
 The Crystal Maze / int_864ecbce
comment
Weight and Switch: This happened in one of the children's special episodes. The correct solution was to put weights on four pressure pads, using a metal bar so that one weight could apply to two pads. The young contestant instead stood himself on the fourth pad. Richard declared that this was not the right method of solving the game, but let them have it anyway.
 The Crystal Maze / int_864ecbce
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_864ecbce
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_864ecbce
 The Crystal Maze / int_89a17726
type
Spell My Name with an S
 The Crystal Maze / int_89a17726
comment
Spell My Name With An S: The spelling of Mumsey/Mumsie varied from series to series.
 The Crystal Maze / int_89a17726
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_89a17726
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_89a17726
 The Crystal Maze / int_8e76ea52
type
Fish-Eye Lens
 The Crystal Maze / int_8e76ea52
comment
Fish-Eye Lens: When Richard was viewed through the computer in the Futuristic Zone, he would sometimes appear as if through a fish-eye lens.
 The Crystal Maze / int_8e76ea52
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_8e76ea52
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_8e76ea52
 The Crystal Maze / int_90e31482
type
Laser-Guided Karma
 The Crystal Maze / int_90e31482
comment
Played straight with a contestant who wasted upwards of twenty seconds just trying to break his way into the cage containing the crystal. Had he just played the game properly, he would have won the crystal with time to spare. Instead, he got locked in.
 The Crystal Maze / int_90e31482
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_90e31482
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_90e31482
 The Crystal Maze / int_927b2f11
type
The Bus Came Back
 The Crystal Maze / int_927b2f11
comment
Due to her being his in-show mother, Mumsey also left at the same time as O'Brien. Mumsey did however return in the 2016 celebrity special (now played by Maureen Lipman) but Word of God said that she would not return for the 2017 revival.
 The Crystal Maze / int_927b2f11
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_927b2f11
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_927b2f11
 The Crystal Maze / int_94332264
type
Busman's Holiday
 The Crystal Maze / int_94332264
comment
Busman's Holiday: Richard sometimes alluded to this if a contestant played a game particularly appropriate to their day job, notably when a fireman made very heavy weather of a game involving ropes and ladders.
 The Crystal Maze / int_94332264
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_94332264
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_94332264
 The Crystal Maze / int_9bcc38c6
type
Thanking the Viewer
 The Crystal Maze / int_9bcc38c6
comment
Thanking the Viewer: Richard Ayoade signs off with "Thank you for watching, if indeed you still are."
 The Crystal Maze / int_9bcc38c6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_9bcc38c6
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_9bcc38c6
 The Crystal Maze / int_9d6427ec
type
Time Travel
 The Crystal Maze / int_9d6427ec
comment
Time Travel: Some of the challenges seem to take place in a medieval time period, or the future, or something similar...
 The Crystal Maze / int_9d6427ec
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_9d6427ec
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_9d6427ec
 The Crystal Maze / int_9dd2329c
type
Camera Abuse
 The Crystal Maze / int_9dd2329c
comment
Camera Abuse: The show often contains unusual shots, such as the contentants' running feet, filmed from near the floor. In one such moment, it looks as if they are running towards the camera, before jumping over it. In series 1, there is a moment when a contestant makes a dash for the door to escape an exploding room, and just fails to escape: to film this, he must have thrown himself at the camera.
 The Crystal Maze / int_9dd2329c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_9dd2329c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_9dd2329c
 The Crystal Maze / int_9eac471e
type
False Teeth Tomfoolery
 The Crystal Maze / int_9eac471e
comment
False Teeth Tomfoolery: When a contestant in series 4 falls headlong into the Aztec river, Richard improvises "Did you see my false teeth I dropped down there last week?".
 The Crystal Maze / int_9eac471e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_9eac471e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_9eac471e
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6cda066
type
Rule of Three
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6cda066
comment
Rule of Three: Many games require three tasks to be completed to win the crystal. Mumsey asks three questions, requiring one correct answer to win the crystal. In many automatic lock-in games, the contestant is locked in if they made three mistakes. In series 4, Richard O'Brien jokingly made the rule that if he heard "go for it" three times, he would confiscate a crystal.
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6cda066
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6cda066
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_a6cda066
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6ff7243
type
Hates Being Touched
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6ff7243
comment
Hates Being Touched: Richard Ayoade keeps the Hand (a hand on a stick) with him to hold contestant hands because he doesn't like touching people. Any attempt of hugging will hit Ayoade's Berserk Button, accusing the contestant of assault. Inverted with his American counterpart, Adam Conover, who as well as having no qualms touching contestants, decides to initiate a Group Hug with the team at end of his first episode!
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6ff7243
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_a6ff7243
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_a6ff7243
 The Crystal Maze / int_a8a80e26
type
Fashion Dissonance
 The Crystal Maze / int_a8a80e26
comment
Fashion Dissonance: The perms, mullets, and toupees sported by so many of the contestants certainly were a product of the time. Some contestants wore over-sized spectacles.
 The Crystal Maze / int_a8a80e26
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_a8a80e26
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_a8a80e26
 The Crystal Maze / int_a939d96a
type
Adults Are Useless
 The Crystal Maze / int_a939d96a
comment
Adults Are Useless: So thought some children who applied to be on the show, declaring that they could do better than the adults. At the beginning of the fourth series, they did indeed do better than most of the adult teams, winning with eight crystals. They also thought of an innovative solution to one of the games (see "Weight and Switch" below).
 The Crystal Maze / int_a939d96a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_a939d96a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_a939d96a
 The Crystal Maze / int_aa98ca9a
type
Artsy Beret
 The Crystal Maze / int_aa98ca9a
comment
Artsy Beret: In the first episode of Series 3, Richard O'Brien indicates a picture he is painting, and is then incandescent with rage and sorrow when his beret is missing. It turns out Auntie Sabrina just washed it and put it in his bedroom.
 The Crystal Maze / int_aa98ca9a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_aa98ca9a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_aa98ca9a
 The Crystal Maze / int_ad7a381d
type
P.O.V. Cam
 The Crystal Maze / int_ad7a381d
comment
P.O.V. Cam: There were often shots seen from the contestant's view, such as when crawling through a maze. Cameras would often appear to be inside the equipment as well, showing a crystal rolling along a channel. Cameras were also attached to tools such as metal detectors, or to moving objects, such as moving targets, giving the viewer the sight of the contestant armed with a crossbow.
 The Crystal Maze / int_ad7a381d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_ad7a381d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_ad7a381d
 The Crystal Maze / int_b01abe4f
type
Catchphrase
 The Crystal Maze / int_b01abe4f
comment
Catchphrase: Traditionally "This is a two/two and a half/three minute game from the very second I close the door...", but in the case of the revival abbreviated to "mins" by Ayoade. In the original series "Will you start the fans, PLEASE!" for Richard O'Brien (which has since been revived post-2016), "Let the four winds blow!" or similar for Ed* which also counts as a Shout-Out to the album and song by Ed's band Tenpole Tudor - both just before the Crystal Dome task. Ed Tudor-Pole would normally close off by telling the audience to "Keep on rocking!" while Richard Ayoade signed off with "Thank you for watching, if indeed you still are. Farewell!" Subverted for a while by Richard O'Brien who decided to make "Go for it!" his catchphrase, but whenever he used it would shortly after go off on a monologue explaining to the audience that he had decided to make "Go for it!" his catchphrase. However, in Series 4 he started disliking the phrase, and threatened to sanction contestants who used it, notably to one contestant also called Richard: With Richard Ayoade we have "Follow the Hand", "You will look slightly different in the next shot" (see Lampshade Hanging) and "This is an ALIS, an Automatic Lock-In Situation". Adam Conover on the US version gave us "You may now! Enter! THE GAME!"
 The Crystal Maze / int_b01abe4f
featureApplicability
-0.3
 The Crystal Maze / int_b01abe4f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b01abe4f
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1961af1
type
Offscreen Crash
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1961af1
comment
Offscreen Crash: At least once in the 2020 US version, Adam Conover tosses a crystal out of frame, apparently hitting a cat. Richard often throws away his hat, and in one case we hear smashing glass.
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1961af1
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1961af1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b1961af1
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1dde8fd
type
Loophole Abuse
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1dde8fd
comment
Loophole Abuse: It wasn't unknown for contestants to obtain their crystals in ways they weren't really supposed to. Suggested by David Coulthard in the 2017 celebrity specials when he advises another contestant that he use a hammer to break a Perspex shield when he is actually supposed to use an Allen key, leading Richard Ayoade to tell him he's not in Scotland. Coulthard also suggests a Groin Attack on a guard in the Medieval zone... this is not carried out.
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1dde8fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_b1dde8fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b1dde8fd
 The Crystal Maze / int_b2f26025
type
Genki Girl
 The Crystal Maze / int_b2f26025
comment
Genki Girl: The entire "Cheerleaders" team in the 2017 series. Likewise "The London Girls" in the 2018 series.
 The Crystal Maze / int_b2f26025
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_b2f26025
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b2f26025
 The Crystal Maze / int_b4eff8a8
type
Epic Fail
 The Crystal Maze / int_b4eff8a8
comment
Conversely... One Crystal + Crystal Dome = Epic Fail. It actually happened twice.
 The Crystal Maze / int_b4eff8a8
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_b4eff8a8
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b4eff8a8
 The Crystal Maze / int_b58b4e3c
type
Too Dumb to Live
 The Crystal Maze / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: Several contestants failed so miserably one wonders if they understood they were on a game show with a time limit.
 The Crystal Maze / int_b58b4e3c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_b58b4e3c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b58b4e3c
 The Crystal Maze / int_b5f5824e
type
Linked List Clue Methodology
 The Crystal Maze / int_b5f5824e
comment
Linked List Clue Methodology: A lot of the games had a dash of this, but particularly one of the most iconic games, the 'Murder Mystery' where a trail of clues would lead around a messy room (which also had a dead body in it because reasons) to the crystal. These games were so popular a different incarnation was done in each series. Series 5 acquired an actor playing the dead man, rather than a dummy.
 The Crystal Maze / int_b5f5824e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_b5f5824e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b5f5824e
 The Crystal Maze / int_b71f62de
type
Cuckoo Clock Gag
 The Crystal Maze / int_b71f62de
comment
Cuckoo Clock Gag: A puzzle on was that after doing a jigsaw of a cuckoo, the player then had to find the crystal behind the little door on a cuckoo clock in the room.
 The Crystal Maze / int_b71f62de
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_b71f62de
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_b71f62de
 The Crystal Maze / int_ba557643
type
Terms of Endangerment
 The Crystal Maze / int_ba557643
comment
Terms of Endangerment: In Series 1, Episode 3, there was one male contestant who was constantly calling his female team mates "darling". He also tried to hug them when they won a crystal: if you look carefully, you can see them brushing him off.
 The Crystal Maze / int_ba557643
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_ba557643
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_ba557643
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb0fe28c
type
Queens Puzzle
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb0fe28c
comment
Queens Puzzle: In the tenth episode of the fourth series, the team of the week is tasked with solving one of these puzzles in the Medieval Zone.
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb0fe28c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb0fe28c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_bb0fe28c
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb48f8ba
type
Timed Mission
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb48f8ba
comment
Timed Mission: Every challenge is 2-3 minutes long. The crystal dome has 5 seconds per crystal earned.
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb48f8ba
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_bb48f8ba
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_bb48f8ba
 The Crystal Maze / int_bc74ef27
type
Berserk Button
 The Crystal Maze / int_bc74ef27
comment
Richard Ayoade keeps the Hand (a hand on a stick) with him to hold contestant hands because he doesn't like touching people. Any attempt of hugging will hit Ayoade's Berserk Button, accusing the contestant of assault.
 The Crystal Maze / int_bc74ef27
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_bc74ef27
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_bc74ef27
 The Crystal Maze / int_c3d5ca0a
type
We Have the Keys
 The Crystal Maze / int_c3d5ca0a
comment
We Have the Keys: In a series 2 episode, Richard O'Brien waits for the team to scale the gates leading into the Industrial Zone, then he unlocks them with the key to let himself in, saying he doesn't know why they bothered climbing over, as he had the key, if only they'd asked.
 The Crystal Maze / int_c3d5ca0a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_c3d5ca0a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_c3d5ca0a
 The Crystal Maze / int_c4286511
type
For Doom the Bell Tolls
 The Crystal Maze / int_c4286511
comment
For Doom the Bell Tolls: The very first automatic lock-in game consists of a giant spider web, with very large hanging bells. The contestant has to climb this web without ringing the bells; if they did this three times, they were locked in. The tension is palpable while this game is being played.
 The Crystal Maze / int_c4286511
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_c4286511
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_c4286511
 The Crystal Maze / int_c5629372
type
Pipe Maze
 The Crystal Maze / int_c5629372
comment
Pipe Maze: Lots of the games involve elaborate mazes of pipes for water, air, mercury, or toxic waste.
 The Crystal Maze / int_c5629372
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_c5629372
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_c5629372
 The Crystal Maze / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 The Crystal Maze / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: Richard Ayoade in the third 2017 celebrity special: "I'm recapping. It's a TV trope."
 The Crystal Maze / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_c75df49a
 The Crystal Maze / int_c8490cbe
type
Voodoo Doll
 The Crystal Maze / int_c8490cbe
comment
Voodoo Doll: Used for a throwaway gag in a series 2 episode:
 The Crystal Maze / int_c8490cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_c8490cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_c8490cbe
 The Crystal Maze / int_c9c959b3
type
Skeleton Crew
 The Crystal Maze / int_c9c959b3
comment
Skeleton Crew: Some skeletons appear in the games rooms, especially in the Aztec zone. Notable examples are: "The sacred tomb" in series 2. "Dead man's chest", also in series 2, to which a skeleton is clinging. One contestant roughly pulled the skeleton away, causing Richard to mutter about him having no respect for the dead. In the children's special in series 5, Ed had the following advice to the youngest contestant, causing her to do an Eye Take.
 The Crystal Maze / int_c9c959b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_c9c959b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_c9c959b3
 The Crystal Maze / int_ce764dfa
type
Apothecary Alligator
 The Crystal Maze / int_ce764dfa
comment
Apothecary Alligator: A Mystery Room in the medieval zone is dressed as an alchemist's laboratory, complete with stuffed crocodile (with a clue in its mouth).
 The Crystal Maze / int_ce764dfa
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_ce764dfa
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_ce764dfa
 The Crystal Maze / int_d0b95b85
type
Used Future
 The Crystal Maze / int_d0b95b85
comment
Used Future: The ambience of the Futuristic zone in the original series. The 2017 redesign is Everything Is An I Pod In The Future.
 The Crystal Maze / int_d0b95b85
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_d0b95b85
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_d0b95b85
 The Crystal Maze / int_d1e7f24a
type
Big "SHUT UP!"
 The Crystal Maze / int_d1e7f24a
comment
Big "SHUT UP!": A feature of this show is the team yelling all at once, as they try to help their teammate. One woman replied "Please, can you just shut up for two seconds..."
 The Crystal Maze / int_d1e7f24a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_d1e7f24a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_d1e7f24a
 The Crystal Maze / int_d2c0e2ed
type
Schmuck Bait
 The Crystal Maze / int_d2c0e2ed
comment
Schmuck Bait: Some games give the contestant the crystal straight away, but they have to complete the game to avoid being locked in. In the medieval zone, taking the crystal off a shelf would cause a portcullis to crash down over the door. The contestant then had to build a mechanism to winch it up. Three contestants were locked in this one. In the futuristic zone, a screen said "When is a safe not safe? Press B to continue." Pressing B released the crystal, and the message "when you are locked in it". A door would then close, and the contestant had to escape by unlocking a complicated "security safe door". A later series saw the "riddle jail" in the medieval zone. The crystal would be in a jail cell; if the contestant entered, a masked jailer would lock them in, and show them riddles on a scroll which had to be answered correctly before they would be released.
 The Crystal Maze / int_d2c0e2ed
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_d2c0e2ed
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_d2c0e2ed
 The Crystal Maze / int_d4e9de59
type
Dreadful Musician
 The Crystal Maze / int_d4e9de59
comment
Dreadful Musician: Richard would frequently play his harmonica, usually the same tune. He would also play other instruments in the Medieval zone, including an electric guitar, and a piano.
 The Crystal Maze / int_d4e9de59
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_d4e9de59
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_d4e9de59
 The Crystal Maze / int_dccf42c1
type
Our Graphics Will Suck in the Future
 The Crystal Maze / int_dccf42c1
comment
Our Graphics Will Suck in the Future: In the early series, the map of the Maze, based on James Dillon's hand-drawn design. Whenever the team entered a new zone, the 3D graphic of that zone would rotate on the screen, using 1990s technology. This was upgraded slightly for the later series.
 The Crystal Maze / int_dccf42c1
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_dccf42c1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_dccf42c1
 The Crystal Maze / int_dcd115e7
type
Compartment Shot
 The Crystal Maze / int_dcd115e7
comment
Compartment Shot: This often happens when the contestant opens the safe or other receptacle containing the crystal. During one of the kids' specials, the boy opens a safe containing the crystal; he then sees the safe is full of money, and grabs some as well.
 The Crystal Maze / int_dcd115e7
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_dcd115e7
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_dcd115e7
 The Crystal Maze / int_e236af66
type
Who Would Want to Watch Us?
 The Crystal Maze / int_e236af66
comment
Who Would Want to Watch Us?: The hosts both moan about the quality of the prizes, the game design, the contestants, the set, just about everything.
 The Crystal Maze / int_e236af66
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_e236af66
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_e236af66
 The Crystal Maze / int_e2d457
type
The Ditz
 The Crystal Maze / int_e2d457
comment
The Ditz: On occasion, if you listen closely, you can hear members of the team saying the same thing about their own team-mates. This usually happens after a very simple puzzle has been bungled up by the contestant himself or the oft-unreliable help from his other team-mates. Of course, by nature The Crystal Maze is a very frustrating game... Particular note goes to idiots that get locked in rooms where the nature of the room and challenge gives them unobstructed access to the door, such as the mini-crossbow game or the letter slider game, where they could get out of the room in 2 seconds or less. Particularly egregious when they run it down to the last possible second despite being clearly nowhere close to getting the crystal. In the first series, a contestant had to crawl through a maze to get the crystal which was sitting in front of a mirror. Upon reaching the crystal, the contestant tried to grab the reflection. Upon failing, the contestant immediately gave up on the crystal sitting in front of him and headed back to the exit where Richard and his teammates, who assumed he'd grabbed it.
 The Crystal Maze / int_e2d457
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_e2d457
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_e2d457
 The Crystal Maze / int_e43c66bd
type
Art Evolution
 The Crystal Maze / int_e43c66bd
comment
Art Evolution: The American version has one on the 2017 British version with clearly a larger CGI budget spent on the opening credits, zone maps and the Motion Capture game in the Futuristic zone.
 The Crystal Maze / int_e43c66bd
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_e43c66bd
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_e43c66bd
 The Crystal Maze / int_e57b45c4
type
Quieter Than Silence
 The Crystal Maze / int_e57b45c4
comment
Quieter Than Silence: In the four zones, there is always a faint background noise, such as birds singing in the Aztec zone; machinery sounds in Industrial; wind blowing in Medieval; a low drone in Futuristic; ship creaking in Ocean. In some very quiet games, such as "no confering" games, or really tense automatic lock-in games, these sounds become much more noticeable. In one game in Medieval, the silence is punctuated by the tolling of a distant bell.
 The Crystal Maze / int_e57b45c4
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_e57b45c4
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_e57b45c4
 The Crystal Maze / int_e68b72
type
The Load
 The Crystal Maze / int_e68b72
comment
The Load: Many an episode included a member who didn't win any of their games, or even cost the team a crystal to spring them from lock-in.
 The Crystal Maze / int_e68b72
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_e68b72
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_e68b72
 The Crystal Maze / int_e8123047
type
Borrowed Biometric Bypass
 The Crystal Maze / int_e8123047
comment
Borrowed Biometric Bypass: In Series 5, the contestant had to place a dead man's hand on a palm reader to open a safe, in a murder mystery game.
 The Crystal Maze / int_e8123047
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_e8123047
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_e8123047
 The Crystal Maze / int_f15c2859
type
NO INDOOR VOICE
 The Crystal Maze / int_f15c2859
comment
No Indoor Voice: Gemma Collins in a 2019 celebrity special, which only prompted Ayoade to constantly mock it throughout the episode.
 The Crystal Maze / int_f15c2859
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_f15c2859
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_f15c2859
 The Crystal Maze / int_f1c3907
type
Jingle the Coins
 The Crystal Maze / int_f1c3907
comment
Jingle the Coins: During a game where a contestant must stuff handfuls of money into the mouth of a statue, Richard O'Brien says "I can hear the sound of money, a bit like mummy's bedroom, late at night".
 The Crystal Maze / int_f1c3907
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_f1c3907
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_f1c3907
 The Crystal Maze / int_f47bdd2a
type
Violent Glaswegian
 The Crystal Maze / int_f47bdd2a
comment
Suggested by David Coulthard in the 2017 celebrity specials when he advises another contestant that he use a hammer to break a Perspex shield when he is actually supposed to use an Allen key, leading Richard Ayoade to tell him he's not in Scotland. Coulthard also suggests a Groin Attack on a guard in the Medieval zone... this is not carried out.
 The Crystal Maze / int_f47bdd2a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_f47bdd2a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_f47bdd2a
 The Crystal Maze / int_f567146c
type
Aside Comment
 The Crystal Maze / int_f567146c
comment
Aside Comment: The crux of Richard O'Brien's awesomeness. Carried on by Ayoade to just as great effect.
 The Crystal Maze / int_f567146c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_f567146c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_f567146c
 The Crystal Maze / int_f870d50
type
Consolation Prize
 The Crystal Maze / int_f870d50
comment
Consolation Prize: Regardless of the result in the Crystal Dome, the contestants always got their own crystal as a consolation prize. Also, in the children's specials, they were given the grand prize even if they did not succeed in the Crystal Dome.
 The Crystal Maze / int_f870d50
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_f870d50
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_f870d50
 The Crystal Maze / int_f9cc3ee0
type
Group Hug
 The Crystal Maze / int_f9cc3ee0
comment
Inverted with his American counterpart, Adam Conover, who as well as having no qualms touching contestants, decides to initiate a Group Hug with the team at end of his first episode!
 The Crystal Maze / int_f9cc3ee0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_f9cc3ee0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_f9cc3ee0
 The Crystal Maze / int_fbd285b7
type
Comically Missing the Point
 The Crystal Maze / int_fbd285b7
comment
Comically Missing the Point: On more than one occasion, a contestant completely fails to understand their task, leading O'Brien to helpfully offer advice on what to do. When they still don't get it, O'Brien will offer the advice again... and again... and again. He's clearly getting irritated at these utter morons! One episode had a contestant simply stand there with a dumbfounded look for the entire 3 minutes. On some occasions Richard O'Brien would get so infuriated by the incompetence he'd storm in to actually show them what to do like it was just that simple (and it usually was) once he had let them out.
 The Crystal Maze / int_fbd285b7
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_fbd285b7
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_fbd285b7
 The Crystal Maze / int_fc151e9d
type
Department of Redundancy Department
 The Crystal Maze / int_fc151e9d
comment
Department of Redundancy Department: Contestants would often say "I'm in a room..." when they first entered the room. (They were instructed to describe what was in the room.) Richard O'Brien once lampshaded the team constantly saying the name of the person doing the challenge.
 The Crystal Maze / int_fc151e9d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_fc151e9d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_fc151e9d
 The Crystal Maze / int_fdee2c8f
type
Singing Telegram
 The Crystal Maze / int_fdee2c8f
comment
Singing Telegram: One of the male contestants in series 3 is a singing telegram; Richard sounds surprised by this as he reads out the contestant's occupation.
 The Crystal Maze / int_fdee2c8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_fdee2c8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_fdee2c8f
 The Crystal Maze / int_ff02c236
type
15 Puzzle
 The Crystal Maze / int_ff02c236
comment
15 Puzzle: At least once per series, usually a giant-sized version. The first two series featured a 5 x 5 version, which was never completed, except on one occasion in thirty seconds, by fluke. The third series had a variation in which the crystal was in the middle, and the goal was to get the middle square vacant, with four black pieces around it.
 The Crystal Maze / int_ff02c236
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_ff02c236
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_ff02c236
 The Crystal Maze / int_name
type
ItemName
 The Crystal Maze / int_name
comment
 The Crystal Maze / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Crystal Maze / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Crystal Maze / int_name
 The Crystal Maze / int_name
itemName
The Crystal Maze

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
A.I.-cronym / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Apothecary Alligator / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Artsy Beret / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Beehive Hairdo / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Beeping Computers / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Boredom Montage / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Borrowed Biometric Bypass / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
But Thou Must! / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Captivity Harmonica / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Cobweb of Disuse / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Compartment Shot / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Consolation Prize / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Container Maze / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Creepy Old-Fashioned Diving Suit / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Cuckoo Clock Gag / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Death Course / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Door Slam of Rage / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
End-of-Series Awareness / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Exty Years from Publication / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
False Teeth Tomfoolery / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Fish-Eye Lens / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
For Doom the Bell Tolls / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Fox-Chicken-Grain Puzzle / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Game Show / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Golden Snitch / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Hooking the Keys / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Laser Hallway / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Magic Cauldron / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Magic Potion / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Mayincatec / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Menacing Hand Shot / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Minigame Game / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Mugshot Montage / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Ocean Punk / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Oh Wait, This Is My Grocery List / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
P.O.V. Cam / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Plunger Detonator / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Queens Puzzle / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Quieter Than Silence / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Race Against the Clock / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Reality Show Genre Blindness / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Room Escape Game / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Skeleton Crew / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Some Dexterity Required / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Staircase Tumble / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Stock Sound Effects / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
The Blind Leading the Blind / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Thing-O-Meter / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Towers of Hanoi / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Unable to Retreat / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
We Have the Keys / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Wire Dilemma / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Wizard Workshop / int_12f6bcb
 The Crystal Maze
hasFeature
Zeerust / int_12f6bcb