It’s good, but it’s not right News Posted by Ian Symes on 23rd May 2005, 11:39 I’m watching Catchphrase on Challenge TV. I should get out more. Anyway, one of the animations was seven multi-coloured midgets descending from the air. Finally, an arrow arrived, pointed to the one dressed in red. The contestant got it right.
BRIAN: How’s Catchphrase going? ROY: I don’t do that any more. BRIAN: No? You’ve pissed on your Mr Chips.
“Dog… bone… give a dog a bone” “Say what you see, Gareth” I always wanted to go on Catchphrase. It was ridiculously easy, and the prizes were ludicrously high – I was watching it on Challenge a couple of weeks ago, and some guy, having won about two grand over the course of the programme, got his holiday (value of around four grand) and then Roy Walker just kept on handing him bundles of thousand pounds! He eventually got a total prize value of over ten grand! Ridiculous!
One of the greatest shows of all time. Up there with Bullseye and the Crystal Maze, and that cool Knightmare kids show that I used to watch… I wonder if the catchphrase-setter (what a job) was thinking of Dwarf or an actual red dwarf when he/she set it. I remember screaming at the TV once when the two thick-ass ‘contestants’ couldn’t get ‘A Barrel of Laughs’ and it literally was a barrel with some people laughing inside it. I mean, for fuck’s sake.
Of the shows you just mentioned, I’d have to go : Crystal Maze Knightmare Bullseye Catchphrase But all four are brilliant, and the reasons why Challenge is actually one of the most watchable channels on Sky. Not all the time, but when it’s got stuff like that on, it’s great. They just don’t make ’em like those any more. I take it you’re all aware of the existence of http://www.ukgameshows.com/ , right?
I hadn’t realised just how much I miss Challenge until this thread. John and I also like settling down to watch The Krypton Factor (which still kicks arse), and Celebrity Squares, which represents Central Nottingham’s zenith in tacky entertainment. Why was Garry Bushell *always* on it?
They[re thinking of bringing The Krypton Factor back. Check out http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4530447.stm (It needs Gordon Burns, mind).
Oh, wait, the *Beeb* want to bring it back? Hmm. Interesting. I’d love to see it back, it was great. But I’d *rather* see the Crystal Maze back.
The Crystal Maze rules. I wish I had every episode on DVD. I think that and the Krypton Factor could be revived and would kick serious ass. Elements of each have been used in loads of shows since.
Challenge nearly brought The Crystal Maze back – there was talks of it being a joint production with Channel 5. But they decided not to in the end – because it would cost too much, and they didn’t want to make a watered-down version.
That’s the problem: I don’t think TV companies are prepared/able to give these shows the budget they need. Just imagine how much the Krypton Factor must have cost for the logistics alone.
The Crystal Maze was at it’s peak with RO’B doing it. Ed Tudor-Pole just wasn’t the same. Incredible to think that I was into Richard O’Brien even before I was into Rocky Horror! “Toooo the Crystal Dooooooooome!!!!”
> That’s the problem: I don’t think TV companies are prepared/able to give these shows the budget they need. Just imagine how much the Krypton Factor must have cost for the logistics alone. You’re right. The sad thing is, they can get just as many viewing figures by doing cheap stuff sometimes. You’ve got to give Challenge credit for not doing a watered-down version. Although Doctor Who is perhaps showing that when you really put effort and money into a show, it can get stellar viewing figures – hopefully there will be more of that. From *all* TV stations.
I would pay money to see another series of The Crystal Maze. Or the Krytpton Factor. These were shows that challenged people to use their intelligence rather than just relying on their general knowledge. Or bitchiness.
>The Crystal Maze was at it’s peak with RO’B doing it. Ed Tudor-Pole just wasn’t the same. Agreed, but no-one was ever going to be able to follow RO’B, and you have to say that old Tenpole did a decent job in the circumstances. Even with him, it was still a cracking programme. >Incredible to think that I was into Richard O’Brien even before I was into Rocky Horror! Same here. When I first discovered Rocky, RO’B was “the Crystal Maze bloke”, rather than knowing him in Maze as “the bloke who wrote Rocky Horror”…
> > Incredible to think that I was into Richard O’Brien even before I was into Rocky Horror! > > Same here. When I first discovered Rocky, RO’B was “the Crystal Maze bloke”, rather than knowing him in Maze as “the bloke who wrote Rocky Horror”… Ditto. Must be an age thing – Crystal Maze was at its height when we were kids, so it’s only natural that, at this age, we’d be more familiar with a family-orientated show than the not-even-remotely-family-orientated Rocky Horror.
Same here, though that’s because I’ve only seen Rocky Horror once, and I seem to watch The Crystal Maze every day, at the moment.
> Must be an age thing Further to this theory, I’ve just asked my family what they most strongly associate RO’B with. My sister (25) – Crystal Maze My mum (50) – Rocky Horror My dad (54) – NEVER HEARD OF HIM Conclusion: I was right, and my dad is a cretin.
It can’t be an age thing, he will always be the bloke who wrote Rocky Horror to me, I love that film loads, and I did see him on Crystal maze before I saw Rocky Horror.
