ENTERING THE CRYSTAL MAZE, 1989
November 1989 saw Entec’s lighting department become immersed in the filming of the first series of ‘The Crystal Maze’, the popular Channel Four game show devised by Jacques Antoine, in which a team of six contestants were led around a labyrinth of four adventure time zones by the host, ‘Rocky Horror’ star Richard O’Brien (pictured), taking on a variety of often bizarre challenges and winning a ‘time crystal’ for each one successfully completed.
A stage set for the show designed by James Dillion and measuring 30,000ft2 was built at Shepperton Studios’ H Stage. Adam Stevenson was present during this initial series. He recalls: “Being as it was such a vast set, H Stage was then the only part of Shepperton Studios that could accommodate the production and its on-site water tank.”
Entec’s team also included crew chief and lighting operator Derek Watson. Mike Sutcliffe, meanwhile, was the lighting director hired directly by the producers until 1993, when Edward Tudor-Pole became the new presenter.
“I can still remember the suggestive power of the lighting,” comments Adam. “When you stood in areas of the set where the lighting was meant to convince the viewer that it was cold, you really did feel the chill. Likewise, in the Amazon scene, you felt hot.
“It was surprising how clever the design was and Mike Sutcliffe did a brilliant job with the tungsten and HMI lights we supplied, along with space lights that were rigged up in the roof of the studio.”
EXPANSION
Touring commitments prevented Adam from taking part in the second season which, due to the unavailability of H Stage, required a new location when filming was due to begin in February 1991.
“They had problems finding an alternative until someone had the great idea of moving to Hangar 6, an adapted aircraft hangar at North Weald Airfield in Essex run by Aces High Studios,” says Adam. “It turned out to be an inspired choice, allowing for the expansion of certain aspects of the design, and the team made it their home until the last series [Season 6] came to a close in August 1995.”
‘The Crystal Maze’ was produced by Malcolm Heyworth for Entec’s client Chatsworth Television and its launch episode was broadcast on February 15th 1990. At its peak, the show attracted nearly six million viewers. The original show ran with Entec’s support for 78 episodes, after which a number of one-off specials led to a revival of the series in 2017.
‘The Crystal Maze’ episode 1
