Could you press 100 coloured buttons in the right order?! This celebrity special sees the bizarre tasks of the Crystal Maze prove an a-maze-ing distraction from the world’s woes
I don’t know how they filmed Celebrity Crystal Maze under Covid-compliant conditions, and honestly I don’t want to know. Let’s assume they all self-isolated in separate chambers in a specially built quarantine zone, communicating by speaker tubes and sleeping on Murphy beds that lift up to reveal a climbing wall beneath. Or whatever other happy images fill your mind while still befitting the oddball, hi-tech-Heath Robinson vibe of this oddly charming show.
Chief architect of its odd charm is whoever chose Richard Ayoade to replace Richard O’Brien in the reboot. Just as idiosyncratic as his predecessor, but with an inherently warmer, gentler manner, Ayoade still manages to add the piquant note needed to make the show come alive.
