Bristol's Bottle Yard to host rebooted Crystal Maze

A purpose-built maze covering 30,000 square feet is being created by the original Crystal Maze designer James Dillon in a previously unused area of the Bristol production facility.

The 20 x 60-minute series from RDF Television entertainment label Fizz will be hosted by Richard Ayoade.

RDF Television director of production Jane Wilson said: “I first visited The Bottle Yard years ago and I immediately knew it would be perfect for something and that ‘something’ has turned out to be The Crystal Maze.

“The scale, atmosphere and versatility of the space perfectly compliment the iconic status of the original show.

“The Bottle Yard’s unique features and the actual fabric of the building itself will be incorporated into a fantastic new set. Clearly we were made for each other.”

The Bottle Yard Studios site director Fiona Francombe added: “The Crystal Maze is an incredibly important booking for The Bottle Yard - one of the UK’s most popular ever gameshows which has stood the test of time and is now set to gain a whole new generation of followers.

“RDF Television needed a considerable amount of space they could really make their own, and large-scale, flexible space is something we do very well at the Studios.

“The areas in the Main Warehouse they will be using have previously mainly been used for set construction and prop storage, so for us to see new life being breathed into them, and for it to be a set on this scale for a show of this profile is tremendously exciting.  

“We’re so proud to have secured this opportunity for The Bottle Yard and for Bristol to be home to the new Maze.”