‘I was on The Crystal Maze – contestants really did get locked in, and why filming was far more dangerous than it looked’
A former contestant of The Crystal Maze has revealed what it was really like taking part in one of Britain’s most iconic game shows.
Iqbal Hussain, 54, appeared on the Channel 4 favourite when he was just 24 years old during the Edward Tudor-Pole era, after successfully applying during the show’s original run in the 1990s.
But the Londoner admits his team were “absolutely useless”, the set was “freezing cold”, and contestants who got locked in really were left trapped for hours.
Speaking exclusively to Heart Bingo Online, he shares some of the biggest surprises from filming, including the intense production schedule, the reality behind the famous Crystal Dome and why he still can’t bear to watch himself back.
Speaking to Heart Bingo Casino, Iqbal Hussain says:
Why did you decide to sign up for Crystal Maze?
“I’d always loved the show – and it was at a time when I went through a round of game shows, so I also went on Blockbusters, Countdown, Catchword, Win Lose or Draw, around the same time. What I particularly liked about the Crystal Maze was its quirkiness – it was like no other game show at the time. I liked the mixture of games. I figured I could do just as well – if not better – than the contestants I’d shout at on the telly when they failed to get a challenge right. Plus, I’d loved The Adventure Game, as a child, and The Crystal Maze was a souped-up, 90s version of that show.”
What was the application process like?
The process was an application form, from what I can remember – and from that you were basically picked to go on the show. I don’t recall there being any in-person auditions – you filled in the application, and if you were successful, you got a letter in the post telling you you’d been selected. I seemed to think it all happened quite quickly. In the show, you’re in a team of six people – you don’t know the others, as you’re all put together on the day.
Can you talk us through a day of filming?
Filming took place at a large, former aircraft hangar in Essex. It was enormous, and freezing cold. You could literally see your breath while you played your games. Filming took place over three or four days – there was lots of editing and retaking of shots, and repositioning of scenes and cutaways. The first day of filming was the longest, as this is when the bulk of the games got filmed. Unlike how it appeared on the screen, you didn’t get to choose which game you played – the production team assigned that for you, I’m not sure based on what! The team captain then spoke this as if they’d decided on the spur of the moment. You also didn’t have any say in what type of game you got assigned. I didn’t want a physical game, knowing my limitations, but that was precisely what I got as one of my games! We were exhausted at the end of each day, as filming would start around 9am in the morning and often not finish until 10pm that evening. We’d then be driven back to our hotel, sleep, wake up, eat breakfast and get back to more filming. So the one hour show you saw on the telly was edited down from many hours of real-time filming.
Were there any memorable moments or blunders off-screen?
We had two people locked in! One in the Ocean zone and one in the Aztec zone I think. The funny thing is they were genuinely left locked in for the duration of the show, until we paid a crystal each to release them later on – which we did, albeit reluctantly and after many hours. So, if you thought you were taken away to a nice cosy corner of the filming set, you were sadly mistaken. The water in the ocean zone was also freezing cold, so you really didn’t want to fall in it. I was also surprised at how flimsy some of the sets were – often they just looked like polystyrene that had been painted to make it look like rocks. And also how dangerous the set was – as you ran around from zone to zone, you had corridors that just ended abruptly, with no railings, and a ten foot drop down the other side!
When you’re in the Dome at the end, it gets filmed twice – when the big fans switch on, they send the gold and silver tokens in the Dome swirling into the air, but most of them remain on the ground. So, of course, you realise that your best chance of winning is to scrabble around on the floor grabbing as much as you can. But obviously this doesn’t make great TV, so they then filmed you again, leaping around and clutching at tokens in the air, even though this wasn’t what you actually put through the slot to try and win the prize.
How did your team get on?
We were hopeless. Absolutely useless. We won barely any crystals, and had to give up two of them to retrieve our captured fellow contestants. And, of course, with such little time accrued to spend in the Dome at the end, we were nowhere close to nabbing the prize. We just laughed and hugged each other mercilessly for the whole hour. You’d think losing was something to aspire to if you saw our celebrations after each new game we’d just failed!
What was Edward Tudor-Pole like off camera?
I’m delighted to report he was as wonderfully bonkers and eccentric as his predecessor, Richard O’Brien. I seemed to recall he remained in character off-screen and on, which was great as you always knew what you were getting. He was lovely – and I’m sure must have struggled hard at times to not roll his eyes at how inept we were. Sometimes, he would give us a clue, just to nudge us along – not that it helped, as we usually ran out of time, or got locked in!
Why do you think people still love The Crystal Maze so much?
It’s a truly eccentric show – fronted by eccentrics. It’s also clearly great fun to watch – as well as take part in. You never quite know what game you’re going to get. And there’s an element of interactivity when you’re watching at home, plus, as I say, that thing of thinking you’d smash it if you were on it and why oh why were the contestants being so stupid? It also has the best theme tune of any game show.
What was the most challenging part of the programme?
How difficult the games were compared to what they looked like on the telly! I failed both my games, which were nigh-on impossible. The skill game involved tilting a long tube with a crystal inside it, to try and weave in and out of a maze-like structure on the board. It was fiendish, and I maintained it was impossible! The physical game involved lifting a barrel over stationary barrels until you were able to lift it to a grille in the perimeter to release the crystal. The barrel was surprisingly heavy, and after lifting it two or three times, I spent the remainder of my minute and a half just saying “It’s too heavy! It’s too heavy!”
I have never been able to watch myself back – the show is often repeated on Challenge TV, and friends will ping to say they’ve just seen me doing the barrel game. It wasn’t my finest moment.
The Crystal Maze remains a favourite among fans of classic British game shows, thanks to its eccentric challenges, memorable hosts and genuinely unpredictable moments. Readers looking for more entertainment features can visit Heart Bingo, while those who enjoy colourful, fast-paced games can also explore the range of online slots at Heart Bingo.
