'Takeshi's Castle' and 'The Crystal Maze' are coming to Saudi Arabia

The cult Japanese television programme is set for a reboot in Riyadh while the British game show will be part of a festival in Jeddah

A Takeshi's Castle contestant hangs onto a giant inflatable mushroom as two of the show's characters try to dislodge him. Takeshi's Castle

Is the popular Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle finally coming to Riyadh?

Newly appointed chairman of the General Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh, who was the former president of the Saudi Arabian General Sports Authority (GSA), tweeted about the hit show, seeming to allude to its return to the Kingdom:

Back in November 2017, the GSA and Tokyo Broadcasting System announced an agreement to build a replica of the famous castle in Riyadh. It was one of the first entertainment projects announced by the GSA hoping to inspire people into exercising and trying new physical activities.

The building of the castle will showcase Arab architectural elements with over 50 obstacles built in a 300,000 square metre space. According to reports, the programme will be open to everyone and runs over a 13-week period with new prizes and challenges each week.

What is 'Takeshi’s Castle'?

The game show originated in Japan and consists of players who try to storm the castle by overcoming numerous obstacles, in the hope of defeating the owner Count Takeshi. It ran from 1986 until 1990 and was broadcast in many different languages, leading Takeshi's Castle to become a cult favourite across the world, including in the Gulf region, and became infamous for the commentators who seemed to take great delight in describing the misfortunes of hapless players.

More adventure challenges 

However, that’s not the only game show set to come to Saudi Arabia. For those looking more adventure, the Crystal Adventure International Festival will take place in Jeddah on February 4.

It is inspired by the British programme The Crystal Maze in which players try to solve a range of different challenges from categories in various themed zones, set within a labyrinth, while aiming to collect as many crystals as possible.

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