Channel 4 has commissioned 12 all-new episodes of The Crystal Maze. Richard Ayoade will once again guide the intrepid explorers through four challenging zones as they collect crystals to exchange for time in the iconic Crystal Dome.

Applications open on Tuesday 23rd January for teams of five contestants hoping to take a journey through the fiendish maze in new episodes to be filmed in Spring 2018. The order of 12 episodes also includes six celebrity specials in aid of Stand Up To Cancer.

The Crystal Maze will once again be shot at the purpose-built set spanning over 30,000 square feet at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios.

Fans won’t have long to wait to see more adventures from The Crystal Maze, as more new episodes filmed in 2017 will air later this year. The upcoming batch of programmes feature seven more teams of everyday adventurers hoping to “crack the crystal”, including a posse of midwives, a group who met on jury service, a team who became friends at deaf school and an AC/DC tribute band from Newcastle.

The Crystal Maze is executive produced Neale Simpson for Fizz and has been commissioned for Channel 4 by Tom Beck, Head of Live Events and Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, and Ed Havard, Head of Entertainment. The Crystal Maze is a Banijay Group format distributed by Banijay Rights.

Tom Beck, Commissioning Editor comments: “The return of The Crystal Maze has been a huge success on 4, thanks in no small part to the brilliance of Richard Ayoade as the Maze Master and the inspired production team at Fizz. I’m particularly pleased by the number of young viewers who loved the show – and it’s nice to have finally made a programme I can watch with my children”.

Neale Simpson, Executive Producer adds: “It was a huge privilege bringing this show back and it's been wonderful seeing young audiences engage with the new series and our magnificent Maze Master. We can't wait to get back to creating more crystal collecting chaos. Can we possibly top Rob stuck on a spinning planet?”

Applicants for the new series should head to thecrystalmaze.com to apply.