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Topics: News, UK News, Amazon Prime, Amazon, TV and Film
Kit Roberts
A new season of the popular series Takeshi's Castle is set to release on Amazon Prime.
The show originally ran in Japan in the 1980s and built up something of a cult following with its It's a Knockout style challenges. Contestants had to overcome all manner of weird and whacky obstacles to claim victory.
In the early 2000s, the show returned to the scene temporarily, with Red Dwarf actor and Robot Wars host Craig Charles providing commentary over the original footage. Dick and Dom later took over the commentary, providing a whacky backdrop.
Now, the series is set to be rebooted altogether, though it will be filmed on the same iconic location as the original show. Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis will take on the commentating duties.
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The rules are simple, as more than 100 'attacking' contestants try to storm the castle. They will have to negotiate weird and wonderful obstacles, including huge mushrooms and bridges over water.
If they manage to get through all of those obstacles, they can take on Takeshi himself at the end for the chance to take home one million yen, or just over £5,500.
It all sounds very Squid Game with the weird and whacky challenges, just without the murder.
In a joint comment, Ranganathan and Davis said: “Nothing is more magical than a reboot of a successful show from yesteryear, heavy though is the pressure in bringing back the wonder that is Takeshi’s Castle.
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"We are honoured to be bringing back the maddest show of all time to a whole new generation; hopefully they can take away the life lessons we learnt from the original.”
Dan Grabiner, head of Originals, UK & Northern Europe for Amazon, said: “Takeshi’s Castle has a special place in the hearts of UK viewers, and Tom and Romesh’s ingenious new take on the show makes it as incomprehensible as ever, and very, very funny."
The new show will be a Prime Video Japan Original production, and already premiered in Japan back in April. The UK version, called Romesh and Tom Take Takeshi’s Castle, is now set to be produced by Rumpus Media. The executive producer is Iain Wimbush.
The show was a classic in the early nineties and noughties, being a hilarious and utterly daft show that delighted audiences for years. The new series will launch on 30 August.
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But will anyone actually be able to make it past the obstacles and into the castle to take on Takeshi himself? Only time will tell!