Fort Boyard (partially found unaired pilot of British version of French game show; 1989)
A screencap of the pilot.
Status: Partially found
Fort Boyard is a French game show created by Jacques Antoine that was first broadcast on 7 July 1990 (originally as Les Clés de Fort Boyard, however shortened to Fort Boyard from the second series in 1991). Foreign versions of the show, with varying success, have aired around the world since 1990. The French version had its 33rd season concluded in August 2022, with a renewal in 2023.
A team of players must face timed challenges set in the various cells of a 19th century fortress, using physical and mental abilities. By succeeding, they collect keys and clue words in order to open a treasure room guarded by tigers.
A British version of the program, filmed in the very same fort in the department of Charentes-Maritimes in western France, was created and broadcasted on Channel 5 from 1998 to 2001, and a fifth series was commissioned for Challenge in 2003.
Overview
A non-televised pilot of the show funded by Channel 4 was filmed in a London studio with Richard O'Brien as presenter, as the fort was not available at the time due to its ongoing renovations. Footage of O'Brien's pilot, showing the initial idea for the "Treasure Room" segment of the format, later appears in a casting call advert for the French version, broadcast in May 1990.[1] More footage of the pilot, including the basic set design and some key games (most of which would go on to appear in the series), is featured in Fort Boyard: toujours plus fort! following the first episode of the 30th French season on 22 June 2019.[2]
According to co-creator Jean-Pierre Mitrecey in 2009, the pilot was filmed in February 1989 at Elstree Studios. Six English contestants took part. To be as close as possible to reality, a quarter of the Fortress had been built in the studio using metal structures with 18 cells installed for playing games, which were all tested for the first time. Tigers were also present in the recording, as well as a large statue of Sphinx which posed puzzles (this idea was slightly revised later, with the creation of the Father Fouras character in the watchtower) and some characters like the wrestler. According to O'Brien, the recording of the pilot cost 2 million francs (around €304,900), a record at the time.[3] In June 2022, an out of sync twenty-minute edit of the pilot is uploaded on social media by Pierre Launay.
It is said that the considerable changes that Channel 4 wanted to make to the format could not be possible on the Fort, as each broadcaster producing their own version at the time had to strictly follow the French format. Production company Chatsworth Television were also required by the French producers, but declined, to film their version first in November 1989.[4] As Channel 4 had commissioned the show for a full series, producer Malcolm Heyworth contacted Fort Boyard's creator Jacques Antoine about developing an alternative format, with a proposal that it used thematic zones as a means of keeping the show visually fresh. The concept of The Crystal Maze was developed in just two days, creating a game that, although similar to Fort Boyard, is substantially different in terms of presentation and style.[5]
Note
Channel 4's The Crystal Maze first aired on 15 February 1990, five months before the French series.
Gallery
References
- ↑ [http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?p=8792 Bothersbar.co.uk. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ↑ [http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?p=12351 Bother's Bar. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ↑ [https://www.fan-fortboyard.fr/blog/saisons-1990-2005/les-maitres-des-jeux-tele-un-documentaire-sur-les-jeux-teles-avec-des-images-du-pilote-de-fort-boyard-le-dimanche-22-decembre-2019-sur-france-5.html www.fan-fortboyard.fr. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ↑ [https://books.google.com/books?id=R-YoDwAAQBAJ Headline. ISBN 9781472250407. Retrieved 22 December 2019 – via Google Books.
- ↑ [https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055401/http://www.robcrusade.com/articles/adhoc.html Headline. ISBN 9781472250407. 21 September 2013. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2018.