Aces High Studios, North Weald, Essex (Series 2 to 6)

From Series 2 to Series 6, The Crystal Maze was filmed in a disused aircraft hangar at North Weald in Essex, near Epping Forest and Harlow. Previously the first series was filmed at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, but Chatsworth TV wanted to house the huge Crystal Maze set in a bigger space. The studio used for the first series was very similar in shape and size to the Aces High aircraft hangar.

Behind The Scenes
Chatsworth TV and Channel 4 makers wanted to expand The Crystal Maze so the search for a new location was underway. They came across a disused aircraft hangar at North Weald Airfield in Essex, not far from the M25 and next to the M11 motorway. Back at Shepperton Studios, the set was dismantled and taken to the aircraft hangar in Essex and re assembled there. Filming of the 2nd series at the new location commenced in late 1990.

In 1992 the Industrial Zone was dismantled as it was to be replaced with a quirkier zone called Ocean World, which denoted a sunken ship called the S.S. Atlantis. This new zone had a posh saloon, corridors, and engine room and some rocks.

In late 1994 the 6th series was filmed. This series was transmitted May to August 1995. With the departure of Richard O'Brien the shows popularity waned under new presenter Ed Tudor-Pole so the show was cancelled after the 1995 series. The Crystal Maze set stood until 1999 when it was finally dismantled.

Previous Studios

 * Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey

Next Studios

 * The Crystal Maze Experience, London

Refs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Maze

Gallery
In 2017, as a car passenger we drove past North Weald Aerodrome on a visit to relatives so I took a few snaps (Benny 1982, founder of this wiki). The original maze may be long gone but the aircraft hangar remains.