If a fry-up isn’t quite enough to cure your hangover, Takeshi’s Castle, the ultimate comfort television, is making a comeback.
Who’d have guessed that hundreds of participants being sprayed with water pistols and sliding off slides in a series of bizarre challenges would become such must viewing… However, here we are.
Takeshi’s Castle was a cult success that initially broadcast in Japan in 1986 before making its way to UK screens in the early noughties, narrated by the incomparable Craig Charles and subsequently Dick and Dom.
Thankfully, the TV gods haven’t changed the formula of the popular programme for the relaunch, with one important exception: this time, it’ll be comedians and pals Romesh Ranganathan, 45, and Tom Davis, 44, who will be wincing along as the participants suffer several tumbles.
However, Romesh is not happy. In fact, he’s enraged that producers didn’t grasp the chance to iron out what he considers a major problem, as he stated ahead of Takeshi’s Castle’s debut.
Without hesitating, Romesh slammed the Fighting Spirit Award, which permits knocked-out participants to re-enter the course, calling it a ‘abomination.’
But Tom, vehemently disagreed: ‘I think It is one of the best parts of the game because it’s like, ”Oh my god they failed but now they’ve succeeded?”’
Jumping in, Romesh argued: ‘No, they haven’t succeeded. They have failed but they just arbitrarily decided to give them a Fighting Spirit Award and let them run through the woods again.’
Tom responded: ‘But if they’re an amazing character, you think, “Oh mate they’re gone.” It’s like a Marvel movie when they’re dead but come back.’
‘It’s not because they’re an amazing character,’ Romesh countered. ‘It’s because they’ve made the round too difficult and then they realise that nobody is progressing.’
Romesh also doesn’t fancy his or Tom’s chances were they to give Takeshi’s Castle a spin, labelling them both ‘subhuman in terms of basic hand-eye coordination and agility and stuff like that.’
‘It would be like watching a very well-trained animal have a go,’ he concluded.
Who would pass the insane challenges if they fell flat on their faces at the first hurdle?
For Romesh, it would be Louis Theroux, while Tom quickly chose Blue’s members.
In the absence of that, he’d want to see the entire Manchester City team participate, particularly Jack Grealish.
‘His calves gripping that flying mushroom….’ Romesh wistfully pondered.
I’ll leave you with that image.
Takeshi’s Castle premieres on Amazon Prime Video on August 30.
Source My Celebrity Life.
