Comics revealed as hosts of Amazon reboot

Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis are to provide the commentary for revived game show Takeshi’s Castle, it has been revealed.

Amazon is reviving the Japanese format for its Prime Video platform, with 100 contestants attempt to storm the castle with the chance of winning 1million Yen (£5,500).

Originally made in the late 1980s, the show became a cult hit in 2002 when reruns were shown on Challenge, narrated by Craig Charles.

It was revived by  Comedy Central in 2017, using  footage from the Thai series, and later the Indonesian version.  Jonathan Ross provided the voiceover, followed by Guz Khan, Stephen Bailey and then  Roman Kemp plus guest stand-ups.

Romesh and Tom said in a joint statement: ‘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.

‘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.’

The pair previously appeared together on the Dave TV series Judge Romesh, with Davis acting as the court bailiff.

Prime Video's Dam Grabiner, added: ‘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.’

Takeshi Kitano, who plays the lord of Takeshi’s Castle, said: ‘Takeshi’s Castle is filled with fundamentals of variety shows The way people boldly try something nearly impossible and end up failing is one of the most fun things to watch. I hope you enjoy the show without thinking too much.’

Takeshi’s Castle launches on Prime Video on August 30.

Published: 20 Jul 2023