A-mazing challenge

Breaking a long-standing record on one of Britain’s best-loved gameshows took a memorable experience to the next level for Kirriemuir postman, Neil McGregor.

Neil and four other brave souls decided to apply for The Crystal Maze, the quirky Channel 4 quiz show that tests agility and brain power across a series of fun challenges.

The Crystal Maze was a massive hit in the 90s, so Neil was champing at the bit to apply when Channel 4 announced its comeback last year.

'I loved the show as a kid and my friend wanted to get a team together to audition, so I thought "why not?"’, said Neil.

'After a few rounds of interviews and an audition in Glasgow we were on the train to Bristol for filming. It all happened so quickly, before I knew it we were wearing the iconic boiler suits and meeting the new host, Richard Ayoade.'

From the outset it was crystal clear the famous five were a force to be reckoned with. They conquered the Aztec, Industrial and Medieval zones to win nine out of 10 games – the highest success rate ever recorded on the show.

The Scottish quintet were all set for glory in the final game, a chase for gold inside a giant crystal.

Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be, as Neil and the boys couldn’t quite cut it.

'We had 45 seconds to play with in the final game, but it absolutely flew by and we missed out on the top prize,’ he said. ‘We ended with a runners-up trip to Diggerland, a theme park full of JCBs and heavy equipment.

'My kids will love it and still can’t quite believe they saw daddy on TV. That’s the icing on the cake of a surreal experience. It was an amazing feeling to go on national television and see the magic behind the maze.'