Knightmare (TV series)

Knightmare was a British children's adventure game show created by Tim Child. It aired for eight series on CITV, from September 7, 1987, to November 11, 1994. The show’s most distinctive feature was its use of blue screen chroma key, an effect Child got the idea for after seeing it employed in weather forecasts. It also stood out for bringing virtual reality-style interactive gameplay to television and for its notoriously high difficulty. The program drew large audiences during its original run and has maintained a cult following since its final episode in 1994. It was revived for a one-off special by YouTube in August 2013. Each game involved a team of four children, typically aged 11 to 16. One child, called the Dungeoneer, physically navigated the game but was blinded by the "Helmet of Justice," which restricted their vision to just their feet. The other three team members acted as advisers, guiding the Dungeoneer, solving puzzles, and taking notes on information they received. The action took place in a blue screen studio, where a partly computer-generated, partly hand-drawn fantasy dungeon was displayed—visible only to the viewers and the advisers. Occasionally, real locations were used, filmed from the Dungeoneer’s point of view. The advisers remained in a studio set up as an antechamber of "Knightmare Castle," giving instructions based on what they saw, similar to text-based computer games that rely on verbal descriptions and commands. For example, if a room contained a key for a locked door, the advisers would describe the room and then tell the Dungeoneer to move toward the key, pick it up, and use it on the door. The goal was to complete three levels of a custom-designed dungeon. Each team faced a new dungeon layout, though certain features repeated across a series. Each level had several rooms containing puzzles, obstacles, and challenges. Some rooms held characters who might help or hinder the Dungeoneer—some demanded an item to let them pass, while others would try to end the game. Teams sometimes had to choose between multiple exits. Every dungeon contained useful objects and decoys, as well as magic spells: single words that, when spelled correctly by an adviser (e.g., L-I-G-H-T for Light), could solve puzzles or overcome hazards.