by Rachel Ogbu//

Nigerian-British actor-comedian, Richard Ayoade is the new host of The Crystal Maze, British TV game show which shows on  Channel 4. The 20-episode series sees five contestants work through Aztec, Medieval, Future and Industrial zones of the maze before a final showdown in the iconic crystal dome.

Ayoade is regarded as British comedy elite having graduated from Cambridge with other stars like Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Sacha Baron Cohen, Olivia Colman as alumni and as president of the Footlights, the famous theatrical club in Cambridge.

The 40-year-old writer, director and television presenter came into the limelight as Maurice Moss acting in The IT Crowd (he won the 2014 BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance). He has also directed films including Submarine (2010), The Double (2013) and various music videos for bands from Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend to Kasabian.

Before The Crystal Maze, Ayoade also presented and hosted two other shows on Channel 4 TV, the technology series Gadget Man and the documentary series Travel Man.

Richard Ayoade who was born in Hammersmith, London to a Nigerian father Layide Ade Laditi Ayoade and Norwegian mother Dagny Amalie is married to actress Lydia Fox and they have three children.

Rachel Ogbu

UK Based Strategic, multidisciplinary Writer with an eye for innovation and pixel perfection. MA in New Media and Internet Technologies. “Although my skill set is vast, my greatest expertise revolve in the worlds of social media, content creation and print collateral. My wish is to combine my knowledge and experience in these areas, to deliver the best creative to my employer’s clients and their audiences.”