# Knightmare (1987)

> Four British children navigate a blue screen medieval dungeon, with one blindfolded player guided by three teammates through puzzles and monsters to escape.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2382

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 112
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: adventure, fantasy, family
- Created by: Tim Child
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Hugo Myatt, Jackie Sawiris, Joanne Heywood, David Learner, Bill Cashmore, John Woodnutt, Alec Westwood, Tom Karol
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193677/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: earnest, breezy, adventurous, nostalgic, playful

## What critics say

Remembered as a charming, cult-favourite children's game show whose handmade blue screen look and interactive puzzle format retain strong nostalgic appeal.

## Synopsis

Knightmare (1987-1994) is a British children's television adventure game show created by Tim Child and broadcast on ITV1 and CITV. Four young contestants work as a team: one child plays the sightless dungeoneer, wearing a blindfold and moving through a medieval dungeon, while three guides relay instructions from outside the maze. Their goal is to complete a quest, solve puzzles, and escape the dungeon while dealing with obstacles and strange characters encountered along the way. The engine of each episode is communication under pressure, as the blindfolded player depends entirely on the guides' clues and the guides must decode the environment through the chamber's puzzles. The show runs across eight seasons, a playful interactive format that feels like a live role playing session brought to television. Its look relies on blue screen chroma key, which places the young players into fantastical stone corridors and creatures, giving the production a handmade, theatrical charm. The tone is earnest, breezy and adventurous, with a nostalgic afterglow that has made it a cult favourite. Fans of Doctor Who, Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and Dungeons and Dragons style table play will find resonance in its blend of puzzle solving, imagination and teamwork.

## Shows like Knightmare

- [Rentaghost (1976)](https://ember.film/tv/18970)
- [The Box of Delights (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/19692)
- [The Crystal Maze (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/2677)
- [Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/3110)
- [The Odyssey (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/10350)
- [The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/2590)
- [Dungeons & Dragons (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/522)
- [The Animals of Farthing Wood (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/172)
- [Silverpoint (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/120876)
- [Fort Boyard (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/3571)

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