Takeshi's Castle is returning to the UK – and it's just named its presenters

Amazon Prime chose chaos when it decided to reboot the cult Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle earlier this year – and now the presenters have been announced.

The British airing of the show will be presented by comedian Romesh Ranganathan and actor Tom Davis, and the series will be called Romesh and Tom Take Takeshi’s Castle.

Davis has been called a “Takeshi’s superfan”, while Ranganathan has been described as “a fan of watching people fall off things and humiliate themselves”. The pair will guide the viewers through the mayhem, as contestants take on the outlandish, often violent and sometimes near-impossible challenges of the ‘80s and ‘90s game show.

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For the uninitiated, Takeshi’s Castle was a Japanese challenge show, which originally aired from 1986 until 1990. Hundreds of contestants would throw themselves into a variety of daunting physical challenges – think Total Wipeout on steroids – as they attempt to storm Takeshi's Castle and win the grand prize of 1m yen.

The show has gained cult status over the years after several decades of airing its 133 episodes on Channel 5, Bravo and other TV stations, with none other than actor and DJ Craig Charles commentating on the British reruns. Ranganathan and Davis will have big boots to fill.

As in previous iterations, the series will see more than 100 contestants attempt to storm the castle as part of the “attacking army”. If it’s anything like the original, winners will be in short supply, with the vast majority of contestants squashed by giant bowling balls, dumped into “the drink” or dragged out of the show kicking and screaming by the castle’s guards.

Ranganathan and Davis said: "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."

Meanwhile Dan Grabiner, head of Prime Video Originals for the UK and Northern Europe said: "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."

The series will launch on Prime Video on 30th August, meaning the pandemonium is just around the corner.

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