The Saudi version of the Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle will be returning to Saudi TV for the first time in 28 years, the kingdom’s General Sports Authority (GSA) announced on Monday.
Takeshi’s Castle will debut on Saudi screens again in late 2018, across several of the country’s main channels with a Saudi setting being applied to the shows games and signature challenges. For the show, an Arab-style castle featuring over 50 obstacles will be built in Riyadh over a period of 10 months, in a 300,000 square-metre space.
The weekly programme will be open to all comers and will run over a 13-week period, with new prizes and challenges each week.
The return of Takeshi’s Castle comes after an agreement between the GSA and the Tokyo Broadcasting System.
“We are delighted to announce this partnership with TBS that will see Takeshi’s Castle make a return, with a new Saudi version debuting in the Kingdom at the end of next year,” said Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the GSA’s board of directors. “The GSA is actively developing all sports across Saudi Arabia and through the programme being screened by our leading channels we hope to not just entertain but also inspire people to get out and try these new sports and activities for themselves.”
According to the GDS, the Saudi version of Takeshi’s Castle will be designed to be an entertaining catalyst to encourage more people to pursue for physical lifestyles.
“Saudi Arabia and Japan have agreed to ‘Saudi Japan Vision 2030’ on the occasion of King Salman’s visit to Japan on March this year. The vision aims to further strengthen the economic ties, particularly on nine areas of industry,” explained Toshichika Ishihara, chairman of the Tokyo Broadcasting System. “Along the same line we are delighted to be taking Takeshi’s Castle to Saudi Arabia.”
“Takeshi’s Castle has entertained fans all over the world and working with the GSA we believe this new series can be just as popular and introduce new people to its fast-paced and physical style,” he added.
The agreement is just the latest in a series of partnerships unveiled by the GSA. Last month, partnerships were announced with the, World Boxing Super Series, Spain’s La Liga, the Drone Racing League, and the World Chess Federation.
Follow us on
