Rebooted ‘GamesMaster’ video game-themed TV show to return again in 2023

The classic British TV show GamesMaster will return next year, Channel 4 has confirmed.

GamesMaster, which among reviews and other strands often pits members of the public against celebrities in video game challenges, originally ran from 1992-1998. Last year, the show made a comeback in the form of three special episodes broadcasted on E4 and the E4 YouTube channel.

Now, Channel 4 has confirmed that the series will be back in 2023.

A press release on the Channel 4 Sales website states that GamesMaster’s return will be in the form of a “gaming ecosystem on C4’s social platforms”.

“Last year, we brought GamesMaster back, generating an incredible 152m total impressions across all marketing, social digital and linear channels,” the release reads.

“Now we want to take things even further. We want to continue to appeal to not just the nostalgic fans of the original series, but also bring GamesMaster to an even younger audience, people totally unaware of the brand heritage on 4.

“This all-new take on GamesMaster 2023 would see us double down on the series’ success on social. Turning it into a gaming ecosystem on C4’s social platforms.

“This means we would still bring the entertaining gaming challenges, the nods to some of our most loved games and the unapologetic celebration of the very best of gaming culture, but we would be doing everything with a young, social-first audience in mind.”

At the time of writing it’s not known if the 2021 presenting team of Rab Florence, Frankie Ward and Ty Logan will return for the 2023 reboot or whether the GamesMaster will again be portrayed by Sir Trevor McDonald.

Dominik Diamond was the host for six of the original seven series while astronomer Sir Patrick Moore featured as the GamesMaster. He was replaced in 2021 by McDonald.

Ward spoke to NME last year about the 2021 reboot. “The GamesMaster format doesn’t exist anywhere else,” she said. “It’s a full-on studio production (set in a working Victorian sewage station) and it’s so much about the people coming together and doing those challenges.

“With things like YouTube, the emphasis is on the individual. Whereas here, the emphasis is very much on the kind of relationship between the audience, contestants, and the games.”