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Gladiators (2024 British TV series)
British television game show From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gladiators is a British television series which began airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 13 January 2024. It is the second revival of the original 1992 Gladiators series on ITV, after the 2008 series on Sky One. The series is produced by Hungry Bear Media and MGM Alternative UK.
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The series is presented by Bradley Walsh and his son, Barney.[1] Each episode consists of four players, known as 'contenders' – two male and two female – competing in a series of physically challenging events against the show's resident 'Gladiators', a group of elite athletes – such as bodybuilders or track and field athletes – and eventually competing in one contenders-only final event, the Eliminator. The series has introduced a total of 18 new Gladiators.[2] The series consists of the heats, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and a grand final, to determine the overall champions. It is refereed by Mark Clattenburg, assisted by Sonia Mkoloma and Lee Phillips, with voice-over commentary provided by Guy Mowbray.
Upon its release, the revived series of Gladiators became one of the most successful family entertainment launches for the BBC in seven years, attracting more than six million viewers during its premiere episode, and scoring nearly nine million during the whole first series.[3] The BBC subsequently commissioned Gladiators: Epic Pranks, a spin-off children's prank series for CBBC. The fifteen-episode series, filmed behind the scenes of the main programme, and hosted by Gladiator Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey), started airing in February 2025.[4] During the broadcast of the shows second series, BBC again renewed the show for a third series, with filming expected to take place in summer 2025 with a broadcast in January 2026.[5]
Alongside the commisioning of a second series, which began airing in January 2025, A "one-off" Celebrity Special, which was filmed alongside the second series, was aired on New Year's Day 2025 on BBC One; the episode featured Rob Beckett, Joel Dommett, Ellie Taylor and Louise Minchin as the contenders taking on the Gladiators.[6]
In April 2025, it was announced that Gladiators was to embark on a new live arena tour across four cities of England, including Liverpool and Manchester, in November and December 2025. During the tour, the super fans of the programme can meet the Gladiators live, and witness live action on the arena floor, as the Gladiators face some of the contenders from the two first series of the reboot.[7]
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Production
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Background and development
The original LWT series of Gladiators aired between 1992 and 2000 on ITV[8] and its first revival aired on Sky One in 2008 and 2009.[9] In July 2022, it was reported that the BBC were in talks with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who hold the rights to the original format, to relaunch the show on BBC One.[8] The BBC later announced that the revival, produced by Hungry Bear Media and MGM Television, would air in 2023.[10]
The casting for the new contenders took place across England,[11][12] Scotland,[13] Wales and Northern Ireland[14] in April 2023. The following month it was announced that Bradley Walsh would co-host the revived series alongside his son Barney.[1] Donna Walsh, Barney's mother and Bradley's wife, was head choreographer for the "G Force" troupe of cheerleaders on the 1992 series. Bradley also has previous connections to the show, having taken part in a "Celebrities vs Jockeys" special episode of the programme in 1997.[1]
Filming and release
Filming of the programme took place at the Sheffield Arena, which previously hosted the 1995 live shows for the original ITV series, in June 2023.[15] Tickets to attend filming of the series were free. Applause Store, the company who oversaw ticket distribution, stated that there was an "unprecedented demand" for tickets and the venue reached its 3,000 capacity earlier than anticipated, which led to ticketholders being denied entry.[16] In a statement, Applause Store said that entrance would be on a "first-come first-served" basis dependent on capacity, and that there was no guarantee of admission to the venue.[16]
Gladiators Giant (Jamie Christian-Johal), Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey), Fury (Jodie Ounsley) and Fire (Montell Douglas) made an appearance during the Strictly Come Dancing finale in mid-December 2023, where Fire stated that the programme would premiere in January 2024.[17] On the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing, Fire was then a contestant on the show, and finished in 6th place with her dance partner Johannes Radebe.
The first official trailer of the show was released on 25 December 2023,[18] showing both new and classic events.[19] On 3 January 2024, the BBC announced that the series would premiere on 13 January at 5.50 pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.[20] The revival of Gladiators attracted an audience of 6 million viewers, becoming the biggest entertainment launch for the BBC in seven years.[3] Owing to the ratings success, BBC bosses announced that they had been planning for the next series, which was filmed in August 2024 at the Sheffield Arena, and airing in January 2025.[21] According to a BBC boss, there would be some adjustments to the flow of the game, and some new events for the second series, but all of the Gladiators from the first series were set to return.[22] The casting for the contenders of the second series closed in June 2024.[23]
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Format
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The format of Gladiators follows that of the previous series, where two men and two women compete against the Gladiators before taking on each other on the Eliminator obstacle course.[9] The series follows a knock-out tournament format of preliminary heats leading to finals.[24]
Events
The first revived series of Gladiators saw the return of the following events: Hang Tough, The Wall, Powerball, Duel,[25] and Gauntlet.[26]
New events in the first revived series included Collision, in which contenders tried to cross a bridge while avoiding the Gladiators who swung across on trapezes; The Edge, in which contenders and Gladiators undertook a cat and mouse chase on an elevated grid; and The Ring, in which contenders tried to hit a sensor in the centre of a large court without being tackled by a Gladiator.[19][27]
The second series, airing in 2025, saw Atlaspheres from the 1990s version reintroduced to the roster of events, and its new "sister-event", named Crash Course, alongside a brand-new event called Unleash; a game of tag around the arena floor. Some reworking of already played events such as Gauntlet were seen.[22][28][29]
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Cast and crew
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Presenters
The revamped series of Gladiators is being hosted by father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh.[1]
The Gladiators
Throughout May 2023, the 16-strong roster of Gladiators were announced on Morning Live and The One Show, among other media outlets. Profiles were also released on the BBC Media Centre website.[30]
In January 2025, the BBC announced the addition of 2 new Gladiators ahead of its second series. Lystus Ebosele and Tom Wilson portray Cyclone and Hammer respectively.[31][32][33]
Other cast members
The series is refereed by Mark Clattenburg (left), and commentated by Guy Mowbray (right).
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Injuries
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Two of the female Gladiators were injured during the filming of the first series. Comet (Ella-Mae Rayner) sustained several bone fractures in her legs in several places – including the talus – as well as sustaining a Lisfranc injury, three ruptured ligaments, and a dislocated bone, when competing in her speciality event Hang Tough in Heat 4. Sabre (Sheli McCoy) also mildly injured her hamstring as a result of her attempt to push contender Bronte off The Edge in Semi-Final 1. Owing to these incidents both of the Gladiators had to go on hiatus for the remainder of the series.[61][62]
During the training sessions for the second series, Gladiator Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey) picked up an knee injury, and was, therefore, forced to step out of competing in the events for the series. He will still be seen in the programme, "hyping up" his fellow Gladiators and bringing the "Nitro energy" to the arena.[63][64][65] During filming of the series, Giant (Jamie Christian-Johal) also suffered a severe injury, as he tore his biceps during Powerball in Heat 5. Due to this, he was also sidelined for the rest of the series, but still appears on the locker room segment from the Celebrity Special onwards.[66][67] Although not seen explicitly, both Bionic (Matty Campbell) and Steel (Zack George) also suffered injuries during Semi-Finals stage, owing to both’s absence from the events of the Grand Final.
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Controversies
In January 2024, the BBC discovered the use of steroid by Gladiator Giant (Jamie Christian-Johal) from a 2022 YouTube video. The video has since been deleted, and the Gladiator himself stated that he has not been in contact with any kind of "performance enhancing drug" since his professional career ended. The BBC also stated that upon the casting for the Gladiators and contenders, they had to complete multiple tests in case of any prohibited steroid-use; the tests were negative for all of the Gladiators.[68] Consequently, it was reported that Giant would return for the second series of the show.[69]
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Episodes
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Series overview
Series 1 (2024)
The first series premiered on 13 January 2024, and ran through the first quarter of the year.[20][70] It featured eleven 60-minute long episodes.[71]
The series became a ratings success on the BBC network, with the series averaging 6.02 million viewers,[3] and constantly ranking in the Top 10 weekly most viewed shows on the channel.[72]
Series 2 (2025)
The second, 11-part series was commissioned by the BBC, following the ratings success of the first series.[74] The series was filmed in August 2024 at the Sheffield Arena, and began airing in January 2025.[3][21][75] The series started with a "one-off" celebrity special,[76] which was aired on New Year's Day 2025.[77][66]
Two new Gladiators – Hammer (Tom Wilson) and Cyclone (Lystus Ebosele) – joined the cast for the second series, making the roster of Gladiators grow to 18.[78] Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey) was forced to step out from the events owing to an injury.[63]
Gladiators: Epic Pranks (2025)
The BBC has commissioned a 15-episode spin-off series, aimed at children, on the CBBC channel, which is to be aired in 2025.
The series will feature the "Secret Prankster" – Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey) – with his fellow Gladiators competing against each other in a set of games and competitions, as well as a look behind the scenes to their locker rooms and rest of the arena.[4][81][82]
Series 3 (2026)
The third series was commissioned by the BBC to be produced in summer of 2025, to be aired from January 2026.[5]
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Reception
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Critical reception
The series received positive reviews, with The Guardian describing it as a "phenomenal reboot" of its original show.[24] In a highly positive thinkpiece, The Independent praised the show's updated sensibilities, writing: "The entire show is a testament to the fact that we can still enjoy those things from our youth, and that 'updating them for a modern audience' doesn't mean ripping out the heart of what made them appealing in the first place."[83] On his The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Richard Osman praised the casting and described the series debut as a "smash hit".[84]
Ulrika Jonsson, who presented the original programme, said the reboot had done a "good job" overall, but criticised the absence of cheerleaders that had been used in previous iterations of the show, stating that the cheerleaders brought "another level" to the production.[85]
The show's official Instagram account, which covers exclusive and behind the scenes footage, has gathered more than 78,000 followers to date, and each of the Gladiators' individual programs accounts have tens of thousands of followers.[86]
Awards and nominations
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Merchandise
Gladiators: Ready!, The Official Companion Book
Bloomsbury Publishing released an official companion book for the series in hardback on 7 November 2024. It includes an extended number of behind-the-scenes details of the show, including training - and eating/dieting routines of the Gladiators themselves – with one chapter dedicated for each of the sixteen current Gladiators – and more deep-in details about the show itself, including stats, etc.[92]
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International adaptations
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Based on the ratings success of the BBC reboot of Gladiators, several other countries have picked up the format and adapted it to their networks. International rights are held by the production company MGM Studios.
Australia
Based on the new BBC revival of Gladiators, the Australian channel Network 10 announced their own version to be produced for the calendar year. The series was hosted by Beau Ryan and Liz Ellis, two Australian sporting veterans,[93] and saw Gladiators like "Phoenix" or "Viking" being portrayed by Sandor Earl and Jett Kenny respectively. The series was refereed by former Australian Gladiator "Hammer", Mark McGaw.
Unfortunately, the version was cancelled after only one commissioned series, which "failed to find its audience" by the end of the series. The intention was for the two winning contestants to return for the following series as new Gladiators.
France
The French version was commissioned to be aired from December 2024 on TF1 network. The show was hosted by Hélène Mannarino and Jean-Pierre Foucault, with live on-arena commentary provided by Denis Brogniart.[94][95][96]
Just like the Australian revival, it was ultimately cancelled before the first series ended, as the program was poorly received and attracted low ratings. Many viewers told that the version was rather "blatant" or "boring".
United States
After the success of the British reboot, the American producers showed their interest of rebooting the very original American Gladators format, in the lead of original producer and creator of the franchise, Johnny Ferraro.[97] In May 2025, Deadline announced WWE superstar Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin as the host of the new reboot of the American Gladiators, based upon the success of the BBC reboot, to be aired on Amazon Prime from yet unknown date.[98]
Russia
An Russian adaption of the format based on the BBC program was announced by NTV, and its production began in March 2025. It began airing in May 2025, with Nikita Panfilov and Kirill Kosharin as its presenters.[99] It is their first domestic series since sending "unofficial" Gladiators to the International Gladiators.
Live arena tours
Gladiators: Live Tour 2025
The very first live arena tour based on the BBC show is set to run from the start of November to the end of December 2025, across different cities of the Midlands, England.[7]
Gladiators Live Tour displays of superhuman strength, lightning speed and awe-inspiring athleticism across four gripping events of the show, and the Eliminator. Each of the two-hour long shows showcase "spectacular action and fierce competition", where some of the main show's gladiators take on previous contenders across the already aired BBC reboot. The live tours also allow the fans of the show to meet and greet with the Gladiators, and have a closer look at the arena floor.
The tour is following:[7][100][101]
- Liverpool M&S Bank Arena – 1-2 November
- Manchester AO Arena – 22-23 November
- London OVO Arena Wembley – 29-30 November
- Birmingham bp pulse LIVE – 13-14 December 2025.
Due to the "phenomenal demand" of the tour, additional dates for 20-21 December 2025 were added for Glasgow OVO Hydro arena in Scotland.[102][103]
Notes
References
External links
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