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 – like bodybuilders or track and field athletes – and eventually competing in one final event, the Eliminator. 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 7 years, attraching over 6 million viewers during its premiere episode, and scoring nearly 9 million during the whole first series.[2]
The casting for the new contenders took place across England,[6][7] Scotland,[8] and Northern Ireland[9] 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, in the city of Steel, which previously hosted the 1995 live shows for the original ITV series, in June 2023.[10] 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.[11] 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.[11]
The first official trailer of the show was released on 25 December 2023,[15] showing both new and classic events.[16] 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.[17][18] The revival of Gladiators attracted an audience of 6 million viewers, becoming the biggest entertainment launch for the BBC in seven years.[2] Due to the ratings success, the BBC bosses have announced that they have been already planning for the next series, which is set to be filmed in summer 2024 at the Sheffield Arena, and airing in early 2025.[19] According to a BBC boss, there will 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 are set to return.[20] The casting for the contenders of the second series closed in June 2024.[21]
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.[4] The series follows a knock-out tournament format of preliminary heats leading to finals.[22]
New events in the first rebooted series include Collision, in which contenders try to cross a bridge while avoiding the Gladiators who swing across on trapezes; The Edge, in which contenders and Gladiators undertake a cat and mouse chase on an elevated grid;, and The Ring, in which contenders try to hit a sensor in the centre of a large court without being tackled by a Gladiator.[16][25]
The second series, airing in 2025, will see some more returning events from both the 90s and "noughties" shows, and possibly totally new events, in addition to reworking on already existing games like Gauntlet.[20]
Cast and crew
Presenters
The revamped series of Gladiators is being hosted by father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh (known as Bradley & Barney).[1]
Gladiators
The show's resident Gladiators are a group of elite athletes from the different fields of athletics; from bodybuilders to CrossFit athletes and Olympic Games champions. 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.[26]
All the following Gladiators have appeared since series 1;
During January 2024, the BBC had discovered the steroid use of Gladiator Giant (Jamie Christian-Johal) from a YouTube video from 2022. The video has since then been deleted, and the Gladiator himself stated that he hasn't been in contact with any kind of "performance enhancing" drug since his professional career ended. The network 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.[28] Despite the "scandal", Giant, and the rest of the cast is expected to return for a second series of the show, which is set to air in 2025.[29]
The youngest Gladiator of the current lineup is Dynamite (Emily Steel), at the current age of 21. Athena (Karenjeet Kaur Bains) is one of the all time shortest Gladiators at 5 foot 4 inches. Respectively, Gladiator Diamond (Livi Sheldon) is the tallest of the females, at 6 feet. Male Gladiators Apollo (Alexander Gray) and Bionic (Matty Campbell) both stand at 6 foot 6 inches.
On the show, Gladiator Fury (Jodie Ounsley) is stated to be the first-ever deaf Gladiator. She has a cochlear implant, which helps her to hear despite the medical condition.[30] The actual first-ever deaf Gladiator in the show's international history was the late American Gladiator Siren (Shelley Beattie) from the 90's. Fury's dad, Phil competed on the '08s version as a contender.[31]
Two of the female Gladiators were injured during the filming of the first series. Comet (Ella-Mae Rayner) sustained several bone fractures on her legs in many 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. Due these incidents both of the Gladiators had to go on hiatus from the series.[12][13]
The series begins, with four contenders taking on the new Gladiators. The contenders are Finley Burkitt, a 22-year-old railway trackman from Doncaster; Myles Harris, a 32-year-old DJ and IT engineer from Leeds; Tasha Lawrence, a 41-year-old nurse and personal trainer from Ipswich; and Kerry Wilson, a 34-year-old dogwalker from Dunfermline.[10][37][38][39]
Events of the first heat include the returning games Duel, Gauntlet, and Hang Tough, with two new games called Collision and The Ring. The two winners of this heat, Finley and Kerry, progress to the quarter finals.[40]
2
2
"Heat 2"
20 January 2024 (2024-01-20)
7.01
4
The second of the heats, in which four new contenders take on the Gladiators. The contenders are John Darwen, a 31-year-old occupational therapy student from Preston; Jake Spence, a 23-year-old steelworker from Sheffield; Zoe McIntosh, a paramedic in the West Midlands; and Marie-Louise Nicholson, a 28-year-old fitness coach from Dublin.
Events include returning contests Powerball and The Wall, as well as a new game – The Edge – in which Gladiators chase the contenders on a platform thirty feet (9 m) above the arena floor. Two Gladiators make their debut – Bionic in Duel, and Comet in The Wall. The two winners of this heat, Jake and Marie-Louise, progress to the quarter finals.[41]
3
3
"Heat 3"
27 January 2024 (2024-01-27)
6.48
5
The third heat, with contenders are Bronte Jones, a 23-year-old firefighter from Sheffield;[42] Alex McKnight, 29-year-old civil servant; Finlay Anderson, a 34-year-old army officer from Edinburgh; and Ashley Harwood, a 28-year-old salesman from London.[43]
Events Duel, Gauntlet, The Wall, The Ring and The Edge are played, in addition to The Eliminator. The two winners of this heat, Bronte and Finlay, progress to the quarter finals.[43]
4
4
"Heat 4"
3 February 2024 (2024-02-03)
6.58
3
Contenders for the fourth heat are Matt Jones, a 41-year-old civil servant from Cardiff; Chung Leung, a 33-year-old software engineer from London; Sharan Riyat, a 33-year-old dentist from Buckinghamshire; and Nia Rutter, a 37-year-old stay at home mum from Blackpool.
In this heat, Gladiator Comet makes her Hang Tough -debut in so far her last appearance in the series. Other played events include Duel, Powerball and The Wall. The two winners of this heat, Chung and Nia, progress to the quarter-finals.[44]
5
5
"Heat 5"
10 February 2024 (2024-02-10)
5.83
8
The last of the heats. Contenders for the fifth heat are Tuathlaith Murtagh, a 29-year old activity manager from Belfast; Betti Worth, a 31-year old gym fitness trainer from Bolton; Dev Pankhania, a 30-year old HGV mechanic from Essex;, Paul Campbell, a 57-year old salesman from Sheffield.
Notable is, that one of the male contenders, Paul, is one of the all-time oldest contender in the program's entire history, at the age of 57. All of the brand-new events, Collision, The Edge and The Ring are played, amongst classical ones. The two winners of this heat, Dev and Betti, progress to the quarter finals.[45]
6
6
"Quarter Final 1"
17 February 2024 (2024-02-17)
5.89
7
The quarter finals begin. Contenders for this episode are Finley and Tasha from Heat 1, the latter qualifying as the fastest female runner-up from the heats; and Finlay and Bronte from Heat 3. However, as contender Finley was injured during the heat, a standby contender, Wesley Male, took his place for the quarter-final and competed for the place in the semi-finals.
The first of the quarters consists from events Duel, The Wall, The Ring, The Edge and Gauntlet. The two winners of this quarters, Wesley and Bronte, progress to the semi-finals.[46]
7
7
"Quarter Final 2"
24 February 2024 (2024-02-24)
5.48
6
The second of the quarter finals. Contenders are Jake and Marie-Louise, the winners of Heat 2, and Chung and Nia, from Heat 4 respectively.
The second of the quarters consists the events Powerball, The Wall, The Edge, Gauntlet and Duel. The two winners of this quarters, Chung and Marie-Louise, progress to the semi-finals.[47]
8
8
"Quarter Final 3"
2 March 2024 (2024-03-02)
5.41
5
The last of the quarter finals. The contenders are: Dev and Betti from Heat 5, Ash from Heat 3, who qualified as the fastest male runner-up and Kerry from Heat 1.
The events played are Collision, The Ring, Duel, The Wall, and Hang Tough for the last time in this series. The two winners of this quarters, Dev and Kerry, progress to the semi-finals.[48]
9
9
"Semi Final 1"
9 March 2024 (2024-03-09)
4.55
6
The first of the semi finals. Quarter-final winners Dev and Bronte, as well as the fastest runners-up Finlay and Betti, competed for the place in the Grand Final. However, Dev had to withdraw from the competition due to injury and was replaced by Jake, the next fastest male runner-up.
Powerball, Duel, Gauntlet, The Wall and The Edge are played in this episode. Gladiator Sabre injured herself on The Edge and had to retire from this series, although appeared in Semi Final 2 as her game in that had been recorded prior to the injury. The winners of the semi are Finlay and Bronte.[49]
10
10
"Semi Final 2"
23 March 2024 (2024-03-23)
5.27
4
In the last semi final, battling for the final places for the Grand Final are male contenders Wesley and Chung, and female contenders Kerry and Marie-Louise.
During the fourth event, Powerball, Chung injured himself and had to withdraw from the competition. He was replaced by Matt, the competitor who lost to him in the heats, for the remainder of the competition. The winners of the semi are Wesley and Marie-Louise. The episode also marks Sabre's last appearance during the series, and Dynamite being booked for 4 different events. The winners of this semi final are Wesley and Marie-Louise, who advance to the final.[50]
11
11
"The Final"
30 March 2024 (2024-03-30)
5.39
3
The Series Champions are crowned here. The male finalists are Wesley Male and Finlay Anderson, and female finalists are Marie-Louise Nicholson and Bronte Jones.
Events of the final are Gauntlet, Duel, The Edge, The Wall and Collision. The winners were crowned as Marie-Louise and Finlay.[51][52] An ex-Gladiator Saracen (Michael Lewis) made an cameo appearance in the crowd for the final with his wife. At the end of the show, it was announced that the casting for the contenders of series 2 was open.[53]
A second series has been commissioned by the BBC, following to the ratings success of the first series. The series is being filmed in August of 2024, during the span of multiple weeks,[54] and is set to air from early 2025.[2][19]
The series is also set to have a Celebrity Special.[55] Although the participants of which are yet to be revealed, some well-known personalities like radio presenter Gemma Atkinson, BBC Sports star Alex Scott, 'blonde bomber' boxer Ebanie Bridges and television presenter Joel Dommett have been tipped to appear.[56][57][58]
The series received positive reviews, with The Guardian describing it as a "phenomenal reboot" of its original show.[22] 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."[59] On his The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Richard Osman praised the casting and described the series debut as a "smash hit".[60]
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.[61]
The show's official Instagram account – which covers exclusive -and behind the scenes footages – has gathered nearly 58 thousand followers to date.[62]