Facts
- Venue: Utilita Arena Sheffield, Sheffield, England
- Years: 2023 -
- Series: 1
- Episodes: 11
- Gladiators: 16
- Produced: Hungry Bear Media and MGM Alternative UK
- Broadcaster: BBC One and BBC iPlayer
Gladiators on BBC One and iPlayer
Contenders, ready! Gladiators, ready! One of the most exciting and iconic sports entertainment gameshows ever, Gladiators has returned to TV in its brand new home on the BBC.
The hotly anticipated 11-part series, made by Hungry Bear Media and MGM Television UK, gripped the nation and quickly became the biggest entertainment launch for a new series in seven years with 28 day figures showing that 9.8m viewers watched the first episode, with the series averaging 8.3 million viewers to date.
The hugely successful first series hosted by Bradley and Barney Walsh saw 16 new superhuman Gladiators: Sabre, Legend, Nitro, Diamond, Phantom, Athena, Bionic, Fire, Giant, Dynamite, Viper, Electro, Apollo, Comet, Steel and Fury quickly become household names as viewers cheered on their favourites as they competed against Contenders in iconic events such as Duel and Powerball, culminating in the iconic Eliminator.
Taking on one of the most iconic catchphrases of the 90s, is ex Premier League Football referee, Mark Clattenburg. Picking up their whistles and joining him to keep the mighty Gladiators in check, are, Sonia Mkoloma and Lee Phillips.
Football commentator Guy Mowbray provided the voiceover commentary on all the action for the show as the brave Contenders take on the mighty challenges and the even mightier Gladiators.
Watch Gladiators on BBC iPlayer.
Do you have what it takes to take on the Gladiators? Apply for Series 2
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Gladiators is back, and a whole new generation of viewers can now look forward to watching a Saturday night spectacle like no other. Will the contenders have the will and the skill to succeed against our mighty new Gladiators? You'll have to tune in to find out!
Gladiators on Instagram
Follow @GladiatorsTV on Instagram for exclusive photos, nostalgia and more...
History of the Gladiators
Originally airing for 8 seasons between 1992 and 2000 on ITV, each episode saw 4 Contenders compete against the show's Gladiators in various Events, such as Duel, Hang Tough and Powerball, to reach the series grand finale. The show was presented by Ulrika Jonsson throughout its original run, alongside John Fashanu and Jeremy Guscott. John Sachs provided commentary, while John Anderson refereed the events. Gladiators attracted over 14 million viewers at its peak.
The show enjoyed a brief, two-season revival between 2008 and 2009 on Sky One and was presented by Ian Wright, alongside Kirsty Gallacher and Caroline Flack.
Gladiators has also enjoyed various spin-offs, in countries such as the USA, Finland, Australia, Sweden and South Africa. There were also four seasons of a children's version 'Train 2 Win' between 1994-1998 which was broadcast in the UK on CITV.