Gladiators (2024 British TV series)

Background and development The original LWT series of Gladiators aired between 1992 and 2000 on ITV and its first revival aired on Sky One in 2008 and 2009. 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. The casting for the new contenders took place across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in April 2023. The following month it was announced that Bradley Walsh would co-host the revived series alongside his son Barney. 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. 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. The first official trailer of the show was released on 25 December 2023, showing both new and classic events. 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. The revival of Gladiators attracted an audience of 6 million viewers, becoming the biggest entertainment launch for the BBC in seven years. 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. The casting for the contenders of the second series closed in June 2024. During the broadcast of the show's second series, BBC again renewed the show for a third series, with filming taking place in summer 2025. The following year, the day after the third series premiered on 17 January 2026, the BBC renewed the show for a fourth series. ==Format==

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, and the infamous "Travelator". Events The first revived series of Gladiators saw the return of the following events: Hang Tough, The Wall, Powerball, Duel, and Gauntlet. Brand-new events in the revived series have included namely Collision, The Edge, The Ring, Unleash, Destruction and Everest. The second series, airing in 2025, saw the return of Atlaspheres from the 1990s version reintroduced to the roster of events, and its new "sister-event", named Crash Course. The third series on the other hand saw the re-introduction of classical event Suspension Bridge which had appeared in the original and 2008 revival series. ==Cast and crew==

, including hosts and referees. Presenters The revamped series of Gladiators is hosted by father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh. In January 2025, the BBC announced the addition of two new Gladiators ahead of its second series. Lystus Ebosele and Tom Wilson portray Cyclone and Hammer respectively. In April 2026, it was announced that male Gladiator Giant (Jamie Bigg) had left the show and will not be returning for the fourth series. Other cast members ==Injuries==

) sustained a major knee injury preparing for series 2. Due to the rough, physical nature of the show, several contestants and Gladiators have suffered a large spectre of different injures during the filmings. Detailed below are the most notable Gladiator-injuries during the course of a series. 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, while Sabre (Sheli McCoy) injured and tore her hamstring muscle. Owing to these incidents both of the Gladiators had to go on hiatus for the remainder of the series. The most notable Gladiator injury of the second season occurred to Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey), who picked up a knee injury before the filmings began, and was, therefore, forced to step out of competing in the events for the series. He was still seen in the programme, "hyping up" his fellow Gladiators and bringing the "Nitro energy" to the arena. Giant (Jamie Bigg) was also injured in Powerball during one of the heats and he also was out for the series. The third series has seen the most Gladiator injuries to date. The most notable occurred to Legend (Matt Morsia), who suffered a bicep tear off the bone to his left arm. In addition, Diamond (Livi Sheldon) suffered full ACL tear, sidelining her off the majority of the series. Athena (Karenjeet Kaur Bains) and Bionic (Matty Campbell) also suffered series-ending injuries. ==Controversies==

In January 2024, the BBC discovered past use of steroids by Gladiator Giant (Jamie Bigg) 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. Consequently, it was reported that Giant would return for the second series of the show. ==Episodes==

Series overview Main series Celebrity special Spin-offs Series 1 (2024) The first series premiered on 13 January 2024, and ran through the first quarter of the year. It featured eleven 60-minute long episodes. The series became a ratings success on the BBC network, with the series averaging 6.02 million viewers, The series was filmed in August 2024 at the Sheffield Arena, and began airing in January 2025. The series started with a "one-off" celebrity special, which was aired on New Year's Day 2025. Series 3 (2026) The third series was commissioned by the BBC to be produced in summer of 2025, to be aired from January 2026. Gladiators: Epic Pranks II (2026) On 24 July 2025, BBC recommissioned the successful spin-off for a second series, which is set to feature 20 more 15–20 minute long episodes in the lead of Prankster Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey). In this series, the Gladiators also face different dares, or face-offs in locations outside the arena, like the Gym or at a Hotel reception. Celebrity faces like JB Gill and Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock also make guest appearances in the episodes. {{Episode table |dontclose=y |background=00FFFF |overall=1 |series=1 |title=8 |airdate=3 |airdateT=CBBC airdate