Readers… ready? After 24 years away, the iconic show ‘Gladiators’ returned to our TV screens in January. And, now in the quarter-final stages, things are really heating up.
Hosted by father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh, the show pits members of the public against a collection of so-called gladiators – bulging, superhuman athletes with suitably cheesy names like Dynamite, Fury and Diamond dressed in clingy gold sportswear.
When it first ran from 1992 to 2000, ‘Gladiators’ made for unmissable Saturday night viewing. There was a brief revival on Sky in 2008 but it was short-lived and pretty much flopped. It’s now been picked back up by BBC and its premiere brought in a whopping six million viewers. Here’s how you could get a seat in the coliseum.
How to get into the audience of Gladiators
If you want to watch the battles go down live and in-person, you can actually get a seat in the audience for free.
All you need to do is register your interest via Applause Store. Sadly, there are no more opportunities to get a spot this season, but you if you register, you’ll be the first to know about new show dates and when tickets are released.
Why was the show rebooted?
The current bout of ’90s nostalgia among Brits might have been one reason why ‘Gladiators’ is being given another go. When the reboot was announced, Kate Phillips, the BBC’s director of unscripted shows said: ‘Gladiators is back and a whole new generation of viewers can now look forward to watching a Saturday night spectacle like no other.’
Dan Baldwin, managing director at Hungry Bear Media, which makes the show, said: ‘It’s the perfect time for Gladiators to return. What other show combines electric excitement, superheroes, giant sponge fingers, elite athletes, and a pinch of pantomime?’
How to watch Gladiators on TV
The next ‘Gladiators’ episode will be on BBC One on Saturday, February 24 at 7.10pm. It will be the first round of the quarter finals as four contestants fight for a place in the semis.
You can catch up on all the chaos that’s happened so far on BBC iPlayer.
Who are the new BBC Gladiators?
This year’s 16 gladiators are Apollo, Athena, Bionic, Comet, Diamond, Dynamite, Electro, Fire, Fury, Giant, Legend, Nitro, Phantom, Sabre, Steel and Viper.
The line-up includes a bunch of bodybuilders, a former team GB sprinter, an England rugby union player and an ex-Olympic bobsledder.
Time Out and TV
More into taking part than sitting on the sidelines? Well, if you loved ‘The Traitors’, these are the drag shows, club nights and dinners that let you play in the flesh. Want to see where TV magic is made? If you gorged on ‘One Day’, take a look at all the places it was filmed. For more tele stuff, head to our movies and TV hub.
Did you see that the UK’s vaping capital has been revealed? (And it’s not London).
Plus: A new project wants to unearth Scotland’s ‘lost’ ancient forests.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.