Gladiators, are you ready… for series 2?
The BBC reboot of Gladiators will return for a second series next year, after proving a smash hit with gym-loving Gen Z and Millennials.
Deals with the 16 Gladiators have yet to be finalised, but all are in talks to return, along with hosts Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, who also appears in Casualty.
And bosses are braced for a huge number of applications from the public wanting to be contenders after the show was credited with bringing back family viewing at Saturday teatime. This Saturday’s show is the grand final, with the winning male and female contenders each receiving a trophy.
The show has proven to be a runaway success with 6million tuning in live for the first episode making it the biggest entertainment launch in the UK since 2017. Last weekend the show was the highest rating programme of the day on any channel, with more than 4million watching.
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One show source said: “Everyone is delighted that Gladiators has won over a new generation of fans. Are we ready for a second outing? You bet we are.” Series two goes into production this month and will film at Sheffield Arena during the school holidays in August.
Insiders said that a celebrity special is also on the cards - which is what Walsh did back in 1997, calling himself ‘Crumpet’. During the current run, filmed last summer, Comet and Sabre both injured themselves but have since made full recoveries. Comet, real name Ella-Mae Rayner, broke her ankle and foot, saying at the time: "I think it goes to show how tough it is - even the professional athletes get hurt.” Sabre, real name Sheli McCoy, was also rushed to hospital when her hamstring “went pop”.
On Tuesday, BBC director general said the retro sports show was one of his priorities for next year. Speaking to the Royal Television Society he declared: “We will, despite budget pressures, prioritise big national occasions – from the Coronation, Eurovision, the Proms and Glastonbury, to the Olympics and the Euros, or Strictly or Gladiators, Children in Need or even that great drama: Election Night.”
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