Gladiators
Encyclopedia
Gladiators is a British television
series produced by LWT
for ITV
on Saturdays nights from 10 October 1992 to 1 January 2000. It is an adaptation of the United States game show American Gladiators
. An Australian spin-off
and a Swedish one followed. A revival of the show
was broadcast on Sky1 in 2008 and 2009 prior to being axed.
The show was originally presented by John Fashanu
and Ulrika Jonsson
. John Fashanu was replaced by Jeremy Guscott
in 1997, before returning for the final mini series in 1999.
The referee was John Anderson
and the timekeepers over the show's run were Andrew Norgate, Derek Redmond and Eugene Gilkes. John Sachs
commentated for the show from the beginning to the end and the gladiators were cheered on by a group of cheerleaders, known as G-Force.
Despite being made by London Weekend Television
, all episodes of Gladiators and International Gladiators were recorded at the National Indoor Arena
in Birmingham. Gladiators: The Ashes 1 and Gladiators: Springbok Challenge 2, however, were filmed on the sets of the Australian and South African versions of the shows respectively.
An unseen UK Gladiator called Shark, real name Metin Hussein, was hired but never used in action. He was all set to be a new bad guy but for unknown reasons he was dropped just before the filming of the 1997 series. He was briefly featured in the background on the Gladiator Training Camp clips in Mauritus. He was replaced by Khan.
Cobra and Lightning were originally not on the 1992 team but were actually going to be contenders. It was decided that two more Gladiators would be needed and so both were added to the final team as reserves, However by show three of that series both were upgraded to full time members of the team. They both stayed with the show till the very end.
Laser, like Cobra and Lightning was originally going to be a contender, then a reserve Gladiator before being upgraded to full member of the team, replacing an injured Nightshade half way through the 1996 series.
Fox, a contender at the original 1993 Wembley live shows, joined the team as a reserve Gladiator four years later. Like Laser the series before, Fox was added to the team full time filling in for fellow new female Gladiator Gold, who had injured herself during training for the series.
Both Fox and Laser would later join the MTN South African Gladiators Team. Whilst Fox would keep her Gladiator name, Laser who competed in the first Springbok Challenge series was renamed "Sheena" she however never competed in a domestic series of MTN Gladiators
.
and Wales International Rugby Union winger Glen Webbe
were the most famous of these to compete. Most competitors achieved brief local fame, but series three women's champion Eunice Huthart
earned great recognition, and briefly presented late night television before becoming a stunt double.
After the Wembley live shows in 1993 Phoenix, Flame and Hawk were sensationally sacked from the show having received the lowest number of votes in a magazine poll.
"Bullit" having only just joined the team for the 1993 live shows, was dropped from the show shortly after they had finished. He remains the only Gladiator (excluding Blaze) who was not transferred over to the TV series, No reason for this was ever given.
"Shadow" was sacked from the show in 1994, after a newspaper uncovered evidence that he had taken steroids.
"Warrior" after being arrested for a fire arms offence found himself also cut from the show in 1998.
"Raider" remains the only Gladiator on the show to face an immediate exclusion from the show, for having pushed a contender who beat him in the Gauntlet. The contender, while on the floor, had kicked Raider out of the Gauntlet so as to win, and was not punished.
Gladiators Nightshade, Jet, Amazon and Zodiac all quit the show following serious injury, either during training or on the show itself. Panther suffered one of the most shocking injuries during a game of "Tilt" in series 3, She returned to the show the following series and remained with the show for a further two years before retiring permanently.
Contender Nicola Bawden caused controversy following the very first game of the Wall after she slipped away from Scorpio. Scorpio had managed to get hold of her, but she slipped off moments later and dropped to the floor. It turned out that Bawden had greased her legs so Scorpio could not get a firm grip of her. It also turned out that Bawden had undone her laces so that Scorpio could not hold onto her trainers. Although this wasn't explored on the actual programme, the incident was given mention on the first video release Into the Arena as Scorpio did indeed make a complaint. John Anderson, after reviewing the footage, ruled that while Bawden did indeed use excessive grease on her legs there was no actual rule prohibiting this therefore she was allowed to retain the points she had earned. However Anderson also ruled that Bawden greasing her legs to escape Scorpio was not keeping in the spirit of the programme and new rules were immediately put in place to prevent her or any other contestants from trying the same trick. Scorpio was shown to be unhappy about this as she considered Bawden to have cheated but when she advanced to the semi-finals, Scorpio was given a second chance to chase her up The Wall. This time, she was successful in wrenching Bawden off The Wall.
took part.
Former American League (Major League Baseball) umpire Al Kaplon adopted Anderson's countdown before the whistle in the 2008 US revival.
, the kids' version of American Gladiators. The show featured two teams of children, each captained by a gladiator (varying each week) which sought to gain the most points. Some of the games differed from those on the parent show; for example, the "Eliminator" round was more similar to the "Pursuit" round (though it still featured the famous "Travelator").
. All four appeared on the first International Gladiators
series. Shortly after this series other countries such as Nigeria, Australia, South Africa
and Germany followed the trend. The last two nations to broadcast the show were Denmark
and Sweden
, Denmark beginning in 2002 and ending quickly afterwards. Sweden started in 2001 and ended in 2004, after much success including the only ever Gladiators PC game, 'Gladiatorerna'. With Sweden gone in 2004, no other nations remained, and therefore the Gladiators craze was over for the time being until discussions erupted in the United States in 2007 about a revival
.
For the first show "The Legends Return", Gladiators Wolf, Lightning, Flame, Hunter, Trojan, Ace, Rebel and Rocket made a welcome return in the new revamped 2008 arena. The event was broadcast on 31 August 2008 on Sky1 and resulted in the women "Legends" defeating the current Gladiators and the male "Legends" beaten by the current group of Gladiators.
Former Gladiator Hunter proved he still has what it takes in the arena by instantly defeating Spartan on Duel. Hunter lived up to his crown of being the "Ultimate Gladiator", a status he achieved in "Battle of the Giants" in 1999.
A second show for Series 2 was recently filmed, "The Legends Strike Back". Returning from Legends 1 were Wolf, Lightning, Trojan and Rocket, who were now joined by Scorpio, Cobra, Siren and Bullitt. It was classed as the very first show of Series 2 and was broadcast on 21 December 2008.
Legends 3 has also now completed filming. The returning Female Legends were Vogue, Rebel and the original Panther and Siren.
The returning Male Legends were Ace, Cobra, Khan and Trojan (who is now the only Gladiator, male or female, to take part in all three Legends shows) with Wolf on the New Gladiator's Side. It was due to air on Sky2
during August 2009, but was dropped before airing. The Sky website labelled it as a repeat, but it has never aired before. Sky1 finally aired the Legends 3 special entitled "Gladiators: The Legends' Last Stand" on 25 October 2009.
Because of copyright issues with ITV, the Legends were not allowed to wear their trademark Gladiator costumes and instead had brand new costumes made especially for the charity specials.
ACTION FIGURES
PLAYSETS
B823 (Danger Zone) was due to have a Hawk action figure included but because he left the show it was later scrapped, although a few sets left the factory with Hawk figures still in them.
A second wave, released in 1993, contained:
A later International Gladiators wave contained:
An addition to this wave, a Gauntlet playset with Lightning (United Kingdom) action figure, was cancelled and never went into production.
A final "Australian gladiators" wave contained:
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
series produced by LWT
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on Saturdays nights from 10 October 1992 to 1 January 2000. It is an adaptation of the United States game show American Gladiators
American Gladiators
American Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...
. An Australian spin-off
Gladiators (Australian TV series)
Gladiators is an Australian television series which aired on Saturday nights on the Seven Network from 1995 until 1996 almost consecutively for eighteen months. It was based on the American version of the same name...
and a Swedish one followed. A revival of the show
Gladiators (2008 UK TV series)
Gladiators was a British television series which aired on Sky1 from 11 May 2008 to 25 October 2009. It was filmed in Shepperton Studios and was produced by Shine Limited. It was a revival of the earlier series of the same name and based on the American version of the show. The US, UK and...
was broadcast on Sky1 in 2008 and 2009 prior to being axed.
The show was originally presented by John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
and Ulrika Jonsson
Ulrika Jonsson
Eva Ulrika Jonsson is a Swedish television presenter in the UK, who became famous as a TV-am weather presenter and moved on to present Gladiators and became a team captain of the show Shooting Stars.-Early life:...
. John Fashanu was replaced by Jeremy Guscott
Jeremy Guscott
Jeremy Clayton Guscott is a former rugby union outside centre who played for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions. On rare occasions, he has also appeared for England on the wing....
in 1997, before returning for the final mini series in 1999.
The referee was John Anderson
John Anderson (Scottish TV Referee)
John Anderson is a former British television personality best known as referee and official trainer on the UK TV show, Gladiators. He has previously worked as a teacher and as a coach for Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games athletes....
and the timekeepers over the show's run were Andrew Norgate, Derek Redmond and Eugene Gilkes. John Sachs
John Sachs
John Sachs is a British television presenter, voiceover and commentator known for his narration on the original series of Gladiators and as a long time DJ on London's 95.8 CapitalFM....
commentated for the show from the beginning to the end and the gladiators were cheered on by a group of cheerleaders, known as G-Force.
Despite being made by London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
, all episodes of Gladiators and International Gladiators were recorded at the National Indoor Arena
National Indoor Arena
The National Indoor Arena is a large indoor arena and is owned by the NEC Group. It is situated in central Birmingham, England and was opened in 1991, as the largest indoor arena at the time in the UK...
in Birmingham. Gladiators: The Ashes 1 and Gladiators: Springbok Challenge 2, however, were filmed on the sets of the Australian and South African versions of the shows respectively.
Female
| Gladiator name | Career | Real name |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | |
Sharron Davies Sharron Elizabeth Davies MBE is a retired swimmer from the United Kingdom. She won a silver medal in the 400 metre individual medley at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, and two gold medals at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton... |
| Blaze | |
Eunice Huthart Eunice Huthart is best known for winning Gladiators and then being invited to return to the show as a Gladiator herself, "Blaze". She remains the only UK contender to ever become a Gladiator.... |
| Falcon | |
|
| Flame | |
|
| Fox | MTN Gladiators MTN Gladiators was a game show produced by MTN for SABC3 in South Africa from 1999 to 2001. Following South Africa's initial participation in the second International Gladiators and Springbok Challenge tournaments in Birmingham, England, the format developed a cult following in South Africa... Series 5. |
|
| Gold | |
|
| Jet | |
Diane Youdale Diane Youdale , is an English television personality, who is best known for her role as "Jet" on the television series Gladiators.-Biography:... |
| Laser | |
|
| Lightning | |
Kim Betts Kim Betts is an English Gymnast, bodybuilder and TV presenter best known as Lightning in the ITV show Gladiators, where she was the longest serving female star.-Gymnastics:... |
| Nightshade | |
Judy Simpson Judith Earline Veronica Simpson , is a former British heptathlete. She competed in three Commonwealth Games, 1982, 1986 and 1990, winning a silver, gold and bronze respectively in the heptathlon... |
| Panther | |
|
| Phoenix | |
|
| Rebel | |
Jennifer Stoute Jennifer Elaine Stoute is a former sprinter from Great Britain.At the 1990 Commonwealth Games, Stoute won a gold medal in the women's 4x400 m, along with a silver in the 4x100 m.... |
| Rio | |
Jane Omorogbe Jaine Grace Omorogbe is an English model and actress, perhaps best known as "Rio" on ITVs "Gladiators"; she is now a TV presenter and motorcycling journalist.-Early life:... |
| Rocket | |
|
| Scorpio | |
|
| Siren | |
|
| Vogue | |
Suzanne Cox Suzanne Cox is an English aerobic instructor. She was at one point a gladiator in the UK television show Gladiators. She went by the name Vogue.- Early life :Suzanne Cox was born in Hertfordshire, England on March 19, 1972.... |
| Zodiac | |
|
Male
| Gladiator name | Career | Real name |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | |
Warren Furman Warren Furman is best known for his role of Ace on the British TV show Gladiators from 1996 to 2000. He currently resides in Manhattan having previously appeared on the BBC TV show DIY SOS in Lowri Turner's team as a temporary replacement.Furman is also well known for his relationship with Jordan ... |
| Bullit | |
|
| Cobra | |
Michael Willson Michael Willson is a former professional sportsman best known for his role as Cobra on the British TV show Gladiators from 1992-2000.-Career:... |
| Diesel | |
|
| Hawk | |
|
| Hunter | |
James Crossley James Crossley is an English bodybuilder and actor. He is best known for his part as Hunter in Gladiators from 1993-2000.-Life:... |
| Khan | |
|
| Raider | |
|
| Rhino | |
Mark Smith (gladiator) Mark Smith is an English Actor and body builder who starred as 'Rhino' on the popular ITV show, 'Gladiators'.-Career:... |
| Saracen | |
|
| Shadow | |
Jefferson King Jefferson King is a British bodybuilder, best known for playing Shadow in the ITV show Gladiators.-Gladiators:Shadow was legendary for his icy stare and his record in the 'Duel' event. He once hit his opponent so hard in this event that the ends of the pugil stick were clearly damaged... |
| Trojan | |
|
| Vulcan | |
John Seru John Seru is an actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known as "Vulcan" in the Australian version of TV series Gladiators, as well as joining the British Gladiators team in Seasons 7 and 8. He is also known for his part in the James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough, where he plays... |
| Warrior | |
|
| Wolf | |
Michael Van Wijk Michael van Wijk , is a professional sportsman, bodybuilder, actor and TV presenter in the United Kingdom. van Wijk is most well known for his role as Wolf on British TV endurance sports game show Gladiators, a role he held for seven years, eight series... |
An unseen UK Gladiator called Shark, real name Metin Hussein, was hired but never used in action. He was all set to be a new bad guy but for unknown reasons he was dropped just before the filming of the 1997 series. He was briefly featured in the background on the Gladiator Training Camp clips in Mauritus. He was replaced by Khan.
Cobra and Lightning were originally not on the 1992 team but were actually going to be contenders. It was decided that two more Gladiators would be needed and so both were added to the final team as reserves, However by show three of that series both were upgraded to full time members of the team. They both stayed with the show till the very end.
Laser, like Cobra and Lightning was originally going to be a contender, then a reserve Gladiator before being upgraded to full member of the team, replacing an injured Nightshade half way through the 1996 series.
Fox, a contender at the original 1993 Wembley live shows, joined the team as a reserve Gladiator four years later. Like Laser the series before, Fox was added to the team full time filling in for fellow new female Gladiator Gold, who had injured herself during training for the series.
Both Fox and Laser would later join the MTN South African Gladiators Team. Whilst Fox would keep her Gladiator name, Laser who competed in the first Springbok Challenge series was renamed "Sheena" she however never competed in a domestic series of MTN Gladiators
MTN Gladiators
MTN Gladiators was a game show produced by MTN for SABC3 in South Africa from 1999 to 2001. Following South Africa's initial participation in the second International Gladiators and Springbok Challenge tournaments in Birmingham, England, the format developed a cult following in South Africa...
.
The contenders
Applicants who wanted to take part in the show had to go through fitness tests to before they were selected to take part in the show. Future British 400 metre hurdler Chris RawlinsonChris Rawlinson
Christopher Lee Rawlinson is a track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metre hurdles.He also appeared in the 1995 series of the popular TV series Gladiators....
and Wales International Rugby Union winger Glen Webbe
Glen Webbe
Glen Webbe is a former international Wales rugby union player. A winger, he played his club rugby for Bridgend RFC and was in the Wales squad for the 1987 Rugby World Cup. Webbe was the first black player for the Welsh national rugby union team....
were the most famous of these to compete. Most competitors achieved brief local fame, but series three women's champion Eunice Huthart
Eunice Huthart
Eunice Huthart is best known for winning Gladiators and then being invited to return to the show as a Gladiator herself, "Blaze". She remains the only UK contender to ever become a Gladiator....
earned great recognition, and briefly presented late night television before becoming a stunt double.
Controversies
The relationship between "Hunter" (James Crossley) and presenter Ulrika Jonsson was a tabloid focus during 1996 and 1997. The pair initially denied the affair, but later Jonsson admitted it in her 2003 biography.After the Wembley live shows in 1993 Phoenix, Flame and Hawk were sensationally sacked from the show having received the lowest number of votes in a magazine poll.
"Bullit" having only just joined the team for the 1993 live shows, was dropped from the show shortly after they had finished. He remains the only Gladiator (excluding Blaze) who was not transferred over to the TV series, No reason for this was ever given.
"Shadow" was sacked from the show in 1994, after a newspaper uncovered evidence that he had taken steroids.
"Warrior" after being arrested for a fire arms offence found himself also cut from the show in 1998.
"Raider" remains the only Gladiator on the show to face an immediate exclusion from the show, for having pushed a contender who beat him in the Gauntlet. The contender, while on the floor, had kicked Raider out of the Gauntlet so as to win, and was not punished.
Gladiators Nightshade, Jet, Amazon and Zodiac all quit the show following serious injury, either during training or on the show itself. Panther suffered one of the most shocking injuries during a game of "Tilt" in series 3, She returned to the show the following series and remained with the show for a further two years before retiring permanently.
Contender Nicola Bawden caused controversy following the very first game of the Wall after she slipped away from Scorpio. Scorpio had managed to get hold of her, but she slipped off moments later and dropped to the floor. It turned out that Bawden had greased her legs so Scorpio could not get a firm grip of her. It also turned out that Bawden had undone her laces so that Scorpio could not hold onto her trainers. Although this wasn't explored on the actual programme, the incident was given mention on the first video release Into the Arena as Scorpio did indeed make a complaint. John Anderson, after reviewing the footage, ruled that while Bawden did indeed use excessive grease on her legs there was no actual rule prohibiting this therefore she was allowed to retain the points she had earned. However Anderson also ruled that Bawden greasing her legs to escape Scorpio was not keeping in the spirit of the programme and new rules were immediately put in place to prevent her or any other contestants from trying the same trick. Scorpio was shown to be unhappy about this as she considered Bawden to have cheated but when she advanced to the semi-finals, Scorpio was given a second chance to chase her up The Wall. This time, she was successful in wrenching Bawden off The Wall.
John Anderson
John Anderson has been the head official for all nine series (including the revival). Before every event he called: "Contender ready! Gladiator ready!," similar to his American counterpart, Larry Thompson, but also he added a countdown, "Three! Two! One!" before starting the match. During celebrity specials Anderson took a more light-hearted attitude to the show such as adapting his call to "Little contender ready!" when Willie CarsonWillie Carson
William Fisher Hunter Carson, OBE is a retired jockey in thoroughbred horse racing.-Life and career:Best known as "Miserable Willie", Carson was born in Stirling, Scotland. In 1957 he was apprenticed to Captain Gerald Armstrong at his stables at Tupgill, North Yorkshire...
took part.
Former American League (Major League Baseball) umpire Al Kaplon adopted Anderson's countdown before the whistle in the 2008 US revival.
Train 2 Win
In the late 1990s, when the popularity of the programme began to wane, a spin-off entitled Gladiators: Train 2 Win was produced and was broadcast on CITV in 1996, based on Gladiators 2000Gladiators 2000
Gladiators 2000 was a spin-off television show of American Gladiators. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Maria Sansone . Season 5 American Gladiators grand champion Peggy Odita served as head referee. It premiered on September 17, 1994 and ran until May 11, 1996...
, the kids' version of American Gladiators. The show featured two teams of children, each captained by a gladiator (varying each week) which sought to gain the most points. Some of the games differed from those on the parent show; for example, the "Eliminator" round was more similar to the "Pursuit" round (though it still featured the famous "Travelator").
International shows
While the show itself was inspired by the USA's American Gladiators, the UK show inspired many other countries to start their own series. The first two countries to get in on the act after the US and UK were Russia and FinlandGladiaattorit
Gladiaattorit was a Finnish competition television program part of the international Gladiators franchise. The show ran 1993-1994, was directed by Hollywood director Renny Harlin, produced by Markus Selin, and filmed at Planet FunFun...
. All four appeared on the first International Gladiators
International Gladiators 1
International Gladiators 1 was the first full scale international competition using the Gladiators format. Champions and other contenders from Gladiators series in the United States , United Kingdom , and Finland competed against an international team of Gladiators...
series. Shortly after this series other countries such as Nigeria, Australia, South Africa
MTN Gladiators
MTN Gladiators was a game show produced by MTN for SABC3 in South Africa from 1999 to 2001. Following South Africa's initial participation in the second International Gladiators and Springbok Challenge tournaments in Birmingham, England, the format developed a cult following in South Africa...
and Germany followed the trend. The last two nations to broadcast the show were Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark beginning in 2002 and ending quickly afterwards. Sweden started in 2001 and ended in 2004, after much success including the only ever Gladiators PC game, 'Gladiatorerna'. With Sweden gone in 2004, no other nations remained, and therefore the Gladiators craze was over for the time being until discussions erupted in the United States in 2007 about a revival
American Gladiators (2008 TV series)
American Gladiators is an American competition TV show that aired on NBC and Citytv in Canada. Hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, the show matches amateur athletes against each other and the show's own "gladiators" in contests of strength, agility, and endurance...
.
Legends
There have been three "Legends" shows for the new Sky1 series, one for the first series and a further two for the second series. In these specials, former Gladiators from the UK show's original incarnation return as special contenders, taking on the might of the new generation of Gladiators. These specials are filmed in the aid of charity.For the first show "The Legends Return", Gladiators Wolf, Lightning, Flame, Hunter, Trojan, Ace, Rebel and Rocket made a welcome return in the new revamped 2008 arena. The event was broadcast on 31 August 2008 on Sky1 and resulted in the women "Legends" defeating the current Gladiators and the male "Legends" beaten by the current group of Gladiators.
Former Gladiator Hunter proved he still has what it takes in the arena by instantly defeating Spartan on Duel. Hunter lived up to his crown of being the "Ultimate Gladiator", a status he achieved in "Battle of the Giants" in 1999.
A second show for Series 2 was recently filmed, "The Legends Strike Back". Returning from Legends 1 were Wolf, Lightning, Trojan and Rocket, who were now joined by Scorpio, Cobra, Siren and Bullitt. It was classed as the very first show of Series 2 and was broadcast on 21 December 2008.
Legends 3 has also now completed filming. The returning Female Legends were Vogue, Rebel and the original Panther and Siren.
The returning Male Legends were Ace, Cobra, Khan and Trojan (who is now the only Gladiator, male or female, to take part in all three Legends shows) with Wolf on the New Gladiator's Side. It was due to air on Sky2
Sky2
Sky2 is a British television channel originally launched on 2 December 2002 as Sky One Mix. Sky2 is now available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable and TalkTalk TV platforms in the UK. It is also available in the Republic of Ireland on the UPC Ireland platform.-Rebrand:Sky One Mix was...
during August 2009, but was dropped before airing. The Sky website labelled it as a repeat, but it has never aired before. Sky1 finally aired the Legends 3 special entitled "Gladiators: The Legends' Last Stand" on 25 October 2009.
Because of copyright issues with ITV, the Legends were not allowed to wear their trademark Gladiator costumes and instead had brand new costumes made especially for the charity specials.
Toys
During 1992 and 1995, Hornby made a selection of Action Figures + Playsets.ACTION FIGURES
- B800- Jet
- B801- Shadow
- B802- Wolf
- B803- Saracen
- B804- Cobra
- B805- Warrior
- B806- Male Contender
- B807- Female Contender
PLAYSETS
- B821- Duel
- B822- Atlasphere Attack (With Wolf)
- B823- Danger Zone (With Warrior And Male Contender)
- B824- Atlasphere Challenge (With Cobra And Male Contender)
- B825- Super Duel (With Shadow And Male Contender)
- B826- The Ultimate Challenge (With Saracen And Male Contender)
B823 (Danger Zone) was due to have a Hawk action figure included but because he left the show it was later scrapped, although a few sets left the factory with Hawk figures still in them.
A second wave, released in 1993, contained:
- Hunter Action Figure
- Zodiac Action Figure
- Trojan Action Figure
- Panther Action Figure
- The Wall Playset
A later International Gladiators wave contained:
- Terminator (Finland) Action Figure
- Dynamite (Russia) Action Figure
- Hawk (United States) Action Figure
- Hunter (United Kingdom) Action Figure
An addition to this wave, a Gauntlet playset with Lightning (United Kingdom) action figure, was cancelled and never went into production.
A final "Australian gladiators" wave contained:
- Taipan Action Figure
- Tower Action Figure
- Vulcan Action Figure
- Hammer Action Figure
- Condor Action Figure
- Male Contender Figure
- Duel Playset
Original series
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International Gladiators
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
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| International Gladiators 1 International Gladiators 1 was the first full scale international competition using the Gladiators format. Champions and other contenders from Gladiators series in the United States , United Kingdom , and Finland competed against an international team of Gladiators... |
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| International Gladiators 2 International Gladiators 2 was filmed in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham during 1995 and was broadcast on ITV in 1996, the second series of Gladiators using the International moniker... |
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The Ashes
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Springbok Challenge
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Specials
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External links
- Gladiators at Gladiators Zone
- Gladiators at BFI
- International Gladiators at BFI
- Gladiators - The Ashes at BFI
- Gladiators at FX Portugal