Blast from the past: The original Gladiators

Sports entertainment show Gladiators is back on our TV screens after some 30 years, with a line-up comprised of Olympians, buff bodybuilders and weightlifting champions.
John Fashanu and Ulrika Jonsson, hosts of the original Gladiators, with those famous pugil sticksJohn Fashanu and Ulrika Jonsson, hosts of the original Gladiators, with those famous pugil sticks
John Fashanu and Ulrika Jonsson, hosts of the original Gladiators, with those famous pugil sticks
By Helen McGurk
Published 26th Jan 2024, 16:16 BST
Updated 26th Jan 2024, 16:16 BST

But who remembers Gladiators from the first time round in the 1990s? The Spandex-wearing warrriors, the perms and the muscles, the pugil sticks (oversized cotton buds), the travelator and suspension bridge, which all comprised to make it essential Saturday night family viewing.

Originally airing between 1992 and 2000 on ITV, and presented by Ulrika Jonsson, each episode saw contestants compete against the show’s professionals to reach the series grand finale.

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Physically demanding tasks, which included the Gauntlet, Powerball and Danger Zone, made household names of the gladiators, who competed under monikers including Blaze, Falcon, Wolf and Jet, who was known for her aerial cartwheeling, model good looks and iconic hair flick.

The new show is pretty much how I remember the old one with many of the same games and tropes, the giant foam fingers to Another One Bites the Dust – although Bradley Walsh is no Ulrika and his son Barney is no presenter at all, really.

However, it’s still good, adrenalin-fuelled viewing.

Related topics:GladiatorsITV

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