‘This Gladiators pays homage to the original’
◆ Ahead of the return of the family favourite 90s gameshow, Rachael Davis meets the super-fit Gladiators the contenders must face up to in the games
Inever thought I’d learn first-hand how intimidating it is to stand face-to-face with a Gladiator.
Luckily for me, all I had to do was have a chat with these spandex-clad, athletic behemoths – the real fear, I imagine, comes when taking them on in physical trials in a quest to become the Gladiators champion.
In a revival of the popular 90s game show, BBC1’S Gladiators sees father and son Bradley and Barney Walsh host as super-fit contenders battle it out against elite athletes and bodybuilders in a series of games that will test every ounce of their strength, fitness and resolve.
Prolific game show host Bradley, 63, says that this new version of the classic tournament brings “everything: drama, laughter, excitement, spectacle, all of the above”.
“It’s a proper event,” he says. “They’ve done a great job of paying homage to the original but updating it for the modern generation. It’s really brilliant.”
While the Gladiators look impressive on-screen, nothing could have prepared me for being confronted with their bulging muscles and skin-tight costumes in the flesh – particularly as they swaggered around BBC Broadcasting House, their bulk all the more noticeable when contrasted with the mere mortals in their offices trying to get on with a hard day’s work.
Perhaps none truly understood their own superhuman status better than Matt Morsia, known as Legend – a powerlifter and bodybuilder who says he is “the ultra Gladiator”.
“I’ll train six days a week typically, although recently, I’ve actually had to rein it in a bit, because it got to the point where I was getting too good,” he boasts.
“I spend a lot of time as well just looking in the mirror. I find, for me, that’s quite inspiring, when I see myself.”
In fairness to Legend,
I’ve never felt so much like hitting the gym than after 16 astonishingly firm handshakes from the roster of Gladiators which, alongside Legend, includes Athena, Apollo, Comet, Bionic, Diamond, Giant, Dynamite, Electro, Nitro, Fire, Phantom, Fury, Steel, Sabre and Viper – each with their own astonishingly tough workout regimen.
“I’m a professional Crossfit athlete, so I train for three to four hours a day, six days a week – it’s like 11, 12 sessions a week, so it’s pretty high volume, which is perfect for being a Gladiator,” says Steel, also known as Zack George.
“I love to lift heavy, and I’m all about girl power and strength,” says Sabre, Scottish weightlifting champion Sheli Mccoy, who can deadlift 160kg.
“I push the limits on skill, gymnastics, metabolic conditioning, weightlifting and lots of intricate skills like handstand walks, rope
climbs, gymnastics and muscle ups. So for me, my body is ready for anything,” she adds.
“A Gladiator really does have to be someone that encompasses everything that a human could do.”
“I would generally wake up nice and early in the morning, probably 6am, and I’ve been known to do cold therapy in the ice bath, which is about five degrees at the minute, so it’s nice and cold,” says Giant, bodybuilder Jamie Christian Johal, whose personal best on bench press is 220kg, and 300kg on deadlift.
Given how hard these Gladiators work to maintain their strength and physiques, going head-to-head with them in the arena is going to be unbelievably tough for the
contenders.
The 2024 reboot sees the return of classic games Gladiators fans will know and love, like Hang Tough, Powerball, Duel and Gauntlet, as well as some new arrivals, all culminating, of course, in The Eliminator.
“I think this will be an evolution of the Gladiators of (the) past,” says Phantom, Toby Olubi, who was part of the Team GB Bobsleigh team and competed in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
“We’re definitely not trying to be the same. We’re holding on to, obviously, the things that the nation loved from the past episodes and the past series, but we’re bringing a new element to it.”
No matter whether the games are old favourites or new challenges, the contenders are going to need real skill, grit and determination to make it past the Gladiators.
“I mean, it’s quite hard – we’re there for a reason, and it’s a big challenge,” says youngest Gladiator Dynamite, Emily Steel, of what it takes to beat Gladiators.
“If anyone comes up to us with the right mindset, (they) can maybe catch us out, which is very rare…
“Having confidence, backing themselves, backing their own abilities… that will be enough, hopefully.”
“Should they be expecting to beat us?
“I don’t know, because obviously we are meant to be a huge challenge for them!” says 6 foot 6 Middlesbrough native Bionic, also known as Matty Campbell.
“The mentality, I would say, is one of the most important things, because you can literally half your ability if you’re not feeling good about something or confident about something…
“But they need a bit of everything, physically.
“So agility, strength, power, endurance – they need the lot to get through this.”
“They need to bring their A+ game, because their A game is not enough,” adds Giant.
“And they need to hope that we’re having a bit of an off day as well!”
7.00 The One Show.* Alex Jones and Roman Kemp present the magazine show, with stories of interest from around the UK, plus celebrity guests in the studio. 7.30 Eastenders.* Bobby steps up for a family member under fire. 8.00 The Repair Shop. Jay Blades and his team of experts restore a ceramic poppy from the art installation at the Tower of London, a Fifties hot towel machine, a clock and a portrait. 7.00 The Hairy Bikers Go Local.* Dave Myers and Si King go in search of local produce for a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Drighlington on the outskirts of Leeds, finding mushrooms, rhubarbs and beetroots. (R)
8.00 Digging For Britain.* Uncovering archaeological treasures in the south of England, including Britain’s oldest shoe, Henry V’s lost shipyard and topsecret Second World War defences.
7.30 Emmerdale.* Mack pushes Aaron to be more daring, Suni is hopeful, and Lydia is grateful for Sam.
8.00 Coronation Street.* Cassie’s dogged pursuit of Terry lands her in a tight spot, Sarah overhears Damon reverting to type, and Paul and Billy attempt to matchmake Todd with Moses. 7.00 Channel 4 News.* 8.00 Kirstie And Phil’s Love It Or List It.* Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer visit Nilesh and Raakhee in Maidenhead to help them decide whether to love and renovate their home or list it for sale. 7.00 Shoplifters: Caught Red Handed.* A gang acts suspiciously and a man tries to claim a refund without a receipt. 7.55 5 News Update.*
8.00 Loyalty Cards: Are They Worth It?* Alexis Conran investigates whether loyalty cards save consumers money when shopping, looking into the possibility that supermarkets could be inflating prices only to discount them.
7.00 The Simpsons.* Lisa persuades Homer to let her visit the museum – but takes the wrong bus and becomes lost in an unfamiliar part of Springfield. (R) 7.30 The Simpsons.* Homer and Marge reignite their love life. (R) 8.00 Landscape Artist Of The Year 2024. Stephen Mangan returns with the contest searching for Britain’s best landscape painter, heading to Dunnottar Castle for the first heat.
tish Government has to deal with the Tory-induced cost of living crisis and pro-rata, the Labour administration in Wales has almost double Scotland’s budget “black hole”.
The Susan Dalgety article he refers to (Perspective, 6 January) failed to acknowledge that former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has done more for the children of Scotland than any of her predecessors.
Analysis shows that the number of children in care rocketed under the previous Labour/ Lib Dem Scottish Executive, which came before the Tory austerity years.
Under Ms Sturgeon’s predecessor as Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, the increases in numbers slowed down, then started to decrease, while under Ms Surgeon’s leadership the number has decreased considerably – particularly since her “promise” in 2016. Also, the attainment gap is narrowing.
The baby box scheme has given more than 380,000 children in Scotland the best possible start in life and is so successful that the North of Tyne Combined Authority is copying the scheme.
In addition, Ms Sturgeon’s Scottish Child Payment has lifted 90,000 children out of poverty in Scotland and is a bold policy intervention targeting child poverty with long lasting benefits, including fewer children in care.
On the whole, Nicola
Sturgeon
has a progressive record to be proud of.
Mary Thomas
Edinburgh