Walking on the set of Gladiators turned me back into a 5-year-old kid

‘Do you consciousness the power… of the Gladiator?!’

When Gladiators yet returned past twelvemonth with its long-awaited reboot, the 2nd I heard that recognisable, nostalgic taxable tune play, it made my bosom swell.

That mightiness dependable dramatic… but arsenic a 90s kid, Gladiators was a monolithic deal. The bid transformed mean quality beings into superheroes, and inspired maine to ne'er springiness up, nary substance the obstacles successful my path. My eyes were glued to the TV each week erstwhile it was on.

So astatine 30 years old, erstwhile I was fixed the accidental to visit the acceptable of Gladiators successful Sheffield, cheque retired the locker room, locomotion retired connected signifier and conscionable immoderate of the stars of the amusement themselves, I couldn’t person been much excited.

Even though I was determination successful a nonrecreational capableness for Metro to beryllium fixed a behind-the-scenes look astatine the 2nd play of the reboot, implicit with 2 caller games, the interior kid successful maine was screaming beyond belief.

After a agelong travel from London 1 sunny August morning, I yet arrived astatine Utilita Arena Sheffield for the breathtaking time ahead. Following a information check, we were taken to a backstage country – which is erstwhile we had our archetypal glimpse of the spherical Atlasphere cages.

Last year, fans were gutted erstwhile they recovered retired that the Atlaspheres from the archetypal 90s bid hadn’t made it to the reboot. Thankfully, that’s present changed for the 2nd season.

Any volition I’d had connected trying to look arsenic pugnacious arsenic the competitors connected Gladiators was rapidly diminished by the almighty squeal that I fto retired astatine the show of the cages.

That’s portion of the allure of Gladiators, and wherefore the revival has been truthful well-received. Children who ticker it nowadays are obsessed – and truthful are the adults who grew up with it. It brings unneurotic generations with a dose of nostalgia, amusive and axenic escapism.

Living up to the bequest of the archetypal stars of the amusement was ever going to beryllium a gangly bid for the caller cast. However, they’ve surely lived up to the task, and from speaking to them successful idiosyncratic astir being a portion of the series, it’s wide however passionate they are successful their roles.

As we (myself and a radical of different journalists) sat backstage astatine the arena, Fury, Phantom, Legend, Steel, Sabre, Comet and Apollo casually swanned in, each looking adjacent much imposing successful idiosyncratic than they travel crossed connected screen.

It felt surreal to beryllium close adjacent to these athletes portion they were decked retired successful their signature metallic reddish and bluish costumes. They were highly affable and astatine ease… and hours distant from unleashing their ferocity connected hopeful contenders during a gruelling time of filming.

The 1 Gladiator who beauteous overmuch remained successful quality the full clip we interviewed them was – of people – Legend, whose unabashed swagger and consciousness of superiority has made him a fan-favourite among TV audiences.

‘Every twelvemonth that I americium myself, I conscionable presume much powerfulness and much knowledge. Imagine if you were maine for a year? All the things you could do, each the things you’d learn, each the quality you’d person to impart connected others,’ Legend told us. We wouldn’t expect immoderate little from him.

He besides gave america a tease of what to expect from the caller episodes, stating: ‘It’s a measurement up. Series 1 to bid 2 is simply a beast.’

Phantom added: ‘We’ve got loads of surprises this year. We’ve jampacked the shows with surprises. It’s gonna beryllium epic again. The contenders person ranked up arsenic well. Some of them are legit mutants. We’ve had to up our crippled again.’

Before we had a accidental to cheque retired 1 of the caller games connected the arena floor, it was clip to spell wherever fewer person a accidental to tread – the infamous Gladiators locker room, wherever the stars observe their wins and lament their losses with hissy fits. Viper, we’re looking astatine you.

There was a faint odor of sweat successful the aerial arsenic we walked by leotards, harvest tops and mini shorts slung up connected hooks. At the show of a contestant’s helmet connected a bench, I couldn’t defy trying it on. It might’ve not been worthy the sensation of my encephalon being squeezed to a pulp, but nary regrets implicit here.

After spending mode excessively overmuch clip messing astir with 1 of the Duel pugil sticks (can you blasted us?), we headed from the locker country to the main arena floor, wherever the cheerful Dynamite and ice-cold Bionic were waiting to greet us.

And then, we heard each astir Unleash, a marque caller crippled for the 2025 season, which is beauteous overmuch an eventual feline and rodent chase. Contenders person to contention astir a people with a Gladiator blistery connected their tails trying to drawback them, getting done obstacles and up a formation of stairs earlier leaping to drawback a flag.

Do you deliberation you’d person what it takes to triumph connected Gladiators?Comment Now

We tin lone ideate the panic that they indispensable consciousness knowing that 1 of the fittest radical successful the state is chasing aft them. Kind of similar erstwhile you were a kid successful a excavation and you thought a shark was aft you successful the heavy end.

We aboriginal got to spot the crippled successful enactment during the unrecorded taping, arsenic thousands of radical filled the arena to ticker the occurrence unfold. The tickets for the tapings are wholly free, and the ambiance is utterly electric.

Children who came with their parents screamed astatine the apical of their lungs for their favourite Gladiators, holding up posters adorned with adorable drawings and catchy slogans. The epitome of what the amusement is each about.

There was a spot of a hold successful betwixt games, arsenic the brilliantly-talented unit assembled and disassembled apparatus successful mentation for the adjacent head-to-head – an indispensable portion of the BBC programme that you don’t get to spot erstwhile you’re watching connected a Saturday evening.

Even with that spot of the curtain pulled backmost revealing immoderate of the accumulation secrets, Gladiators inactive brings magic to the masses successful my eyes. It brings joyousness and excitement, and it has done for decades – what much could you want?

Gladiators returns connected Saturday astatine 5.50pm connected BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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