Gladiators original stars have responded to concerns over health and safety after the BBC confirmed an 11-part series reboot of the much-loved nineties show.
Kim ‘Lightning’ Betts and Mike ‘Saracen’ Lewis appeared in the ITV studio to sit down with presenters Charlotte Hawkins and Sean Fletcher on Monday, following the exciting news last week.
Charlotte raised the issue of health and safety on the show, which sees a generation of superhuman stars compete against contestants in the ultimate test of speed and strength.
Lightning said she agreed with the need for tighter health and safety since the Saturday night staple last aired on ITV.
She said: “You’ve got to keep everybody sound and people don’t realise the amount of injuries contestants and gladiators got.
“We were running out of contenders. We thought we would have to go out on the street and grab them in.”
She continued: “I understand the health and safety side of it, but are the games going to be as exciting as they were?
“The element of risk and that risk of danger is what excited people, I think. It was incredible to perform as well because the adrenaline was really on a high.”
The BBC say the new series will also include brand new games alongside classic challenges, culminating at the end of each episode with fan favourite The Eliminator.
However, following the announcement Good Morning Britain presenter Sean noted there had been a degree of criticism that TV bosses were returning to old formats instead of “coming up with new ideas”.
Yet Saracen noted that the show “ended on a high” and so feels as if it has never truly gone away.
He said: “We got this huge fanbase and we still go out there, the fans still want it, so it hasn’t gone away.”
The news was announced at the Edinburgh International TV Festival as Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted at the BBC, paid homage to one of the iconic lines from the original series, adding: "I can confirm on my first whistle it’s coming back."
Confirming the news Kate added in a statement: "Gladiators is back and a whole new generation of viewers can now look forward to watching a Saturday night spectacle like no other.
"Will the contenders have the will and the skill to succeed against our mighty new Gladiators? You’ll have to tune in to find out!”
Viewers can look forward to feeling the power of the Gladiators once again and can enjoy the challenge of the champions later in 2023 as the show is still in the planning stages and filming is yet to begin.
