Gladiators reboot has saved Saturday night as magic mix of muscles and nostalgia sees it smash TV ratings
IT might have been the glistening G motif, or the oh-so-familiar theme tune.
It could have been the sight of man-mountain Giant tensing his colossal pecs — or stunning Electro pouting into the lens.
But at 5.50pm on Saturday the nation gasped as one as Gladiators blasted back on to TV after 23 years.
For some, it would have been an inhalation of breath to find the Nineties classic untouched by wokery.
Others would have been transported back to their youth, while younger ones will have been confronted by the sheer scale of the Glads for the very first time.
There was one thing we can all agree on though, and it’s that in a space of just minutes, Gladiators has ripped the doors off Strictly and saved Saturday night TV.
Early viewing figures suggest a whopping 6.4million saw the BBC’s reboot at its peak.
And they stayed the course, with an average of six million locked in for the whole hour — meaning 38 per cent of all telly viewers were captivated by the Gladiators.
Millions more are expected to watch on catch-up.
The BBC has done it by leaving almost everything about the show untouched, the only enhancement being in filming quality and technological flourishes.
All the better to ogle the superhuman cast, who have all of the original cast’s polish, professionalism and pecs but are somehow supersized.
Whereas before, female Glads such as Jet and Lightning were toned and taut, they didn’t have the rippled quads or huge biceps of newbies such as Fury and Athena.
The contestants are also from another planet entirely, all seemingly worthy of a shot at being a Gladiator themselves.
All this while leaving the cast’s much-hyped Lycra costumes intact — yes, they are as skimpy as before.
Poor Giant, at 6ft 5in, with quads the size of an average human’s torso, can barely contain his heaving chest under two tiny strips of material.
Having been a policeman and a fireman in a former life, Giant — real name Jamie Christian Johal — can arrest me any day.
And gorgeous Sabre’s gym-honed booty has her shorts clinging on for dear life.
Social media was glad about Gladiators returning too. On X, formerly Twitter, @BunsenLearner wrote: “No way I’m watching #Gladiators, it’s shi . . . OH MY GOD ITS GOT THE ORIGINAL THEME TUNE!!!”
Sam Rogers said: “Cannot get over how much fun this was. Proper Saturday night entertainment done right!
“Gladiators is definitely one of the more successful reboots that we’ve seen in a while!”
But TV’s Rylan Clark seems to have cheekily spoken for the nation, posting: “I watch Gladiators for the competition element,” along with a gif of liar Pinocchio’s nose growing.
As for the women Gladiators, a fan said on Instagram: “Dynamite and Sabre are the standouts,” though most agreed, “None are as hot as Jet” from the original show.
And in place of the old programme’s ref John Anderson —
catchphrase “Contender ready! Gladiator ready!” — is former Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg.
He oversees the action with just the right dose of severity, and he’s not exactly hard on the eye either.
But viewers did miss original hosts John Fashanu and Ulrika Jonsson.
Instead of the flirty pairing, we have father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh — which is where the reboot comes unstuck.
The show zips along at rapid pace but clumsy, inexperienced Barney just can’t keep up.
He all but anticipated the critique, gamely stating in pre-show interviews how he had won his place due to his family’s connection to the show — as well as his dad’s role, his mum Donna coached the original show’s cheerleaders.
But his acknowledgement has done little to end claims of nepotism by the show’s fans.
Simon Dodd said online: “Barney Walsh proving once again that you don’t need any talent to get a job as a TV presenter, just a famous dad.”
Reports this week suggested his hiring had even caused a stink with backstage crew, who all felt the Casualty actor was out of his depth on the show — his first job as a host.
Even so, the BBC will be thrilled Gladiators has so gamely carried on from its autumn anchor, Strictly.
The launch show’s hype surely assures ratings for the rest of the run and it wouldn’t surprise me if the upward trend continues for the series.
Zodiac's verdict
I THINK they have done an amazing job – the set is stunning and the graphics were a modern uplift of our show, whilst keeping the original feel.
It’s too early to tell if there’s a new Zodiac, but I loved all of the new Gladiators.
They’re just as fun and beautiful as we were – and they’re all in incredible athletic shape.
They seemed much more confident than I was in my first show.
That’s the positive of social media – it has made them more natural and confident in front of a camera.
Their entrances were also better with incredible graphics.
I absolutely loved Bradley Walsh presenting, keeping it light-hearted and creating great sportsmanship between the Glads and contenders.
Watching it brought back so many emotions. I hope the new Gladiators fully savour their moments of success – and that us OGs are invited to season two.