Gladiators host Bradley Walsh reveals family’s link to original show

“It’s a family affair.”

By Grace Henry

Published: Saturday, 13 January 2024 at 09:00 AM

The BBC is bringing Gladiators back for 2024, 15 years after the show last aired on Sky.

Taking over from former hosts Ulrika Jonsson, John Fashanu and Jeremy Guscott is father and son hosting duo, Bradley and Barney Walsh, who actually have a unique connection to the iconic show.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press ahead of the launch, Bradley revealed how his family is linked to the show, which first aired on ITV in 1992.

“It was an amazing feat for us to be able to do – for us especially, having been involved in the original Gladiators,” Bradley explained.

“How the show came about was Dan Baldwin rang us after we did Breaking Dad and said, ‘Look we’ve got this one-off. We’d like to be able to do a show of Gladiators – a nostalgic show, a one-off’, and we said, ‘Yeah, OK’, and Dan said, ‘Because of the family background’.”

L-R: Comet, Fury, Apollo, Dynamite, Legend, Diamond, Athena, Giant, Apollo, Sabre, Phantom, Viper, Nitro, Bionic, Electro, Fire gathered in front of the BBC headquarters
Gladiators.
BBC/Guy Levy

He continued: “And the family background is that back in the day, Barney’s mum, my wife, [was] sitting there. Don [Donna Derby] used to run and choreograph all the cheerleaders and then subsequently became the social producer on the show. And I used to go down and watch five weeks of filming.

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“It was great and Barney came along and I used to walk Barney in the pram or the pushchair around the arena floor to meet all the Gladiators. He was only one or two or whatever it was, so it’s a whole family affair.

“And when Dan rang and said, ‘Would you mind doing a nostalgia show as a family?’ I said, ‘Why not? Let’s do it!’ We didn’t realise it was going to become a series straight away. So, we’re locked in!”

It’s definitely a family affair, especially since Bradley and Barney Walsh revealed that a viewer gave birth during filming for the Gladiators reboot.

“There was one lady who gave birth in the audience during one of the shows. Her waters broke during the show and she gave birth. So we had a Gladiator baby!” Barney said.