Thirty years after the show first debuted on ITV, Gladiators is officially coming back, this time on the BBC.
Now, the broadcaster has addressed whether any of the classic cast will be returning for the new run of episodes.
When asked about the reboot at a panel for the Edinburgh International TV Festival 2022, director of BBC Unscripted Kate Phillips said that she’s “not sure” if favourites such as Wolf will be back, but added that “there’ll certainly be some terrific new Gladiators”.
Phillips also addressed why the broadcaster has decided to bring the show back, referring to comments made on the same panel by BBC’s Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore who said it “takes a lot of creativity” to make a successful reboot.
Phillips said: “When [producers] MGM and Hungry Bear brought us Gladiators, we didn’t just say, ‘Yeah, Gladiators, let’s do that!’ – there was quite a long development period, because our first question, like Charlotte said, was, ‘Well, how do you reboot it? How do you make it different?’”
Contenders Ready! Gladiators Ready!
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) August 25, 2022
The iconic Saturday night gameshow is coming to the BBC in 2023 – as a new generation of superhumans compete in the ultimate test of speed & strength ????https://t.co/nKLVYwXqcE pic.twitter.com/zjnnLwjWib
She continued: “So actually, they worked really hard on what would the format look like now, how would we recast it, so there’s been a long development period before we announced it.”
Phillips also talked about how news that the show was returning was leaked ahead of the BBC’s official announcement, and said that “just seeing the public reaction, for me, just said ‘Of course we should be doing it’ – we’re going to go into awful times in the UK and God, we need some joy and some escapist, big event TV and that’s exactly what you’ll get with Gladiators.”
The new season of Gladiators on the BBC will be made up of 11 episodes and is set to include brand new games as well as classic challenges when it airs next year.
If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now and get the next 12 issues for only £1. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.