Lycra, perms and pugil sticks could once again become a mainstay of Saturday night television as Gladiators is set to return to screens.
The BBC is hoping to revive the show, which was a massive hit in the 90s, as early as next year.
Three decades after it first aired, BBC One is in talks with rights holders MGM Studios to bring back the format, complete with travelator and suspension bridge.
A new set of preliminary “gladiators” has already been selected, according to reports, with filming planned to begin in Sheffield in 2023. A final decision on casting is expected once talks with the broadcaster conclude.
“It’s exactly the kind of Saturday night family entertainment show that BBC One needs,” a source familiar with the project told Broadcast magazine.
Originally airing between 1992 and 2000 on ITV, and presented by Ulrika Jonsson, each episode saw contestants compete against the show’s professionals to reach the series grand finale.
Physically demanding tasks, which included the Gauntlet, Powerball and Danger Zone, made household names of the gladiators, who competed under monikers including Blaze, Falcon and Wolf.
The show enjoyed a brief, two-season revival between 2008 and 2009, when it was presented on Sky One by Ian Wright and Kirsty Gallacher, who were joined for one series by original referee John Anderson – famed for his calls of “Contender, ready! Gladiator, ready!”.
The project will reportedly be overseen by Kate Phillips, the BBC’s recently appointed head of unscripted, and has been described as a “major fixture” for the broadcaster’s head of entertainment, Kalpna Patel-Knight.
The popularity of the original series, based on the US show American Gladiators, spawned several international spinoffs, including in Australia. ITV also produced a children’s version, Gladiators: Train 2 Win, which aired on ITV2 between 1995 and 1998.
The BBC declined to comment.
