Tom Stoltman, the three-time winner of the World’s Strongest Man title, has joined the Gladiators cast ahead of the show’s fourth series.
The programme is a reboot of the 1992 ITV show, itself based on American Gladiators which first aired in the 1980s, and is hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney.
The series will return to BBC One and iPlayer in 2027.
Stoltman, 32, was the first Scottish athlete to win World’s Strongest Man and is one of the most successful strongmen in history.
He also won Britain’s Strongest Man in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2026.
Stoltman, from Invergordon in the Scottish Highlands, said joining the show is a “dream opportunity”.
He said: “I’ve spent my life pushing myself to see what I can achieve and joining this incredible show is the next challenge.
“I’m excited to bring my strength, determination and personality to the arena but, most importantly, I want people watching to feel inspired to believe in themselves and take on their own challenges.”
Stoltman’s Gladiator name has not yet been revealed, with the BBC saying that would come in “due course”.
Filming for the new series, which is produced by Hungry Bear Media and MGM Alternative UK, begins in Sheffield this month.
Each episode sees four Contenders – two women and two men – compete in a series of physically gruelling events against the show’s resident Gladiators, who are all elite athletes.
The finale, known as the Eliminator, sees the successful Contenders take on each other.
The show has been popular with the public since its relaunch, drawing more than six million viewers during its first episode in 2024.
Celebrity specials have been aired on both New Year’s Day and Christmas Day 2025, with Rob Beckett, Joe Wicks, and Vogue Williams among the Contenders.
Gladiators also went on a live arena tour in late 2025, visiting major cities including Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow. The tour saw the Gladiators face some of the returning Contenders from the first two series of the reboot.
A second tour will take place starting in October, adding new locations including Newcastle and Aberdeen.
