Last year, one of the biggest sporting series of the 90s made a triumphant return. Season 1 of BBC’s Gladiators embraced the fanfare, lycra and insane games such as Duel, Hang Tough and The Wall in all their glory. The result was the biggest TV launch on the BBC in seven years.
Father and son TV duo Bradley and Barney Walsh took on presenting duties, while elite athletes adopted alter egos and became formidable opponents to contestants, and excellent entertainment for fans at home.
Season 1 wrapped up at the end of March 2024, and following a Celebrity Edition of the show in the new year, all eyes are now turning to season 2 of Gladiators. Here’s what you need to know.
When will Gladiators season 2 be released?
Unfortunately, the BBC hasn’t yet revealed when Gladiators will return beyond 2025. However, we expect that the wait won’t be much longer.
Season 1 of the show started airing on 13 January 2024, and the first full trailer for the new instalment was unveiled on 2 January 2025.
In addition, the official Gladiators Instagram account says that the new series will be on iPlayer from January, though this could be referring to the Celebrity Special. BBC iPlayer teases the new season as ‘coming soon’.
Based on all of that, we expect that Gladiators season 2 will kick off in early 2025 – most likely either later in January or throughout February.
Nick Eagle / BBC / Hungry Bear
Another BBC reality hit, The Traitors, is expected to wrap up on Friday 24 January 2025. Therefore, it could make sense for the Beeb to schedule the debut of Gladiators the day after, Saturday 25 January, as they’ll have a big audience for promotion during the final few episodes of the backstabbing series hit.
Of course, this is just an estimation – we’ll confirm the official release date as soon as it’s announced.
Which Gladiators are returning?
All Gladiators bar one will be back for season 2. They are:
- Athena – Karenjeet Kaur Bains
- Bionic – Matty Campbell
- Comet – Ella-Mae Rayner
- Diamond – Livi Sheldon
- Electro – Jade Packer
- Fire – Montell Douglas
- Fury – Jodie Ounsley
- Giant – Jamie Christian Johal
- Legend – Matt Morsia
- Phantom – Toby Olubi
- Steel – Zack George
- Viper – Quang Luong
Unfortunately, the king of The Wall and sprinter Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey) was forced to sit out of the new series due to a knee injury.
In addition, the cast will be growing a little this year.
Who are the new Gladiators?
The BBC has confirmed that two new Gladiators will be joining the cast, and we have a brief look at them thanks to trailers and teasers.
We know we’re getting one man and one woman, but we haven’t seen their faces. However, Reddit has spotted that during the Instagram trailer, the male gladiator appears to be holding a giant hammer like Thor – a prop that hopefully won’t be allowed during events.
You can watch this below:
The BBC will likely reveal more about the new additions in the coming weeks.
What are the new events for Gladiators season 2?
Fans of the original series will be pleased to hear that Atlaspheres is making a comeback. This was revealed in the official trailer, where contestants and Gladiators clash in giant spherical cages (or hamster wheels if you prefer).
The contenders must reach specific points on the floor while the Gladiators aim to block them.
The trailer also showcases a brand-new event based around sprinting – it looks like the contenders must capture a flag while being chased by a Gladiator. The trailer showed Fire taking part in this event, who is one of several ex-sprinters, so this will be a challenge.
You can see both events in the trailer below:
The footage and Celebrity Special unveiled the return of events such as Duel, Hang Tough, Gauntlet, Power Ball, The Edge and Collision. The new year’s special made a change to Gauntlet by adding an extra Gladiator, meaning contenders must battle through five obstacles rather than four.
This was the case in the original series and a welcome change considering that most contestants beat the game in series 1.
Who won Gladiators season 1?
After ten weeks of tough challenges, wi6th several contestants forced to pull out due to injuries, it came down to the final.
The women’s title was between Sheffield born-and-bred Bronte and Dublin’s Marie-Louise. Meanwhile, the men’s final was between Leeds born Wesley – a stand-in for another contender who had to pull out – and Finlay from Edinburgh.
In the end, Marie-Louise and Finlay reigned victorious, getting to the top of the dreaded travelator first.
BBC / James Stack / © Hungry Bear Media Ltd
Will Gladiators return for season 3?
The BBC hasn’t announced if Gladiators will return for another season after the next one airs.
Season 1 was a big success for the BBC, so it likely depends on how season 2 performs. If it does well, then we wouldn’t see why it would be cancelled.
We’ll learn more when the show returns – if applications open for another season, then it’s likely the show will be back in 2026.
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