Trivia / Gladiators (2024)

• On-Set Injury:
  • Ella-Mae Rayner (Comet) broke her foot and ankle while filming, and spent three months recovering after surgery. This was reported in news coverage but was not mentioned in the show itself.
  • Sheli McCoy (Sabre) was taken to hospital and spent time on crutches after a hamstring injury during one challenge. It was reported in the news and seemingly shown on the first semi-final. While they didn't explain exactly what the injury was, Bronte's run on The Edge was suspended after 30 seconds and she was given the maximum score, because Sabre had hurt herself trying to push her off. Normally if a Gladiator falls on The Edge, the contender still has to run across for their points.
• Promoted Fanboy:
  • Matt Morsia (Legend) was a huge fan of the original series and even had a poster of the show's original heel, Wolf, on his bedroom wall.
    Matt: I watched every single episode of the original Gladiators as a kid back in the '90s (had a life size poster of Wolf on my wall for like 5 years) so this is an absolute life goal for me.
  • Montell Douglas (Fire) remembers being a Gladiators fan when she was just six years old, "seeing the iconic Glads in the arena squaring up to the contenders brave enough to take them on and putting on the biggest fight I'd ever seen on TV".
  • Zack George (Steel) was a fan of Gladiators when he was a child, saying that he "used to look at the old gladiators and think they were superhuman". The commentary within the show itself even mentions that he was a fan when Steel's introduced in the first episode.
  • Toby Olubi (Phantom) says that, as a 90s kid, he viewed the original Gladiators as a "version of real life superheroes". Now he's one himself.
  • Ella-Mae Rayner (Comet) was a fan growing up, and says that Jet, one of the original Gladiators, was one of her inspirations.
    Ella-Mae: I specifically remember Jet, she was an icon for me as a child and one of the reasons I become a gymnast. I can’t believe I will be following in her footsteps. It really is a dream come true.
  • Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (Nitro) was a fan of the original series and remembers playing homemade versions of some of the Gladiators challenges on the housing estate where he grew up.
  • Not only was Jodie Ounsley (Fury) a fan of the original show, but she actually watched her father take part as a contender. She describes becoming a Gladiator herself as "truly surreal".
  • Within the show itself, first episode contenders Myles and Kerry both talk about how grew up watching Gladiators twenty years earlier, but never thought they'd compete in it. Kerry describes it as surreal.
  • Finalist Finlay describes playing his own version of The Eliminator in his Nan's living room as a child, and getting as far as he did as being a dream.
• Uncredited Role: The Gladiators' personas are listed in the opening credits, but the performers behind them are never named. The Gladiators are entirely absent from the closing credits, so the performers aren't named there either.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Welsh rugby referee Nigel Owens was originally offered the head referee role for the show but turned it down due to other commitments, eventually leading to Mark Clattenburg getting it instead.
  • According to Wikipedia a fourth new event called "Battle Bridge" (which appears to be a cross between "Suspension Bridge" and "Whiplash" from the original series) was listed in the programs given to audiences in the arena. The event never made an appearance in the first series.

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