The new BBC One revival of Gladiators had landed in 2024, and its new cast of beefcakes has us absolutely buzzing (and wishing we hadn’t eaten so much over Christmas).
The game-show hasn’t been seen on British TV screens since its first revival on Sky One in 2009, which itself was nine years after the beloved original ITV series.
In 2024, it’s back, bigger and bolder than ever before. And we’re not just talking about the biceps on display! Here’s our guide to the new Gladiators cast in 2024, including one powerhouse who eats 10,000 calories, another who walks on her hands, and the first ever deaf Gladiator.
2024 Gladiators cast: Apollo
Apollo is from County Durham, 6 foot 6 inches tall, and can jump 2.8 meters from standing (that’s longer than a ping pong table, if you’re wondering).
He describes himself as “like Superman, but with a sense of humour”. Apollo also claims to be “hotter than the sun”.
He’s a mega fan of the original show, and watched it every Saturday with his brothers as a kid. He promises that the 2024 series has “a very similar feel to the original show” and “audiences are going to be blown away by how cool it all is”.
Apollo also reveals there was plenty of banter between Barney Walsh, Bradley Walsh and the Gladiators, although some of it might not be appropriate for TV. Here’s hoping it gets past the BBC‘s editors!
Contestants had better watch out, too, because Apollo’s favourite hobby is “destroying contenders”.
Athena
Athena stands at just 5 foot 4 inches tall, but don’t underestimate her: Athena’s key asset is her strength. She can lift 175kg (about the same as 1875 tins of soup) and has a bicep measurement of 36cm. OMG!
She claims to be “very classy yet composed” and says she will “outsmart the contenders”.
Athena’s determined to be a role model to younger viewers, being herself from a diverse minority background. She says: “I want the younger generation to be inspired and say ‘Athena broke barriers, she didn’t stick in the box, she always broke stigmas. She never let competing in a male dominated sport get to her especially within her culture’.”
Talking about the new series, Athena promises: “You will be on the edge of your seats.”
Bionic
He’s another 6 foot 6 incher and, like his name, he claims he is a “machine”. Bionic is from Middlesbrough, has a bicep measurement of 48cm, and can deadlift 300kg (about 66 PS5 consoles).
He says: “As soon as that game starts, [Bionic]’s in the zone. he’s got to get the job done. As soon as that whistle goes, that’s it, he’s into competitive mode.”
Yes, he does talk about himself in the third person! That said, despite his impressive strength, Bionic promises: “I’m more than just a big brute who will knock you off a podium… but I will do that too.”
2024 Gladiators cast: Comet
Comet is 5 foot 8 inches and is from Hertfordshire. She has a special trick up her sleeve: she’s just as dangerous walking on her hands as she is on her feet!
She’s thrilled to be part of the series and says: “Being a Gladiator is like being a real-life superhero.”
Unlike some of the more macho Gladiators, Comet positions herself differently. She describes herself as “feminine” and “a perfectionist, very poised, and very elegant”. Basically: “She encompasses femininity and strength combined.”
2024 Gladiators cast: Diamond
Diamond is 6 feet tall, from Worcestershire, and describes one of her key attributes as her “big heart”.
She also has big thigh muscles, judging by the fact she can squat 120kg (that’s basically squatting with a jaguar on your back).
Like her name, Diamond promises she is “unbreakable”. And also “strong, powerful, and versatile”. Good luck, contenders!
She says the arena audience’s reaction to Diamond was mostly positive, although there was the occasional boo. She won’t share more than that, however: “You’ll have to watch the show to find out why…”
Dynamite
Mancunian Dynamite is only 5 foot 5 inches tall, but she can lift 160kg! That’s 6.5 bags of cement in one go, for your information.
Dynamite is described as “small but mighty”. While she may not look particularly scary or be as outgoing as some of the other Gladiators, that’s no reason to underestimate her. Dynamite promises that “when she’s in a game, she’s going to win”.
She teases some of the new games on 2024’s Gladiators, such as The Edge, which is “like playing cat and mouse up on this maze”, which is “very cool”. Now THAT we have to see.
Electro
Electro is from Essex and is 5 foot 8 inches tall. She can squat 100kg, which is the same as standing up while carrying 12 watermelons.
She says she wants to inspire people to “realise that they can do things that they haven’t imagined before”.
Electro has absolutely no doubt that she could deliver the almost-superhuman capabilities of a Gladiator. She also thinks an important factor of the game is just having fun: “I’m very competitive when I’m in the game but then, out of the game, I can have a joke and laugh about it. I don’t get too caught up on any losses.”
For Electro, the word that best describes the new series is “nostalgia”. She says: “This series reflects the original series, but in an amped up modern way.”
Fire
Fire is fast, listing speed as her key attribute. She can run 100m in 11.05 seconds (the Women’s Olympic record is 10.61 seconds). Wowza!
A 5 foot 10 inch Gladiator from London, Fire is exactly what her name says she is. She’s “a fireball, a firecracker” who has a “heart of fire, and that burns strong, and that comes out in her personality but also in her gameplay, sportsmanship, and compassion for contenders”.
She promises to be both a “crowd pleaser” and a “weapon” in the series.
Fire thinks little of her male co-stars: “I could take on any of the guy Gladiators, especially Legend, I could take him down easily!”
2024 Gladiators cast: Fury
Fury, from Yorkshire, is the first ever deaf Gladiator and describes it as “her superpower”.
Fury has a family connection to the older series of Gladiator – her dad was a contender! As a result: “Gladiators has been a big part of our family since I was little.”
The three short words Fury would use to describe the new series of Gladiators are “savage”, “exciting”, and “fresh”. Now that sounds like fun…
One of Fury’s favourite games was The Ring, where she as a Gladiator gets to tackle the contenders. As a rugby player, it definitely plays to her strengths and is “a dream come true”.
She says she was incredibly touched by some of the audiences at the live shows in Sheffield. She explains: “Some deaf kids came to watch the show and they’d made banners, saying they were deaf too and wanted to be a Gladiator now because of Fury, and that made me feel really proud to represent the deaf community on such a cool show.”
Giant
Giant is 6 foot 5 inches tall, has a bicep measurement of 52cm, and lives the dream: he eats over 10,000 calories a day!
He was a big fan of the original show, and actually is friends with one of the previous Gladiators. He met Panther (Helen O’Reilly) through the bodybuilding federation, and the pair hit it off as friends.
Despite being one of the new Gladiators, he still felt pressure to perform when he saw an original Gladiator in the audience one show. Giant spotted Saracen in the audience. He says: “I had the feeling of responsibility because this show was so iconic because of the original Gladiators, and we want to make them proud.”
Giant also shares a little known detail about presenter Barney Walsh: “He is extremely flexible. I think to call him double-jointed would be an understatement… Triple-jointed is more like it! He can make every part of his body crack. I think he cracks his neck and his shoulders and his elbows. Strange, but completely entertaining!”
Legend
Surrey-local Legend may not be the tallest of the gladiators at 6 foot 1 inch, but he can triple jump further than the length of a double decker bus!
He describes becoming a Gladiator as a “life goal”, having been a big fan of the show since he was nine or 10 years old.
Competing in Gladiators was “amazing” for Legend because it combined his two favourite things, which are “being good at stuff” and “having people watch me being good at stuff”.
He also isn’t shy about how well he was received in the arena. Legend says, in short: “They all loved me.” Modest, much?
Nitro
At 5 foot 11 inches, Nitro is the only one of the male Gladiators to be shorter than 6 foot, but it would be wrong to underestimate him. Nitro is described as “explosive”, but also “there to bring the good vibes”.
Nitro describes himself as “world class energy”. He adds: “He’s dancing and, if he’s not dancing, then he’s performing. And if he’s not performing, then he’s taking someone down.”
He prefers a challenge, when it comes to the show. One of Nitro’s favourite challenges is The Wall, where he starts later than the contender – meaning he’s at a disadvantage. He describes it as “more of a challenge and [more] exciting for me”.
However, Nitro is one of the nicer Gladiators, and says his worst case scenario would be to go up against Steel – another nice Gladiator. Apparently, that wouldn’t make good TV because “we’d just be too polite to each other, asking each other if we’re alright”.
2024 Gladiators cast: Phantom
Phantom is from London and stands at 6 feet 5 inches. He has the longest wingspan of the new Gladiators, at a massive two meters.
He’s super enthusiastic about Gladiators, describing the new series as “explosive, evolutionary, epic and unmissable”. And that’s not just because he’s in it, but because he’s a big fan of the show.
Phantom describes himself as “mysterious” and “elusive”, and says there’s a little bit of all the other Gladiators in him. He’s fast, like Nitro. He’s big, like Giant. Bionic and Apollo are all about strength, and so is he. Legend is cheeky, and so is he. Plus he’s got the same bad boy appeal as Viper.
On his skills at the game, he says: “I’ve got this ability to be focused and just execute when it’s time.” He says he can hit a contender three times before the contender catches him once.
Sabre
Sabre’s from Dundee, stands at five foot seven inches tall, and can deadlift 160kg (that’s heavier than a baby elephant).
She describes herself as “playful, athletic, energetic, but with a killer instinct!” As well as being fun, she’s also deadly competitive, so watch out.
Sabre says she didn’t set out to become a Gladiator but “Gladiator life chose me”. She was a big fan of the original series, sitting down to watch the show with her parents while her mum braided her hair on Saturday evenings. The original series changed her perspective on what women were allowed to do, which she found thoroughly inspiring.
She says: “I remember thinking that I didn’t think women were allowed to be sporty and into fitness and have muscles and win and be unapologetically athletic, and that’s what they were, these women were unapologetically athletic.”
Steel
Steel describes himself as “Mr Nice Guy”, and he sounds like a useful person to have around because he can deadlift 220kg (the weight of 3.5 washing machines).
He says when he watched the older series, he was overweight and hated the way he looked. To Steel, the original Gladiators were “absolute superheroes, so to even one day potentially look like them let alone actually become a Gladiator is like a dream come true.”
If he loses, Nitro says he’ll lose “graciously”, but also that it’s unlikely to happen!
2024 Gladiators cast: Viper
Viper is 6 feet tall, from Surrey, and describes his key skill as “storming off!” (Yes, with an exclamation mark).
Viper describes himself as the baddie of the series, much like Wolf in the older series (who incidentally is his favourite Gladiator ever). He says: “Viper is mean, moody, sneaky and powerful.”
He’s a man of few words. Responding to the question of what he thought of the show’s referees, Mark Clattenburg, Sonia Mkoloma and Lee Phillip, Viper says: “Grunt.”
He can also bench press 150kg (the same weight as an adult panda), so it sounds like Gladiators, contenders, and everybody else needs to watch out! Wolf would be so proud of his protégé!
Read more: Warning for Barney Walsh ahead of Gladiators reboot amid ‘pressure’ of ‘new challenge’
Gladiators begins on Saturday, January 13, 2024 from 5.50pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Are you excited for the Gladiators reboot? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.