Will Gladiators be back for a second series?
What does the future hold for the BBC's newly-rebooted hit?
Not only were the BBC’s new batch of Gladiators strong enough to beat the dreaded Eliminator but they’ve also proved to be a powerful hit with fans across the UK.
Debuting earlier this year, the broadcaster’s Gladiators reboot has emerged as a hugely popular show, with around 9.8 million people believed to have watched the programme’s debut episode across its live airing and iPlayer repeats. Audiences continued to be hooked throughout the remainder of its run too, with the show averaging 8.3 million viewers across its following 10 episodes.
With the first series coming to an end, the question on everyone’s lips now is whether or not the Gladiators will return to once again be put to the test by a new batch of rookie contenders.
Read more: Who are the Gladiators?
Here’s everything we know about Gladiators series two.
Will there be a second series of Gladiators?
In March 2024, the BBC confirmed that a second series of Gladiators is on the way but a return date has yet to be revealed.
Speaking about the show’s success, the BBC’s Head of Entertainment, Kalpna Patel-Knight said: “Gladiators has really kicked this year off with a bang, and we’re so delighted that the fans have come to the show in their masses.
"It has been wonderful to hear how much families have loved watching this together, as part of the BBC’s Saturday evening entertainment offering.
“We can’t wait for more action from the Gladiators.”
The first series of the reboot was filmed over the summer in 2023, before airing early 2024. This points at a January 2025 return date for the show.
Who will be starring in Gladiators series two?
While we know that Gladiators will be back for a second series, we don’t know which Gladiators will return to the arena when the show hits our television screens once more.
Series one featured 16 brand new professional athletes, each making their grand debut as Gladiators. These included Sabre, Legend, Nitro, Diamond, Phantom, Athena, Bionic, Fire, Giant, Dynamite, Viper, Electro, Apollo, Comet, Steel and Fury.
While it’s yet to be confirmed whether all of these Gladiators will be back, it’s perhaps a safe bet that most — if not all — will return. It’s also not out of the question to expect a couple of new Gladiators to enter the game but again, this has yet to be confirmed too.
Who will host Gladiators series two?
The first series of Gladiators was hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, with the pair settling into their new roles nicely. Audiences seemed to enjoy their on-screen partnership which means that it’s highly likely that we could see them return for the show’s second series.
That said, much like the Gladiators themselves, both Walsh boys have yet to confirm that they’ll be back - so at this early stage, it’s anyone’s guess.
In November 2023, tabloid rumours suggested that Holly Willoughby was being eyed for a presenting role on the BBC show which is produced by her husband Daniel Baldwin. The Sun suggested the BBC was keen to hire Willoughby for a major show, saying "she's an obvious choice to become the new Ulrika.”
Gladiators series two will be coming to BBC One and iPlayer.
