Gladiators: Train to Win
Contents |
Host
Sharron Davies and Daley Thompson (1995)
Various Gladiators on rotation. (1996)
Margherita Taylor (1997-8) (and Kyran Bracken from 1997 / Lee Sharpe from 1998)
Co-hosts
Commentator:
John Sachs (1995-6)
Mitch Johnson (1997-8)
Referee:
John Anderson (1995-6)
Andrew Norgate (1997-8)
Broadcast
LWT in association with The Samuel Goldwyn Company for ITV, 2 September 1995 to 13 March 1998 (37 episodes in 4 series, as part of Scratchy & Co. (1995), 1997-8 as Gladiators: Train 2 Win)
Synopsis
This is a show with quite an interesting history. There were actually two incarnations of it.
The first had a rather large emphasis on education and was to all intents and purposes a British made reversion of the US show Gladiators 2000. The kids played Gladiator-esque games using the normal equipment and after each event they'd be asked questions relating to health and fitness. And there would be short pieces of film in between games as well. Everyone felt they were being talked down at really and the show wasn't a success when it went out on Saturday mornings (we think Andi Peters was behind this version, as it happens).
But this didn't stop them trying again and the next time they found really quite a good format. Teams of two kids were joined by a Gladiator each. The educational stuff had all but gone and the games (actually it was a lousy selection, 4 or 5 out of a pool of 7 we think it was) were more action packed. However, the big draw was that this was the first time anywhere in the world where the Glads were pitted against each other. This usually meant that The Wall and Hang Tough became relay races with each team's Gladiator going in last place. At the show's height, this was impossibly exciting.
The Eliminator was just the kids on their own in relay form and had more in common with the Pursuit course than the proper grown-ups Eliminator. No handbikes and death slides for you, son.
Inventor
Based on Gladiators.
