Gladiators (2024 British TV series) series 2

Gladiators
Series 2
Starring	Bradley Walsh Barney Walsh Mark Clattenburg Sonia Mkoloma Lee Phillips Guy Mowbray
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	BBC One
Original release	1 January 2025 (2025-01-01)
Series chronology
← Previous Series 1

The second series of Gladiators aired in the UK on 18 January 2025 on BBC One. It was recorded in August 2024 at the Sheffield Arena. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The series was commissioned by the BBC bosses after a successful relaunch in 2024, which attracted nearly ten million viewers during its whole first series. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

The eleven-part series is being presented by the Walshes (Bradley and Barney), who also presented the first series. ^{[7] [8]} Mark Clattenburg returns as the lead referee alongside assistants Lee Phillips and Sonia Mkoloma. In addition to the regular episodes, the series also has a one-off Celebrity Special episode, where four Celebrity contestants take on the Gladiators. ^{[9] [8]}

The first heat episode is dedicated to original Gladiators referee John Anderson, who passed away in July 2024. ^[10]

Gladiators

Further information: Gladiators (2024 British TV series) § Gladiators

All of the Gladiators from the previous series return this series, ^[11] with Diamond (Livi Sheldon) and Giant (Jamie Christian-Johal) being amongst the very first announced returnees. ^{[12] [13] [8]} New Gladiators Cyclone (Lystus Ebosele), and Hammer (Tom Wilson) were revealed in the course of the series. ^{[14] [15]}

Gladiator name	Portrayed by
Apollo	Alex Gray
Athena	Karenjeet Kaur Bains
Bionic	Matty Campbell
Comet	Ella-Mae Rayner
Cyclone	Lystus Ebosele [a]
Diamond	Livi Sheldon
Dynamite	Emily Steel
Electro	Jade Packer
Fire	Montell Douglas
Fury	Jodie Ounsley
Giant	Jamie Christian-Johal
Hammer	Tom Wilson [b]
Legend	Matt Morsia
Nitro	Harry Aikines-Aryeetey [c]
Phantom	Toby Olubi
Sabre	Sheli McCoy
Steel	Zack George
Viper	Quang Luong

Notes

1. Irish powerlifter joined mid-series filming.
2. British indoors rower joined mid-series filming.
3. Although Nitro featured on the programme, he did not appear in any of the events during the series, due to knee injury from the trainings. ^[16]

Contenders

The winning contenders are marked in bold. As the series consists only from five heats, and three quarter finals, in addition to the winners of the previous episodes, the fastest runner-ups advance to the next stage.

Episodes	Male Contenders			Female Contenders
Celebrity Special	Rob Beckett	Joel Dommett		Ellie Taylor	Louise Minchin
Heat 1	Nathan Bland	Scott Castell		Zavia Hill	Katie Ip
Heat 2	Joe Holroyde	Aman Yadh		Nikki Billingham	Keeva Neely [a]
Heat 3	Lewis Prothero	Mus Dumbuya		Toni Prothero	Amanda Wah

Notes

1. Contender Keeva advanced directly to the Quarter Finals round, as Nikki was unable to continue in the competition due to sustaining an injury before the Eliminator.

Events

Main article: List of Gladiators UK events

In addition to all of the events from the previous series (Duel, Gauntlet, Hang Tough, Collision, The Ring, Powerball, The Wall, The Edge and The Eliminator), some new events are introduced on the second series of Gladiators. ^{[11] [17]}

Following events were added to the roster:

• Atlaspheres, ^{[14] [18]} which returns from the 1990s version. In the event, the contenders are inside large metal cages, or "spheres" and try to gain points by crossing different score pods on the arena floor, while two Gladiators try to prevent this inside their own spheres.
• Crash Course is a modification of Atlaspheres, where the contenders must race around the arena while simultaneously being pursuit by the Gladiators, trying to catch the contenders in their own spheres, before these reach the finish line.
• Unleash ^[18] is a new game of tag, where the contender must make it around the arena floor, and grab a "G" flag from the top of a podium, while a Gladiator is "Unleashed" and starts a pursuit behind them.

As the result of fan feedback from the previous series, the Gauntlet received some major upgrades for this series. ^[11] An additional fifth zone/Gladiator was added, and a new "shield" weapon resembling the shape of a claw or bucket was introduced. ^[19]

Episodes

Note, that some of the episodes are shown in different order, that they were filmed in.

No. overall	No. in series	Title	BBC One airdate	UK viewers (millions)  [20]	Weekly Rank  [20]
–	–	"Celebrity Special"	1 January 2025 (2025-01-01)	5.15	8
Competing in the New Year’s Celebrity Special are: Rob Beckett, Louise Minchin, Joel Dommett and Ellie Taylor. [21] [22] [23] The celebrities face the Gladiators in events like the classical Duel and the updated version of Gauntlet, before taking on each others in the legendary Eliminator. The episode saw gladiator Sabre's very first appearance on Collision, and Comet's first appearance on the show since major injury she suffered last series. Male gladiator Giant was absent from the episode due to a bicep tear he had suffered earlier. [19] This special episode was announced by the BBC on 7 August 2024, and was recorded in between the regular series' production. [21] Event 1: Collision Male contenders Rob Beckett   vs. Steel, Bionic, Viper & Apollo (4–8) (4–8)   Joel Dommett vs. Steel, Bionic, Viper & Apollo Female contenders Ellie Taylor   vs. Sabre, Comet, Fire & Athena (6–8) (6–8)   Louise Minchin vs. Sabre, Comet, Fire & Athena Sabre's very first Collision outing. Louise suffered a graze on her philtrum after being knocked off. Event 2: Duel Male contenders Rob Beckett   vs. Legend (0–0) (4–8)   Joel Dommett vs. Phantom Although not shown on the programme – Viper appeared to climb to the podiums against Joel Dommett – but he was dispatched by the referee after refusing to use a helmet. Instead its was Phantom who played the round. Female contenders Ellie Taylor   vs. Dynamite (5–5) (11–13)   Louise Minchin vs. Fire Event 3: Gauntlet Male contenders Rob Beckett   vs. Viper, Steel, Legend, Apollo & Phantom (10–6) (14–14)   Joel Dommett vs. Viper, Steel, Legend, Apollo & Phantom Revamped version of the event, where the contenders have to now get past 5 Gladiators. A new weapon is introduced for the 4th Gladiator in line. Female contenders Ellie Taylor   vs. Electro, Athena, Fury, Dynamite & Diamond (8–6) (19–19)   Louise Minchin vs. Electro, Athena, Fury, Dynamite & Diamond Event 4: Powerball Male contenders Rob Beckett   vs. Apollo, Bionic & Steel (2–3) (16–17)   Joel Dommett vs. Apollo, Bionic & Steel After the event ended, the Gladiators rushed and put both the contenders and the hosts in the Powerball "bins", for comedy. Female contenders Ellie Taylor   vs. Sabre, Electro & Fury (2–4) (21–25)   Louise Minchin vs. Sabre, Electro & Fury The scores for the women's game above reflect the scoreboard during the event and the aggregate scoreboard; Louise's first ball bounced out of the basket it was put in, but was deemed to have counted towards her score, therefore she scored 6 points. Event 5: The Eliminator Male contenders Rob Beckett     Joel Dommett Winner Joel Dommett [24] Female contenders Ellie Taylor     Louise Minchin Louise Minchin had to be assisted by the referees through the hurdles. This cost her the race, as she lost a lot of distance to Ellie Taylor. Winner Ellie Taylor [24]
12	1	"Heat 1"	18 January 2025 (2025-01-18)	4.76	8
The heats begin. The 15 returning Gladiators face another set of contenders from all over the UK. Two new Gladiators are introduced this series – and some new events. For this series, Gladiator Nitro shifts to support his fellow colleagues due to an injury he picked up during training sessions. The contenders for the heat are: Nathan Bland and Scott Castell, Zavia Hill and Katie Ip. The first heat sees classical events like Duel and The Wall being played, in addition to the returning 90's classic Atlaspheres. Giant, who is so far unbeaten in the event - returns to Duel. [10] Event 1: The Edge Male contenders Nathan   vs. Apollo (10-2) (10-2)   Scott vs. Legend Female contenders Zavia   vs. Fury (10-4) (10-4)   Katie vs. Sabre Event 2: Duel Male contenders Nathan   vs. Giant (5-0) (15-2)   Scott vs. Phantom Giant's first draw with a contender on the event. Female contenders Zavia   vs. Diamond (0-0) (10-4)   Katie vs. Fire Event 3: Atlaspheres Male contenders Nathan   vs. Giant & Steel (6-6) (21-8)   Scott vs. Giant & Steel Female contenders Zavia   vs. Sabre & Diamond (2-4) (12-8)   Katie vs. Sabre & Diamond Event 4: The Wall Male contenders Nathan   vs. Legend (0-0) (21-8)   Scott vs. Viper Viper's first sole event victory on The Wall. After the event he commented his performance saying "Piece of cake!" and laughing maniacly, before storming off. Scott also suffered a dislocated finger from when Viper pulled him off. Female contenders Zavia   vs. Comet (10-5) (22-13)   Katie vs. Athena Event 5: Powerball Male contenders Nathan   vs. Phantom, Steel & Bionic (6-0) (27-8)   Scott vs. Phantom, Steel & Bionic Female contenders Zavia   vs. Electro, Fury & Dynamite (12-2) (34-13)   Katie vs. Electro, Fury & Dynamite The women's scores above reflect the scoreboard during the event and the aggregate score. Katie's only ball was deemed invalid as she broke the rule of not taking it from the opposite bin after losing the one prior. Event 6: The Eliminator Male contenders Nathan     Scott Entering the Eliminator, the score was 27-8. This 19-point lead gave Nathan a 9.5-second head-start. Winner Nathan Female contenders Zavia     Katie Entering the Eliminator, the score was 34-13. This 21-point lead gave Zavia a 10.5-second head-start. Winner Zavia
13	2	"Heat 2"	25 January 2025 (2025-01-25)	TBD	TBA
Second of the heats. The contenders for the heat are: Joe and Aman; and Nikki and Keeva. New female Gladiator, Cyclone, debuts in this episode. Events for this heat include the classics Duel and The Wall, in addition to the renewed Gauntlet. During the event The Edge, female contender Nikki suffered an injury upon falling from the edge with Gladiator Dynamite. She was subsequently dispatched from the competition by the medical team, and was not able to do the Eliminator - therefore Keeva earning straight place to the Quarter Finals. [25] Event 1: Duel Male contenders Joe   vs. Bionic (0-0) (0-0)   Aman vs. Steel Aman forfieted the event after falling onto Steel's podium. Female contenders Nikki   vs. Cyclone (0-0) (0-0)   Keeva vs. Cyclone Cyclone won by default in her duel with Keeva after the latter put her pugil stick down onto her own podium. Event 2: Gauntlet Male contenders Joe   vs. Steel, Bionic, Apollo, Phantom and Giant (6-10) (6-10)   Aman vs. Steel, Bionic, Apollo, Phantom and Giant The Gladiator line-up represents the initial set-up; Steel and Bionic swapped weapons so that Bionic would guard the first zone. Apollo was subsequently disqualified for pushing Joe into the next zone Female contenders Nikki   vs. Fire, Sabre, Athena, Dynamite, and Cyclone (8-10) (8-10)   Keeva vs. Fire, Sabre, Athena, Dynamite, and Cyclone Nikki's run was briefly stopped after she lost her helmet. In Keeva's run, Sabre was disqualified for leaving her zone whilst holding Keeva. Event 3: The Wall Male contenders Joe   vs. Legend (5-10) (11-20)   Aman vs. Apollo Before trying to eliminate his contender from the Wall, Legend played with this, and bypassed this to the top of the Wall. However, the Gladiator had not enough time left to dispatch the contender from the Wall, hence the game ending with a draw; earning the contender 5 points. Female contenders Nikki   vs. Comet (10-0) (18-10)   Keeva vs. Diamond Event 4: Collision Male contenders Joe   vs. Viper, Giant, Legend, and Phantom (8-6) (19-26)   Aman vs. Viper, Giant, Legend, and Phantom Female contenders Nikki   vs. Comet, Diamond, Fire, and Electro (0-10) (18-18)   Keeva vs. Comet, Diamond, Fire, and Electro The scores above reflect Keeva's scores on the scoreboard during the event and the aggregate score. Keeva repeatedly stopped during her run, so despite scoring 10 points, she received a 2-point penalty for her actions and scored 8 instead. Event 5: The Edge Male contenders Joe   vs. Steel (2-2) (21-28)   Aman vs. Legend Female contenders Nikki   vs. Dynamite (2-2) (20-20)   Keeva vs. Fury Nikki suffered an unspecified injury after she fell from The Edge. She was eventually deemed to be unable to continue, so Keeva automatically qualified for the quarter finals. Event 6: The Eliminator Male contenders Joe     Aman Entering the Eliminator, the score was 21-28. This 7-point lead gave Aman a 3.5-second head-start. Winner Joe Female contenders No Eliminator was held for the female contenders due to Nikki's earlier unrecoverable injury. Winner Keeva (by default)
14	3	"Heat 3"	1 February 2025 (2025-02-01)	TBD	TBA
Third of the heats. A new event is revealed. Event 1: The Ring Male contenders Lewis   vs. Phantom (12-6) (12-6)   Mustapha vs. Steel Female contenders Toni   vs. Electro (10-12) (10-12)   Amanda vs. Sabre Amanda suffered a calf cramp in the first 15 seconds. She was given the option to forfeit or continue and ultimately chose the latter. Event 2: Unleash Male contenders Lewis   vs. Apollo (0-10) (12-16)   Mustapha vs. Phantom Phantom broke the rules twice by cutting the final corner on the track and ascending the stairs two by two. He was therefore disqualified meaning that despite defeat, Mus automatically won the event. Female contenders Toni   vs. Cyclone (5-0) (15-12)   Amanda vs. Fire Like Phantom, Toni inadvertantly broke the rules by ascending the steps two by two. Therefore despite capturing the flag, she was only rewarded 5 points. Event 3: The Wall Male contenders Lewis   vs. Viper (5-10) (17-26)   Mustapha vs. Legend Female contenders Toni   vs. Athena (0-10) (15-22)   Amanda vs. Dynamite Event 4: The Edge Male contenders Lewis   vs. Steel (2-2) (19-28)   Mustapha vs. Apollo Female contenders Toni   vs. Diamond (10-2) (25-24)   Amanda vs. Fury Event 5: Atlaspheres Male contenders Lewis   vs. Giant & Bionic (6-6) (25-34)   Mustapha vs. Giant & Bionic Female contenders Toni   vs. Comet & Cyclone (0-2) (25-26)   Amanda vs. Comet & Cyclone Event 6: The Eliminator Male contenders Lewis     Mustapha Entering the Eliminator, the score was 25-34. This 9-point lead gave Mus a 4.5-second head-start. Mus also broke the then-current Eliminator record of 1.06 by 2 seconds. Winner Mustapha Female contenders Toni     Amanda Entering the Eliminator, the score was 25-26. This 1-point lead gave Amanda a 0.5-second head-start. Winner Amanda
15	4	"Heat 4"	15 February 2025 (2025-02-15)	TBD	TBA
16	5	"Heat 5"	2025 (2025)	TBD	TBA
17	6	"Quarter Final 1"	2025 (2025)	TBD	TBA
18	7	"Quarter Final 2"	2025 (2025)	TBD	TBA
19	8	"Quarter Final 3"	2025 (2025)	TBD	TBA
20	9	"Semi Final 1"	2025 (2025)	TBD	TBA
21	10	"Semi Final 2"	2025 (2025)	TBD	TBA
22	11	"The Final"	2025 (2025)	TBD	TBA

Contenders progress (excluding Celebrity Special)

Color key:

  Series champions

  The contender won the episode and advanced

  The contender was medically withdrawn from the competition

  The contender was the fastest finisher and qualified

  The contender lost the episode and was eliminated

Contenders	Episodes
	Heats					Quarter Finals			Semi Finals		Final
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Nathan	WIN	—
Zavia	WIN	—
Joe	—	WIN	—
Keeva	—	WIN	—
Mustapha	—		WIN
Amanda	—		WIN
Scott	LOSS	—
Katie	LOSS	—
Aman	—	LOSS	—
Nikki	—	WDR	—
Lewis	—		LOSS
Toni	—		LOSS

Ratings

Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. Ratings are provided by BARB Audiences ^[20]

Episode	Date	Weekly viewers (millions)	Weekly rank
Celebrity Special	1 January 2025	5.15	#8
Heat 1	18 January 2025	4.76	#8
Heat 2	25 January 2025	4.27	< #10
Heat 3	1 February 2025
Heat 4	15 February 2025
Heat 5	2025
Quarter Final 1	2025
Quarter Final 2	2025
Quarter Final 3	2025
Semi Final 1	2025
Semi Final 2	2025
The Final	2025
Series average	2025	TBD	–

References

1. Methven, Nicola (26 March 2024). "EXCLUSIVE: BBC Gladiators secures second series with bosses ready for record number of applicants". Mirror.
2. "BBC commission Gladiators for second series before this weekend's final". Yahoo! Movies. 28 March 2024.
3. "BBC Gladiators series 2 gets major update as very telling detail spotted". The Mirror. 20 June 2024.
4. "Gladiators is set to return to the BBC". BBC Media Centre .
5. "Gladiators revival 'will return for another run in 2025'". Yahoo! Movies. 17 January 2024.
6. "Gladiators season two 'confirmed' by BBC as bosses put reboot on 'big priority' list". Express. 27 March 2024.
7. Tonks, Phoebe (2 April 2024). "Bradley Walsh and son Barney's BBC Gladiators fate revealed after show renewal". Mirror.
8. "GLADIATORS LINE-UP CONFIRMED FOR SECOND SERIES ON BBC ONE". TV Zone UK. 23 July 2024.
9. Darvill, Josh (4 April 2024). "Gladiators Celebrity special coming to BBC One". tellymix.co.uk.
10. "BBC One - Gladiators, Series 2, Episode 1". bbc.co.uk.
11. "Gladiators Sheffield: TV show's maker on what to expect from next series and why they had to return to city". The Sun. 3 April 2024.
12. Evans, Alex (7 April 2024). "BBC Gladiators Diamond star makes decision on her future on show in emotional statement as fans issue plea". Leeds Live.
13. Brinsford, James (30 March 2024). "Gladiators star Giant 'given second chance' by BBC bosses despite dangerous steroid remarks". Mirror.
14. "Gladiators Series 2 - Meet the new additions to the Gladiators Class of 2025". BBC Media Centre. 15 January 2025.
15. "GLADIATORS: MEET CYCLONE AND HAMMER, THE TWO NEW SUPERHUMANS JOINING BBC SERIES". TV Zone UK. 15 January 2025.
16. @nitro_thegladiator (2 December 2024). "During training for series 2 earlier this year, I picked up an unexpected knee injury, which means I'll be shifting gears this series and sitting out the events" – via Instagram.
17. @bbcgladiators (1 January 2025). "There's SO much more to come... Bring on the brand new series of #Gladiators on #iPlayer from January" – via Instagram.
18. "Gladiators hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh tease "tougher" series 2, the return of Atlaspheres and new event Unleash". BBC Media Centre. 14 January 2025.
19. "BBC One - Gladiators, Series 2, Celebrity Special". bbc.co.uk. 1 January 2025.
20. "Weekly Top 50 Shows". BARB . Retrieved 1 January 2024.
21. "Celebrities Ready? Rob Beckett, Louise Minchin, Joel Dommett and Ellie Taylor are taking on the Gladiators in a new Celebrity Special". BBC Media Centre. 7 August 2024.
22. "CELEBRITY GLADIATORS: FAMOUS FACES TAKING PART REVEALED". TV Zone UK. 7 August 2024.
23. Mensah, Katelyn (3 December 2024). "Celebrity Gladiators release date confirmed by BBC". radiotimes.com.
24. "Winners of Gladiators: Celebrity Special crowned". glasgowtimes.co.uk. 1 January 2025.
25. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0027f5s