Gladiators fans have been left shocked to learn how the hit BBC show is filmed.
The physically challenging game-show was resurrected by the broadcasting giant in January, 32-years after its original ITV launch and 16-years after Sky One scrapped an earlier revival.
Its arrival on the prime time Saturday night schedule proved to be a ratings winner for the BBC, with 28 day viewing figures revealing 9.8million tuned in for the first episode.
And ahead of filming for series two, some viewers have been left wondering how the show is actually filmed.
Taking to Reddit, one fan wrote: ‘Does BBC Gladiators really set up and take down all the event equipment many, many times during the season between episodes/rounds (which would surely take absolutely ages and be VERY expensive) or do they cheat in some kind of minor (or major!) way?
Gladiators fans have been left shocked to learn how the hit BBC show is filmed
The physically challenging game-show was resurrected by the broadcasting giant in January, 32-years after its original ITV launch and 16-years after Sky One scrapped an earlier revival
‘And if so, how? PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE IT OUT!’
They soon got clarification on what really goes on, with a member of staff who worked on the first series penning: ‘I worked on the reboot. We film a whole show on 1 day.
‘The Eliminator is always filmed last, the other games are filmed in a slightly different order to aid setup times.
‘It takes around 40 mins to setup the Eliminator and the rigging/set guys are really on there game here.
‘It’s up there with the most fun things I’ve worked on. Great Team, Great Show and I’m so glad its getting the reception that it is.’
A fan of the show, who was sat in the audience during series one filming, added: ‘We went to the first filming in Sheffield. It was the one that aired as episode two.
‘The events were filmed in a different order. When we arrived the Powerball game was setup. They played that and then did the contender intros.
‘As we’re were first episode they also did a ton of generic promo shots which took forever, they brought out ALL gladiators and setup that drone shot they show at the start of every episode.
‘Took about 45 mins between each even. We had to leave before the eliminator began setting up (5 yr old to get back home for bed).
‘If you watch the episode you’ll notice how many empty seats there are during the eliminator.’
Gladiators is set for a return to the BBC with a celebrity spin-off after the rebooted show became a ratings smash.
Its arrival on the prime time Saturday night schedule proved to be a ratings winner for the BBC, with 28 day viewing figures revealing 9.8million tuned in for the first episode.
Ahead of filming for series two, some viewers have been left wondering how the show is actually filmed
Taking to Reddit , one fan wrote: ‘Does BBC Gladiators really set up and take down all the event equipment many, many times during the season’
They soon got clarification on what really goes on, with a member of staff who worked on the first series penning: ‘I worked on the reboot. We film a whole show on 1 day
The sizeable audience share turned it into the most successful launch for an entertainment show on the BBC in seven years, with an average 8.3million viewers watching across the entire eleven episodes.
Its success means Gladiators will return with a second series that is expected to include at least one celebrity-led version of the show, typically contested by members of the public, in 2025.
‘I can reveal we are going to do a celebrity special,’ Executive Producer and Hungry Bear Media Managing Director Dan Baldwin, husband of TV presenter Holly Willoughby , told Radio 4.
‘You always look at old shows that are no longer on television. You are always coming up with new ways of bringing back a show.’
He added: ‘It’s no exaggeration to say that the response to Gladiators has been phenomenal. The episodes have been packed with nail-biting drama, thrilling action and huge emotion.
‘Series 2 will see the show go from strength-to-strength. We have some amazing surprises in store for the fans. Are you ready?!?’
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, 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.’
Its arrival on the prime time Saturday night schedule proved to be a ratings winner for the BBC, with 28 day viewing figures revealing 9.8million tuned in for the first episode
The popular game show was originally broadcast on ITV from 1992 to 2000 before returning for a single series on Sky One in 2008 (host Ulrika Jonsson with some of the cast in 1994)
Elsewhere, Dom Bird, SVP of Gladiators production company MGM Alternative, International said: ‘It’s been incredible to see Gladiators re-igniting the excitement that this show has always delivered on Saturday nights in the UK.
‘We are delighted a second series has been confirmed for BBC One and BBC iPlayer and we can’t wait to get back into the arena with our partners at Hungry Bear Media and the BBC.’
BBC chief Tim Davie had previously included a second series in his list of ‘big priorities’ for the year in an address to the Royal Television Society.
He said: ‘Of course, it means that we will, despite budget pressures, prioritise big national occasions – from the Coronation, Eurovision, the Proms and Glastonbury, to the Olympics and the Euros, or Strictly or Gladiators, Children in Need or even that great drama: Election Night.’
Many had predicted a second series of Gladiators was on the cards after it eclipsed the viewing figures of other shows in January, including Dancing On Ice and The Masked Singer.
The popular game show was originally broadcast on ITV from 1992 to 2000, before returning for a single series on Sky One in 2008.
