About Gladiators on ITV

The National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, was the home of the original UK Gladiators. It was also home to the International Gladiators series. It was the scene of so much sweat and tears between the Gladiators and the Contenders over eight years. Each epic battle witnessed by a roaring crowd of 7,000. From new-born babies to great-grandparents, nearly one and a half million people went to the National Indoor Arena to feel the heat of the fiercest contest on earth.

Of the twelve original UK Gladiators who burst onto British TV screens, only four remained until the final series. They were Lightning, Cobra, Saracen and Wolf. Since Gladiators began in 1992 nearly 100,000 people have applied to become Contenders on the show. Over 200 Contenders managed to take part in the Domestic UK series. Twelve cars and prizes totalling more than £450,000 have been won over the series. The Gladiators set weighed in at over 200 tons and it had to be transported to Birmingham in 35 articulated lorries.

At its prime, Gladiators often pulled in viewing figures of around 14 million!