‘Gladiators' will return for a third series and a new Celebrity Special, it has been confirmed by the BBC.
Returning to our screens in 2026, the series will once again be helmed by Bradley and Barney Walsh at Sheffield Arena. Gladiators Apollo, Athena, Bionic, Comet, Cyclone, Diamond, Dynamite, Electro, Fire, Fury, Giant, Hammer, Legend, Nitro, Phantom, Sabre, Steel, and Viper will all return.
The competition promises to be hotter than ever with brand new events to look forward to plus four more brave celebrities will be taking on the toughest test on TV as they enter the arena in a bid to prove they have the power to succeed and emerge victorious.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC says: “Audiences have loved getting together to watch our mighty ‘Gladiators' take on contenders from all across the UK with younger fans especially excited to cheer on their Saturday night superheroes. With this brand-new series and another Celebrity Special confirmed there will be even more epic battles, more high-octane action and of course even more foam fingers than ever before for everyone to look forward to!”
Dan Baldwin, Managing Director of Hungry Bear Media says: “We have been absolutely blown away by the reception ‘Gladiators' has received from families up and down the country. It has become a HUGE part of Saturday night viewing on the BBC. We are extremely excited to deliver another series, so expect even more spandex, hairspray, protein shakes and fake tan this summer in Sheffield!”
Dom Bird, SVP, MGM Alternative, International says: “‘Gladiators' is such an iconic and well-loved show, we are all delighted to see it capturing the imagination of BBC audiences. Series 3 will be a true celebration of strength, spirit, and entertainment and is already shaping up to be bigger and better than ever.”
Made by Hungry Bear Media and MGM Alternative UK, a division of Amazon MGM Studios, ‘Gladiators' has quickly become a Saturday night sensation averaging 5.3m with nearly two fifths streaming on demand, making it the most watched Saturday night series on BBC iPlayer and the 3rd most watched Entertainment series overall. ‘Gladiators' has also continued to capture the hearts of younger viewers with 1.3 million tuning in for each episode so far – accounting for nearly a quarter of the show's overall audience. It remains the most-watched title for this demographic across the entertainment market.
Viewers can stream all available episodes of ‘Gladiators' and add the show to their watchlist now on BBC iPlayer.
Free tickets to attend the recordings for all shows will be available to request on the Applause Store website now.
