Review: ‘Gladiators Live’ delivered the best family entertainment we’ve seen in years

The return of ‘Gladiators’ to our screens in January 2024 was one of the most triumphant comebacks for a franchise that I’ve ever seen. The original series, launched in 1992, was a huge success and ran for an incredible 8 series on ITV. A short-lived revival launched in 2008 on Sky One, but it failed to capture the spirit, and the audience, of the original. In 2024 the series relaunched on the BBC, and ‘Gladiators’ is now one of the biggest shows on TV once again. Produced by Hungry Bear Media and MGM Alternative UK, the series has drawn in both fans of the original series and their kids, making it must-watch family entertainment on a Saturday night.

Following the conclusion of series 2 earlier this year, it was announced that ‘Gladiators’ would be embarking on its first-ever live tour. Tickets were snapped up quickly, more dates were added and the tour became one of the most anticipated of the year. The big question on everyone’s lips was how on earth the show would be replicated for a 2-hour spectacle. The filming of the TV series is a very long process, with each event being set-up there and then, but obviously that couldn’t work for a tour.

Upon taking my seat last night for the sold-out performance at The O2, it all became clear. As I looked around the arena, I could see that the night’s four main events were already set up; Gauntlet, Powerball, Duel and the Wall. The only event that wasn’t pre-prepped was the Eliminator, and watching the incredible crew build that following the conclusion of the fourth event was jaw-dropping. It took a mere 20 minutes to clear the arena floor (the crew removed each event after it finished) and assemble the iconic, but slightly tweaked, Eliminator.

The evening was hosted by BBC Radio 1 presenter Maia Beth and former ‘Blue Peter’ presenter Radzi Chinyanganya with referee Mark Clattenburg overseeing proceedings accompanied by Sonia Mkoloma and Lee Phillips. The Gladiators and the contestants are participating on a rotating basis so while most of the Gladiators were there last night (minus Hammer, Fury and Bionic) not all of them appeared in the games – Diamond and Athena are both recovering from injuries but they were there to speak to the audience and interact with them. For the contestants we had series 2 winners Joe Fishburn and Amanda Wah, series 1 winner Marie-Louise Nicholson and series 1 contender Matt Jones.

After the Gladiators and the contenders were introduced into the arena, it was time to get on to the games. First up was Duel and the night’s format sequenced the male contenders followed by the female contenders. The game was every bit as thrilling as it is on TV, and witnessing it in person is proof of just what a tough ordeal it is. With the likes of Phantom and Giant, battling the men, and Sabre and Fire taking on the women, it really was a series of David and Goliath battles. Up next was Powerball, which was total carnage. During the men’s game Joe lost his shirt during a grapple with Phantom, and in the women’s game Amanda managed to score plenty of points despite being tackled to the ground at every opportunity.

Gauntlet is the event a lot of fans were looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. Matt was thrown out of the Gauntlet by Giant but managed to complete the event within the time, and Amanda carried out an incredible achievement by diving through Comet’s legs to reach the finish line. On the Wall Viper and Legend were called up to take on Joe and Matt, while Comet and Dynamite chased Marie-Louise and Amanda. It was a total thrill seeing these iconic events being played, and the atmosphere from the audience was electric.

Throughout the night the Gladiators came out between games to interact with the audience, dance and take part in various challenges like an air guitar contest to keep the audience engaged while set-up for the next event took place. We’ve even got a Coldplay cover from Phantom while the audience held up their phone lights. During the set-up for the Eliminator, it was a chance to go get drinks and snacks, or pop to the loo. All night the family packed audience looked to be having the time of their lives, with most of the kids waving signs to support their favourite Gladiator.

The Eliminator brought the night to a close and both battles last night were tense. Joe managed to beat Matt, who struggled to get up the mighty Travelator, and Marie-Louise achieved a surprise win when she saw her moment to beat Amanda just before the Travelator and took it. The camaraderie between the contestants showed that competitions can be good fun, and all four of them had inspiring words to share with the audience about never giving up and the importance of resilience.

At the end of the show, Joe and Amanda worked their way around the audience to take selfies and chat to fans, and the general feeling in the arena was electric. For a lot of the young fans there, they had seen their heroes and that wasn’t just the Gladiators, it was the contenders too. ‘Gladiators’ has brought families together in a way that I haven’t seen anything do in years and it was incredible to see so many kids wanting to follow in the footsteps of the Gladiators and the contenders. ‘Gladiators Live’ is the ultimate family entertainment and it captured the magic of the TV show perfectly.

Venue: The O2 Performance date: 8^th November 2025 (evening)

The remaining dates for ‘Gladiators Live’ are:

• 9^th November – The O2, London (morning)
• 9^th November – The O2, London (evening)
• 22^nd November – AO Arena, Manchester (morning)
• 22^nd November – AO Arena, Manchester (evening)
• 23rd November – AO Arena, Manchester (morning)
• 23^rd November – AO Arena, Manchester (evening)
• 29^th November – OVO Arena, Wembley (morning)
• 29^th November – OVO Arena, Wembley (evening)
• 29^th November – OVO Arena, Wembley (morning)
• 30^th November – OVO Arena, Wembley (evening)
• 13^th December – bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham (morning)
• 13^th December – bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham (evening)
• 14^th December – bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham (morning)
• 14^th December – bp pulse LIVE, Birmingham (evening)
• 20^th December – OVO Hydro, Glasgow (morning)
• 20^th December – OVO Hydro, Glasgow (evening)
• 21st December – OVO Hydro, Glasgow (morning)
• 21st December – OVO Hydro, Glasgow (evening)

For tickets, head over to https://www.livenation.co.uk/gladiators-live-2025