I was in the Gladiators audience – filming takes so long people left before the Eliminator finale
GLADIATORS fans have been left gobsmacked to learn how the hit BBC show is filmed.
The classic 90s show was rebooted in spectacular style earlier this year, with Bradley Walsh and his son Barney hosting it.
They were joined by a batch of new Gladiators who took on members of the public in a series of games and challenges at Utilita Arena Sheffield.
Each episode featured five events and the iconic Eliminator finale, with the arena floor being transformed for each one.
But with such big apparatus to move in and out, some viewers have wondered how the show was 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?
“And if so, how? PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE IT OUT!”
They added: “They’re surely not going to be taking down and setting up massive structures in-between rounds, so presumably they have all the contenders across all the episodes do one event (e.g. the Wall) one after the other, all in a row, then they call it a day.
“Then, the technical crew must come out and spend several hours setting up the next event and then all the contenders across the whole season get a go, one after another, again the next day.”
They then posted a number of scenarios that they thought could happen during filming, but they soon got clarification on what really goes on.
Someone who worked on the first series wrote: “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.”
They added: “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.”
Meanwhile a fellow fan of the show, who went to the filming of series one, also replied.
They said: “We went to the first filming in Sheffield. It was the one that aired as episode two.
Bradley Walsh's career
Actor, presenter and comedian Bradley Walsh has been involved with multiple hit programmes throughout his career. Let's take a look at some of the star's memorable appearances over the years.
- Wheel of Fortune (1997): Bradley became the second host of the popular game show, succeeding Nicky Campbell who’d left after eight years. His tenure on this programme lasted just one year.
- Night and Day (2002-2003): A recurring role on this mystery soap opera for ITV saw Bradley play Woody Dexter, brother to Danny Dexter (Shane Richie).
- Coronation Street (2004-2006): An expansion of Corrie’s Baldwin family in 2006 saw Bradley arrive as Danny Baldwin, son to Mike (Johnny Briggs). He exited the ITV soap after two years in the role.
- Law & Order: UK (2009-2014): An iteration of Dick Wolf’s popular US “Law and Order” franchise, Bradley starred as DS Ronnie Brooks throughout the entire run.
- The Chase/Beat the Chasers: (2009/2020 – present): A move back into game show hosting has seen Bradley front hit show The Chase since 2009. Members of the public take on high-level professional quizzers in a bid to win thousands of pounds. A spin-off, “Beat the Chasers” began in 2020.
- Cash Trapped (2016-2019): This game show was not only presented by Bradley, but based on his idea. 65 episodes aired across three series.
- Doctor Who (2018-2022): Bradley played the role of Graham O’Brien, companion to the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) in the long-running BBC sci-fi series. He has appeared in one episode as a guest since departing the regular cast.
- Blankety Blank (2020 – present): The star began hosting a revival series of the beloved game show for the BBC in 2020. Three series and a Christmas special have aired to date.
- The Larkins (2021-2022): An adaptation of H.E. Bates’ novel The Darling Buds of May, Bradley starred as “Pop” Larkin. The show lasted two series.
- Gladiators (2024 – present): Bradley co-presents the BBC’s revival of the classic game show with his son Barney. It is the third iteration of the format to air on British TV.
“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.”
The revelation comes as series two is about to begin filming after the show was recommissioned.
Gladiators is available on BBC iPlayer.