Gladiators (UK series 3)
| Gladiators | |
|---|---|
| Starring |
Ulrika Jonsson John Fashanu John Anderson John Sachs |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 3 September – 31 December 1994 |
| Additional information | |
| Filming dates | 1994 – 1994 |
| chronology | |
This was the only series of Gladiators in which there were no changes to the gladiator line up. As such there were no changes to the starting credits and, despite the series popularity, there were no new photoshoots for promotional materials with the photography from the 1993 series re-used for the programmes and merchandise.
The most notable difference in previous years was that the events were cut from six events to five events (plus the Eliminator). This reduction coupled with the increased event pool meant that several events appeared sparingly throughout the series, in particular many of the events introduced the previous series.
Gauntlet received a significant change with the event being a 30-second time limit to pass through five Gladiators through a much narrower Gauntlet (as opposed to passing through three as quickly as possible). Reaching the end within 20 seconds scored 10 points and within 30 seconds, 5 points. Power pads were utilised for the two additional Gladiators and all participants worse chest guards. The same chest guards would be worn in Danger Zone from this series onwards.
The Atlaspheres used from this season onwards were lighter and moved quicker across the arena floor (often referred to as 'turbo charged') with the contenders atlaspheres being yellow and blue in colour (rather than yellow and red as previous). Due to it being used as part of Hit & Run, the Suspension Bridge had ends added onto it - primarily to stop the contenders running off the end when the bridge was used for Hit & Run. Additionally on Suspension Bridge, contenders and Gladiators started from opposite ends compared to the previous series. A minor amendment to the rules of Swingshot allowed contenders to now grab as many balls as they could in one jump.
Andrew Norgate was replaced as timekeeper by Derek Redmond whose then wife Sharron Davies presented the junior Gladiators series Train II Win before being asked to audition as a Gladiator the following year. The contenders outfits for the heats were markedly different from the pink/ yellow (women) and red/blue (men) pieces used for the majority of the show. The female contenders wore peach and lilac outfits with the male contenders wearing simple red and blue vests with black shorts. From the Quarter-finals onwards, the contender outfits reverted to the familiar pink/ yellow and red/blue outfits.
Finally, between the women's and men's Eliminator, a Time Out section was added in which various Gladiators discussed their favourite events, past times and music.
New events
Four new events were introduced in this series. Unlike previous series, the new events were gradually introduced through the televised order series with this being the only series in which no new events debuted in the first televised heat (despite all being featured in the opening preview episode).
Pyramid
Contenders and Gladiators face one another on a giant pyramid with the Gladiators at the top and Contenders at the bottom. Contenders had 60 seconds to reach the top of the Pyramid with the Gladiators trying to prevent them by grappling or pushing and rolling them down. The first contender to the top received 10 points with he second receiving 5. This event was taken from the American series and despite this being the most popular of the new events and frequently appearing in Series Four, the event would be axed twice during the shows later run.
Hit & Run
Contenders had to run across the suspension bridge as many times as possible in 30 seconds scoring 2 points per successful crossing. Four Gladiators stand on two podiums either side of the bridge swinging a demolition ball attempting to knock the contender off. This event initially appeared in the 1994 Wembley Shows (under the name Cannonball Run) though did not prove popular, appearing sparingly in later series. Ironically it was the only new event introduced in 1994 that would not get axed and became one of the most frequently played series in the US and British revivals.
Pursuit
Contenders race against each other across an obstacle course with Gladiators chasing them after a three-second headstart. The obstacle course consisted of a balance beam, wire bridge, hand ladder, web trap, low wall, web trap, high wall, sprint finish. 10 points were awarded for the first contender to pass the finish, 5 points for second with no points awarded if a contender was tagged.
Pole-Axe
Contender and Gladiators have to climb a 36-foot pole, hitting a button at the top which would retract the climbing pegs of their opponents pole, causing them to fall to a six-foot crash mat below. 10 points were awarded should the contender achieve this. Due to the amount of time it took to set up, Pole-Axe would be set up and played live as the first event (before the initial contender interviews) though would often be played out of sync in televised shows. Pole-Axe would have the latest debut of any new event and would be axed a couple of series later.
Episodes
| Episode | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Return" | 3 September 1994[1] |
| 2 | "Heat 1: Claire Hillman vs. Erika Rogerson / Gladstone Mackenzie vs. Dean Pollen" | 10 September 1994[2] |
Panther, Scorpio, Zodiac / Hunter, Shadow, Warrior
Nightshade, Jet / Trojan, Cobra
Lightning, Scorpio / Wolf, Saracen
Lightning / Saracen
Falcon / Trojan
Claire LOSER - WINNER Erika / Gladstone LOSER - WINNER Dean | ||
| 3 | "Heat 2: Rachel Culwick/Jo Neath,1 vs. Jo Harrington / Ken George vs. Phil Campbell" | 17 September 1994[3] |
Scorpio, Jet / Warrior, Wolf
Falcon, Nightshade, Panther / Cobra, Saracen, Shadow
Zodiac, Nightshade / Cobra, Hunter
Scorpio / Trojan
Lightning / Shadow
Jo WINNER - LOSER Jo / Ken LOSER - WINNER Phil | ||
| 4 | "Heat 3: Eunice Huthart vs. Lorraine Stanley / Lee Blackledge vs. Andy Riddoch" | 24 September 1994[4] |
Jet, Scorpio / Cobra, Wolf
Jet, Panther / Warrior, Saracen
Zodiac, Nightshade / Trojan, Hunter
Lightning, Falcon / Cobra, Hunter
Nightshade / Shadow
Eunice WINNER - LOSER Lorraine / Lee LOSER - WINNER Andy | ||
| 5 | "Heat 4: Clancy Connor vs. Jo Banton / Ric Brown vs. Sam Codjoe" | 1 October 1994[5] |
Falcon, Jet, Panther / Cobra, Saracen, Shadow
Nightshade, Lightning / Warrior, Wolf
Nightshade, Scorpio, Zodiac, Panther, Lightning / Trojan, Saracen, Warrior, Hunter, Shadow
Jet / Wolf
Panther / Hunter
Clancy LOSER - WINNER Jo / Ric LOSER - WINNER Sam | ||
| 6 | "Heat 5: Kerryn Sampey vs. Jayne Ludden / Neil Dorrell vs. Mark Skipper" | 8 October 1994[6] |
Falcon, Zodiac / Trojan, Cobra
Scorpio, Panther / Saracen, Warrior
Panther / Hunter
Jet & Lightning, Nightshade & Zodiac / Shadow & Trojan, Saracen & Wolf
Zodiac / Wolf
Kerryn WINNER - LOSER Jayne / Neil LOSER - WINNER Mark | ||
| 7 | "Heat 6: Katie Budd vs. Melissa Spackman / Ian Simpson vs. Paul Beswick" | 15 October 1994[7] |
Falcon, Lightning, Nightshade / Hunter, Trojan, Warrior
Lightning / Shadow
Scorpio, Falcon / Warrior, Shadow
Jet & Nightshade, Panther & Scorpio / Trojan & Wolf, Cobra & Hunter
Zodiac / Saracen
Katie LOSER - WINNER Melissa / Ian LOSER - WINNER Paul | ||
| 8 | "Heat 7: Sue Smith vs. Nikki Wyatt / Alex Lee vs. Paul Field" | 22 October 1994[8] |
Panther, Falcon, Scorpio, Jet, Lightning / Trojan, Saracen, Warrior, Hunter, Shadow
Nightshade, Jet / Wolf, Trojan
Scorpio, Lightning / Cobra, Saracen
Lightning / Shadow
Zodiac / Wolf
Sue LOSER - WINNER Nikki / Alex LOSER - WINNER Paul | ||
| 9 | "Heat 8: Rowan Duxbury,2 vs. Lisa Gibbs / Richard Barnett vs. Matt Beeke" | 29 October 1994[9] |
Scorpio, Zodiac / Wolf, Saracen
Falcon, Jet, Panther / Hunter, Trojan, Warrior
Nightshade / Hunter
Jet, Lightning / Wolf, Cobra
Scorpio / Shadow
Rowan LOSER - WINNER Lisa / Richard LOSER - WINNER Matt | ||
| 10 | "Quarter-final 1: Jo Neath vs. Erika Rogerson / Dean Pollen vs. Phil Campbell" | 5 November 1994[10] |
Nightshade, Scorpio, Zodiac / Saracen, Shadow, Trojan
Jet, Lightning / Cobra, Wolf
Falcon / Hunter
Zodiac, Panther/Zodiac / Warrior, Trojan
Nightshade / Shadow
Jo LOSER - WINNER Erika / Dean LOSER - WINNER Phil | ||
| 11 | "Quarter-final 2: Eunice Huthart vs. Jo Benton / Andy Riddoch vs. Sam Codjoe" | 12 November 1994[11] |
Scorpio, Jet / Shadow, Saracen
Nightshade, Jet, Zodiac, Scorpio, Falcon / Trojan, Saracen, Warrior, Hunter, Shadow
Lightning / Wolf
Nightshade, Lightning / Wolf, Hunter
Scorpio / Trojan
Eunice WINNER - LOSER Jo / Andy LOSER - WINNER Sam | ||
| 12 | "Quarter-final 3: Kerryn Sampey vs. Melissa Spackman / Mark Skipper vs. Paul Beswick" | 19 November 1994[12] |
Zodiac, Lightning / Trojan, Wolf
Falcon, Jet, Scorpio / Hunter, Shadow, Warrior
Nightshade / Hunter
Falcon, Lightning / Hunter, Saracen
Nightshade / Shadow
Kerryn WINNER - LOSER Melissa / Mark LOSER - WINNER Paul | ||
| 13 | "Quarter-final 4: Katie Budd,3 vs. Nikki Wyatt / Paul Field vs. Matt Beeke" | 26 November 1994[13] |
Lightning / Saracen
Falcon / Wolf
Scorpio, Falcon / Saracen, Shadow
Zodiac, Jet / Warrior, Hunter
Nightshade / Trojan
Katie LOSER - WINNER Nikki / Paul WINNER - LOSER Matt | ||
| 14 | "Semi-final 1: Eunice Huthart vs. Erika Rogerson / Sam Codjoe vs. Phil Campbell" | 3 December 1994[14] |
Jet, Lightning, Nightshade / Shadow, Trojan, Warrior
Jet, Lightning / Saracen, Wolf
Nightshade / Hunter
Panther & Scorpio, Falcon & Zodiac / Cobra & Trojan, Hunter & Warrior
Nightshade / Shadow
Eunice WINNER - LOSER Erika / Sam WINNER - LOSER Phil | ||
| 15 | "Semi-final 2: Kerryn Sampey vs. Nikki Wyatt / Paul Field vs. Paul Beswick" | 10 December 1994[15] |
Scorpio, Jet / Cobra, Hunter
Jet, Lightning, Nightshade / Hunter, Trojan, Warrior
Falcon, Zodiac / Shadow, Wolf
Nightshade / Saracen
Lightning / Wolf
Kerryn WINNER - LOSER Nikki / Paul WINNER - LOSER Paul | ||
| 16 | "Grand Final: Eunice Huthart vs. Kerryn Sampey / Paul Field vs. Sam Codjoe/Phil Campbell,4" | 17 December 1994[16] |
Lightning, Falcon, Zodiac, Scorpio, Panther / Trojan, Cobra/Wolf, Warrior, Hunter, Saracen
Scorpio, Zodiac / Wolf, Trojan
Jet, Lightning / Saracen, Wolf
Jet, Lightning, Nightshade / Hunter, Shadow, Warrior
Nightshade / Warrior
Eunice WINNER - LOSER Kerryn / Paul WINNER - LOSER Phil | ||
| 17 | "The Celebrity Challenge: Eddie Kidd vs. Barry McGuigan vs. Ellery Hanley vs. Martin Offiah vs. Mark Bosnich vs. Derek Redmond" | 24 December 1994[17] |
Shadow and Trojan against Barry, Eddie and Ellery
Wolf, Shadow and Hunter against Barry, Eddie and Ellery
Falcon chasing Barry, Scorpio chasing Eddie
Jet chasing Eddie, Lightning chasing Derek
Hunter against Ellery, Shadow against Eddie, Trojan against Martin, Saracen against Derek
Martin LOSER - WINNER Derek | ||
| 18 | "The Fighting Forces Challenge: Paul Gellender vs. Simon Lovell vs. Richard Harbard vs. Simon Horridge vs. John Tredgett vs. Phillip Delbaugh" | 31 December 1994[18] |
Paul 12
Simon 16
Simon 22
Phillip 26
Phillip 34
Simon LOSER - WINNER Phillip | ||
- ^1 Rachel slipped off her Sky Bike quite awkwardly during Joust with Scorpio and broke her back when she landed on the crash mat, which forced her to retire before the final event.
- ^2 Rowan was invited back to take part after making in through to the Quarter-finals last year but had to pull out due to food poisoning.
- ^3 Lisa injured her foot on some stairs after training for her Quarter-final and had to pull out. Katie replaced her as the highest scoring female loser from the heats.
- ^4 Shadow came in with a high tackle on Sam in the opening seconds of Powerball injuring Sam in the process and sending him to A&E. Phil replaced him as the highest scoring male loser from the Semi-finals.
- ^5 These events had the Female Gladiators against the male contenders.
- ^6 In these special episodes, there were 6 contenders with 2 being eliminated after event 4 (event 3 in the Fighting Forces special) with the lowest scores and another 2 being eliminated after event 5 with the lowest scores.
References
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (GLADIATORS THE RETURN)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0001)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0002)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0003)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0004)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0005)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0006)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0007)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0008)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0009)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0010)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0011)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0012)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0013)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0014)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0015 - THE FINAL)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (CELEBRITY SPECIAL)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ↑ "GLADIATORS (SERVICES SPECIAL)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
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