Gladiators (UK series 4)

Gladiators
Starring Ulrika Jonsson
John Fashanu
John Anderson
John Sachs
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of episodes 15
Release
Original network ITV
Original release 16 September (1995-09-16) – 23 December 1995 (1995-12-23)
Additional information
Filming dates 1995 (1995) – 1995 (1995)
chronology

After the show's third series in 1994, Shadow (Jefferson King) was sensationally sacked from the show, after a newspaper uncovered evidence that he had taken steroids. King later confirmed the rumours were true and was dropped shortly after. Scorpio (Nikki Diamond) also left, and along with Shadow was replaced by Amazon (Sharron Davies), Raider (Carlton Headley), Rhino (Mark Smith) and Vogue (Suzanne Cox). This increased the number of Gladiators from fourteen to sixteen. Andrew Norgate replaced Derek Redmond to become the main timekeeper again.

In this series a number of post production elements were introduced that would last for the majority of the remainder of the show. This included event idents used prior to each event showing (one was also created for the Eliminator but only used in the Train 2 Win series and the Battle of The Gladiators special in 1999) and the introduction to the Gladiators during the opening credits was changed with each Gladiator turning their head towards the camera. The contender and Gladiator stats were made consistent (though the Gladiators poses differed each year) and this along with the style for the scoreboards was used for the next three seasons.

Due to the increasing pool of Gladiators a new approach was taken to the majority of the one on one events from this series onwards. On Duel, Hang Tough and Suspension Bridge as well as Joust (which was only used once before it was dropped), there would be a different Gladiator for a contender instead of the Gladiator challenging the two contenders. This approach had already been used on Tilt but would not however be utilised for Pole-Axe or Danger Zone. From this season onwards, a recording of Showaddywaddy's "Hey Rock And Roll" would be played on introducing each Gladiator on Hang Tough.

Pursuit was significantly changed with the course being designed into a different order of balance beam, handladder, wire bridge, low wall, web trap (underneath), high wall, web trap (over), sprint finish. The course used for the second set of contenders/ gladiators was painted white (to ensure that participants did not use the wrong route as had happened the previous series). Additionally to prevent corners being cut, neon markers were added to the start and end of the balance beam, hand ladder and wire bridge as well as all corners on the balance beam with a requirement for participants to touch them or otherwise return to them. Cheerleaders G Force would watch participants and raise a neon flag should there be any infringements of this rule - this being the first instance that G Force were actively involved in an event. A point would be deducted from a contenders winning score for each fall from the balance beam, hand ladder and wire bridge.

The time limit in Suspension Bridge was reduced from one minute to thirty seconds but pushing and shoving was allowed. The contender headstart on The Wall was decreased from 10 seconds to 7 seconds. Tilt had a minor rule change in that a draw on a pull now resulted in 0 points (rather than 2). The contenders Atlaspheres were once again yellow and red in colour with the blue one being used for special episodes. From this season onwards for such specials, three Gladiators would compete against three contenders as opposed to two Gladiators against three contenders as in previous years.

Joust (which had been played in that Spring's live shows in Sheffield (as Pendulum which had due to be played was too large for the arena) received a slight makeover with the skybikes painted to red and white with the undercarriage no longer exposed. The bikes also rocked and rotated less violently than previous years. The event music was changed from the first 30 seconds of the event theme to just the last 30 seconds (a 60-second theme had been created for Joust though the event was only ever played 60 seconds at the Sheffield shows). The same was also done for Pole-Axe with the final 10 seconds of the 60 second Pole-Axe theme being used for this series rather than the first 10 seconds.

New events

There were two new events increasing the number of events from sixteen to eighteen.

Pendulum

This was an original event. The "Pendulum" was a ball 5 metres (23') in diameter, which hung from the roof of the arena, 40 feet (12.23m) above the ground. The event was contender versus Gladiator in a game of hide and seek. On the whistle, the ball would begin to swing from side to side. The aim of the contender is to avoid the Gladiator, who must track the contender down and remove the Velcro tag from their back. Once this is done, the game is over. If the contender remained on the pendulum for the full minute without the gladiator grabbing their velcro flag, they would score ten points. If the contender's velcro flag was grabbed by the gladiator or fell off the pendulum, either one of them while remaining on the pendulum for forty seconds or more, they would score five points. If the contender or Gladiator falls off, the remaining participant wins.

Whiplash

This event was based on American Gladiators which was a tug of war type game. Contender and Gladiator grip a "dog bone" and the contender must use this to pull the Gladiator out of a carpeted ring within thirty second or to obtain the "dog bone," sometimes known as "own the bone". No wrenching or pulling is permitted on the Gladiator's part, their role is strictly defence. However, the contender can use any means to remove the Gladiator. If the contender dragged the gladiator out of the ring in thirty seconds or obtain the "dog bone", they would score ten points.

Episodes

Episode Title Original airdate
1"Heat 1: Melanie Blewitt vs. Tracey Fulthorpe / Geoff Kenyon vs. Brian Richardson"16 September 1995 (1995-09-16)[1]

  • Event 1 - Pursuit

Melanie 0 - 8 Tracey / Geoff 1 - 10 Brian

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Melanie 0 - 13 Tracey / Geoff 1 - 10 Brian

  • Event 3 - Whiplash

Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian

  • Event 4 - Pyramid

Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian

  • Eliminator

Melanie LOSER - WINNER Tracey / Geoff LOSER - WINNER Brian

2"Heat 2: Janet Allen vs. Diane Thomas / Phil Ennis vs. David O'Halloran"23 September 1995 (1995-09-23)[2]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Janet 2 - 4 Diane / Phil 4 - 5 David

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Janet 12 - 9 Diane / Phil 4 - 5 David

  • Event 3 - Pendulum

Janet 12 - 19 Diane / Phil 9 - 5 David

  • Event 4 - Gauntlet

Janet 17 - 24 Diane / Phil 9 - 5 David

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Janet 17 - 34 Diane / Phil 14 - 5 David

  • Eliminator

Janet WINNER - LOSER Diane / Phil WINNER - LOSER David

3"Heat 3: Linda Dent vs. Jackie Kinsella / Glenn Williams vs. Chris Rawlinson"30 September 1995 (1995-09-30)[3]

  • Event 1 - Duel

Linda 5 - 5 Jackie / Glenn 0 - 0 Chris

  • Event 2 - Pole-Axe

Linda 5 - 5 Jackie / Glenn 10 - 10 Chris

  • Event 3 - Gauntlet

Linda 5 - 10 Jackie / Glenn 10 - 10 Chris

  • Event 4 - Atlaspheres

Linda 5 - 13 Jackie / Glenn 19 - 13 Chris

  • Event 5 - Powerball

Linda 5 - 17 Jackie / Glenn 19 - 15 Chris

  • Eliminator

Linda LOSER - WINNER Jackie / Glenn LOSER - WINNER Chris

4"Heat 4: Kathy O'Dell vs. Rachel Whiteside / Regan Pilkington vs. Michael Bates/Mike Reynaud,1"7 October 1995 (1995-10-07)[4]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Kathy 0 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 2 Mike

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Kathy 10 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 2 Mike

  • Event 3 - Pendulum

Kathy 20 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 12 Mike

  • Event 4 - Swingshot

Kathy 21 - 7 Rachel / Regan 6 - 12 Mike

  • Event 5 - Duel

Kathy 26 - 12 Rachel / Regan 6 - 17 Mike

  • Eliminator

Kathy WINNER - LOSER Rachel / Regan WINNER - LOSER Mike

5"Heat 5: Mel Cambridge vs. Mandy Beacher / John Tyson vs. Mark Everitt"14 October 1995 (1995-10-14)[5]

  • Event 1 - Atlaspheres

Mel 9 - 3 Mandy / John 0 - 3 Mark

  • Event 2 - Pyramid

Mel 9 - 3 Mandy / John 0 - 3 Mark

  • Event 3 - Danger Zone

Mel 10 - 4 Mandy / John 4 - 5 Mark

  • Event 4 - Duel

Mel 10 - 9 Mandy / John 14 - 5 Mark

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Mel 10 - 9 Mandy / John 14 - 15 Mark

  • Eliminator

Mel LOSER - WINNER Mandy / John LOSER - WINNER Mark

6"Heat 6: Lynda Moore vs. Sonia Walker / Sean Clay vs. Lawrence Jean-Baptiste"21 October 1995 (1995-10-21)[6]

  • Event 1 - Whiplash

Lynda 10 - 10 Sonia / Sean 10 - 10 Lawrence

  • Event 2 - Hit & Run

Lynda 12 - 16 Sonia / Sean 18 - 10 Lawrence

  • Event 3 - Pendulum

Lynda 17 - 21 Sonia / Sean 28 - 20 Lawrence

  • Event 4 - Duel

Lynda 22 - 26 Sonia / Sean 28 - 20 Lawrence

  • Event 5 - Swingshot

Lynda 25 - 29 Sonia / Sean 34 - 33 Lawrence

  • Eliminator

Lynda LOSER - WINNER Sonia / Sean LOSER - WINNER Lawrence

7"Heat 7: Cheryl Quin vs. Julie Gray / Murray Stephen vs. Bill Cumberland"28 October 1995 (1995-10-28)[7]

  • Event 1 - Atlaspheres

Cheryl 6 - 3 Julie / Murray 0 - 0 Bill

  • Event 2 - Pyramid

Cheryl 6 - 3 Julie / Murray 0 - 0 Bill

  • Event 3 - Suspension Bridge

Cheryl 16 - 13 Julie / Murray 10 - 0 Bill

  • Event 4 - Hang Tough

Cheryl 16 - 13 Julie / Murray 10 - 0 Bill

  • Event 5 - Gauntlet

Cheryl 16 - 18 Julie / Murray 15 - 5 Bill

  • Eliminator

Cheryl LOSER - WINNER Julie / Murray WINNER - LOSER Bill

8"Heat 8: Jenny Waite vs. Kay Kershaw / Donald Williams vs. Steph Drury-Morris"4 November 1995 (1995-11-04)[8]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Jenny 0 - 2 Kay / Donald 5 - 3 Steph

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph

  • Event 3 - Skytrak

Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph

  • Event 4 - Tilt

Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph

  • Event 5 - Duel

Jenny 5 - 12 Kay / Donald 25 - 3 Steph

  • Eliminator

Jenny LOSER - WINNER Kay / Donald WINNER - LOSER Steph

9"Quarter-final 1: Janet Allen vs. Tracey Fulthorpe / Phil Ennis vs. Brian Richardson"11 November 1995 (1995-11-11)[9]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Janet 7 - 4 Tracey / Phil 0 - 0 Brian

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Janet 7 - 4 Tracey / Phil 0 - 0 Brian

  • Event 3 - Danger Zone

Janet 12 - 9 Tracey / Phil 1 - 0 Brian

  • Event 4 - Joust

Janet 17 - 14 Tracey / Phil 6 - 5 Brian

  • Event 5 - Pendulum

Janet 17 - 14 Tracey / Phil 6 - 5 Brian

  • Eliminator

Janet WINNER - LOSER Tracey / Phil LOSER - WINNER Brian

10"Quarter-final 2: Kathy O'Dell vs. Jackie Kinsella / Regan Pilkington vs. Chris Rawlinson"18 November 1995 (1995-11-18)[10]

  • Event 1 - Atlaspheres

Kathy 6 - 0 Jackie / Regan 3 - 3 Chris

  • Event 2 - Duel

Kathy 11 - 5 Jackie / Regan 3 - 3 Chris

  • Event 3 - Pole-Axe

Kathy 11 - 5 Jackie / Regan 13 - 13 Chris

  • Event 4 - Pursuit

Kathy 14 - 15 Jackie / Regan 18 - 23 Chris

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Kathy 14 - 15 Jackie / Regan 28 - 28 Chris

  • Eliminator

Kathy WINNER - LOSER Jackie / Regan WINNER - LOSER Chris

11"Quarter-final 3: Mandy Beacher vs. Sonia Walker / Mark Everitt vs. Lawrence Jean-Baptiste"25 November 1995 (1995-11-25)[11]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Mandy 0 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 2 Lawrence

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 -12 Lawrence

  • Event 3 - Pyramid

Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 12 Lawrence

  • Event 4 - Suspension Bridge

Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 12 Lawrence

  • Event 5 - Gauntlet

Mandy 15 - 5 Sonia / Mark 14 - 17 Lawrence

  • Eliminator

Mandy WINNER - LOSER Sonia / Mark WINNER - LOSER Lawrence

12"Quarter-final 4: Julie Gray vs. Kay Kershaw / Murray Stephen vs. Donald Williams"2 December 1995 (1995-12-02)[12]

  • Event 1 - The Wall

Julie 10 - 10 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald

  • Event 2 - Hang Tough

Julie 10 - 10 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald

  • Event 3 - Skytrak

Julie 15 - 20 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald

  • Event 4 - Duel

Julie 20 - 25 Kay / Murray 10 - 5 Donald

  • Event 5 - Pendulum

Julie 25 - 35 Kay / Murray 20 - 15 Donald

  • Eliminator

Julie LOSER - WINNER Kay / Murray WINNER - LOSER Donald

13"Semi-final 1: Kathy O'Dell vs. Janet Allen / Regan Pilkington vs. Brian Richardson"9 December 1995 (1995-12-09)[13]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Kathy 3 - 4 Janet / Regan 4 - 0 Brian

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Kathy 3 - 4 Janet / Regan 4 - 10 Brian

  • Event 3 - Pole-Axe

Kathy 13 - 4 Janet / Regan 14 - 10 Brian

  • Event 4 - Pyramid

Kathy 13 - 4 Janet / Regan 14 - 20 Brian

  • Event 5 - Duel

Kathy 18 - 14 Janet / Regan 14 - 20 Brian

  • Eliminator

Kathy LOSER - WINNER Janet / Regan WINNER - LOSER Brian

14"Semi-final 2: Mandy Beacher vs. Kay Kershaw / Mark Everitt vs. Murray Stephen"16 December 1995 (1995-12-16)[14]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Mandy 6 - 2 Kay / Mark 5 - 4 Murray

  • Event 2 - Hang Tough

Mandy 6 - 2 Kay / Mark 5 - 4 Murray

  • Event 3 - Swingshot

Mandy 8 - 4 Kay / Mark 17 - 10 Murray

  • Event 4 - Gauntlet

Mandy 13 - 14 Kay / Mark 27 - 15 Murray

  • Event 5 - Pendulum

Mandy 13 - 24 Kay / Mark 37 - 25 Murray

  • Eliminator

Mandy WINNER - LOSER Kay / Mark WINNER - LOSER Murray

15"Grand Final: Mandy Beacher vs. Janet Allen / Regan Pilkington vs. Mark Everitt"23 December 1995 (1995-12-23)[15]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Mandy 0 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 6 Mark

  • Event 2 - Pyramid

Mandy 0 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 16 Mark

  • Event 3 - Gauntlet

Mandy 5 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 21 Mark

  • Event 4 - Hang Tough

Mandy 5 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 21 Mark

  • Event 5 - Duel

Mandy 10 - 7 Janet / Regan 10 - 21 Mark

  • Eliminator

Mandy LOSER - WINNER Janet / Regan LOSER - WINNER Mark

^1 Rhino's high tackle on Michael during Powerball caused him to have a broken knee and he was forced to retire before the first event was over.

References

  1. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0001)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0002)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0003)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0004)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0005)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  6. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0006)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0007)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0008)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0009)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0010)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0011)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0012)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0013)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  14. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0014)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  15. ↑ "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 15 - FINAL)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
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