FTA-TV Gladiators returning to TV

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

This tug of war game is the lamest.

The tilt platform should not have that raised strip at the end whereby you can rest your feet on to stop you falling. The bouts against Phoenix both Gladiator and contestant was laying on the platform. It resulted in a pure test of strength, whereby the old tilt platform without the strip meant you had to be on your feet at all times and it became a test of balance and strength.

 

[brucetiki]

The tilt platform should not have that raised strip at the end whereby you can rest your feet on to stop you falling. The bouts against Phoenix both Gladiator and contestant was laying on the platform. It resulted in a pure test of strength, whereby the old tilt platform without the strip meant you had to be on your feet at all times and it became a test of balance and strength.

Which is the problem with Tilt, and why it was retired in the OG series. Without that strip, the game becomes dangerous (as we saw with numerous injuries in the OG run). With the strip, the game becomes farcical.

Also, in the original, it was 2 bouts per contender, with 5 points for a win and 2 points for a draw.

 

[Vader]

Watched the first ep of the UK Gladiators last night. This is how I remember it from the '90s - fun, light hearted entertainment.

• Yes, they have 90 min episodes - but there's little dead air time, and it's only one episode per week.
• Live audience providing a really good atmosphere.
• Charismatic hosts.
• Gladiators playing to their character's persona (mainly Viper & Legend).
• Different games every week (based on their preview for ep 2).

It really does beg the question of how Ch10 managed to completely **** it up!

 

[weltschmerz]

Which is the problem with Tilt, and why it was retired in the OG series. Without that strip, the game becomes dangerous (as we saw with numerous injuries in the OG run). With the strip, the game becomes farcical.

Also, in the original, it was 2 bouts per contender, with 5 points for a win and 2 points for a draw.

I’d have liked to see Whiplash for a similar but safer vibe. There was some technique to it.

 

[MooreTreloar]

Watched the first ep of the UK Gladiators last night. This is how I remember it from the '90s - fun, light hearted entertainment.

• Yes, they have 90 min episodes - but there's little dead air time, and it's only one episode per week.
• Live audience providing a really good atmosphere.
• Charismatic hosts.
• Gladiators playing to their character's persona (mainly Viper & Legend).
• Different games every week (based on their preview for ep 2).

It really does beg the question of how Ch10 managed to completely **** it up!

Fans of The Chase will be familiar with Bradley Walsh. A fantastic host for this show, his son is a pretty decent host too.

 

[Vader]

Fans of The Chase will be familiar with Bradley Walsh. A fantastic host for this show, his son is a pretty decent host too.

Bradley Walsh has been in a lot of things - he was also a Doctor Who companion, alongside Jodie Whittaker's Doctor. Almost the UK's answer to Eddie Everywhere... except that Bradley has charisma, charm and wit.

 

[MooreTreloar]

Bradley Walsh has been in a lot of things - he was also a Doctor Who companion, alongside Jodie Whittaker's Doctor. Almost the UK's answer to Eddie Everywhere... except that Bradley has charisma, charm and wit.

I thought he made a great Pop Larkin in the recent Darling Buds of May reboot too.

 

[brucetiki]

Bradley Walsh has been in a lot of things - he was also a Doctor Who companion, alongside Jodie Whittaker's Doctor. Almost the UK's answer to Eddie Everywhere... except that Bradley has charisma, charm and wit.

Bradley actually appeared in a celebrity edition of Gladiators in 1997, and his wife was the head cheerleader for the original series.

 

[brucetiki]

Watched the first ep of the UK Gladiators last night. This is how I remember it from the '90s - fun, light hearted entertainment.

• Yes, they have 90 min episodes - but there's little dead air time, and it's only one episode per week.
• Live audience providing a really good atmosphere.
• Charismatic hosts.
• Gladiators playing to their character's persona (mainly Viper & Legend).
• Different games every week (based on their preview for ep 2).

It really does beg the question of how Ch10 managed to completely **** it up!

I think the epsiodes are actually 70 minutes, but they're ad free as BBC, like the ABC, doesn't have ad breaks. They also have 5 events + Eliminator, as opposed to 4 events + Eliminator here (both of which are legacies from the OG runs in the respective countries).

And yep, different games each week. The only events that were in both episodes 1 and 2 (besides the Eliminator of course) were Duel and Gauntlet.

Which goes back to your last point. How did Channel 10 get it so wrong.

 

[Vader]

I think the epsiodes are actually 70 minutes, but they're ad free as BBC, like the ABC, doesn't have ad breaks. They also have 5 events + Eliminator, as opposed to 4 events + Eliminator here (both of which are legacies from the OG runs in the respective countries).

And yep, different games each week. The only events that were in both episodes 1 and 2 (besides the Eliminator of course) were Duel and Gauntlet.

Which goes back to your last point. How did Channel 10 get it so wrong.

Both Aus & UK editions have an actual running time of ~60 min (UK ep 1 was 61 min, ep 2 is 58 min). My apologies for mistakenly assuming that meant a 90 min show (with ads) for both countries - I forgot that the BBC doesn't have ads.

The key difference then is that, despite having the same actual running time, the Aus version has fewer events... so more dead air to be filled with boring garbage.

It takes a special talent to **** things up as badly as Ch10 did with this show.

 

[Vader]

Bradley actually appeared in a celebrity edition of Gladiators in 1997, and his wife was the head cheerleader for the original series.

Wasn't he a top level soccer player, back in his younger days? He probably had the athletic/fitness qualifications to be a genuine contestant back then.

 

[brucetiki]

Wasn't he a top level soccer player, back in his younger days? He probably had the athletic/fitness qualifications to be a genuine contestant back then.

He was, though he only played a handful of games before injuries curtailed his career

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Which goes back to your last point. How did Channel 10 get it so wrong.

It takes a special talent to **** things up as badly as Ch10 did with this show.

Its quite clear to me how Channel 10 got it so wrong. Money. They tried to do things on the cheap. Having the exact same events for qualifiers requires less setup and rigging work. No audience means they don't need to hire an arena and hire staff and more security for the crowd. A catering company for food concessions etc..

They can set up the events in a large warehouse or movie/TV production studio that is a closed set.

Also can I say that the concept of "Black Ops" gladiator is good idea on paper but it has been poorly executed.

I like how he isnt part of the other 13 gladiators that were annouced and promoted before the show started.
Sending him randomingly to events, dressing him all in black does have audience intrigue. But why mask him up then unmask him when the events starts. Showing his face loses all the intrigue. Also this article suggests

Black Ops will be allowed to sabotage his opponents. The normal rules of each challenge don’t always apply to him. This gives him a terrifying advantage.

Isn't the whole point of the gladiator against the challenger is to beat the challenger. I don't see how sabotage works unless a situation arises where Black Ops is on the pyramid and decides to change tackling one challenger for the other during the event. Which would make funny TV but it would be completely unfair to the challenger getting tackled by two gladiators, while the other challenger rushes up the pyramid unmarked for 10 points.

I'm trying to think what other events could be sabotaged by "Black Ops".

 

[Vader]

Its quite clear to me how Channel 10 got it so wrong. Money. They tried to do things on the cheap. Having the exact same events for qualifiers requires less setup and rigging work. No audience means they don't need to hire an arena and hire staff and more security for the crowd. A catering company for food concessions etc..

They can set up the events in a large warehouse or movie/TV production studio that is a closed set.

Surely they filmed it on the same set/location as the UK version?

While they save money in all those areas, they also made it more difficult for the film/production crew - as they had to try and shoot in such a way as to avoid filming all those empty seats. That can't be an easy thing to achieve.

... but yeah, going cheap has really bitten them on the arse.

 

[YeoShuey]

Surely they filmed it on the same set/location as the UK version?

While they save money in all those areas, they also made it more difficult for the film/production crew - as they had to try and shoot in such a way as to avoid filming all those empty seats. That can't be an easy thing to achieve.

... but yeah, going cheap has really bitten them on the arse.

Different set/location to the UK. The UK version was produced in Sheffield, UK. Australian version was filmed in Sydney at the Showgrounds.

 

[Vader]

Different set/location to the UK. The UK version was produced in Sheffield, UK. Australian version was filmed in Sydney at the Showgrounds.

Which provides Ch10 with even less excuse for the lack of a live audience. I could understand UK residents not being interested in going to watch filming for an Australian series, hence that being the reason for not having a live audience. It's far less explicable if it's actually filmed here.

 

[brucetiki]

Channel 10 shooting local shows in the UK isn’t without precedent - they’re shooting the reboot of Wheel of Fortune in the UK.

I reckon a UK audience would’ve absolutely loved going to a live taping for an Australian version of the show. On the Facebook group Gladiator Fan Zone, there’s been many a comment from both sides of the world wanting a third Ashes series between the two countries, and tickets for the shooting of the UK version were oversold to ensure a full house. Those that missed out would’ve been just as keen to see an Australian version shot at the same arena.

But you’d still have the logistics of running the show in an arena, just in a different country. The only difference would be you wouldn’t need to source the equipment for the show.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

It really does beg the question of how Ch10 managed to completely **** it up!

They went real cheap.

Also crop tops for the male gladiators.

 

[Cleavy]

They went real cheap.

so typical ch10 then...

 

[nobbyiscool]

I watched the 2 BBC episodes on Youtube today - couldn't be more easily available.

Man the UK version just seems so fun.

 

[YeoShuey]

I watched the 2 BBC episodes on Youtube today - couldn't be more easily available.

Man the UK version just seems so fun.

It’s what Gladiators should be. No shitty gimmicks either.

 

[nobbyiscool]

It’s what Gladiators should be. No shitty gimmicks either.

Nah man, the more gimmicks the better.

It occurred to me watching today that for 30 years, Gladiators has always been at its best when its swung closest to professional wrestling. The entrance music, the crowd, the over the top gladiators, the occasional bad guy with a heel promo, and importantly - believable physicality.

 

[nobbyiscool]

Strongwoman is wasted on these tiny little contestants.

She's like some gorgeous beast, I wanted to see her throw a car or something. Loved her smiling at the 2nd chick as she yanked her off.

 

[YeoShuey]

These new male Gladiators suck at Hang Tough

Maybe just Spartan though? Dragon seems decent enough.

 

[The_Todd07]

At this rate neither of these girls will get up the travellator