In 2024, an iconic sporting series of the 90s made a triumphant return. BBC’s Gladiators embraced the fanfare, lycra and insane games such as Duel, Hang Tough and The Wall in all their glory. The result was the biggest TV launch on the BBC in seven years.
Father and son TV duo Bradley and Barney Walsh took on presenting duties, while elite athletes adopted alter egos and became formidable opponents to contestants, and excellent entertainment for fans at home.
Series 2 brought even more drama, with three new events, two new gladiators and one (extremely weird) ‘romance’ plot between Sabre and Apollo.
The question is, is the show coming back for more? We’ve rounded up everything you need to know, right here.
BBC / Nick Eagle / © Hungry Bear Media Ltd
Will Gladiators return for series 3?
Get your duelling sticks at the ready, because Gladiators is coming back for a third series.
Not only that, but the BBC has also confirmed that another Celebrity Special will air on Thursday 25 December/Christmas Day at 3:35pm. The contestants this year are Joe Wicks, Sam Thompson, Nicola Adams and Vogue Williams.
Applications for contenders are now closed. Filming dates for the next series have not been confirmed, so we don’t know when audience tickets will be released yet.
When could Gladiators series 3 be released?
The teaser trailer for series 3 of Gladiators began airing in late December, confirming that the show would return in January 2026, though no exact date was confirmed.
The first series aired on 13 January, while the second one debuted on 18 January (not counting the New Year’s Day celebrity special).
Assuming the pattern stays the same, we expect Gladiators series 3 to air in mid-to-late January 2026. Like last year, it will likely be released just after The Traitors series 4, which is returning on New Year’s Day.
Which Gladiators will return for series 3?
This is what the line-up looks like for series 3:
- Apollo – Alex Gray
- Athena – Karenjeet Kaur Bains
- Bionic – Matty Campbell
- Comet – Ella-Mae Rayner
- Cyclone – Lystus Ebosele
- Diamond – Livi Sheldon
- Dynamite – Emily Steel
- Electro – Jade Packer
- Fire – Montell Douglas
- Fury – Jodie Ounsley
- Giant – Jamie Christian Johal
- Hammer – Tom Wilson
- Legend – Matt Morsia
- Nitro – Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
- Phantom – Toby Olubi
- Sabre – Sheli McCoy
- Steel – Zack George
- Viper – Quang Luong
King of The Wall and sprinter Nitro (Harry Aikines-Aryeetey) was forced to sit out of series 2 due to a knee injury, but he has already stated that he will be back fighting fit next series.
Will there be new Gladiators and events in series 3?
As far as we’re aware, 2025’s cast will not include any new Gladiators. But there will be a shake up in the events, with three new ones confirmed by the teaser trailer… though classic fans will recognise one of them.
One is where a contestant and gladiator slam against a clear wall and push against one another, with the aim of pushing the other one off a platform.
The second appears to be some sort of race, with breakable walls and tracks for each contestant and a gladiator. The trailer seems to hint that players will have to break through each wall and get to the centre.
The third event appears to be Suspension Bridge, where a gladiator and a contestant come at each other from either side of a wobbly bridge, and and meet in the middle to knock the other one off using a large battering ram.
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