Oh, how I loved Gladiators. I was 13 when the show arrived in 1992 to brighten up Saturday evenings on ITV. Ulrika Jonsson and John "Awooga!" Fashanu presenting from Birmingham's National Indoor Arena, all those ridiculous games with musclemen chasing fitness freaks up walls, pushing them off plinths, and slamming them onto crash-mats...
But of course, the real reason to watch for any pubescent teen like myself was the curiously alluring women Gladiators. More precisely: the gorgeous Diane Youdale (aka Jet). I don't think there were any teens in '92 who didn't dream about having Jet wrap her legs around your waist, as you were suspended from those rings in Hang Tough.
Yeah, all the schoolboys fancied Jet rotten... but there was the odd Lightning fan, too... and the occasional Scorpio follower... but no Nightshade admirers, sorry.
Like most good TV ideas, they drove Gladiators into the ground eventually, and it was cancelled in January 2000. I started to lose interest when Jet left the show in '96, really -- and particularly once they revamped the games and recruited bland Gladiators like Rhino, Blaze (former competitor Eunice Huthart!), Zodiac, Rebel, Vogue, Khan, Diesel, et al...
But I have fond memories of Scottish referee John Anderson ("Contender: ready!"), the commentary by John Sachs, bright-as-a-button Ulrika, Klingon look-alike Wolf, classic Joust game (the one with the oversized cotton buds), the genuinely exciting Eliminator finale on the "travelator"... and the delectable Jet. Of course.
So it filled me delight to hear it's coming back to our screens this summer. Yes, Gladiators is being revived by Sky One and will be on our screens in May! Likely inspired by the success of the American Gladiators' revamp over in the US, the producers are now looking for 12 brand new Gladiators to take part in the remake...
It's been confirmed that some of the classic games will return (Joust, Hang Tough, Eliminator, etc.) -- but with new, tougher challenges to satisfy modern audiences. It's unlikely Ulrika and "The Fash" will host again, but referee John Anderson might be back to blow his whistle, and they'll surely keep that groovy theme tune. Won't they?
I just hope they'll be an after-burn for Jet - maybe as some kind of judge/mentor? God, I'm beginning to sound as obsessive as Alan Partridge...
Diane Youdale's Official Site
But of course, the real reason to watch for any pubescent teen like myself was the curiously alluring women Gladiators. More precisely: the gorgeous Diane Youdale (aka Jet). I don't think there were any teens in '92 who didn't dream about having Jet wrap her legs around your waist, as you were suspended from those rings in Hang Tough.
Yeah, all the schoolboys fancied Jet rotten... but there was the odd Lightning fan, too... and the occasional Scorpio follower... but no Nightshade admirers, sorry.
Like most good TV ideas, they drove Gladiators into the ground eventually, and it was cancelled in January 2000. I started to lose interest when Jet left the show in '96, really -- and particularly once they revamped the games and recruited bland Gladiators like Rhino, Blaze (former competitor Eunice Huthart!), Zodiac, Rebel, Vogue, Khan, Diesel, et al...
But I have fond memories of Scottish referee John Anderson ("Contender: ready!"), the commentary by John Sachs, bright-as-a-button Ulrika, Klingon look-alike Wolf, classic Joust game (the one with the oversized cotton buds), the genuinely exciting Eliminator finale on the "travelator"... and the delectable Jet. Of course.
So it filled me delight to hear it's coming back to our screens this summer. Yes, Gladiators is being revived by Sky One and will be on our screens in May! Likely inspired by the success of the American Gladiators' revamp over in the US, the producers are now looking for 12 brand new Gladiators to take part in the remake...
It's been confirmed that some of the classic games will return (Joust, Hang Tough, Eliminator, etc.) -- but with new, tougher challenges to satisfy modern audiences. It's unlikely Ulrika and "The Fash" will host again, but referee John Anderson might be back to blow his whistle, and they'll surely keep that groovy theme tune. Won't they?
I just hope they'll be an after-burn for Jet - maybe as some kind of judge/mentor? God, I'm beginning to sound as obsessive as Alan Partridge...
Diane Youdale's Official Site
