TV Week 29: Total Wipeout, The Krypton Factor & Gladiators

The first TV Week of 2009 heralds its twenty-ninth edition. And it's something of a game-show special, with mini-reviews of BBC1's obstacle-based Total Wipeout, ITV1's revival of The Kryton Factor and Sky1's second season of new Gladiators. Check it out, and comment if you can!

Gladiators: Series 2

I haven't seen much of Sky1's Gladiators, although I made a point to catch the first episode when the revamp of the '90s series premiered in the summer. I had some issues with it aesthetically, but it was certainly a decent comeback of a classic I adored as a kid. Now that Sky1 is back on my TV subscription, I'll definitely be catching up with all the silliness. Gladiators is returning for a second series, you'll be glad to hear -- but there are some big changes in store:

• Kirsty Gallacher (the perfect host for Gladiators, in my mind) has stepped down, and has been replaced by Caroline Flack -- who's also pretty hot, so I can live with it (see below)
  
  
• Six new Gladiators are joining the team: Amazon, Cyclone, Doom, Goliath, Siren and Warrior. The full line-up are in the photo above.
  
  
• Wolf (a.k.a Michael Van Wijk) is returning to the series after competing in the Gladiators: The Legend special. He will become the Gladiators' manager; a role that's totally redundant, but will give him plenty of opportunities to storm around shouting and stirring up the crowd. Hopefully he'll grow his hair long again, too.
  
  
• The sexy Ice and Destroyer will not be returning.
  
  
• The new series will run for 12 episodes, down from 16. Sky will also be filming two episodes per day, hence the increase in Gladiators to take the strain. Four specials will be made.
  
  
• Iconic referee John Anderson, whose catchphrases made him a household name back in the '90s, has decided to leave. He will be replaced by former Boxing referee John Coyle.
  
  
• Some new events are planned, together with a revamped Eliminator final.

So there you have it. I'm sad to see referee John Anderson go; his Scottish cry of "Gladiator, ready! Contender, ready!" still brings back memories of watching the ITV original in the early-'90s. Didn't Anderson like the new series? Did the producers just feel like a change? Likewise, Kirsty Gallacher will be missed.

I remember hearing that the new series takes an extraordinarily long time to film (something like 5 hours), owing to the smaller set and heavy use of water tanks, platforms and fire, so maybe Gallacher and Anderson just found it all too boring? The '90s series had the benefit of the massive Birmingham NEC, so a lot of the events were built and waiting in the wings, or already in position but out of shot.

Still, great to hear The Wolfman will be back. If they can talk Jet into accepting a managerial position, that would be even better. Maybe next time. Oh, and I still regress into a hormonal 13-year-old whenever I see a woman in her Gladiator get-up. Isn't Tempest the sexiest?

Presenters: Ian Wright returns, with newcomer Caroline Flack and the legendary Wolf

The new Gladiators: Warrior, Cyclone, Doom, Siren, Goliath and Amazon!

New referee: John Coyle

GLADIATORS: Sky One Press Launch

Oh, no, no, no. I suppose it had to happen, but my excitement over the return of Gladiators just took a dip. Thanks to Sky One's Press Launch, which resembled a low-budget WWE event. Even the presence of referee John Anderson spouting all his catchphrases didn't help.

The above video makes it look less silly, but camera-phone footage taken by the audience looks worryingly naff. At least most of the girls look hot, though (Ice, Inferno, Tempest, Panther, Enigma) -- which is the main thing, isn't it? It is for me. But the new silver logo is terrible, and that's how you can tell the quality of a product: the logo. Just ask any superhero.

I just hope the cheap-looking press launch (filmed in a town hall with black drapes and a few plasmas, with 20 people in attendance?) isn't indicative of the actual show's atmosphere.

Meet The Gladiators

I'm more excited about Gladiators' return than I thought I would be. Which is too bad, as I don't have Sky and won't be able to see its return next month. The full line-up of Gladiators have just been revealed. You can read more about each Gladiator at the official Sky One website.

My thoughts on the photos released:

1. I love the new silver/black costumes, with their futuristic-Roman aesthetic. Sexy, stylish and modern.

2. The male Gladiators all look imposing, strong and fit, but aren't as "beefcake" as before. This is actually a good thing, as it was often silly watching body-builders knock the stuffing out of fitness fanatics in the 90s series. Best name: Tornado. Worst name: Spartan. Who's been watching 300?

3. The female Gladiators all look very sexy -- with the exception of unfortunately-named Battleaxe (sorry). It's obvious the new producers remembered how popular the lovely Jet was in the 90s show, so every girl has a similar body-type. Fitness seems to be the keyword here (in both senses of the word). I can already imagine teenage boys putting posters of Ice (Caroline Pearce, 27) and Inferno (Jemma Palmer, 24) up on their walls. Best name: Inferno. Hot stuff. Worst name: Battleaxe. Of course!

4. The presenters are ideal choices. I'm not a massive fan of Ian Wright, but Gladiators suits his impassioned presenting style, and he has a football background (like predecessor John Fashanu). Kirsty Gallacher is so perfect for this show, it's like it was her destiny. An inspired choice and a much better fit than Ulrika Jonsson ever was on the show. And, of course, there's the return of Scottish referee John Anderson (centre-stage in the presenters' photo -- see below!), whose much-imitated voice ("Three! Two! One!") echoed around 90s school playgrounds. Great to see him back. What a cult character!

The vibe surrounding Gladiators' return to our screens is certainly very strong, and these publicity snaps have pushed it to another level. I just hope the show itself isn't a pale imitation of the 90s one, and has the same level of cultural impact. It's a shame it's not on ITV again, where it will get far more viewers, but its return on Sky One is almost tempting me to get a subscription!

Gladiators: Ready!

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