Do you feel the POWER?

BRADLEY WALSH and son BARNEY WALSH on rebooting a classic game of speed, stamina and strength...

- MICHAEL DARLING

GLADIATORS NEW SATURDAY, 5.50PM, BBC1 ENTERTAINMENT

Contenders, ready! Gladiators, ready! It's June 2023 and an excited TV Times has been invited to Sheffield's Utilita Arena to watch filming for BBC1's much-anticipated revival of the larger-than-life sports game show Gladiators. The atmosphere is electric as thousands of cheering fans fill the seating areas, showcasing home-made banners as well as waving replicas of the giant foam fingers that were a key feature in the original version.

First running on ITV for eight seasons between 1992 and 2000, with Ulrika Jonsson and John Fashanu at the helm, the new 11-part run finds Bradley Walsh and his son, Casualty star Barney Walsh, on hosting duties.

The Walshes have surprising links to the show, too. Bradley's wife, Donna Derby, was head choreographer for cheerleading squad G-Force in the ITV series, meaning the family were regular visitors to the set. 'I don't remember that, though, laughs Barney, 26. 'I was in a pram at the time!"