Gladiators: 5 Facts about Gladiators past and present

Have you been watching the return of the TV phenomenon Gladiators?

Each week we witness four eager contenders taking on the mighty gladiators.

While many of us are seeing the program for the first time, the show was first on TV screens more than 30 years ago.

It first aired in the UK in 1992, and since then has seen many re-boots and versions shown around the world.

Its return to TV screens this year has been confirmed as the biggest launch for a new Entertainment series in seven years.

So with so many Gladiator super fans around, we thought we'd share with you some amazing facts about the series past and present to surprise your friends with.

Here we go!

1. What's been the fastest time to complete the final challenge?

Eliminator was once completed in just 48 seconds! Back in 1994 during the international series, American contestant Wesley 'Two Scoops' Berry beat his own record and no one has managed to top him yet.

2. How many screws are used?

All of the events need to be in tip top condition and safe for the contenders and Gladiators, so a whopping two million screws were used to bolt everything together in place!

These were some the Gladiators from the show when it aired between 1992-2000

3. How many people have applied to take part?

This may be a new show to you, but Gladiators originally started in 1992 and nearly 100,000 people have applied to star as a contender on the fun packed show since then.

4. What's the prize?

It isn't yet known what the prize of the rebooted Gladiators could be. But in past series there were definitely prizes. Throughout the seven series of UK Gladiators whilst it aired on ITV, twelve cars and other cool prizes totalling more than £45,000 were won by the talented contenders.

5. How heavy is all that equipment?

When Gladiators was first aired on ITV, it was filmed in Birmingham and the complicated set weighed 836 tons. That's almost eight blue whales!

The new set is now based in Sheffield and from the looks of it, it looks pretty heavy too!

Enjoy dropping these facts into your Gladiator conversations in the future. If you know any fun Gladiators facts let us know in the comments.