Entertainment
What was Gladiators and when was it on TV as Hunter joins cast of The Circle?
The Circle viewers have been blessed with the best blast from the past as Gladiator star James Crossley is taking part in the gameshow.
The star, who appeared as Hunter in the 90s competition, joined the Channel 4 cast ahead of series three, which started on Tuesday.
He has already caused a stir on the show, catfishing his fellow contestants as NHS nurse Gemma – with his profile being voted the most popular player in the first episode.
Fans are clearly already obsessed, tipping him to win the whole contest outright, and his appearance is giving us all the nostalgic feels.
But if you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years and aren’t too sure what Gladiators is and why James is famous, we’ve got you covered…
What was Gladiators?
The ITV gameshow was presented Ulrika Jonsson and John Fashanu, and saw four members of the public – two male and two female – battle it out in physical contests against the show’s athletes – aka ‘Gladiators’ – to make it into the Eliminator round.
Once in the Eliminator, contestants had to make it through the final assault course, including the dreaded Travelator, with the winners being hugely celebrated.
Sidenote: We definitely had too much fun trying to attempt our own course in our living rooms…
Gladiators made household names out of most of the competitors, including Hunter, Wolf (Michael Van Wijk), Cobra (Michael Willson), Jet (Diane Youdale) and Panther (Helen O’Reilly).
When was Gladiators on TV?
Gladiators was a staple of the 90s, and originally aired on LTW for ITV for more than seven years. It first debuted on October, 1992 and came to an end in 2000.
There was a brief revival briefly airing on Sky One in 2008, with the main show also spawning several spin-off shows, including international series.
It has been almost 30 years since the competition first hit our screens, with some stars calling out for a reunion.
Now that Hunter, aka James, is back in the spotlight, maybe we’ll finally get one?
The Circle continues daily, at 10pm, on Channel 4.
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