By Helen Macrae

Dust off your foam fingers and practise your “Awoogas!” - after almost a decade away from our screens Gladiators is back! The show will air on Sky One and “feature bigger thrills and maximum impact using special effects, water skills and the latest technology”, as well as including old favourites such as Hang Tough, Duel, Powerball and of course, The Eliminator. If you spent most of the nineties chanting “Another One Bites The Dust” in front of the TV on a Saturday night (or like me, you actually went to Birmingham NIA to watch it being filmed, complete with uber-geeky “There’s no comparison to Saracen” banner) all this will be rather exciting.

Robin Ashbrook, Executive Producer, Shine Ltd commented: “In the 1990’s GLADIATORS was a big, bold ambitious show. Now it’s found its home on Sky One GLADIATORS is a 21st century event. To record the show we’ll be using film studios covering 30,000 square feet, an incredible set and possibly the biggest lighting rig in TV history. Our new GLADIATORS logo and graphics reflect the scale of the TV event of 2008; Epic.”

Unfortunately, this bigger and better ethic will mean some changes, so those of you expecting to see Jet’s no-handed cartwheels and Wolf’s outbursts and sneaky short-ripping tactics, prepare to be disappointed. Instead, the show will feature 12 shiny new Gladiators togged out in space-age costumes, complete with mandatory and slightly bizarre names (surely female Gladiator “Battleaxe” can’t have chosen the name herself?). Ian Wright and Kirsty Gallacher will replace John “The Fash” Fashanu and Ulrika “Swedish hussy” Jonsson. But fear not, original referee and head of contender selection, John Anderson, will be back to clear up just exactly who will go on his first whistle…hurrah!

The series is being filmed at Shepperton Studios and will be launched in May this year.