Gladiators: The intense enterprise behind ITV's popular 'pantomime' bustlingnews.com
The BBC is reviving the Gladiators franchise in the hopes that it can repeat the show's phenomenal popularity from the 1990s when it returns to screens on Saturday with an electrifying blend of action and entertainment. The battle to have arena battles on screen was a major deal, even though reviewers panned them as stupid acting.
Diane Youdale describes the fall that came “one step too close” to breaking her neck, saying, “I'll never forget the moment I heard a 'pop.'”
The 26-year-old, who is popularly known as Jet by her millions of followers, rugby tackled another competitor from a height and then crashed awkwardly to the crash mats below, ensnaring the other competitor's body in her own.
They helped me into an ambulance, and as I lay there in excruciating pain, I believed I might be able to roll away while my limbs were still functioning. It's time for me to step down; I've served my four years.
Youdale gained fans after being introduced as “Gladiators' very own Wonder Woman” in the pilot episode. She competed against viewers in a variety of athletic tasks, winning them over with her hair flicks and backflips.
The Day-Glo phenomenon became, as the former gymnastics champion proudly puts it, “a Saturday-night ritual” thanks to ITV's risk on the new format.
The injury, which occurred at a 1996 non-televised event at Wembley Arena, was the deciding factor, but the toll was heavy.
The highs and lows of Jet reflected the program's own ups and downs; behind the scenes, it had required a tremendous amount of work to persuade commissioning heads of the program's potential, and it had been an even greater battle to put together the correct group of enthusiastic participants.
In the mid-1980s, Youdale left Billingham, on Teesside, to pursue dance studies in London. She recalls her time as a “jobbing actor” and choreographer.
In early 1992, producers approached her and she secured her seat by “blitzing” an Army assault course at Woolwich Barracks.
She was afraid she would be “beaten up” because she was 5 feet 6 inches (1.67 meters) tall and 9 stone 6 pounds (60 kilograms), but she was familiar with the American version of the show and thought she was being asked to audition.
The individuals featured on the American program appeared to be beasts – strong wrestlers and bodybuilders. Oh, see! It was just me, a tiny dancer!
London Weekend Television (LWT) didn't have access to a large talent pool. Though they perused fitness periodicals and studied the market, they failed to notice that bodybuilders in that era were not functional athletes.
No amount of money would motivate them to sprint to the bus stop in time.
It probably took them a couple of years to figure it out. They would choose an actor or actress only to find out later that they were unpopular, awkward, or otherwise unsuited for the role.
It was unlike anything else in that highly sought-after slot when it first aired on ITV on 10 October 1992 with Blind Date and Beadle’s About. It was routinely pitted against the “Gotchas” and gunge tank of Noel’s House Party on BBC One.
Thanks to their dominance in events like Hang Tough and Duel, the Lycra-clad fighters—Warrior, Wolf, Shadow, and Cobra—became well-known. In the Eliminator showdown, competitors endured a taxing assault course.
Producers in the UK envisioned glamor, glamour, and atmosphere, in contrast to the US version that was studio-bound and had a small audience.
Thousands of spectators were “hyped up” at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena to the sound of popular music by the G-Force cheerleading.
Jonathan Glazier, who became the show's director in the third season, says LWT is “a panto” that “something for all the family” would enjoy.
Pressure was high, nevertheless, due to financial concerns.
“That Saturday slot was hugely important,” he says. “The channels were in a fight for the audience and it was going to be expensive to make.”
According to Ian Hyland, a television critic for the Daily Mirror, “people genuinely loved – or loved to hate – the characters” in Gladiators, which is why the show was so popular, especially after the beachy Baywatch antics of David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson.
And you cheered for the general populace as well. Keep in mind that this happened when regular folks appearing on television was still rather rare.
Glazier says the early presentations needed a fresh approach, even though the program was “going gangbusters” when he became the director.
“At the start, nobody quite knew what it was and so the arena wasn't always full,” according to him.
With some clever editing, you were able to pull off the stunning spectacle of repositioning half of the audience to cover up vacant seats.
“People used to make jokes about it being a glorified pillow fight, but if you've ever been on the receiving end of those pugil sticks [used in Duel] you'll understand there's nothing Toytown about it.”
With millions of viewers tuning in, Youdale had her mom sort through fan messages. The level of attention was “uncomfortable” at times.
“Once the show had gone out it was difficult to hide,” according to her. However, there was never any uncomfortable or terrible moment because the program was so upbeat. Things might have turned out differently.
The yearly contract reviews added insult to injury as producers kept tabs on the cast's popularity and performance, and incidents like Shadow's dismissal due to drug accusations garnered intense tabloid attention.
But assistance was on the way.
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The goal, according to Glazier, was to ensure that everyone on board was satisfied. When they first contacted us, they were just ordinary people.
“The machine of ITV was there to help protect them by managing their personal appearances, and contracts were as level and fair as they could be.”
After leaving the spotlight, Youdale pursued a life away from “the bright lights” by completing her education in psychotherapy and counselling.
The last episode of Gladiators aired in January 2000 due to declining viewership. The reality TV behemoth that has swarmed Saturdays since then was just around the corner.
“We knew live television was where it was heading,” says Glazier, who is currently based in Singapore as the executive producer and director of Asia's Got Talent.
“The elimination singing format was perfect for that and it sustained ITV and the BBC for years.”
Now, with Bradley Walsh and son Barney at the helm, the BBC is bringing Gladiators back for a second season after a brief revival on Sky in 2008–09. But is it really trying to win an impossible fight?
As a co-host of the GladPod podcast, Youdale thinks it will do well and remembers the original from the 90s.
“The odds are against it [having the same cultural impact] because it was new and we only had four or five channels, but with a prime-time slot it will get the energy it needs,” according to her.
“I'm really excited.”
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