Gladiators: 6 million tune in to catch BBC reboot; how does that compare to other debuts in the series?
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The latest reboot of the “Gladiators” franchise in the UK arrived on our screens Saturday night, with the BBC having caught the nostalgic zeitgeist of the show leading to an overwhelming viewership figure announced after being aired. The show, hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, was re-debted on BBC One on Saturday evening, looking to better the attempts that Sky TV made in 2008 to reboot the popular franchise.
According to the BBC, 6.4 million viewers tuned in to see an all-new set of Gladiators pitted against the fittest of the fit of the general public, as Finley and Kerry booked their way into the next heat and many of us rejoicing at the return of favourites such as Duel, Hang Tough and of course the favourite in any school playground - the Eliminator.
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Hide AdBut with those numbers being banded about by the BBC, two questions immediately come to mind; will those viewing figures continue across the remainder of the season or was it a mere “nostalgia bump” it received by those curious about the reboot, and compared to other versions of the show in the UK, how does that number compare to both Sky One’s attempt at a reboot and the original ITV series from the ‘90s?
Pretty impressive, compared to the reboot that Sky tried to accomplish in 2008. While the premiere of “Gladiators” on Sky pulled in 1.5 million viewers on its debut, that number dropped by the time the second episode had aired to 1.1 million, and the show was subsequently cancelled after two seasons.
However, it still has a way to go to content with the numbers ITV drew when the show first premiered on the network in 1992, ITV has previously revealed that at the height of its popularity, 14 million people would tune in to watch the series on Saturday evening.
The next heat of “Gladiators” on BBC One takes place on Saturday, January 20 2024 at 5:50pm, with repeats available on demand through BBC iPlayer.
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