Celebrity version of Gladiators in the works

A celebrity version of 'Gladiators' is in the works.

The BBC's reboot of the iconic sports entertainment gameshow - which originally aired on ITV in the 1990s - has proven to be a huge success with viewers and as well as a second series recently being confirmed, programme bosses have now revealed they will be making special episodes in which famous contestants will test themselves against the powers of the gladiators.

Dan Baldwin, head of Hungry Bear Media who make the show, told BBC Radio 4: "I can reveal we are going to do a celebrity special...

"I think Gladiators is here to stay, I’m going to say, it’s here to stay."

The producer admitted they were thrilled with how popular the reboot has proven to be.

He said: "We wanted it to be event television so we had to get an audience of 3,000 people every episode.

"The first episode we had almost 10,000 turn up. So at that point, we knew that we had something.

"The first episode got 6.4m. Now it’s at 9.8m, the first episode, because of catchup. And we didn’t think this show would be something that people would catch up on.

"But so many people catch up on it and it’s gone from strength to strength and we’re really happy with how it’s gone."

The programme - which is hosted by Bradley and Barney Walsh - was filmed at Sheffield Arena in front of a live audience, and Dan thinks one of the key factors in its success is having hit the "sweet spot" of young viewers of the original show now being old enough to have families of their own.

He said: "I think audience is vital and they reflect what is happening. We wanted to have families in that audience with their sponge fingers and signs and they really got into the event of it.

"It was interesting because we almost made two shows. We made a TV show and a live event because people who turn up, they have to be excited, you don’t want them leaving.

"And they were all very excited. Sometimes the mums and dads were more excited than the kids.

"But I think we also hit a sweet spot because a lot of the parents there were kids back in the day when Gladiators was on and now they have children that are the perfect age to watch it. So it’s almost the perfect ven diagram.

"There is nail biting drama in this show and the underdog coming through.

"And I think as with all sporting events, some of the action and drama is thrilling and you can’t write it. I think that you’re always going to get that on 'Gladiators'.

"Seeing these physical specimens going head to head and the underdog coming out, the doctor or the nurse or the teacher winning, there is always room for that and that’s just part of our culture to enjoy moments like that."