Thursday, 24 April 2008

• Prev
• Next

Gladiators ready...

You're in the money if the Gladiators batter you, apparently...

Gladiator Atlas (Sam Bond)

I have to admit when the return of 90s Saturday night family favourite, Gladiators was announced on Sky One I wasn't that excited. Admittedly I do like a good pugil stick fight and it's always funny to laugh at odd bulges in lycra, but the sight of overly muscled women fighting each other had always put me off my dinner.

However, after reading a recent news story on how the show is turning into a 'health and safety minefield' I'm suddenly interested again. After all, there's nothing like a bit of serious injury to make a TV show worth watching.

So far it's been rumoured that in one incident a contestant travelled down an aerial runway and landed on the floor, rather than a crash mat. Also, one of the pieces of equipment used in the final Eliminator is said to have been changed because of fears a contestant might be squashed by it.

The best bit of all of this is that while all the contestants won't be paid they can expect whopping payouts if they are maimed in anyway with a rumoured £20,000 if they are permanently disabled and if they die their next of kin receive about £50,000.

Sod it, chuck me a jumpsuit I can handle a slight maiming for £20,000. Let me at them!

Just to get you in the mood…