Gladiators were ‘put through the wringer’ when being selected for hit gameshow
Fire and Nitro said it is ‘amazing’ to be seen as role models.
A Gladiator has said she and her fellow athletes were “put through the wringer” when being selected for the reboot of the hit game show.
Fire, whose real name is Montell Douglas, and Nitro, whose real name is Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, were dressed in their Lycra costumes at Advertising Week Europe 2025.
Asked how they became Gladiators, Aikines-Aryeetey, a former Olympic sprinter, told the event in central London on Thursday: “They were looking for genuine, real-life superheroes.
“They found us with the help of social media and once that process started it was just one of those things that made sense… it was a bit of a no-brainer.”
Douglas added: “They did put us through the wringer, don’t get it twisted guys.
“When people ask ‘what did you do to be a Gladiator’, I’m like 20 years of my life, dedication.
“You have to have a lot of heart and grit which I think we all have.”
The game show, hosted by father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh, sees two male and two female contenders compete in a series of physical challenges against the show’s elite athletes known as the Gladiators – who are each given a fictional character name.
The series debuted in the 90s on ITV and then later had a reboot series, with the most recent revival on the BBC.
The BBC reboot has been a hit, with some six million viewers watching the return when it launched in January 2024, with that figure growing to 9.8 million viewers over 28 days.
Douglas, the first British woman to compete in both the summer and winter Olympics, said their Gladiator personas are “us times 100”.
“(Fire) she’s fierce, she’s fair. I’m also unpredictable. And (I’ve) done so many different things,” she said.
“Nitro brings the energy, brings the party and he’s a bundle of joy.”
Asked about how they feel being seen as role models, Aikines-Aryeetey said he was told by a father that he and his son sit down and think “what would Nitro do” when the child is having any issues.
“It’s amazing to know that certain individuals out there see us in that way,” Aikines-Aryeetey said.
Douglas said: “And we don’t take it lightly. We are role models, not just to families, to people in any age and stage of their life.”
Kalpna Patel-Knight, the head of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, admitted that the Gladiators reboot was rejected twice before it was commissioned.
Asked if there will be a third series, she said: “You’ll have to wait and see.”
The semi-final of the current series is set to be aired on Saturday.
