Gladiators ready! As exclusively revealed on The One Show yesterday (Wednesday 3 May) Fury and Steel are the first mighty Gladiators in the new line up of superhumans set to pick up their pugil sticks and compete in one of the most iconic and exciting sports entertainment gameshows coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Fury

Professional Exeter Chiefs Rugby Player, Jodie Ounsley, is named ‘Fury’ thanks to her power and passion for competition. A former England Women’s Rugby Seven’s player, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu British Champion and five times World Coal Carrying champion, she won the title of Deaf Sports Personality of The Year in 2020.

Jodie has Gladiators in her blood, her father was a contender on the show in 2008, and she has been training to outdo him ever since. When she was younger she even dressed up as a Gladiator and practiced the games in her living room! Contenders beware, when that game starts you’ll feel the wrath of ‘Fury’.

Steel

UK CrossFit star, Zack George, won the title of the UK’s Fittest Man in 2020, and also ranked number 26 out of a whopping 126,461 on the global CrossFit leader board! His unbreakable strength has earned him the name ‘Steel’.

Zack was motivated to help people with their fitness after undertaking his own personal fitness journey as a teenager. As Steel, he hopes that he can inspire a new, young generation of fans to get into fitness as well. Like Steel he’s strong, tough and nothing will break him, including those contenders!

Fury (AKA Jodie Ounsley) says: "Watching Gladiators growing up I was always in awe of their strength and power and now I am one! I hope contenders are ready to feel the Fury."

Steel (AKA Zack George) says: "I was inspired by the Gladiators as a child, but never imagined I’d be physically fit enough to be considered a ‘superhuman’! I hope a new generation of fans will look up to me as their new strong, unbreakable hero, Steel."

The 11-part series made by Hungry Bear Media and MGM Alternative UK will see a new generation of superhuman Gladiators compete against a brave set of contenders in the ultimate test of speed and strength. They will take part in a series of brand new games alongside classic challenges, climaxing with fan-favourite The Eliminator.

Further information about Gladiators including broadcast details will be announced in due course.

Gladiators (11 x 60’) is a Hungry Bear and MGM Alternative UK for BBC One and BBC iPlayer and was commissioned by Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted. The Executive Producers are Dan Baldwin and Lou Brown for Hungry Bear and Dom Bird and Johnny C. Ferraro for MGM Alternative UK. The Head of Entertainment Commissioning for the BBC is Kalpna Patel-Knight and the Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Clodagh O’Donoghue.

The original American Gladiators series was created by Johnny C. Ferraro and Dan Carr and developed by Johnny C. Ferraro.

Audiences can be the first to experience the power of the new Gladiators by applying for free tickets here (Terms and Conditions apply).