Gladiators (1992 British TV series, series 4)

The fourth series of Gladiators aired in the UK from 16 September to 23 December 1995.

Gladiators
Season 4
StarringUlrika Jonsson
John Fashanu
John Anderson
John Sachs
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes15
Release
Original networkITV
Original release16 September (1995-09-16) –
23 December 1995 (1995-12-23)
Series chronology

Gladiators
Gladiator name Portrayed by
Amazon Sharron Davies
Cobra Michael Willson
Falcon Bernadette Hunt
Hunter James Crossley
Jet Diane Youdale
Lightning Kim Betts
Nightshade Judy Simpson
Panther Helen O'Reilly
Raider Carlton Headley
Rhino Mark Smith
Saracen Mike Lewis
Trojan Mark Griffin
Vogue Suzanne Cox
Warrior Michael Ahearne
Wolf Michael Van Wijk
Zodiac Kate Staples

After the show's third series in 1994, Shadow (Jefferson King) was sacked from the show, after a newspaper uncovered evidence that he had taken steroids. King later confirmed the rumours were true and was dropped shortly after. Scorpio (Nikki Diamond) also left after three series. New Gladiators debuting in series 4 were Amazon (Sharron Davies), Raider (Carlton Headley), Rhino (Mark Smith) and Vogue (Suzanne Cox). This increased the number of Gladiators from fourteen to sixteen.

Events

Due to the increased pool of Gladiators, a new approach was taken to the majority of one-on-one events from this series onwards. On Duel, Hang Tough, Joust and Suspension Bridge, there would be a different Gladiator for each contender instead of the same Gladiator challenging both contenders. This approach had already been used on Tilt but was not used for Pole-Axe or Danger Zone. From this series onwards, a recording of Showaddywaddy’s "Hey Rock And Roll" would be played upon the introduction of each Gladiator on Hang Tough.

The order of the obstacle course in Pursuit was changed to: balance beam, handladder, wire bridge, low wall, web trap (underneath), high wall, web trap (over) and sprint finish. The course used for the second set of contenders/Gladiators was painted white to ensure that participants did not use the wrong route as had happened the previous series. Additionally to prevent corners being cut, neon markers were added to the start and end of the balance beam, hand ladder and wire bridge as well as all corners on the balance beam with a requirement for participants to touch them or otherwise return to them. Cheerleaders G-Force would monitor participants and raise a flag should there be any infringements of this rule - this being the first instance that G-Force were actively involved in an event. A point would be deducted from a contenders score for each fall from the balance beam, hand ladder and wire bridge and each infringement of the rules.

The time limit in Suspension Bridge was reduced from one minute to 30 seconds but pushing and shoving was allowed. The contender headstart on The Wall was decreased from 10 seconds to 7 seconds. Tilt had a minor rule change in that a draw on a pull resulted in no points (rather than 2). The contenders’ Atlaspheres were now yellow and orange in colour with the blue one being used for special episodes.

Joust, which had been played in that spring's live shows in Sheffield (as Pendulum, which had been due to be played, was too large for the arena) received a slight makeover with the sky bikes painted to red and white with the undercarriage no longer exposed. The bikes also rocked and rotated less violently than previous years. Joust was only used once before it was dropped. The event music was changed from the first 30 seconds of the event theme to just the last 30 seconds (a 60-second theme had been created for Joust though the event was only ever played for 60 seconds at the Sheffield shows). The same was also done for Pole-Axe with the final 10 seconds of the 60 second Pole-Axe theme being used for this series rather than the first 10 seconds.

There were two new events increasing the number of events from sixteen to eighteen.

Pendulum

This was an original event. The pendulum was a ball 5 metres (23') in diameter, which hung from the ceiling of the arena, 40 feet (12.23m) above the ground. The event was contender versus Gladiator in a game of hide and seek. On the whistle, the pendulum would begin to swing from side to side. The aim of the contender was to avoid the Gladiator, who attempted to track the contender down and remove the Velcro tag from their back. Once this was done, the game was over. If the contender remained on the pendulum for the full minute without the Gladiator grabbing their tag, they would score 10 points. If the contender's tag was grabbed by the Gladiator or fell off the pendulum, either one of them while remaining on the pendulum for forty seconds or more, they would score five points. If the contender or Gladiator fell off, the remaining participant won.

Whiplash

This event was based on the American Gladiators event of the same name which was a tug of war-type game. Contender and Gladiator gripped a ”dog bone” and the contender used this to pull the Gladiator out of a carpeted ring within thirty seconds or obtain the dog bone, sometimes referred to ”own the bone”. No wrenching or pulling was permitted by the Gladiator; their role was strictly resistance. However, the contender could use any means to remove the Gladiator from the ring. If the contender dragged the Gladiator out of the ring in thirty seconds or obtained the dog bone, they would score ten points.

Other changes

Andrew Norgate returned to become the timekeeper again.

In this series a number of post-production elements were introduced that would last for the majority of the remainder of the show. This included event idents used prior to each event. The opening titles were changed with each Gladiator turning their head towards the camera. The contender and Gladiator stats graphics were made consistent (though the Gladiators poses differed each series) and this, along with an updated style of scoreboards, was used for the next three series.

Episodes
Episode Title Original airdate
1"Heat 1: Melanie Blewitt vs. Tracey Fulthorpe / Geoff Kenyon vs. Brian Richardson"16 September 1995 (1995-09-16)[1]

  • Event 1 - Pursuit

Zodiac, Vogue / Raider, Cobra

Melanie 0 - 8 Tracey / Geoff 1 - 10 Brian

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Nightshade, Amazon / Hunter, Cobra

Melanie 0 - 13 Tracey / Geoff 1 - 10 Brian

  • Event 3 - Whiplash

Falcon, Panther / Warrior, Rhino

Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian

  • Event 4 - Pyramid

Lightning, Nightshade / Hunter, Trojan

Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Lightning, Jet / Saracen, Wolf

Melanie 10 - 23 Tracey / Geoff 11 - 10 Brian

  • Eliminator

Melanie LOSER - WINNER Tracey / Geoff LOSER - WINNER Brian

2"Heat 2: Janet Allen vs. Diane Thomas / Phil Ennis vs. David O'Halloran"23 September 1995 (1995-09-23)[2]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Nightshade, Amazon, Zodiac / Raider, Warrior, Saracen/Rhino ,1

Janet 2 - 4 Diane / Phil 4 - 5 David

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Jet, Lightning / Hunter, Cobra

Janet 12 - 9 Diane / Phil 4 - 5 David

  • Event 3 - Pendulum

Zodiac, Nightshade / Hunter, Trojan

Janet 12 - 19 Diane / Phil 9 - 5 David

  • Event 4 - Gauntlet

Jet, Falcon, Panther, Lightning, Amazon / Rhino, Trojan, Raider, Wolf, Warrior

Janet 17 - 24 Diane / Phil 9 - 5 David

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Vogue, Falcon / Cobra, Wolf

Janet 17 - 34 Diane / Phil 14 - 5 David

  • Eliminator

Janet WINNER - LOSER Diane / Phil WINNER - LOSER David

3"Heat 3: Linda Dent vs. Jackie Kinsella / Glenn Williams vs. Chris Rawlinson"30 September 1995 (1995-09-30)[3]

  • Event 1 - Duel

Zodiac, Falcon / Hunter, Saracen

Linda 5 - 5 Jackie / Glenn 0 - 0 Chris

  • Event 2 - Pole-Axe

Vogue / Cobra
Linda 5 - 5 Jackie / Glenn 10 - 10 Chris

  • Event 3 - Gauntlet

Panther, Jet, Zodiac, Falcon, Lightning / Rhino, Hunter, Raider, Wolf, Warrior

Linda 5 - 10 Jackie / Glenn 10 - 10 Chris

  • Event 4 - Atlaspheres

Amazon, Panther / Raider, Saracen

Linda 5 - 13 Jackie / Glenn 19 - 13 Chris

  • Event 5 - Powerball

Lightning, Vogue, Nightshade / Rhino, Trojan, Warrior

Linda 5 - 17 Jackie / Glenn 19 - 15 Chris

  • Eliminator

Linda LOSER - WINNER Jackie / Glenn LOSER - WINNER Chris

4"Heat 4: Kathy O'Dell vs. Rachel Whiteside / Regan Pilkington vs. Michael Bates/Mike Reynaud,2"7 October 1995 (1995-10-07)[4]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Panther, Amazon, Falcon / Trojan, Rhino, Warrior

Kathy 0 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 2 Mike

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Lightning, Jet / Hunter, Cobra

Kathy 10 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 2 Mike

  • Event 3 - Pendulum

Vogue, Zodiac / Hunter, Saracen

Kathy 20 - 7 Rachel / Regan 2 - 12 Mike

  • Event 4 - Swingshot

Falcon, Zodiac / Trojan, Raider

Kathy 21 - 7 Rachel / Regan 6 - 12 Mike

  • Event 5 - Duel

Amazon, Nightshade / Rhino, Wolf

Kathy 26 - 12 Rachel / Regan 6 - 17 Mike

  • Eliminator

Kathy WINNER - LOSER Rachel / Regan WINNER - LOSER Mike

5"Heat 5: Mel Cambridge vs. Mandy Beacher / John Tyson vs. Mark Everitt"14 October 1995 (1995-10-14)[5]

  • Event 1 - Atlaspheres

Amazon, Lightning / Raider, Cobra

Mel 9 - 3 Mandy / John 0 - 3 Mark

  • Event 2 - Pyramid

Lightning, Nightshade / Trojan, Hunter

Mel 9 - 3 Mandy / John 0 - 3 Mark

  • Event 3 - Danger Zone

Vogue / Saracen

Mel 10 - 4 Mandy / John 4 - 5 Mark

  • Event 4 - Duel

Falcon, Panther / Rhino, Warrior

Mel 10 - 9 Mandy / John 14 - 5 Mark

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Zodiac, Jet / Hunter, Wolf

Mel 10 - 9 Mandy / John 14 - 15 Mark

  • Eliminator

Mel LOSER - WINNER Mandy / John LOSER - WINNER Mark

6"Heat 6: Lynda Moore vs. Sonia Walker / Sean Clay vs. Lawrence Jean-Baptiste"21 October 1995 (1995-10-21)[6]

  • Event 1 - Whiplash

Nightshade, Amazon / Warrior, Rhino

Lynda 10 - 10 Sonia / Sean 10 - 10 Lawrence

  • Event 2 - Hit & Run

Zodiac & Panther, Jet & Vogue / Raider & Wolf, Warrior & Saracen

Lynda 12 - 16 Sonia / Sean 18 - 10 Lawrence

  • Event 3 - Pendulum

Jet, Lightning / Trojan, Hunter
Lynda 17 - 21 Sonia / Sean 28 - 20 Lawrence

  • Event 4 - Duel

Falcon, Nightshade / Raider, Hunter
Lynda 22 - 26 Sonia / Sean 28 - 20 Lawrence

  • Event 5 - Swingshot

Lightning, Falcon / Cobra, Trojan
Lynda 25 - 29 Sonia / Sean 34 - 33 Lawrence

  • Eliminator

Lynda LOSER - WINNER Sonia / Sean LOSER - WINNER Lawrence

7"Heat 7: Cheryl Quin vs. Julie Gray / Murray Stephen vs. Bill Cumberland"28 October 1995 (1995-10-28)[7]

  • Event 1 - Atlaspheres

Nightshade, Panther / Warrior, Saracen

Cheryl 6 - 3 Julie / Murray 0 - 0 Bill

  • Event 2 - Pyramid

Amazon, Jet / Raider, Wolf

Cheryl 6 - 3 Julie / Murray 0 - 0 Bill

  • Event 3 - Suspension Bridge

Lightning, Falcon / Warrior, Rhino

Cheryl 16 - 13 Julie / Murray 10 - 0 Bill

  • Event 4 - Hang Tough

Zodiac, Vogue / Hunter, Cobra

Cheryl 16 - 13 Julie / Murray 10 - 0 Bill

  • Event 5 - Gauntlet

Nightshade, Lightning, Zodiac, Jet, Panther / Rhino, Trojan, Raider, Wolf, Cobra

Cheryl 16 - 18 Julie / Murray 15 - 5 Bill

  • Eliminator

Cheryl LOSER - WINNER Julie / Murray WINNER - LOSER Bill

8"Heat 8: Jenny Waite vs. Kay Kershaw / Donald Williams vs. Steph Drury-Morris"4 November 1995 (1995-11-04)[8]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Amazon, Vogue, Lightning / Trojan, Rhino, Warrior

Jenny 0 - 2 Kay / Donald 5 - 3 Steph

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Panther, Falcon / Cobra, Hunter

Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph

  • Event 3 - Skytrak

Lightning, Zodiac / Trojan, Hunter

Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph

  • Event 4 - Tilt

Nightshade/Falcon ,3, Amazon / Warrior, Rhino

Jenny 0 - 12 Kay / Donald 15 - 3 Steph

  • Event 5 - Duel

Jet, Zodiac / Wolf, Raider

Jenny 5 - 12 Kay / Donald 25 - 3 Steph

  • Eliminator

Jenny LOSER - WINNER Kay / Donald WINNER - LOSER Steph

9"Quarter-final 1: Janet Allen vs. Tracey Fulthorpe / Phil Ennis vs. Brian Richardson"11 November 1995 (1995-11-11)[9]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Amazon, Vogue, Jet / Raider, Rhino, Warrior

Janet 7 - 4 Tracey / Phil 0 - 0 Brian

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Lightning, Jet / Hunter, Trojan

Janet 7 - 4 Tracey / Phil 0 - 0 Brian

  • Event 3 - Danger Zone

Nightshade / Wolf

Janet 12 - 9 Tracey / Phil 1 - 0 Brian

  • Event 4 - Joust

Panther, Falcon / Rhino, Raider

Janet 17 - 14 Tracey / Phil 6 - 5 Brian

  • Event 5 - Pendulum

Zodiac, Falcon / Hunter, Cobra

Janet 17 - 14 Tracey / Phil 6 - 5 Brian

  • Eliminator

Janet WINNER - LOSER Tracey / Phil LOSER - WINNER Brian

10"Quarter-final 2: Kathy O'Dell vs. Jackie Kinsella / Regan Pilkington vs. Chris Rawlinson"18 November 1995 (1995-11-18)[10]

  • Event 1 - Atlaspheres

Panther, Jet / Warrior, Raider

Kathy 6 - 0 Jackie / Regan 3 - 3 Chris

  • Event 2 - Duel

Falcon, Amazon / Warrior, Hunter

Kathy 11 - 5 Jackie / Regan 3 - 3 Chris

  • Event 3 - Pole-Axe

Zodiac / Trojan

Kathy 11 - 5 Jackie / Regan 13 - 13 Chris

  • Event 4 - Pursuit

Vogue, Zodiac / Cobra, Rhino

Kathy 14 - 15 Jackie / Regan 18 - 23 Chris

  • Event 5 - Hang Tough

Lightning, Jet / Wolf, Hunter

Kathy 14 - 15 Jackie / Regan 28 - 28 Chris

  • Eliminator

Kathy WINNER - LOSER Jackie / Regan WINNER - LOSER Chris

11"Quarter-final 3: Mandy Beacher vs. Sonia Walker / Mark Everitt vs. Lawrence Jean-Baptiste"25 November 1995 (1995-11-25)[11]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Lightning, Vogue, Falcon / Raider, Rhino, Warrior

Mandy 0 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 2 Lawrence

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Nightshade, Zodiac / Cobra, Trojan

Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 -12 Lawrence

  • Event 3 - Pyramid

Amazon, Jet / Hunter, Wolf

Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 12 Lawrence

  • Event 4 - Suspension Bridge

Falcon, Panther / Rhino, Warrior

Mandy 10 - 0 Sonia / Mark 4 - 12 Lawrence

  • Event 5 - Gauntlet

Vogue, Falcon, Jet, Lightning, Panther / Warrior, Hunter, Cobra, Wolf, Raider

Mandy 15 - 5 Sonia / Mark 14 - 17 Lawrence

  • Eliminator

Mandy WINNER - LOSER Sonia / Mark WINNER - LOSER Lawrence

12"Quarter-final 4: Julie Gray vs. Kay Kershaw / Murray Stephen vs. Donald Williams"2 December 1995 (1995-12-02)[12]

  • Event 1 - The Wall

Nightshade, Panther / Trojan, Hunter

Julie 10 - 10 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald

  • Event 2 - Hang Tough

Jet, Vogue / Cobra, Wolf

Julie 10 - 10 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald

  • Event 3 - Skytrak

Vogue, Zodiac / Cobra, Trojan

Julie 15 - 20 Kay / Murray 10 - 0 Donald

  • Event 4 - Duel

Amazon, Falcon / Warrior, Rhino

Julie 20 - 25 Kay / Murray 10 - 5 Donald

  • Event 5 - Pendulum

Lightning, Jet / Rhino, Warrior

Julie 25 - 35 Kay / Murray 20 - 15 Donald

  • Eliminator

Julie LOSER - WINNER Kay / Murray WINNER - LOSER Donald

13"Semi-final 1: Kathy O'Dell vs. Janet Allen / Regan Pilkington vs. Brian Richardson"9 December 1995 (1995-12-09)[13]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Lightning, Vogue, Falcon / Hunter, Warrior, Rhino

Kathy 3 - 4 Janet / Regan 4 - 0 Brian

  • Event 2 - The Wall

Jet, Zodiac / Wolf, Cobra

Kathy 3 - 4 Janet / Regan 4 - 10 Brian

  • Event 3 - Pole-Axe

Nightshade / Wolf

Kathy 13 - 4 Janet / Regan 14 - 10 Brian

  • Event 4 - Pyramid

Zodiac, Lightning / Trojan, Raider

Kathy 13 - 4 Janet / Regan 14 - 20 Brian

  • Event 5 - Duel

Falcon, Panther / Hunter, Warrior

Kathy 18 - 14 Janet / Regan 14 - 20 Brian

  • Eliminator

Kathy LOSER - WINNER Janet / Regan WINNER - LOSER Brian

14"Semi-final 2: Mandy Beacher vs. Kay Kershaw / Mark Everitt vs. Murray Stephen"16 December 1995 (1995-12-16)[14]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Zodiac, Vogue, Panther / Raider, Rhino, Warrior

Mandy 6 - 2 Kay / Mark 5 - 4 Murray

  • Event 2 - Hang Tough

Jet, Lightning / Wolf, Cobra

Mandy 6 - 2 Kay / Mark 5 - 4 Murray

  • Event 3 - Swingshot

Falcon, Vogue / Cobra, Trojan

Mandy 8 - 4 Kay / Mark 17 - 10 Murray

  • Event 4 - Gauntlet

Panther, Falcon, Jet, Lightning, Zodiac / Rhino, Trojan, Raider, Hunter, Cobra

Mandy 13 - 14 Kay / Mark 27 - 15 Murray

  • Event 5 - Pendulum

Zodiac, Lightning / Wolf, Hunter

Mandy 13 - 24 Kay / Mark 37 - 25 Murray

  • Eliminator

Mandy WINNER - LOSER Kay / Mark WINNER - LOSER Murray

15"Grand Final: Mandy Beacher vs. Janet Allen / Regan Pilkington vs. Mark Everitt"23 December 1995 (1995-12-23)[15]

  • Event 1 - Powerball

Zodiac, Vogue, Jet / Trojan, Rhino, Warrior

Mandy 0 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 6 Mark

  • Event 2 - Pyramid

Lightning, Zodiac / Hunter, Wolf

Mandy 0 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 16 Mark

  • Event 3 - Gauntlet

Vogue, Falcon, Panther, Lightning, Jet / Rhino, Trojan, Raider, Hunter, Cobra

Mandy 5 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 21 Mark

  • Event 4 - Hang Tough

Jet, Lightning / Wolf, Cobra

Mandy 5 - 2 Janet / Regan 0 - 21 Mark

  • Event 5 - Duel

Panther, Falcon / Warrior, Hunter

Mandy 10 - 7 Janet / Regan 10 - 21 Mark

  • Eliminator

Mandy LOSER - WINNER Janet / Regan LOSER - WINNER Mark

^1 Saracen’s mistimed tackle on Phil during Powerball injured his elbow, forcing him to retire from the event.
^2 Rhino's high tackle on Michael during Powerball caused him to break his knee and he was forced to retire before the first event was over.
^3 Nightshade picked up a concussion in Tilt after beating Jenny in the first pull, forcing her to retire from the event.

References
  1. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0001)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  2. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0002)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  3. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0003)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0004)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  5. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0005)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  6. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0006)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  7. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0007)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  8. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0008)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  9. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0009)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  10. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0010)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  11. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0011)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  12. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0012)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  13. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0013)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  14. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 0014)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  15. "GLADIATORS (EPISODE 15 - FINAL)". ITN Source. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
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