I'm pleased the article mentions our version as a positive model but what they describe doesn't bear much resemblance. It sounds more like generic 'reality' stuff, with less focus on the events and more on the training and personal stories. I suppose it wouldn't be too bad if it turned out like The Games, they did well to stretch 2 events to a whole hour.
If it were to be revived here, could we really trust ITV Productions to do as good a job as LWT?
For a change, the American version of Gladiators was always more about the sport and was never as glitzy and tacky as the UK incarnation - there was no music during events, over the top catchphrases from referees (and no need for the referee's voice to be played through the PA system), or Queen tracks played over people pointing oversized foam hands when someone looses - oh and the presenters had no walk on.
Indeed, when international Gladiators was done here, the US guys always seemed to find it a bit hard fitting in with the OTT way in which our show was done.
It pretty much sounds like the new AG is just going to be a remake of UK Gladiators.
Funny you should say that, I've often heard AG referred to as over the top and camp compared to Gladiators. I think they toned it down in later seasons but my memory could be faulty, only got to see a few on ITV Nighttime.
I hope to god ITV will follow in their footsteps. There has hardly ever been any decent programmes for Saturday evenings in the past few years. I just hope they don't kill it like what they did with other reincarnations, like The Price Is Right and Supermarket Sweep.
I've seen clips of AG and the referees and hosts in International Gladiators are more irritating then being in the same taxi with Jade Goody and Nikki Grahame.
Funny you should say that, I've often heard AG referred to as over the top and camp compared to Gladiators. I think they toned it down in later seasons but my memory could be faulty, only got to see a few on ITV Nighttime.
I watched the last 4 or so seasons on ITV Nighttime, and struggled through the earlier ones dubbed into German on DSF when I still had analogue Astra available.
AG's big centrepiece at it's start was that it was made to look like a Roman Gladiator arena, with hooded judges giving thumbs up/down. This was abandoned after only 1 series. The remainder of the series was very in your face in an American kind of way but once they gave up on the novelty format it was presented as any other sports as general entertainment programming would be and was not IMO specifically camped up for it's own sake in the way the UK Gladiators was.
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I've seen clips of AG and the referees and hosts in International Gladiators are more irritating then being in the same taxi with Jade Goody and Nikki Grahame.
I saw that more as a problem with them having to present in a different style - Mike Adamle was not used to having a walk on at the start of the show or to have to speak beyond analysis and after-game interviews. Larry Thompson was not used to being miked up and having his initiation of games a ridiculoulsy drawn out focal point.
The only time I can ever remember a camped up AG was a one off charity special featuring people like Dean Caine when Mike Adamle also competed.
