Gladiators ready ahead of Birmingham reunion

Families sat mesmerised in front of the box as mere mortals took on the Lycra-wearing super-humans we only knew as Wolf, Jet & Co in a variety of games, before the ultimate challenge – The Eliminator.

Gladiators was the ultimate Saturday night family show and now, 15 years later, the stars have been reunited for a documentary airing tonight on ITV.

Anderson, presenter Ulrika Jonsson and Gladiators Wolf, Lightning, Jet, Ace, Hunter and Saracen were taken back to Birmingham to remember the show that gripped the country for the two-part series, The Saturday Night Story.

Narrated by Stephen Mulhern, the series takes a look back at some of the best-loved Saturday night moments and tells the stories behind some of our favourite shows and biggest names in entertainment past and present.

In tonight's first instalment, which airs at 8pm, Gladiators including bad-boy Wolf and glamour-puss Jet are reunited by Jonsson at the Barclaycard Arena, which was the NIA back when the show was filmed there.

Arriving at the arena, Ulrika said: "For me this is really, really nostalgic. Gladiators was a huge part of my life. I haven't been back here since 1999 so it feels very strange. When I first walked into the arena I just remember We Will Rock You blaring out, the smoke and huge people with muscles and Lycra. It made me feel terrified."

In tonight's show, viewers also get to see where the former Gladiators are now.

One of the most popular was Diane Youdale, 45, who as Jet was famed for her model looks and long flowing hair. Youdale was forced to retire due to a neck injury and since found a new life as a psychotherapist.

She remembers being embarrassed that she was being ogled by the audience, thinking: 'They're looking at my bum.'

And who could forget the ultimate bad boy of the show, Wolf? Now aged 63, Michael Van Wijk, runs a chain of gyms in New Zealand. The longest serving female star was Lightning, aka gymnast Kim Betts, from Burntwood. A previous member of Lichfield Olympic Gymnastic Club and winner of Willenhall BB Show, she went on to run a range of businesses including a farm and a beauty parlour.

Also at the reunion was Ace, or Warren Furman, who became an evangelist.

Hunter, bodybuilder James Crossley, was famed for his off-screen romance with Jonsson, who greets him as 'dreamboat' at the reunion. Since the show he has tried his hand at acting.

And Gladiators' 'Mr Nice Guy' Saracen, aka firefighter Mike Lewis, was most recently seen in ITV show Ninja Warrior.

The documentaries also feature interviews with stars of Saturday night TV past and present including Ant and Dec, Jonathan Ross, Vernon Kay and Bruce Forsyth.