John Anderson (Gladiators) Interview

The entertainment show which took the nation by storm in the 90s is back and it's bigger, louder and more extreme than ever before. Ian Wright and Kirsty Gallacher preside, as 32 Contenders take on TV's toughest challenges in the hope of being crowned series champion and winning the £50,000 prize.

"Contender READY", "Gladiator READY" are words which can only be uttered by one man - John Anderson. The Glaswegian referee is back as the voice behind the whistle and the man charged with not only keeping the Gladiators and Contenders in check, but responsible for preparing them all for the challenge that lies ahead.

Beginning his career as a teacher, John went on to coach a range of athletes for the Commonwealth Games, European Championships, Olympic Games and World Championships. John was the referee and director of training on the original series of Gladiators.


How did you feel when you heard that Gladiators was coming back?

I was thrilled. I made my wife check the phone number to make sure it was real and someone wasn't playing a prank on me. And when it was real, there was a "wow" moment, as I realised that it really was going to happen. My life is very full, so I wasn't looking for this, but to be given the opportunity to reprise what I've already done and do it even better this time is a golden opportunity. It's been like one of those things you dream about, like winning the football pools or the lottery. It's fantastic to be mixing with all these wonderful young people who are doing brilliant things. The atmosphere is rejuvenating.

Given that it's eight years since the series ended, did the number of people that applied to take part surprise you?

Not at all, this show is magic. Everybody gets excited when you talk about Gladiators and everybody remembers their favourite Gladiator or event. When it was first announced that the series was coming back everybody wanted to be involved and when the show hits the screen and they announce the next series, there will be hundreds of thousands of applicants. Masses and masses of people will want to be both Contenders and Gladiators. There were thousands of applications this time when it was a fairly well-kept secret, but next time it will be public knowledge and we'll be overwhelmed with applicants.

What's your role in the new series?

I was asked to become a part of the production team and bring my knowledge from the original series to the new one. I have my own little team who've helped me through the selection process and I have three functions: the selection of the Gladiators and Contenders, the training of them and the refereeing.

When we get into the studio I'll change my uniform and become that little man with the big voice, shouting all the things that people have heard before, "Contender ready", "Gladiator ready". Those who remember the original series will want to hear "you will go on my first whistle" and all of those phrases.

How does the fitness of this year's applicants compare to those you saw 15 years ago?

The tests this time round were far more stringent than anything that was applied before. They were far more specific to what I have learnt about the requirements of the programme, so the tests were very hard, very searching and were designed to sort out the men from the boys and women from the girls. And they have done that.

How do the new Gladiators compare to the original ones?

The last set of Gladiators were wonderful people, but we're in the 21st-century now, we've moved on and I think the standard and expectation levels for both Gladiators and Contenders are much higher. The quality is going to be much higher. And having got the very best of the best, I now can't wait to get started on training those selected for what lies ahead in the show.

What can the audience expect from this new series?

They'll love meeting the new glads and they'll fall in love with all of them. They'll be so impressed with the quality, the size and the beauty. Right across the board this is a stunning group of Gladiators, they have great personalities and they're physically superb. And you can apply the same to the Contenders - they're also physically superb.

We're dealing with professionals here, people who know what they have to do and understand that they have to respond. And they also recognise that this isn't a sport, but a competitive entertainment for families and on the basis of that they have to perform in a certain way. What we communicate has to send a positive message about health and fitness and provide fantastic entertainment.

Do you still get recognised?

All the time. Last year my wife and I were in Tenerife walking along the promenade and all of a sudden I heard "Contender ready" and everyone was turning around to see what was going on. Because there are so many reruns, the original show is still relevant and the nice thing for me is that I'm asked to go into schools to award prizes or to give motivational talks. And I'm able to do work for charities, so Gladiators has been very beneficial for me because I've been able to help a lot of people.

If you were a Gladiator what would your name be?

Mighty Mouse! Although the original set of Gladiators christened me the Scotch Terrier.