This is a list of Gladiators UK events featured in the UK version of Gladiators.
Original series events The following events appeared during the original eight-year run of the UK series of Gladiators. In total there were 24 televised events with the Eliminator being the only event to appear in every episode.
The event line-up changed from series to series, with new events being added every series; however, over the years some events were dropped for safety reasons, and some never made it onto screen.
Atlaspheres First appearance: series 1, 1992 – heat 1
The first event ever shown on Gladiators in 1992. The two contenders and two Gladiators were enclosed in large spherical cages weighing around that they had to propel from within. The contenders' task was to roll the atlasspheres onto any of the four scoring pods. When a pod was activated the score was registered by a plume of smoke and the contender scored 3 points. They were given 60 seconds to score as many points as they could in this fashion, whilst the Gladiators had to block the contenders from scoring. It was crucial that the contenders get the atlasphere into the dead-centre of a pod in order to score. This round holds the record for most objections where video replays demonstrated the referees had made the correct decision. Contenders were not allowed to score on the same pod twice unless they had already scored on or at least made an attempt on another since their last visit. Gladiators were not allowed to double-team a contender and could only keep them confined for ten seconds. The event's signature tune was "We Will Rock You" by Queen. The event was sometimes modified for celebrity specials, in which either two Gladiators faced three contenders, or three Gladiators faced three contenders from a standing start. From series 7 onwards, 2 contenders faced 3 Gladiators
The event returned for series 12 (BBC series 2). Instead of plumes of smoke coming from the pods, the floor display lights up red or blue depending on which contender rolled over it and each time this happened the contender scored 2 points. All other rules remained the same as the original version.
Catapult First appearance: series 7, 1998 – heat 4 Last appearance: series 7, 1998 – quarter final 3
Two contenders faced two Gladiators. Each competitor was attached to a bungee cord and on the whistle they began to bounce up and down. The contenders scored 2 points by throwing balls into octagonal goals situated behind the Gladiators, whilst the Gladiators attempted to stop the contenders from scoring by blocking the goals. Each game lasted 60 seconds. The event had some modification to its gameplay between its initial concept and first outing, with the official 1998 programme mentioning a “volleyball-style net” situated between contenders and Gladiators. It was modified into the event that made it onto screen as this was deemed more exciting.
Danger Zone First appearance: series 1, 1992 – heat 1 Last appearance: series 7, 1998 – quarter final 3
Contenders, one at a time, made their way across the arena whilst dodging tennis balls fired at high speed by a Gladiator. Between the start and finish were stations where the contender was shielded from the Gladiator's fire, and where they could attempt, using a projectile weapon, to hit a target above the Gladiator. Each of the stations self-destructed at ten-second intervals and their weapons were rendered unusable (a difference from the US version, named Assault, which did not have a limit). Successful shots on the target ended the game, earning the contender 10 points. However, contestants could still earn 5 points (10 points in series 1) by reaching the end of the course without being hit and touching a second, lower target. If the contender did not hit either the target above the Gladiator or reach the lower target, they were awarded 1 point for each weapon fired. If the contender was hit directly by a tennis ball (ricochets off the floor, station or weapon did not count), they were eliminated but would receive 1 point for each weapon fired.
Dogfight First appearance: series 7, 1998 – heat 1 Last appearance: series 7, 1998 – semi-final 2
Contender and Gladiator were each strapped into an airship suspended above the arena floor. The aim was to hit the glowing chest plate on their opponent using a combat club. Two successful hits resulted in the loser being automatically released from their harness onto the safety net below. Each hit was registered by a pyro explosion. One hit from the contender earned 5 points, while sending the Gladiator flying within the 30-second time limit earned them 10. Decisions were frequently reviewed as the equipment did not always register direct hits. The event's signature tune was "Up in a Puff of Smoke" by Polly Brown.
Duel First appearance: series 1, 1992 – heat 1
Regarded by many as the signature event of Gladiators and known as Joust in the US series, a contender and a Gladiator were each placed atop an elevated platform a short distance apart. Armed with a pugil stick (often referred to as a giant cotton bud), they attempted to cause the other to fall from their platform within the 30-second time limit. This could be achieved with either an offensive or a defensive strategy, although some contenders automatically lost if they made no attacking move towards the Gladiator. If either competitor touched their opponent, their opponent's pugil stick or platform with anything other than the padded ends of their own pugil stick, this also led to an automatic loss as did losing a pugil stick. Contenders scored 10 points for knocking the Gladiator off or 5 points for remaining on their platform for the duration or, in some cases, if the Gladiator was found to have started just before the whistle before knocking the contender off. If a contender falls off, "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen is played in the background.
The Sky series version of the event had the same rules and scoring system, but was played above water rather than crash mats.
The BBC version saw the return of the crash mats and it works similarly to the ITV version, although the platforms are both closer together and joined with a rigid bar, sometimes this would lead to someone to step or fall onto the opponent's platform causing the offender to lose.
The Eliminator First appearance: series 1, 1992 – heat 1
The final event, and the only event seen in every episode; this was a contender against contender obstacle course. The first contender to complete the Eliminator course would win the episode and progress to the next round. Unlike in the American version, the Gladiators would have no involvement with this round. Points gathered throughout the episode were used to determine a head start. For every point the contender with the higher score was ahead, 0.5 seconds would be added to their head start. Once a winner was determined, the runner-up was encouraged to finish the course anyway.
Each obstacle on the course had rules which were only explained to viewers if there was a potential violation, and if the referee was not satisfied that the contender crossed an obstacle properly, he could demand that they retake it.
The first obstacle was originally a cargo net with a steel slide and a scramble sheet. In series 2 this was replaced by high-and-low beams and a rope climb. The high-and-low beams were a set of four hurdles to scale; the high hurdles needing to be scaled while the low ones needed to be rolled under. In series 5, a new obstacle was placed between the high-and-low beams and the rope climb, called Spaghetti Junction which is a bungee maze where contenderes are required to climb through a series of elastic ropes. The second low hurdle was removed from the course to make room. In series 6, the Spaghetti Junction was replaced by a double-sided cargo net with a trampoline at its base; both sides needed to be scaled to pass.
After the scramble sheet/rope climb, contenders would cross from one platform to another; the females on a hand ladder while males used a hand bike; falling from these meant the contender had to wait for ten seconds before continuing. They then crossed to a third platform by running across rolling beams, which were replaced by two trapezes in series 6. After this, contenders would climb a vertical cargo net up to a gantry, where they would take a zip line down to a crash mat on the arena floor. Following this, they traversed a balance beam, which was introduced in series 2. During series 6, the single balance beam was replaced with two seesaws. Each had a teeter-totter mechanism; the contenders needed to negotiate the obstacle without falling off and had to make certain their feet touched a yellow mark at the end of each seesaw, though this was only a rule during the heats as from the quarter-finals onwards, the yellow mark was not included on the seesaws.
The final obstacle was the travelator, which was an incline into which two belts running toward the floor were installed. The object was to scale the ramp while running against the belts. When attempting the travelator, contenders were not allowed to use the covers on either side of the moving belt to help them get up. Once atop the travelator, contenders then grabbed a rope and used it to burst through a paper barrier to finish. When it was unclear which contender won, producers would watch a replay to determine who had torn the paper wall at the end first; in series 1, one heats Eliminator was declared a dead heat after replays, and both contenders entered onto the leaderboard for a place in the semi-finals, although neither ultimately progressed.
A new version was created for the Sky 1 series, and incorporated an underwater swim in the pool at the beginning. This feature caused contenders to become fatigued sooner, and being wet made some obstacles harder to overcome. As a result, the travelator would sometimes need to be slowed down or even stopped to help the contender finish the course. The order of obstacles in the rebooted series was as follows: underwater swim, cargo net, cotton reel (series 9 (Sky series 1) only), fireman's rope (series 9 (Sky series 1) only), floor travelator (series 10 (Sky series 2) only), monkey bars (women)/hand bike (men), balance beam, pyramid, zipline and travelator.
The BBC series' version of the Eliminator was similar to the original version, consisting of high-and-low beams (Two high hurdles and one low hurdle like the last four series of the ITV version), rope climb, monkey bars (For both genders unlike in prior versions which had monkey bars for female and hand bike for males), trapeze (Only one, unlike the last three series of the ITV version which had two), cargo net, zipline, balance beam, the travelator and the paperburst. For the 2024 New Year's Day celebrity special, the rope climb has knots and the monkey bars were replaced with a balance beam. The 2025 Christmas celebrity special onwards also altered the balance beam so that it dips in the middle, making it more difficult. Any red section on the beam must be touched or the contender will have to start again.
Gauntlet First appearance: series 2, 1993 – heat 6