Results tagged “Gladiators” from Birmingham Mail - Couch Potato

GLADIATORS (Sky One) went down a storm in my house last night.

My three nippers had only seen it for the first time on Saturday, but then they watched the second episode going out in real-time.

When the two male contenders both fell up the travelator at the end, they were bouncing all over the sofa like little powerballs.

I later came down to earth with Wild China (BBC2).

Never has there been a series more aptly timed after last week's earthquake.

It still takes ten minutes to tune into Bernard Hill's narration, but, once the pictures take over, there's no looking back.

This is a terrific insight into a country that is still so new to us - and yet the footage of the early botanical explorers was, perhaps, even more incredible than the new stuff.

ONE consequence of yesterday's awful weather was that I finally introduced Gladiators to my three youngsters.

I'd secretly kept a recording of its return last Sunday to Sky One ready to reward them with some good behaviour at the right time.

And, guess what... they absolutely loved its larger-than-life moments.

They enjoyed it in much the same way as I used to love It's a Knockout when I was a nipper (if only the verbally-challenged Ian Wright had Stuart Hall's eloquence, eh?).

Hopefully, by looking forward to it at 6pm on Sundays - what good scheduling! - they'll be determined to show me they deserve to see it on the night.

Any bad behaviour and they might have to wait for a few days.

Or I can always press 'delete'.

* Gladiators is back on Sky One tonight at 6pm.

ITV's old 90s' hit GLADIATORS returned to Sky One last night - and it's as if the show had never been away.

The channel and presenters might have changed - Ian Wright and Kirsty Gallacher instead of John Fashanu and Ulrika Jonsson - but it still felt like an authentically-updated version.

The cocky challengers were hilariously being found out just as quickly as ever and the 'water falls' added a real splash to events.

The problem I have with the show is recalling how agonisingly-long it used to take to film each bit at the NIA when ITV made it in Brum.

Anyone sitting in the audience would wait for what seemed like hours before someone would last about three seconds on top of the podium. And then the floor managers would try to get the fans clapping like mad seals.

So, every time I see the audience clapping like crazy I begin to wonder just how long they've been sitting there waiting to perform.

Sky sensibly seem to have speeded up the final broadcast version given that all viewers at home want is a piece of the action as quickly and as often as possible.

My big dilemma now is this.

Should I let my children know this series exists with the inevitable consequences that they'll be hooked - or should I keep quiet? Decisions, decisions...

HOW do you tell who is singing out of tune in I'd Do Anything?

Easy. Retreat to a different room so that you can still hear, but no longer see, your telly.

Even those of us who seem to be so tone deaf we can't sing for toffee, will be able to tell which of Andrew Lloyd Webber's warblers is wobbling.

Works every time, but especially tonight when Ashley got the old heave-ho.

Meanwhile, if the amazing weather forced you to miss the new series of Gladiators when it began at 6pm on Sky One tonight, don't forget that the first edition is repeated at 10pm tonight, Sunday and at 5pm tomorrow, Monday.

Just a thought... perhaps the girls on I'd Do Anything should be forced to Hang Tough. Maybe that would make 'em sing better. After all, you only swing when you're winning.

THE 2007-2008 Premiership soccer season will come to its exciting conclusion on Sunday and here's how to watch the key matches which will all kick off at 3pm.

Live Super Sunday (Sky Sports 1, 2pm) has Wigan Athletic v Manchester United, or you can press the channel's red button to see the 'interactive' match - Blues v Blackburn Rovers. They're on Sky 401 or Virgin 511.

Sky Sports 2 has Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers (Sky 402, Virgin 512).

And Setanta has the crumbs - Portsmouth v Fulham (Sky 429, Virgin 538).

With relegation from the promised land staring them in the face, Blues' fans, whether in the ground, at home or down the local boozer will barely be able to watch their match without devouring all of their fingernails.

The TV camera crews at St Andrew's would be well advised to spend half their time filming the crowd to see which fan has the filthiest habit.

As if all that excitement isn't enough, don't forget that Sky is relaunching Gladiators (Sky One, 6pm) with Ian Wright and Kirsty Gallacher replacing John Fashanu and Ulrika Jonsson.

The format's original presenters were always a cold pairing in my view. A bit like adding two ice cubes to a freezer and expecting it to warm up.

In retrospect, isn't it funny peculiar how Fash was always known as Fash The Bash and Ulrika will now always be known as The Bashed?

Talking of Ulrika, it's ten years ago today (May 10) since Dana International was being paraded before the world's media at the Council House in Birmingham on the morning after the night before when she'd won the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest at the NIA.

Programme co-host Ulrika was nowhere to be seen.

(Terry Wogan was also missing, too, but at least El Tel had spoken to the Mail in the run-up to the show in order to contribute to our bumper colour supplement).

Miss Johnson (there's no point using any other term when you've had soooo many chaps in your life) had declined. Something to do with it being cloudy on the day of our planned interview and not wanting to be photographed.

I didn't understand her reasoning at the time (relayed through a third-party producer), but maybe her life since goes someway to explaining everything.

Previously, I'd once interviewed her on the sofa at the old TV-am office in Birmingham when she was a weather girl.

Yes, she was gorgeously pretty in one sense. But, although it was summer, I nearly caught a chill.

Thank goodness for industrial-strength undies, eh!