The BBC has revealed the final set of superhuman Gladiators for the reboot of the iconic show, which will shoot at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena in June.
Completing the lineup, which also saw two new Gladiators unveiled on yesterday’s Morning Live, are Bionic, Electro, Phantom and the silent but deadly Viper.
Bionic is 6ft 6in Bodybuilder Matty Campbell, a former academy level footballer who switched to them gym while recovering from a car crash which ended his ambitions to turn pro-footballer.
Bionic (aka Matty Campbell) says: – “Never in a million years did I expect to get the call to be a Gladiator, it’s a feeling that’ll never sink in. I’m just a normal lad from Teesside! All the training and hard work has finally paid off for me, I can’t wait to get started!”
Jade Packer, aka Electro, is a “quick, electrifying, unstoppable force.” She is a former sprinter-turned-sports model, fitness coach and hybrid athlete. She got into Bodybuilding at the age of 18 after discovering the sport on Instagram and has won 4 x Top 3 UKBFF Placings in the Wellness Category, an invite to compete at the Arnold Classic and an IFBB Elite Pro Card by taking Gold at the English Grand Prix.
Packer said: “I hope Electro can spark an unstoppable pursuit for a new generation of athletes. I’m ready to light up the arena with a different kind of energy.”
Toby Olubi, aka Phantom, was part of the Team GB Bobsleigh team and competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In the same season, he and his team broke the world record for the fastest ever bobsleigh at 97 mph. They also made history by bringing home Great Britain’s first-ever gold medal in the 2018 Whistler World Cup. He has also been a sprinter at domestic level and has won the county championship for the UK men’s 60m sprints and has frequently competed in the British men’s 100m sprint Olympic qualifying championships.
He said: “This is a dream come true for me. I’m a 90’s kid so the Gladiators of past were my version of real life superheroes. Now I’ve got the chance to don the big “G” and be an inspirational figure myself.”
Finally, Viper is boxer and bodybuilder Quang Luong. Luong previously played a gangster in the James Bond movie Die Another Day, and true to form he is being touted as the new ‘Wolf’ – the love-to-hate-him baddie of the original nineties version of the show. Lunog said: “I was born to be a Gladiator. I am strong, powerful and just like a Viper I can attack with speed.”
Bionic, Electro, Phantom and Viper complete the Gladiators line up and join the previously announced Athena, Comet, Sabre, Apollo, Dynamite, Nitro, Diamond, Giant, Fire, Legend, Fury and Steel, and the BBC this afternoon also released the first look pic of the full complement of Gladiators Mk II.
