Joe Marler becomes BBC's first celebrity Gladiator
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- Joe Marler, the 36-year-old former England rugby international from Heathfield, Sussex, will take the persona "Mauler" and become the first celebrity Gladiator when the BBC show's fourth series airs in 2027.
- Marler also competed in the first series of Celebrity Traitors and announced the Gladiators news via an Instagram video filmed in the show's dressing room, declaring "Mauler will see you now."
- The BBC described Marler's upcoming role as "special appearances packed with power, personality and plenty of surprises," and filming for the fourth series is already under way in Sheffield.
- Marler will join existing Gladiators Nitro, Viper, Diamond, and Sabre, with the BBC praising his "uncompromising style of play and larger-than-life sense of humour."
- Gladiators originally ran on ITV in the 1990s — where Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies joined as "Amazon" in 1995 — before Sky revived it for two series in 2008 and the BBC relaunched it in 2024.
- A separate celebrity spin-off of Gladiators is also in development, set to feature contestants including presenter AJ Odudu, comedian Sara Pascoe, podcaster Chris Ramsey, and social media star George Clarke.
Why it matters: Marler's signing marks the BBC's first experiment with a celebrity Gladiator competing against regular contenders, blurring the line between the show's two formats while the corporation prepares a full celebrity spin-off for a separate series. The move gives the recently relaunched franchise a high-profile sporting draw as it builds toward its fourth series in 2027.
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