BBC Gladiators series 2 - Everything you need to know

The wait is over. Gladiators is back and tougher than ever!

Bradley and Barney Walsh kick off a new series of the iconic competition, which sees a fresh crop of gritty Contenders take on the superhuman Gladiators in five brutal events before going head-to-head in the gruelling Eliminator.

When is Gladiators back on the BBC? What time is it on?

The second Gladiators semi-final is on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 5 April from 5.50pm.

Who has the will and the skill to conquer the infamous Travelator and win a coveted place in the grand final?

Watch Gladiators on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist

Meet the Gladiators presenters

Bradley and Barney Walsh are back and ready for action and they've been giving us the inside track on what to expect from the second series.

• Read more: Gladiators hosts Bradley and Barney Walsh tease “tougher” series 2, the return of Atlaspheres and new event Unleash

Gladiators Series 2 New Events

Atlaspheres

Series 2 sees the return of a fan favourite event from the original series, Atlaspheres. But how does it work?

Host Bradley Walsh explains: "Atlaspheres, which fans of the original series will remember. The Contenders and Gladiators are inside huge metal hamster balls - the contenders need to roll themselves over set points in the arena to score points, whilst the Gladiators smash into them to try to stop them."

Unleash

Unleash is a brand new event.

"The contenders start in a smoke filled tunned and race around a track and up some steps to grab the winning flag, but an unknown Gladiator is unleashed behind them trying to chase them down," explains Barney Walsh. "You’re going to love it!"

Meet the new Gladiators joining the ranks for series 2

Two brand new Gladiators will be entering the arena during the series and are ready to put up a fight.

Cyclone is an Irish Powerlifter and Hammer is a World Rowing champion!

• Read more: Meet the new Gladiators joining the Class of 2025
• Meet Cyclone: Find out more about the "force of nature" putting contenders to the test