Gladiators fans are feeling downcast as the iconic show is removed from the BBC's weekend line-up.
Regular BBC One viewers are accustomed to settling in every Saturday at 7pm for the latest instalment of the revived Gladiators series—where recently, the daughter of boxing sensation Frank Bruno demonstrated her athletic skills.
However, if they tune in tonight (March 29) expecting the thrill of the semi-finals, they're set for a letdown.
The broadcasting of the FA Cup quarter-final clash between Brighton and Nottingham Forest has resulted in the latest Gladiators episode being axed.
The FA Cup coverage kicks off at 5pm, putting all regular shows on pause until 7.30pm, when soap aficionados can indulge in their next episode of Casualty.
Fear not, Gladiators will return to screens on the following Saturday, April 5. An announcement from the Gladiators Instagram page reassured followers: "We're back on your TV screens Saturday 5th April, when our Semi-Finals conclude. In the meantime, catch up on every episode so far on @bbciplayer! #Gladiators."
The interruption has certainly ruffled feathers among fans, with one voicing their discontent: "What are we supposed to do without Sabre Saturdays? ?" While another lamented the sports scheduling: "Get rid of the football. Gladiators is better!", reports the Daily Star.
"WTF! ! ! No Gladiators today! Fumin'ell," an irked fan expressed on X, formerly known as Twitter. And another chimed in, exasperated by the schedule changes: "Great, no #Gladiators tonight because of bloody football again".
The semi-finals will wrap up with the tenth episode of season two. The episode's synopsis states: "Bradley and Barney Walsh return to host the all-action competition, as another set of contenders take on the Gladiators in five brutal events before they face the Eliminator."
The grand finale of this year's series is scheduled for April 12. Gym owner Amanda from Warrington, and Joe F from Scarborough, have already secured their spots as finalists.
This follows further disruption to the BBC's schedule due to Comic Relief. The Comic Relief special, which aired at 7pm on Friday (March 21), replaced BBC One's usual programmes, such as The One Show, and pushed back The Death in Paradise finale to yesterday (March 28).
The Red Nose Day special featured Inbetweeners stars James Buckley and Joe Thomas portraying the once feuding Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher for the main sketch. James expressed his excitement about being a "huge Oasis fan" and how playing Liam was "a dream come true".
"I had such a fun time with Joe, making this sketch for Comic Relief, and was honoured to be asked to be a part of it," he added. Joe described the experience as "both thrilling and nerve-wracking", adding: "I grew up watching Comic Relief and the big sketch was always a highlight of the night."
The Inbetweeners, which ran from 2008 until 2010, starred James and Joe alongside Simon Bird (Will McKenzie) and Blake Harrison (Neil Sutherland). The series was adapted into two films - one in 2011 and another in 2014.
Joe revealed on James Gill's Always Be Comedy podcast that discussions about reviving The Inbetweeners have taken place in various capacities. He shared: "All of us feel it would be nice to do. We're all still around, we're all still in each other's lives. We all still like each other."
He added: "And if it was something that came up, I think we would want to do it. I feel like we all still really like each other. We've all been able to go away and get various monkeys off our backs, in terms of things that we felt we needed to do other than The Inbetweeners to prove something to ourselves."
Gladiators returns to BBC One on Saturday, April 5
English (United States) ·