Matty Campbell and Jodie Ounsley The Gladiators 2024: Everything you need to know about Yorkshire contestants bodybuilder Bionic and rugby player Fury who has won the coal race many times

One of the most popular sports entertainment game shows will be returning to screens on BBC One and will be hosted by father and son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh.

It will see a new generation of Gladiators competing against a brave set of contenders in the ultimate test of speed and strength.

Contestants will participate in a series of brand-new games alongside classic challenges including the popular The Eliminator.

Gladiators aired its first episode on Saturday, January 13, 2024 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Each episode will air on a Saturday until March 23, 2024.

There are 16 Gladiators competing including two from Yorkshire - Bionic and Fury.

Who is Gladiator contestant Bionic (Matty Campbell)?

The bodybuilder grew up in Middlesbrough and as a child he used to sprint and play football, reaching Academy Level.

His dream was to become a Pro until he was involved in an accident, it was his rehabilitation that resulted in him discovering his passion for the gym.

Before his accident, he had never been a gym-goer, but he found out he had a talent for training and he began gaining muscle. He soon fell in love with the gym and subsequently started bodybuilding.

He is now 6ft 6 in height, his bicep is 48cm and he can deadlift 300kg, which is the same as lifting 66 PS5 consoles.

When discussing which game plays to his strengths and where he would say he should be most feared as an opponent, Mr Campbell told the BBC: “Duel and Gauntlet. They require a lot of strength and power, but I think people will be surprised when they watch me on Collision. I’m more than just a big brute who will knock you off a podium… but I will do that too.”

Who is Gladiator contestant Fury (Jodie Ounsley)?

The rugby union player is from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and was born prematurely. She needed medication which impacted her hearing and became profoundly deaf.

She has a cochlear implant as a toddler, becoming the youngest person in the country to undergo the procedure.

Ms Ounsley has always been a high achiever in sports as she was the junior world coal carrying champion four times and won five sprint titles at the Deaf Athletics Championship, and won a gold medal at the British Open Brazilian jiu-jitsu finals.

She attended Shelley College where her sporting endeavours were initially halted by a knee injury known as Osgood Schlatter Disease. She began playing rugby in October 2015 and by May 2016 was top try scorer for her age group Sandal Girls RUFC team and was representing Yorkshire under-15s.

Ms Ounsley then studied a degree in sports coaching at Loughborough College. She now plays for Premier 15s side Exeter Chiefs Women as a Winger.

In February 2020, she was included in the GB Women rugby sevens provisional squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. Ms Ounsley won the Deaf Sports Personality of the Year 2020 award. In July 2020, she joined Premier 15s side Sale Sharks Women and she signed for Exeter Chiefs Women in 2022.

In May 2023, she was named ‘Fury’. She is 5ft 7 in height, her bicep is 34cm and she is the first ever deaf Gladiator in history and describes it as her superpower.

She told the BBC why she decided to compete on the show: “The biggest reason is because my dad was a contender in a previous series, so Gladiators has been a big part of our family since I was little.

“I loved watching how physical the Gladiators were but then I also loved watching my dad go through the process as well, so he’s clearly been a massive influence and it's pretty cool that I can do it too.”

When describing how she would sum up the new series in a few short words, Ms Ounsley said: “Savage. Exciting. Fresh. I think it's cool because they've kept it very much like the original but then they've also added a really nice, modern twist on it.

“I think people will like that it’s not completely changed it or that we’ve tried to make it something that isn't. We have just tried to expand on something that was already great.”

The game that plays most to her strengths is The Ring.

“It is one of the new games and it is a dream come true for me. It plays to my strengths, as you get to tackle the contenders.

“All the contender has to do is run past me and touch the button in the middle. I'm used to people using footwork to literally step and try and get past me, but going up against the contenders, they were just going directly at me and as a tackler that’s easy.”