As part of the announcement, the BBC named the four brave celebrities taking on the Gladiators in its series of elaborate, if whimsical, challenges.

Stand up Rob Beckett, regular BBC presenter and triathlete Louise Michin, comedian and presenter Joel Dommett and comic actor Ellie Taylor will all be testing their speed, strength and endurance against the elite athletes.

Beckett, who’s not exactly averse to humiliating himself in hilarious challenges, having done so regularly in Rob & Romesh Vs…, said: “I can’t wait to be absolutely crushed by the Gladiators in front my wife and children in spandex whilst I watch Joel Dommett and his six pack sprint past me on the Travelator.”

The Travelator is the iconic treadmill that forms one of the toughest parts of the infamous final round: the Eliminator, which sees the Contenders and Gladiators race an obstacle course, head-to-head.

“This is going to be a catastrophic humiliation in front of the nation,” Beckett continued, “I’ve got no idea why I agreed to this. Is it too late to pull out?”

Taylor, who starred as Sassy in Ted Lasso, said: “Me being on Celeb Gladiators is the answer to the question “What’s the most elaborate thing you’d do to get your five-year-old a foam finger?”. We all love the show in my house and I'm so excited to take part! I can’t wait to get chased by athletic goddesses and ask Viper about his childhood.”

Presented by father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh, the 2024 reboot was a huge hit for the BBC. The Walshes introduced viewers to 16 new Gladiators: Sabre, Legend, Nitro, Diamond, Phantom, Athena, Bionic, Fire, Giant, Dynamite, Viper, Electro, Apollo, Comet, Steel and Fury.

An average of 8.3 million fans were cheering on their favourites across the eleven episodes, earning a second series that was confirmed prior to the announcement of the special.

Gladiators: Celebrity Special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.