Page 10 - Fujifilm Exposure_1 Michelle Pfeiffer_ok

Gladiators in
Gladiators in
C riticised as vulgar and Americanised must be eminently satisfying for Warwick and his keen that the dazzling visual style and enthusias-
team not least because when it began, criticism from sniffy media over here was matched by rigid controls from the American company which owns the show’s format.
“The show is a franchise of their idea and we have carte blanche within a framework of rules and regulations to make our own version. To be absolutely honest, our version is more ‘American’ than the American one but it became blatantly obvious - with all due modesty - that we were bet- ter at it than they were. Now all the world wants our production of Gladiators, not the American.”
With his own background in dance and chore- ography, Warwick is just as concerned with the fine detail as the broad sweep of his show, ever
before it ever arrived on our screens, it has taken what seems like the twinkling of an eye for Gladiators to become a national phenomenon. While it may be as British as McDonalds, the show’s popularity here is as great as ever.
“When we started we didn’t know who it would appeal to,” explains series producer Ken Warwick. “We probably thought it would be a good family show with sport and that its lifespan would be about three years. It’s actually gone twice that long and looks like it will go even further.”
After the last series - the Saturday night ITV audiences upwards of 10 million - the future indeed looks safe for these heroes in lycra. This
tic audience reactions should make for an exciting and atmospheric evening’s viewing.
“My prime concern as the producer is the ‘production value’ of what you’re looking at. My objective is that when people switch on they then don’t immediately switch over. The visual approach and the aesthetics of the programme are all important to the way the production is put together. They’re an integral part of it - as big as the games and the rules.”
With cricket, football and rugby league going down a more showbizzy route, the clear influence of Gladiators would seem to be all pervasive. Similarly, the British appetite for a sporting con- test, even if it’s often David Vs Goliath, is satisfied
EXPOSURE • 10 & 11