Gladiators: Celebrity Special contestant Rob Beckett unwittingly created mischief by revealing his chosen ‘Gladiator name’ to Bradley Walsh on New Year’s Day.
Before descending on the reality TV assault course against Joel Dommett, the comedian spoke to Walsh about his own levels of fitness and which name he’d go for if he joined the Gladiator ranks alongside Viper, Bionic, Nitro, Electro and Dynamite; The Beaver.
Walsh, who’s always erred on the side of post-watershed cheekiness whilst presenting The Chase, proceeded to accuse Beckett of making a NSFW reference when he really wasn’t.
“Tell me Rob, how fit are you?” said Walsh after Beckett and Dommett chest-bumped each other infront of the Utilita Arena crowd in Sheffield.
“Uh, I’m fit enough for a chest pump and this conversation, but apart from that I’m already struggling for breath as it is because I’m overexcited, but I’m gonna give it a go and do it for the slightly overweight dads at home watching,” replied the celebrity contender, before the gameshow co-host put him on the spot for a second time.
“If you were a Gladiator, what would your name be?” he continued.
“Ooh… The Beaver!” answered Beckett, leading to Walsh’s face contorting in confusion.
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Moving slightly closer with the suggestion of a grin on his face, Walsh then asked if Beckett maybe had a backup name handy.
Blown away by Walsh’s imaginative perception, Beckett said The Beaver is linked to his teeth and not in fact anything to do with female anatomy.
“Oh…” laughed the presenter, bending over in hysterics. “Sorry!”
“Bradley! They’re strong and aggressive but that’s why I’m The Beaver. I’m an angry beaver and I’m up for it!” added the former 8 Out of 10 Cats team captain.
Soon after this chaotic opening, the star had to try and dodge four Gladiators on the Collision challenge.
Beckett began strongly and in a moment of awkward ingenuity fell to the base of the bridge and shuffled under the swinging Gladiators overhead.
Reflecting on his move, he told co-host Barney Walsh afterwards: “It wasn’t a tactic, I sort of went with it in the moment. I’ve always been a big fan of The Matrix, maybe that seeped in at some point…”
Gladiators airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
