Gladiators tuck into pancakes at The Cabin cafe ahead of filming for BBC show at Utilita Arena Sheffield

They visited The Cabin pancake, waffle and coffee house on Fitzwilliam Gate, in Sheffield city centre, on Wednesday for a hearty meal before taking on their first batch of contenders at the Utilita Arena Sheffield, where shooting for the new 11-episode TV series began today Thursday, June 1, and is scheduled to continue until Sunday, June 11.

The hit 90s show is being rebooted, with a new team of Gladiators seeking to dispatch the contenders in a series of physical challenges, before those contestants who are left standing go head to head on the gruelling Eliminator obstacle course.

Jack Taylor, general manager at The Cabin, told The Star how nine members of the cast had visited on Wednesday afternoon. He said they had ordered ‘quite a lot of food, as you can imagine, but a couple of them were defeated by our portion sizes’. He added that they had been ‘really lovely’, posing for photos with staff and other diners.

One of the new Gladiators, the muscle-bound Jamie Christian-Johal, whose akathegiant Instagram account has more than 140,000 followers, had visited before, Jack explained, and taken on The Cabin’s famous food challenge, in which customers are given 30 minutes to down six pancakes or waffles with three double toppings of their choice.

Jamie, whose Gladiators name is the Giant, is still one of only two people Jack has seen complete the challenge, albeit with only a few minutes to spare. Jack explained that when he was asked if he would take on the challenge another time he had replied ‘never again’.

Jack also told how he had seen The Chase presenter and former Doctor Who star Bradley Walsh, who is hosting the show along with his son Barney, at the Ale Club on Ecclesall Road this week.

The new 16-strong team of Gladiators also includes, among others: Karenjeet Kaur Bains, a five-time British powerlifting champion who is also an accountant, and goes by the name Athena on the show; NFL star Alex Gray, as Apollo; former Team GB sprinter and Olympic bobsledder Montell Douglas, as Fire; and the Commonwealth and World gold medal-winning sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, as Nitro.

Officiating this time around are ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, former English international netball player Sonia Mkoloma and firefighter, athlete and fitness professional Lee Phillips.