Gladiators 2023 Sheffield Arena: Applause Store issues update after ticket holders turned away from filming

Organisers have apologised to fans who were left disappointed after being turned away from filming for the new series of Gladiators at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
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Thousands of people who had booked free tickets online through Applause Store for the first day of filming for the BBC reboot of the hit 90s TV show are understood to have been unable to get in yesterday, Thursday, June 2, after many more tickets were sent out than there were seats available.

Some fans told how they had queued for more than two hours, only to be told shortly before the listed start time of 1pm that there was no space for them. Social media has been flooded with complaints from those who missed out, with one person branding the scale of the overbooking ‘absolutely disgusting’ and others calling the organisation ‘diabolical’ and describing scenes of ‘absolute chaos’.

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Applause Store has now responded to the criticism, with a spokesperson for the firm saying: “We apologise for any disappointment caused yesterday morning. Due to an unprecedented demand for tickets for the recording of Gladiators at Utilita Arena Sheffield, we reached full capacity sooner than anticipated, which meant we sadly couldn’t accommodate everyone that turned up for the recording of the show.

There were lots of upset Gladiators fans when they turned up to watch the show being filmed in Sheffield but there were not enough seats for everyone with a ticket (Photo: Tim Shelton)There were lots of upset Gladiators fans when they turned up to watch the show being filmed in Sheffield but there were not enough seats for everyone with a ticket (Photo: Tim Shelton)
There were lots of upset Gladiators fans when they turned up to watch the show being filmed in Sheffield but there were not enough seats for everyone with a ticket (Photo: Tim Shelton)

“As clearly stated on all our free tickets and on our website, entrance is on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to venue capacity and entrance is not guaranteed. All scanned tickets will receive priority tickets to a different show in the future.”

Some people have posted online that since the debacle on Thursday they have received notifications that their tickets for Gladiators have been cancelled, though all those who are affected should have been notified.

The new 11-episode series of Gladiators is being filmed before a live audience at Utilita Arena Sheffield between Thursday, June 1 and Sunday, June 11. The show is hosted by Bradley Walsh and his son Barney, with the new team of Gladiators including two former Team GB sprinters.

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Those who did make it inside the arena for the first day of filming were thrilled by what they saw, describing the show, which ended traditionally with contenders going head to head on the energy-sapping Eliminator, as ‘great’, ‘fantastic’ and an ‘excellent day out’.

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