Gladiators fans are heartbroken after one of the original show’s legends claimed BBC executives turned down his son for the recent revival.
Wolf, who was a major part of the ITV show in the 1990s, has shared a photo of his lookalike son Dean and claimed he was never invited to audition for the BBC’s hit reboot.
The hulking contestant, real name Michael Van Wijk, appeared on eight seasons of the original game show and has accused the broadcaster of attempting to ‘write their own narrative’.
Alongside a side by side photo with his son on Instagram, he said: ‘My eldest son Dean who is awesome all round athlete asked to be auditioned by the BBC.
‘But unfortunately the BBC want nothing to do with the original gladiators and only want to write their own narrative.
‘They did not even give him an audition, which is a real shame as I personally think he would make a great gladiator.’
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His followers agreed, as fans flooded the comments, insisting that the BBC had squandered a golden opportunity by not featuring the son of an original Gladiator on the show.
‘The SON of the WOLF as a current Gladiator would have made a legendary TV moment,’ commented @hokuto_shinken_c.a, while @crosslandlouise added: ‘Awwwww that is very unfair. Wow he is your double xx’
‘Dude this is rubbish! I think it would be brilliant! What a missed opportunity for the BBC,’ argued @gunner_rock_, with @adamthebearherbert replying: ‘They are missing a trick there! Such a shame.’
Fan @helen_berrington described it as ‘short sighted’, adding: ‘Having OG Gladiators involved can only make the show even better.’
However, not everyone agreed, as a different follower insisted the current Gladiators are a ‘great’ fit for the show without leaning on the past.
@neillucia wrote: ‘Cry more wolf. Your time has been and gone. We loved you back then, but just because he is your son, does that mean he gets bumped to the front of the queue??
‘Nah. The current gladiators are great . BBC has done a good job.’
Finlay Anderson and Marie-Louis Nicholson were crowned champions last month, and fans are already excited to apply for series two and compete against Viper, Legend, Phantom, Comet, Dynamite, and Fury.