BBC Gladiators viewers do double take as contender mistaken for popular comedian

Viewers tuning into BBC for the second episode of Gladiators were left doing a double take on Saturday night (January 20). Many had mistaken one of the contenders for a Scottish comedian.

The iconic '90s gameshow made its comeback last week (Saturday January 13), with Bradley Walsh and his son Barney fronting all the action. The 11-episode series sees a new generation of Gladiators pit themselves against the public - including an Elite CrossFit athlete from Manchester, as well as a James Bond actor and two Olympians.

Gladiators take on contenders in new and old games, culminating with classic challenge The Eliminator. Viewers felt nostalgic when the show returned to screens last week.

As the first two contenders were introduced on Saturday night's show, viewers were left perplexed. John, 31, from Preston, was first up. Viewers heard how the occupational therapy student had previously smashed a world record by pulling a 1.5 tonne vehicle for 32 miles within 24 hours.

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Jake, 23, a steel worked from Sheffield was introduced next. He said he'd dreamed of being on Gladiators since he was 16 years old - and that he'd gotten into fitness from then on.

But viewers mistook John for a Scottish comedian Limmy, with many taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their confusion. Limmy, real name Brian Limond, 49, is perhaps best known for his comedy sketch shows on BBC Scotland, including Limmy's Show and Limmy's Homemade Show.

Having taken a step back from comedy, the social media personality now has a successful career as a Twitch streamer with nearly half a million followers watching his near-daily streams.

Sending a photo of Gladiators contender John