Louise Minchin and Joel Dommett to take on the Gladiators in celebrity special

Broadcaster Louise Minchin, TV presenter Joel Dommett, comedian Rob Beckett and actress Ellie Taylor are set to go head-to-head in a Gladiators celebrity special.

The four famous faces will have their speed, strength and endurance tested when they take on the “superhuman” Gladiators in a series of challenges.

They will then be pushed further when they compete against each other in the gruelling obstacle course, named the Eliminator.

Former BBC Breakfast presenter and triathlete Minchin said she is “so excited” to be on the show after watching it for years and thinking it looked like “terrifying fun”.

The 55-year-old took up endurance sport after competing in a Christmas cycling challenge for the BBC in 2012 and has gone on to compete internationally for the GB triathlon team in her age group.

Comedian and Survivor and Masked Singer host Dommett revealed it had been a dream of his to get on the show’s travelator.

“I’ve been illegally running up escalators backwards all my life in preparation and now it’s happening for real,” he added.

“Super excited to be up against all my favourite muscley people in leotards and have some fun.”

Earlier this year he ran the London Marathon while dressed in the Piranha costume, which weighed around 8kg, from The Masked Singer to help raise funds for the charity Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

Ted Lasso and Strictly star Taylor said her taking part on the show is the answer to “What’s the most elaborate thing you’d do to get your five-year-old a foam finger?”

She added: “We all love the show in my house and I’m so excited to take part.

“I can’t wait to get chased by athletic goddesses and ask Viper about his childhood.”

Taylor competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 with professional dancer Johannes Radebe, with the pair being eliminated just before the quarter-final.

Stand-up and 8 Out Of 10 Cats team captain Beckett said: “I can’t wait to be absolutely crushed by the Gladiators in front of my wife and children in Spandex whilst I watch Joel Dommett and his six-pack sprint past me on the travelator.

“This is going to be a catastrophic humiliation in front of the nation. I’ve got no idea why I agreed to this. Is it too late to pull out?”

The competition show, which was originally broadcast from 1992 to 2000 in the UK, returned to screens earlier this year with 16 new “superhumans” comprised of Olympians, bodybuilders and weightlifting champions.

The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh and his son Barney hosted the 11-episode series, which saw Marie-Louise Nicholson and Finlay Anderson crowned the winners.

It has been confirmed that the show will return for a second series.

The one-hour special will air on BBC One and iPlayer.