[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-mako-marler-first-celebrity-gladiator-bbc-2027":82,"category-counts-nav":98,"related-mako-marler-first-celebrity-gladiator-bbc-2027":108},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":96,"_path":97},"Mako Marler to become Gladiators' first celebrity contestant in 2027 return","mako-marler-first-celebrity-gladiator-bbc-2027","football","Feature","Marcus Wright","The ex-England rugby prop trades the scrum for the arena, set to compete as Mauler when Gladiators returns on the BBC in 2027.","2026-08-06 00:42:28","1 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fmako-marler-first-celebrity-gladiator-bbc-2027.webp",[93,94,95],"BBC","Gladiators","Rugby Union","## Marler takes name Mauler for Gladiators revival\n\nMako Marler has been confirmed as the BBC's first celebrity contestant for the upcoming revival of Gladiators. The former England rugby union prop will compete under the Gladiator name **Mauler** when series four airs in **2027**.\n\nThe BBC is opening its casting beyond the current Gladiator roster, recruiting high-profile athletes from outside traditional combat sports for the first time. Celebrity heats are standard on Gladiators formats in the United States, Australia, and Germany, and the corporation is following that international pattern while keeping the core competitive structure intact.\n\nMarler, **29**, earned **39 caps** for England between **2014 and 2021**, representing his country at the **2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups**. He spent the majority of his club career at Leicester Tigers, where he established himself as one of the Premiership's most physical props. The corporation has not yet disclosed which events Marler will compete in or who his opponents will be.\n\nSeries four of the revived Gladiators is scheduled to air in **2027**, continuing the programme's format that debuted on the BBC in **2024** after a **21-year** hiatus from British television. Retired contact-sport athletes are suited to Gladiators events, and the physical demands align closely with the conditioning of former rugby players, footballers, and boxers. Marler's profile as an England international brings recognition across demographics, particularly among viewers who do not follow combat sports regularly.\n\nMarler has not made a public statement about joining Gladiators. Since retiring, he has remained quietly involved in the sport through grassroots development programmes in the Midlands. Former Leicester Tigers teammate **George Kruis**, who earned over 40 England caps, is said to react with a mixture of pride and amusement when the news surfaces in conversation.","\u002Farticles\u002Fmako-marler-first-celebrity-gladiator-bbc-2027",[99,100,101,102,85,103,104,105,106,107],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[109,123,135],{"id":110,"stem":110,"path":111,"title":112,"category":85,"badge":113,"badgeType":114,"author":115,"authorRole":116,"authorInitials":117,"date":118,"readTime":119,"image":120,"imageAlt":112,"tags":121,"excerpt":122},"london-city-lionesses-sign-nicole-anyomi","\u002Farticles\u002Flondon-city-lionesses-sign-nicole-anyomi","London City Lionesses Land Germany Striker Anyomi in Statement Signing","Transfers","tag","Sarah Martinez","Transfer Correspondent","SM","2026-07-02 08:35:58","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F97f1\u002Flive\u002Fdf882c40-75e5-11f1-b2ef-f150187f763a.jpg","Women's Championship, Frauen-Bundesliga, Women's Super League","Nicole Anyomi's three-year move to London City Lionesses signals serious promotion ambitions in the Women's Championship.",{"id":124,"stem":124,"path":125,"title":126,"category":85,"badge":113,"badgeType":114,"author":127,"authorRole":128,"authorInitials":129,"date":130,"readTime":131,"image":132,"imageAlt":126,"tags":133,"excerpt":134},"everton-sign-mouchon-leicester-free-transfer-wsl-analysis","\u002Farticles\u002Feverton-sign-mouchon-leicester-free-transfer-wsl-analysis","Everton Land Mouchon: Leicester's Loss, Halberg-Stewart's Masterstroke","Elena Rossi","SportPulse Contributor","ER","2026-07-14 16:05:41","7 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002Ff2b8\u002Flive\u002Fed070c00-7f96-11f1-a5f4-433bb9aa2e5a.jpg","WSL, Women's Super League, Everton, Leicester City, Transfers","Everton secure France forward Noemie Mouchon on a free from Leicester, addressing their pressing need for positional intelligence and midfield connectivity.",{"id":136,"stem":136,"path":137,"title":138,"category":85,"badge":55,"badgeType":139,"author":87,"authorRole":128,"authorInitials":140,"date":141,"readTime":142,"image":143,"imageAlt":138,"tags":144,"excerpt":145},"japan-vs-sweden-world-cup-2026-group-f-preview","\u002Farticles\u002Fjapan-vs-sweden-world-cup-2026-group-f-preview","Japan and Sweden Meet With Group F Survival on the Line","category","MW","2026-06-25 21:33:44","5 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F89b77850967a719916ae92c6cc01498f478e8b44\u002F308_0_6215_4972\u002Fmaster\u002F6215.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f4699e1fc105db915a489834b6634793","FIFA World Cup 2026, Group F, Japan, Sweden","A pivotal Group F clash pits Japan's technical revolution against Sweden's disciplined rebirth in the expanded 2026 World Cup."]