Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell - S9 EP3: Rob 'The Beaver' Beckett goes on Gladiators

Episode Date: September 3, 2024

In this episode Rob and Josh discuss the before and after of Rob appearing as a contestant on the hit TV show Gladiators. All that and and even more misadventures in parenting, life, and beyond... Please follow and leave a rating and review you filthy street dogs... xx If you want to get in touch with the show with any correspondence, kids intro audio clips, small business shout outs, and more.... here's how: EMAIL: [e-mail] INSTAGRAM: @parentinghell Parenting Hell is a Spotify Podcast, available free everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. MAILING LIST: parentinghellpodcast.mailchimpsites.com Join the mailing list to be first to hear about live show dates and tickets, Parenting Hell merch and any other exciting news... A 'Keep It Light Media' Production  Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, I'm Rob Beckett. And I'm Josh Willicombe. Welcome to Parenting Hell, the show in which Josh and I discuss what it's really like to be a parent, which I would say can be a little tricky. So to make ourselves and hopefully you feel better about the trials and tribulations of modern day parenting, each week we'll be chatting to a famous parent about how they're coping. Or hopefully how they're not coping.

And we'll also be hearing from you, the listener, with your tips, advice, and of course, tales of parenting woe. Because let's be honest, there are plenty of times where none of us know what we're doing. Now at JoeFresh, get 25% off all children's apparel, only until Monday, September 2nd. Shop smart with one cart and check everything off

your back to school list all in one place. Now that's some smart shopping conditions and exclusions apply see in store or joefresh.com for details. Hello you're listening to Parents in Hell with... Can you say Rob Beckett? Rob Beckett. Can you say Josh Whittekam? Josh Whittekam. Good job Bebba.

Oh nice. Bristol. Yes. Yeah, I'm ready. Yeah, you read it. I'm gonna play it for you because your phone did download it. It's been fun. Yeah, I know this person's high parenting hell team. Oh, that really does. The team the professional operation we're operating teams here though. The full, the big team. The professional operation we're operating in. The full team's here though, isn't it? That's three. The full team. The start of Facebook, just us three. I've been a long time listener since 2022. Just a while after I had my first kid and find I don't know if that is a long time listener. It's been going four years Josh.

We've been going four years. The world's changed. Apocalypse comes it'll be this cockroaches and last legs still going. Oh God, no, I don't like it. I don't like it. I've been a long time listener since 2022, just a while after I had my first kid and finally thought I'd have a go at the intro with him now. Here is Finley, popular name Finley, isn't it?

My niece, niece, my nephew's called Finley. With an A or an E, with an A or an E? With an E. Ah, he's supposed to use an F. That's a bit of fun. Bit of fun. I really enjoyed that. He's an LE wife. Are they LE? They're LE. He's 30 months old and has a sister Freya. Another popular name. I like the name Freya. I love the name Freya.

Finley and Freya is lovely. Great, isn't it? She's just turned four months. We're in Bristol. Your podcast has got me through maternity leave. I love Bristol. Do you know much about Bristol? Big fan of Bristol. Your podcast has got me through maternity leave. I love Bristol. Do you know much about Bristol? Big fan of Bristol. I didn't really like the massive buffet that Lloyd took me to.

It's like the world's biggest buffet restaurant. Have you ever been there? No. It's just too overwhelming. It's like being at an airport. Yeah. It's like going to another gate to go and get dessert. Yeah.

I'm not into a big buffet. It's the world's biggest buffet, I think. I think breakfast buffets are incredible. But beyond that, I don't want a buffet for any other meal. Do you know what? I love a breakfast buffet, but I need my eggs cooked to order, Josh. Of course you do. Do you know what you want, Rob?

You want an omelet station. That's what you want. Oh, I don't want an a la carte menu to order from, but I just want an egg station, Josh. Za Za Bazaar, Bristol's finest fixed price buffet. Did you used to do Pizza Hut buffet? I used to think it was the fucking best thing in the world. Oh my god, it still is really. It's gone Rob.

Has it? I read recently that the Pizza Hut buffet might still be going, but it was certainly ending. Oh, it's a real shame. And I thought should I go one more time for oh, I fucking loved Pizza Hut buffet so much. When I was a kid, I fucking loved Pizza Hut Buffet so much. When I was a kid, I saw someone getting chucked out for stealing slices, putting in a Tupperware in a bag.

Ha ha ha! It's hardcore, innit? Good on them. Good on them. Good on them. Stay sexy and relatable. Many thanks, Cindy. Cindy. Cindy Beale. Cindy Beale, is that? No, Cindy Ho. Cindy Ho.

H-E-H-O? H-O? H-O. Finley Ho, Freya No, Cindy Ho. Cindy Ho. Actually Ho. Ho. Ho. Finley Ho, Freya Ho, Sydney Ho. Tough surname that in Britain. Yeah, yeah.

In a British school Ho, isn't it? Because obviously it's an Asian name traditionally. Yeah. Mrs Ho. Mrs Ho. Westwood Ho. Have you been to Westwood Ho? No, I've never been to Westwood Ho.

Have I given you my boring piece of trivia about Westwood Ho, Rob? If you haven't, you're going to give it to me now. Go on. Certainly am. It's the only place in the UK, which ends in an exclamation mark. Yeah, you've told me that. Yeah, I love it. I love it. What starts with an exclamation mark?

What? In Spanish, they put an upside down one. Yeah, I know. Because it translate when I'm texting my cleaner, it translates my exclamation marks. What are you exclaiming to her? Well more and more because I like it when it does that so I tend to do it after each sentence. Hi! Hi, we're on holiday next week!

Please pick up the keys from next door! Are you coming? Exclamation mark and question mark upside down and the right way up. Not the right way up, just a different way up. Yeah. Our way up, their way up, who cares. It's all language. Pop it in a mirror backwards. He cares. Just people. Exactly. We're all people doing different things. Not wrong, not strange, not

weird. Just different. I've got a question for you Rob. Yeah. Can we talk about gladiators? Oh, yes. So if you haven't been following the news, it was released. I can't imagine how many texts you got, because I got a lot. Yeah, a lot of people worried about my physical and mental health, quite rightly. And then it came out that you were doing gladiators.

Oh, lovely. It's a bit of fun. Really lovely. Yeah, so I did gladiators. Joel Dommet, me and Joel Dommet, and then Louise Minchin, the BBC News presenter, Ellie Taylor, comedian, friend of the show. And Louise Minchin, is she a fitness fanatic?

She used to swim for the county until she was 15. And it's quite a move. But then she stopped doing it because she used to get really self conscious about having quite muscly arms and shoulders. Oh, that's a shame. And then she completely stopped doing any sport. And then she sort of cracked on the life 20 years on BBC News. I think at the age of like 40, maybe 45, she started doing triathlons

again. Fuck it. And she qualified for Team GB in ultra triathlons in her age group. Wow. And she's super like super fit and active and stuff like that. Good booking. Good booking. Great booking.

She really wanted to show people that you can get into sport in later life. And also like I think it's hopefully it's changed slightly now, but it's a different world where you can have muscly shoulders and not be embarrassed by it. You should be proud of it as a woman. I thought this about the gladiators, Rob, because I think they're excellent role models, you know, et cetera. But like the gladiators in our day, the female ones,

they certainly weren't as muscly and now they're a lot more muscly. And I thought that was a good thing for showing that. Do you know what I mean? They're more like weightlifters and stuff and rugby players. Athletes rather than just, you know, like a sort of a fembot version of what an athletic woman should look like. They actually look like an athletic woman. But yeah, they're all so lovely. Josh, when you said to me, because we're recording this, you spoke to me about it before I went and this is after,

and I can't tell you exactly what the result was, but I can talk about my experience on it. We can confirm you survived though. I'm alive, right? Yeah, right. With a few cuts and bruises, but hey, chicks dig scars. Oh, I genuinely, my balls disappeared inside my body when you said that.

Perfect. So I like it. I don't want your balls out when I'm doing what I'm doing. I want your balls in. And what are you doing? Whatever you want. Okay, thank you. Just chatting for 50 minutes to an hour and then we leave each other. And ignore each other for a week. Yeah, when you said it is so much more intense and terrifying than you thought it was going to be,

and I thought you were laying that on to sort of for a bit of like wind me up. Shall I stop you there and shall we play our discussion before you did Gladiators? That's a good decision, yes. Let's play that now. Okay, here it is. This is going back in time to when I'd been to watch Gladiators,

but Rob hadn't been to do his trial day, but had committed to do the show. Okay, Rob, I've got to address the elephant in the room. Yeah. What I would describe as probably the single greatest piece of news since, well probably ever, since man landed on the moon. Yeah, yeah. Which was actually more likely than what's happening, which is you're doing gladiators.

Yes, I am a contestant on gladiators. As we're recording this, I'm recording gladiators on Wednesday. It's currently Monday. Because we wanted to record this just to be clear before you did it. Yes. Because I'm worried you'll be dead. So it'll be difficult to record. You've just watched it.

You've just watched it last week, which you spoke about a little bit on a previous episode. I was under the impression, I'm not gonna say who it was, I was under the impression that a soap star, and it isn't, but let's say for argument's sake, let's say, Kane Dingle. Yeah, yeah, Kane Dingle. Ken Barlow, that ilk of kind, Sonia Jackson,

a big huge name from the world of soap, was supposed to be going up against me, but they've pulled out, I don't wanna name the show. Apparently I'm up against Joel Domet in the gladiators special. At least he'll be a laugh. I'm very happy Joel Domet's doing it because the pressure's off because if I lose to Joel that's fine but if you lose to Ken Barlow it's embarrassing. Josh can I say something? I'm scared. I'm scared and I'm worried and I've been getting anxious all week because I feel like the fat kid

at school in PE again There is a point that I have a panic attack and cry stood at the top of the zip wire That's where I'm most worried. Rob. Right. Okay. Well good. It's good to know my anxiety. Correct. Sometimes why is that bad? How are you with heights? I'm all right with heights as long as i'm not jumping off it Right, okay, because there's a lot more heights than I'd anticipated when I went to see it. So I've had the chat with the production, okay?

Yeah, they can't short on the wall, surely. The net wall? I mean, the good thing about the wall is- What's the wall? Where you have to climb up a huge wall. Oh, so the wall, I don't mind the wall cause I'm clipped on, right? Right, okay, yeah, yeah.

So I was like, okay, well I'm clipped on. If I'm clipped on, I'm okay with heights, okay? You're not clipped on for the zip wire. Oh, I am. Oh, you're clipping on? They went to me, you're not clipped on for that. I went, well, I'm gonna have to be, they went, but you're not. I went, okay, how far's the drop?

They went like 30 feet. I was like, okay, well, yeah, but then I'll die. She went, there's a crash mat. I went, 30 foot crash mat? It's not, I went, so what do they do with the zip line? She went, they just hold on. I went, I've already got rid of the monkey bars because I can't do them. They went how are you in monkey bars? I was like I can't do them. I went well do you want to do a couple? They got rid of the monkey bars.

What are you doing instead of that? Because you know to get up to the monkey bars Rob you have to climb a rope that looks fucking. Yeah I've asked them to change that and they said no. So they put some knots. You're not getting off that rope. I've asked them to put some knots in a rope No, so they put some knots. I'm not getting up that rope. I've asked them to put some knots in a rope so I can help me up. And then I don't think I can get up the rope, the wall net. So-

No, you can do the rope wall net. Not clipped on, it's so high. You know what it clips on. And then I had a slight argument with production because I've been around the block, Josh. I've done a lot of these kinds of things where I've done League of the Riders and that where you're chucked off stuff.

But what I've learned is there are some producers out there like people in life that will tell you one thing and it's a lie, or they bend the truth and you get there and it's not what they said it was, but they think because you're there and it's telly and normally because you're a bit new to it all, you'll just go, okay, then I'll just do it because I don't want to let everyone down and I'm in an arena. And before you know it, you're taking your trousers off on the last leg. Exactly. I said to them, how high is that then? And now he went, because he looks about 20 foot.

They went, oh, no, it's only about six meters. Right. I'm going to stop you there. What's that, the rope? Well, something. I can't remember what, some part of it. I went, I'm going to stop you there. Six meters is 20 foot.

So don't just say the lower one. I'm not that thick. There's only a 20th of a mile. Don't worry about that. And I said, I said to him, look, cause like this is our work with Robert Ramesh, cause you know, they set us on fire on that. We do all sorts of challenges. I say, if you're honest to me, I'll be honest with you. So if you tell me it's 25 foot and I say, I can't do it, I'm happy for you to book someone

else and I not do it. And you have someone that will do it. And I'm not going to be. However, if you lie to me and I get there, I promise you now I will go home. Because don't get me wrong. I need to earn a pound note, but I'm mainly doing this because my kids love gladiators. Right. Yeah.

So I'm willing to deal with that fallout later down the line, but I'm not, if you've lied to me about this high, I will fuck off. And before you know it, you've got Joel Domit doing it solo and Ken Barlow being choppered in. You turning out with your meter stick. Double checking. Anyway, so I don't know how, cause I'll get there on the Tuesday tomorrow to do a run through of it all,

where they show me everything. And then there's the actual event is on the Wednesday. And yeah. Could I give you my top five concerns having seen it live I'd quite like some tips actually rather than just concerns if you could do a bit of both yeah okay Rob tips let me run you through some tips so concerns and tips is what we're on to okay tip number one don't do this let's do one of the guys yeah when he got caught on the wall he held on which you'd think you're meant to do. Yeah.

He dislocated his finger, Rob. He just dislocated his finger on the wall. This is horrible. Okay. Immediately horrible. Luckily, he worked for air ambulance himself so he could just pop it back into the socket. Right. Okay. That's good. I can't even put a light bulb in a socket. Right. Maybe have a think about just watch a couple of YouTube videos about dislocated fingers ahead of time. Okay. Number two, Powerball. Are you doing Powerball? Yep. Yeah, that looks hard. Okay, cool. Is that where they just rugby tackle you? Yeah. One of the guys got rugby tackled into the ball box. That's not a new thing. That's not a new ender. Is that a tip?

Or a concern? I was thinking about this though, because all the people that do actual gladiators are like super fit people. They run marathons and triathlons and they're already super fit, all their PT's and now they're giving this a go. I literally do 20 minutes on a treadmill, look like I'm about to die, then pick up 8kg dumbbells and lift them about five times. That's my limit. The gladiators are bigger than you think. That would be my tip. How's that a tip?

That's not a tip, is it? All right, tips, tips. Let go on the wall. The gladiators are bigger than you think. Well, I think the good thing is, Rob, once Joel's got like 20 or 30 points in the bank, they'll focus on stopping him. Yeah.

Are you doing the Atlas, Fierce? What's that? The big metal balls. I can't do anything that involves me holding my own body weight, is what I've told them. Because I can't. It's like going, right now we're doing the basketball challenge, quick slam dunk, Rob. Not happening. I can't.

I know. So what's the Atlas? Those big slam dunk Rob. Not happening. I physically can't. I know. So what's the Atlas? Those big metal balls that you run around in like a hamster. No, don't feel like doing that. So what are you doing? The wall. The wall, obviously the eliminator at the end, which is proving to be the most difficult.

So the travelator will be all right, I think. Yeah, they'll slow it down for me. They'll let you have a cut. Yeah, yeah. Can it go forward? Ha ha ha ha. Because I might need it to go by the end. I might need it just to go forward rather than back. Can't even do it stationary.

The things that would concern me are just heights really. Same with me, because I've done go ape and I've done zip lines and I find it quite stressful, but if I'm clipped on, I'm all right, but I haven't got confidence in my body weight to hold on to that zip wire all the way down. No, because it's mental. They're just hold on to that zip wire all the way down. No, because it's mental. They're just holding on to a zip wire from basically the ceiling. I know. It's mad.

Of an arena. Of an arena. Oh, no, I'm getting really worried now. No, it's fine. Also, the costumes don't leave a lot to the imagination. OK, so let's sort of fluff it up a bit before any VT. Like just a bowl of socks or something. Like a bowl. A ball, like a sort of fluff it up a bit before any V2? Like just a bowl of socks or something.

Like a bowl. A bowl. Like a couple of socks. Bradley, give that a wiggle will you before we go to her? Yeah. Okay, so basically your knobs can look tidy, you're going to have a panic attack and you're going to get beaten up by bigger boys. Right, just one other thing.

This is a genuine tip. This is a genuine tip. This is literally PE at school. What's in the way is the way. I'm going to have to just remain calm, breathe and just go for it and have fun. Yeah, totally. Just, you don't need me to tell you this. Play it for laughs, Rob.

Josh, you know, the worst part about all this is, right, well, I'm getting picked up at 6 a.m. to go to Sheffield, which, no offense, Sheffield's always a stressful journey. And then I finish at like half eight at night, because it's a 10 hour record. Then I've got to get in a van with Lou and the two girls and drive back to London. That's going to be horrible, that.

I'll still be in my light. But no, I don't think you will, Rob. I think you'll get in, it'll be like a van, but it'll have flashing lights on top and it'll just take you to Sheffield General Hospital. Oh, very nice. Well done, you. Great bit of fun, that.

Great podding. I've got a genuine, genuine couple of tips. One of the things that I noticed happens to the contestants is you get brought out incredibly early. Don't like... G yourself up too early. Don't G yourself up because you might be stood there for 20 minutes while they reset. That is actually a good tip.

Great tip. That is a good tip. Really good tip. I'm sorry I'm doing it with Jarl. Well, I think I'm doing it with Jarl. I don't know if he's... And secondly, Yeah. It is an incredibly long day. I bet it's coming from someone that just watched it.

Yeah. You didn't even do it. It's a great day for the audience because of all the warmup, but that's not gonna be... I think there's gonna be a lot of milling around. So there's a holding room for the gladiators' families, which presumably is where Lou and the girls will be. I think they're gonna watch it from the crowd,

but then they can jump in and out. But they'll be able to go in and out. Right, oh, that's good. Yeah, yeah, because otherwise they'd be there. Oh, can I give you a tip? Yeah, please. Do not eat the food from the venue because it's chips and pizza and you don't need that when

you're gonna go down a zip wire 30 of you. Surely I could put in a Nando's order or something. I think you can yeah I think you can. Yeah come on, sort me out to his TV. And to be honest Rob, treat yourself because the amount of calories you're gonna be burning that day is gonna be unbelievable. No I treat myself for the weekend. I don't want to play it for laughs too much so I keep on like Frank Spencer keep. No, but I don't think you'll need to try. Fair enough. Good point, actually. And do you know what? Very well delivered. Very cautiously, in a good friend way, that was. Yeah, because it's like that thing they say, you know, like with Taskmaster or all with League of their own or something. Or I'm sure it's the same with Robin Romesh. It's funnier if you try.

I'm going to try, but basically whenever I'm doing one of the challenges, every part of me is gonna say just jump off and run away and hide. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The duel, what is the point of the duel one? As a duel, I'll give you the tips on duel. You're just gonna get smashed in the head by a massive geese. It's higher up than you think it's gonna be. Oh, brill. Absolutely brill.

Sorry. But I actually said to Rose, but she laughed, that I thought that would be the one I'd have the best hope in. Right, why? Well, you're smaller. Because the other ones... I'm the centre of gravity. Yeah, well the other ones you've got to actively do something. Yep.

This one, there's a chance you could just absorb the blows. Right, so you're saying that you could do well by not winning it, but just survive to the end. The other ones you've got to be an active participant. This one, at least there's a hope that if I just shut down. I'm going to shut down and not move and just try and block his shots. I wouldn't go on the offensive. But that's who I am. That's my personality.

That sums up me and you from the off. When I get up there, part of me, this is my biggest skill, my biggest weakness. Yeah. Yeah. Is there's a bit in my brain, whatever I'm doing, that goes, you never know Rob, you could be the best in the world at this. Yeah, yeah, of course. This could be you, this could be your thing. And for certain things, it's really helped me because I've got a slight bit of talent for that. However, even when I have zero talent, that I still have

that bit of my brain that goes, come on Rob, you've got this. And I haven't Josh. No, okay. I haven't got it, but I'll think I've got it when I'm up there. You might, you might. My last tip is, have you ever been to a football match and you're maybe like in the front five to 10 rows? Yeah. You know when you do that and suddenly you go,

fucking hell this is fast and hard compared to what it looks like on TV. Yeah. Well just leave. So what was that, how's that a tip? That's a point about football. Fucking hell this is fast and hard compared to what it looks like on TV. Yep. Well just leave... So how does that sit? That's a point about football. Just be ready. It's harder and more difficult than you could ever imagine.

The first time there was an event in the room, people were like, whoa! I didn't realise it was like this. Whoa! Fucking hell. Do you know what? It's good on TV, but actually live, this is something else. How am I going to play this, Josh? Anyway, good luck with it.

How am I going to play this? The wall's all right. I'll run up there for a bit. Get me linked. The wall's great. You'll definitely do the wall. Also, they're definitely going to have to go softer on us than the normal contestants, because they've trained for it, Josh.

I only found out about it a week ago. Rob, have you done the celebrity chase? Yeah. Or like catchphrase? Yeah. They can't injure me, I've got a tour. No, no, no, exactly. They ease it up.

They ease it up. They ease it up. Oh God, the kids are going to be watching. The kids keep saying to me, you cannot win dad. No. No I'm not. Why not? Because it's Joel Dommet. Who's he? I was like, you know the guy, I thought, oh, they must, they're more excited to see him than see me.

Of course they are, Rob. Because they love his show. But Joel's been training for this for a decade. You've been training for what, six weeks? But the problem is now, the girls are going, well, all the gladiators have got six packs and Joel's got six packs. Why haven't you got one? One thing I will say, you fast.

Do you know what? I've got a fairly good acceleration. I'm quite stocky. I think Gauntlet might be my only chance because they're so much taller than me, the gladiators. Yeah. If I'm running fast and low, I might be able to get underneath them. Because what I would say is strength. You think it's all about strength, but actually when you watch it,

you know, most of these things are about just being more nippy than a muscle man. Agile. Yeah. Yeah. And I know you're good at football, so maybe actually Joel will be so muscle-y, he's actually just gonna be just like slow and he's gonna be... Complete opposite. He showed me a photo of him, topless, because we share photos, and he is ripped to fucking shreds. But not, he's been running a lot, not doing weights, so he's actually quite lean, so I think he's been running a lot, not doing weight. So he's actually quite lean. So I think he's in perfect shape for gladiators

because you're never going to compete to him through mass. Could you ask to be up against Airelie? I still think she's the odds on fave. Oh yeah, did she beat you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not by as much. No, I'd rather be absolutely trounced and just be dragged through and get the sort of humiliation vote.

See the way I view this, Rob. You are loving this. It's horrible for me. No, no, no. This is a positive. This is a positive. You struggle through. Yeah. Obviously Joel finishes about a minute ahead of you.

And he's gone. He's off, up the eliminator. Yeah, he's gone. But have you seen those high low bars at the start of the eliminator? Even they look quite tough. Yeah, I think they've changed it so I go under the high one and over the low one. You just walk through. But there's a real possibility Josh, I walk underneath the bar and then I can't get up the rope and I just have to go home. I think this is how I envisage it. You walk. You're getting an

absolute hard on over this aren't you? No I'm. And then you get to the rope and it's difficult, right? Yeah. But somehow maybe like Bradley and Barney push you up. There's a lot of talk about why the gladiators can help you up. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. But then I think there's a moment, right? Yeah. When you get to the top of the travelator.

Yeah. Which will be by a distance, the biggest cheer of of the night and you will come home a hero. It will be an absolute like Eddie the Eagle, Cool Runnings situation where it's like the absolute and people will go, did you see Rob on gladiators? He is so brave. He is a man. Joel, who's impressed by that? Who cares? Anyone can do that if they work out. But Rob, he is what makes Britain great. Or they go, see that Christmas special gladiators, yeah, the geezer with the teeth, the panic attacks, crying in front of his children and fading. Strange, isn't it? The salient was

just deadly silent. I genuinely think if I did it, I'd get stuck at the top of the zip wire and I'd become a meme. The zip wire is going to be my biggest challenge. I need to have a go on that. Yeah. On the practice day, clipped in so I've got over the scariness of it so that I can do it for speed. I do it like six or seven times. Just get that done.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to do a trapeze from a platform onto a rope. Oh the trapeze! That trapeze, fucking hell it goes on and on doesn't it? The other bits I think are alright is the eliminator that's difficult. Yeah, because the gladiator thing you could just sort of lose and be a bit rubbish at, but the eliminate when you're just on your own trying to get through it. But it might take me a little while, I might have a couple of breaks, but I'll be the first seven minute.

Rob, when they first told me, God, I can't stop thinking about it. I'll be the first seven minute. Rob, when they first told me, God, I can't stop thinking. I'll be honest. For 10 minutes, I thought I've never really been like more jealous of anyone else ever. I'm so jealous he gets to do this. And then I realized how bad I'd be at it. Well, I think you'll be better than me because you're more naturally sporty than me.

And you're not as I'm so bad with heights. Have you done go eight? Yeah, I found that very difficult, but I did do it. Yeah, I found that hard, but I got through and I did the zip wire and I quite enjoy the zip wire. I can do heights if I've got something to focus on, but if it's throw yourself into the nothingness. Yeah, exactly, like I'll just jump it up.

Yeah, so I'm sure it'll be fine. It's gonna be a challenge. You'll be great, Rob. So Josh, I've been sent'll be fine. Yeah. It's going to be a challenge. You'll be great, Rob. So, Josh, I've been sent some trash talk from Joel Dommet. Oh, yes, please. I've not played it yet. Shall I play on here? Yeah. My gladiator's opponent. I feel like maybe we should do some trash talk.

I'm not very good at the trash talk stuff, but I'll give it a go. Morning Rob. I'm going to beat you so bad. I'm going to beat you so bad on the gladiators. I'm going to trash you. I'm going to trash you. I'm going to put you in the trash. I'm going to, which otherwise known as the rubbish bit, but I'm going to trash you. I'm going to put you in the trash. I'm going to... We're otherwise known as the rubbish bin, but I'm going to

make sure that I take your glasses off first because they probably made a plastic and that is for the recycling bin, not the rubbish bin. In fact, you'd be probably human is actually food waste. So... It's not quite weird. I'm not not quite with you in the rubbish bin. Yeah, at all. What I'm going to do is I'm going to put you in the boot of my car. I'm going to take you to the tip and they're going to decide which

which bit to put you in. And she's still going on a Sunday. Yeah, because it gets really busy there. And so... Any other day, I'm going to trash you. Rob Beckett, watch out. I think that was pretty cool. Oh, he's still going.

He physically can't do trash talk, can he? No, do you know what that is? That's someone who knows that he's already won, but is embarrassed by it. Well, Josh, we'll know what that is? That's someone who knows that he's already won, but is embarrassed by it. Well, Josh, we'll see, shall we? Imagine, imagine. Who knows? If I beat Joel Domit, it'll be the worst moment of his life.

Yeah, and mine. Yeah, you'd hate me walking around cock on the walk. Anyway, well, I'll let you know how we get on. All right, cheers. Okay, so take up the story, Rob. I actually think even with that warning, you were underplaying it. Do you know what?

There was a point when I thought, I'm not being nice here, I'm gonna rein it in. Yeah, but actually I think what you did for me was brilliant because it made me aware of it, so that when I got there, I didn't completely lose my head because it is absolutely insanely big. Even the stuff that looks not like rubbish on TV, but it looks like the easy part.

Yeah. Is meant like that chapeze, do you know the chapeze? Yeah. Looks like the most easy, it is what four meters up? It's like chapeze off your roof. I can't believe this, causeadiators is, you know, I think we can both agree up there, possibly the best TV show on at the moment, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Family TV is probably the best. Yeah. And I don't think it is captured. It doesn't do it justice. Even though it's the best TV show, it's totally failing to do justice to what's fucking going on there. So basically, I get there, I walk into the arena, immediately shit myself. Was it all set up? Yeah, it was all set up. And also, like, I'm a couple of

people messaged Lou and stuff going, oh, and saying, oh, I can see why Rob was he's been doing that training and going to the gym to get ready for gladiators. That's not what I was doing. No, I'm fully aware. I found out I was doing gladiators a week before I did it. Right. So I was doing that anyway, but because I had been doing it. And before I started doing any training, I couldn't do one pull up at the gym, you know, like chin ups. Yeah. And I

could do three now, which still isn't amazing. It's taking me three months. Right, Rob. That's amazing. The rope they climb up. I can do that now, but I wouldn't have been able to do that. months. Right, Rob, that's amazing. I like the rope they climb up. I can do that now, but I wouldn't have been able to do that. So I thought actually, I'm probably the fittest. I've got lucky in that sense that this didn't happen last. Yeah, I got lucky that I've Yeah, I'd been keeping on my weight and I've been exercising. So I was fairly fit to sort of get round. So I wasn't actually that

worried about the fitness part of it. I was like, oh, fitness, I'll be able to get around. I thought with the gladiators sort of be a bit of a laugh and they'll go easy on us. The gladiators did not go easy on us, Josh. I let you know that for sure. At one point I thought they killed Joel Dommie on one of them. Absolutely smashed him to pieces. They're so massive. They're all six foot seven. They're like, if you try to run past them, their arms just grab you. And they don't want to be mugged off by a little annoying comic. Do you know what I mean? No, exactly.

They're fine with the, presumably, the heartwarming story of Louise Minchin coming to Triathlon late in life. And she's like 50-odd. A fucking annoying bloke from Bromley, he's taking a hit. I woke up on the morning after, completely lopsided, right? Like my right shoulder was like sort of down by my left elbow like that. I had a 12 inch scratch

from the bottom of my ass down to my calf. Oh, no idea where that from. No, I don't remember it happening. I had lumps and bumps and bruises. I couldn't walk. I couldn't get up, couldn't sit down. But that was hard. But the most difficult part was the heights and I'm no good at heights right and I don't mind like for the cargo net and the zip line that we were clipped on right yeah because I don't think I could hold my body weight on the zip line without falling off and it's like 30 feet in the air it's like yeah jumping out of it like the fifth story floor of a building it's so high

and it doesn't come across I think they I don't know how they can make it come across it's a bit like when you watch the Olympics and you're like, you know when you're watching like the 800 and you're like, it looks to me like they're running at a normal speed, but I know in reality they're going so fast. Gladiators, the heights, I don't know what they need to do, just shoot it from the roof or something. They are not getting across to the people at home

how high these things are. And I look getting across to the people at home how high these things are. And I look so small and the gladiators look so big. And then in the end, we had to get the gladiators to go and see my kids because Lou and the kids were there and some friends. I had to get them to go and see him because my daughter kept on getting upset and crying because she thought I was going to get so hurt. Because it's like the Coliseum, the way, and they're in there and they're playing music. Stuart Holden, by the way, the warm up guy, what a legend, great guy. So good at what he does. And there's all this music going, da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da out to wait for jewel. The one where you hit him with the massive stick. Yeah, yeah, the Pugel. I was stood on a four

meter. Well, it's three meters to the crash map. It's four meters to the floor, which is high. That is really high. And it wobbles because I could wobble platform. Yeah. And I'm stood there for like 20 minutes because you're waiting for legend to come out, whoever it is you're fighting. And then they make you wait longer to get in your head. So you just stood up there, crapping yourself to get in your head. So you just stood up there, crapping yourself. It's not to get in your head Rob, they're checking like that.

It is Josh, it is, it's classic gameplay. Anyway, so I'm up there because I'm so scared. I'll go back to the training day anyway. But when I'm doing it, my daughter's getting upset because I'm stood there with a crash helmet, like an American football helmet on and a massive stick waiting for this man that's twice my size. Oh my God, to beat the shit out of you. Yeah, to smash me to pieces for Christmas entertainment.

So I stood up there, right? Bit of tinsel on his Pugel stick as a nod to Christmas. No, no. And then I could see her getting a bit upset. So I've told you about the Pineapple Coconut Long Banana song, haven't I? No. My kids invented this song where they hold their hands on their head like a pineapple and they go, pineapple, and then go to boobs and go coconuts. Right.

Long burn out says pineapple, coconut long banana, pineapple, coconut, long banana. Basically, you're dead. They're obsessed with boobs, bums and willies. And of course, watermelon for a bum, pineapple, coconuts, and it's quite a funny act. Yeah, big pineapple, big boobs, long banana. Yeah. So she's getting upset. So as I'm waiting for the gladiator to come out, I'm having to parent from the platform, because she's upset about my well being. So

now I just start going pineapple, coconut long, but I don't know if it's gonna be in the show. I look mental. Because the audience clock. Where's your Pugel stick? Under me arm. Cause I have to do the actions. And then I can see her laughing and she's doing it back. So I'm like, oh that's, and I'm like, I want to keep my kid happy,

but I've got to get my head in the game. You know, I'm about to go to war. I'm about to have a fucking tear up. In a way you're getting into legends head though, aren't you? By doing pineapple, coconut, long banana. Not getting into legends head. He's thinking I've got a fucking mad run here.

But also I'm doing it, but I'm not okay. No, clearly. I'm having to work so hard to not lose my mind. So talk me through, not the day, but what you do on a training, because I think a lot of people will be interested in the same way that they do on the popular podcast with Richard Osmond and Marina Hyde. They'll give you the backstage of a TV show. I think people would be really interested

in knowing what happens on the training day of Gladiators. So we all are right. I got there a bit late because- Bromley's a long way from Sheffield. Bromley to Sheffield is a long way. And when you've got two children in the back of a van, that at that point are- Just to be clear, that's a van where you're all sitting in the back of-

you haven't just shoved them in the back of a van. No, it's a people carrier. It's a bit more parenting. So you leave at 5am, they need a wee, they need something to eat. We stop about three or four times, which is not great for my prep. So I'm already late, so I'm stressed. And I'm sat in the car with them, and as they list all the ways all the gladiators could beat me, going, oh, they're good at that, they're good at that, they've got a six pack,

why haven't you got a six pack? It's Joel because I'm up against Joel, Joel got a six pack and they're like yeah he's got a six pack. Would you have preferred to be up against say a funny kind of... Alex Brooker. Yeah. Yeah. Are you the preferred... No it was great, it was really good up against Joel because he's really supportive. Did in a way that take the pressure off? Because you're the comic relief. A little bit because he's sort of like- He's ripped.

Yeah, he's ripped. He's funny, obviously, but you know what I mean. Yeah, because you could have a laugh with him. We had a- I don't want to spoil it, but we had a real laugh with the gladiators and made it funny as well as actually competing. Yeah. Yeah, because I was going, has Joel got a six pack? I went, yeah.

And I was like, why haven't you got a six pack? I went, because I'm busy. has Joel got a six pack? I went, yeah. And I was like, why haven't you got a six pack? I went, because I'm busy. Because Joel works out four hours a day, lives on grenade bars. I said, I'm busy. You know, I'm a dad. I've got you girls. I'm busy. I sort of blamed them, but I didn't mean to blame you. And I'm a busy dad. And they went, well, has Joel got a kid? I was like, yes. And he went, is he busy? I'm like, oh, yes, actually he is. I'm a singer and doing his tours and stuff. I was like, well, how has he got? And I was like, I don't need this before Gladiators to be

talked through by nutrition and fitness and all the ways I've got to lose to the Gladiators. Because we've got different priorities. I like TikTok and watching Sky Sports and Jumbo likes lifting weights in the gym that he's got in his house because that's his passion. Anyway, so I got there about 10, 11am.m. Everyone else is there waiting for me. And then we basically get given some training, like we've got our training clothes on, they give us some trainers that make us do a mouth guard, make sure that fits, we try on all the helmets and all the safety stuff. Then lovely lady called Jenny and Stuart came on the next day, but Jenny Pacey, who used to be a gladiator, I think she was called Enigma on the Sky Reboot.

She helps all the contestants. So she's there and she gets you all warmed up because it's so easy to pull muscles because you're working. I had a pain in my arm there, right? Because there's physios and stuff. After doing dual, I went, I've got pain there. She went, you've been doing dual? And I was like, yeah, how do you know that?

She was like, yeah, that's the dual injury. I was like, what do you mean? She went, well, basically no one's body's trained for fighting with massive Pugel sticks. So everyone's working muscles have never worked. Like tennis elbow. Yeah. Like Pugel. I had Pugel wrist. Pugel wrist. Anyway, so they constantly warm you up, warm you down and make sure that you're ready for each thing. So what they did was on the training day, you basically go through every section of the eliminator and then you go through every game and you do it at sort of like 60%.

So when you do gauntlet, it's people in production with pads and then Stuart and Jenny sort of give you a few tips where they go for this one, actually, the best technique is to sort of twist and roll rather than running straight at them, just to give you a bit of a sort of a fighting chance of a way to approach. Because you only get to practice once and then you do it live. So the contestants on the day have practiced once.

I think they're there for three days and they do all of it. Cause we didn't do all the games obviously. Oh, of course. It's every game in case they get through to the final. We had less games to practice. So it was every day walked me through practicing the eliminator. Right. So basically, before you do anything, though, because health and safety, you

basically jump over those barriers, and then you climb up a rope, then you're on a platform. Monkey bars were taken out because I literally can't hold my body weight. So we had a beam, like barricade. And then there's trapeze, and then you go in the car going in. But all of this stuff start is operating at like the same height. So all those games that like start at that three meter high. Yeah. Because you've climbed up the rope, which is what? Two and a half meters or whatever. Yeah. So all those platforms, the same one you do dual on the same ones for the bridge one collision, they're all three meters. So for fail from safety. You all have to jump off that platform onto your back to show that you know how

to fall so you don't break. Oh, no, thank you. Like, and I wasn't prepared for this and I don't mind being high as long as I'm clipped on or I don't have to jump off. I don't mind being high, but I just don't want to jump off high. Yeah. Which I think is fair. I don't, I'm not scared of heights.

So what are you on? What platform are you jumping off? Dual? Yeah. So that dual I think is fair. I don't I'm not scared of high. What are you on? What platform you jumping off? Dual? Yeah, so that dual height. Fucking hell. So you stand up there and it's fine if you're in a in a fight and you get knocked off and you just sort of roll off because you don't know what's going on. By the time you've been hit, you've rolled off.

I couldn't do this. So the first thing we did and I've been up since five and I'm bit stressed and a bit nervous is we're on a platform, they make you jump off a practice height of like one meter, two meter, then you get up there, and this is massive lad you have to get up and it is high, Josh. Oh my god, and obviously Joel Dom is like walking it piece of piss. Joel was brilliant off that. Me and Ellie Taylor struggled with it a bit. Louise Minchin, absolute machine, just didn't give a shit, jumped off all of it.

Louise machine, that's what they call her. Absolute machine. I'm going to send you the picture of what we had to jump off. So this absolutely threw me because I can't jump off big heights like that. And what are you jumping backwards? You basically have to kick your legs in there, almost like you're kicking a football. So sort of like, say you're doing the can-can, you kick your legs up and then that way, the momentum makes you jump on your back with your arms out. So you're not stepping backwards off it, you're kind of jumping forwards off it.

You're sort of walking off it, but to the side until you land on it. Let me send you a photo. Oh my God. So that's Ellie at the top of it. Oh my fucking God. Right, and you just have to jump off it. Look at Joel, cool as a fucking queue. God, he's good looking. He is so fit.

He's a lovely guy, such a nice guy. Ellie does not look like she's having a laugh with that. No, no, Ellie did not like it. She is looking down as if to say, fuck it, what am I doing with my life? Yeah. So I went up there and I got there and I went to jump off, couldn't, physically couldn't do it. Yeah.

Then I started crying. I was coming to panic attack. I basically was like, and it came out of nowhere, Josh. It didn't come out of nowhere, Rob. It was obvious where it had come from. And I got up there and I just couldn't do it. And in the end, I was like, it was like the start of a panic attack

and I couldn't control my breathing. But I've done lots of breathing stuff and my therapy is what's in the way is the way. If this is causing you stress, pain and worry, if you do it, it's done. Because I'll be safe. It's high, it's a bit scary, it's a bit crash mat. This is all designed to keep me safe. And also worst case scenario, Rob. You break your ankle and you've

got the lamest anecdote of all time. Anyway, in the end I said, I can't do it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. I'm going, I'm going, I'm going. Like basically it was like, it wasn't like me speaking. It was just like pure anxiety. I'm going up, I can't do it. Blah, blah, blah. And then in the end, Jenny, who was brilliant, sat down with me and helped me do the breathing. And I breathed for about five, 10 minutes and I calmed my head down and then I just did it. And it was terrifying, but it was like- And what did it feel like when you did it?

Because that is my fear is heights. A real rush of, oh my God, I'm doing it. I'm actually doing it. So 15 minutes, I sat up there breathing when the whole production crew and the whole arena stopped. Oh my God. Because it was all safety crew and actually doing it. So 15 minutes, I sat up there breathing when the whole production crew and the whole arena stopped. Oh my God. Cause it was all safety crew and everyone wants to get you to do this

before you can get on to say you're holding up like 200 people's lunch. Oh my God. Finish of the day. So I did this breathing, but she helped me, really helped me Jenny. And I've sort of through my sort of therapy and sort of my meditation, I'm better at that,

but I couldn't have done it without her. Brilliant. Leading the breathing. Cause I knew what I needed to do, but I couldn't access that it without her. Brilliant. Leading the breathing, because I knew what I needed to do, but I couldn't access that because I was so overwhelmed. And then for about 15 minutes, I'm sort of there getting a bit upset, but then I'd breathe in, calm down, got to the point where I was calm, and then just did it.

And then this rush of adrenaline, elation, of just, I've done it, and sort of pride, really, that I'd done it. And actually, it was fine. And then it gave me so much more confidence doing the rest of it, because I'd done that. So we do that, we do that, we do that. And then we go into the next bit and then we do some of the other practice bit. And then we've got to do the trapeze bit, which looks easy. I'd say is the bit which is most underwhelming on TV of the eliminate. Yes. So I've done the jump now. I've jumped off three meters. I get to the trapeze, Ed

goes again. Oh my God. After 15 more minutes of breathing to calm down. How does the trapeze work? So you hold it. Is there a fear that you're gonna miss your landing on the other side? Is that the fear? The fear was I was gonna miss my landing. And then basically what it boils down to is I have got zero confidence in my body physically.

I was always defactored at school, always slow at school, couldn't do it. I played a little bit of football, but then I couldn't keep up. You're good at football. Football I'm confident in, but anything, even then I tell myself, you haven't got enough fitness,

and that's why I couldn't run when I was at the gym. But me going to the gym now and doing exercise, it's way more of a mental battle than physical. It's mentally believing that I can do these things, and my lack of self confidence is so like snakes belly low. I'm telling myself you are weak, you are unfit, you are heavy, you are shit, you will let go, you'll hurt yourself because you are weak. Only like half of that's true.

Exactly. But if that's what you're telling, you won't be able to achieve anything. Yeah, of course. But my confidence in myself as like a, not a businessman as such, but someone who's good at talking and can make money from talking. And knows how to run their career. And how to run my career and run my finances.

And I'm confident in that, but physically there's zero, which is why I've started going to the gym. My head went, so I won't be able to hold my weight and I completely drop and hurt myself. And then again, I had to do 15 more minutes of breathing with Jenny and then I did it. What does it feel like doing that trapeze?

Peter Piss so easy. Yeah, because I saw Ellie do it before me. And you don't have to do much you just lean back. And it's so weighted that it just gets you there. So you lean back and then just let go of your feet. I wasn't in reality. I was in a reality that my anxiety and my lack of self confidence had written 25 years ago when I was a child that isn't true anymore. But I had to actually accept the reality

that was in front of me, not the pre-written narrative that I've been living my life by. So I managed to do it. So all that was sort of physically draining because I'm calming up ropes and doing that, but mentally exhausting because I'm battling with sort of pain bodies of me being bad at sport as a child that I've lived with through adulthood. In an empty stadium the day before?

Knowing that my children are going to be watching and there's going to be 4,000 people in there. And if I can't do it, my kids are in a hotel room going, what you're not doing it now dad. Oh my god, no, I had a panic attack when I got to the first thing which I needed to jump off. But for me, I had to do it because it's basically living the truth. The truth is, I can jump off that fine, I'll be safe. I'm strong enough to do the trapeze and land there.

I'm strong enough to do all this. That's the truth. And the only way to delete that narrative that I've written from my old trauma is to do it. Yeah. And go, it was fine. Oh my god. And prove it to myself and stuff like that. So by the time I'd done that training day, really, when I went into Gladys, I've like, as long as I can just be here, totally. Whether I get lose every race or lose the final thing, or as long as I can

just do each bit, it may be I won't be the quickest way. But if that's my sort of battle here bit, it may be the quickest way. But that's my battle here today in front of the kids and Lou. So that was massive for me, but it was so high, so intense and so stressful. And what's the zip wire like? By the time you're up there, you've got so much adrenaline, that's actually quite good fun. But I was clipped on, so I felt safe. But I don't think I had the emotional energy to do the cargo net and the zip wire without a clip on me. It would have been too much, you know. So they clip you on at the bottom

of the cargo net, do they? Yeah, and then you jump and then you climb up. So I tried to push myself, but I do have to have, because after a while I'm an overcommitter, it becomes sort of self-harm where like, I'm not going to, it's good to push yourself, but not like, like with roller coasters, I go on on some of them but I don't need to go on that mental one if it's gonna upset me or stress me out so yeah but it's finding where your limit is not and not limiting yourself to too strong sorry if this sounds like some sort of self-help ranky thing. No it's not at all. So I used that as an opportunity doing gladiators to to face those things. How did you deal with the night

before? Are you like shitting yourself? I was actually more nervous for the training day, but then because I'd done that jump off, I was so, I was nervous about the actual face in the gladiators because they're so big and strong. I didn't know what that would be like, the fear of the unknown. But because I had done those jumps off,

by after the training day, I'd achieve what I needed to achieve mentally. Yeah. Whether it goes on the telly or not, but having doing those things was a real big moment for me kind of thing. I went and met the kids in Sheffield. Our kids had pizza express four nights in a row, Josh. When we was in London on Monday, they had it because it was by the station. And on the Sunday night, Lou had got it for them for takeaway because we were all knackered

and a bit hungover. And then Tuesday night, they had it in it for him for a takeaway because we're all knackered and a bit hung over. And then Tuesday night, they had it in Sheffield the night before because they were in town. And then when we left Gladiators, they said, can we get any food? They went, do you want a pizza or something to have in the car home? So I got us all pizzas. And my eldest was eating his pizza, express four days in a row. It's a great company. So that training day was hardcore. And then I went and

met Lou and our friends and the girls in town and I'm so tired. I just slept really well in the hotel. And then it's weird though, next day you're all in the same hotel. So I'm having breakfast with all the gladiators. And then Joel came in, poor Joel though, he got asked to do it last minute and his child's so young. He's like like one or something, no point in his son coming. So he was there on his own. So when the warm up guy was like, right, give me a cheer for Ellie's family.

And Ellie's kid was there and husband cheer. Louis Winchans kids were there and I think husband cheer. And Joel's family, it's like nothing. So then in the end, the girls had written signs, they had signs saying go Rob and then signs saying go Joel and stuff on it. So that was nice. But.

I was just gonna ask when it's on. I think it's on New Year's Day or just after Christmas. Great. Great time. But it's so funny. It's really good because the gladiators really went for it with me and Joel, really went for us. I didn't see much of Ellie and Louise because I was either getting ready

or just come out when they went on. They were properly trying to do us in a fun way. Like they weren't horrible. They were really kind, but they were like, no, because Joel was really good at ones where you had to be quick. And I was really good at ones we had to be strong because I'm quite heavy and I'm low center of gravity and I'm quite fast. So anything right to be strong, I was all right. And Joel was really good at anything with speed. So it's quite a good match up. It's really worth watching. But then there was loads of funny moments around it.

I don't know if I can say this, but I'm sure it's fine to say this bit, but basically they asked for your gladiator name. I don't know if this will make the edits. I'll tell you now anyway. I said my gladiator name was going to be Badger, right? Right. Because I'm tenacious. I'm sure it's fine to say this bit. But basically, they asked for your gladiator name. I don't know if this will make the edits. I'll tell you now anyway, I said my gladiator name was gonna be badger. Right, right. Because I'm tenacious and relentless. And I've got TB. Yeah, it was sort of funny. But I thought, actually, it's not very funny. Is it for children watching? They're just gonna watch TB. And also, my granddad had TB. It's not nice having TB. Let's not do that on like Christmas. Anyway, so I was like, oh, fuck, then as we come

out, you have to do something as you come out. We went off to do a chest bump or something. And then Bradley went up come out and went, when you do a chest bump, both fall over, give it some I went, isn't that a bit much? And bit much mate, it's gladiators, give it a go, they'll love it. And then being jolted by a chest bump. And then we fell over and the crowd did love it. And then I was chatting to Bradley and he said, they might, they might take it out.

I don't think they can now. He said, what's your gladiator name gonna be? And he has your arm around you like that. Bradley is, and Barney's lovely as well, but Bradley's one of the nicest people in TV. He's so generous. Whatever you do, whatever you say, he's so supportive and he laughs. We all know people that work on TV that if you say something

funny, they're actually annoyed, but he laughs and arm around me, going, all right, Rob, you looking forward to it. I was like, yeah, I'm going to do it for all the overweight dads out there, blah, blah, blah. And he went, I'm sure glad you had a name going to be. And I just looked right, got really close to him and looked in the eye and went, I'm the beaver. So obviously he's laughing because I said beaver. And then he's cracking up and then he goes, and he's expecting badger, but I'd beaver him off nose to nose. Right. Yeah. And then he's cracking up and then he goes, and he's expecting badger by beaver him off nose to nose. Right. Yeah. And then he laughs. He goes, anything else a bit more Saturday night TV for the family rubber when what's wrong

with the beaver? I've got it's the teeth on the beaver. And then it's sort of like, okay, is it? I mean, for that kind of audience, he was like, Oh, yeah, of course you're on the beaver. Well, yeah, angry beaver and I'm up for it. Right. But then I started doing and then a couple of the games the crowd start getting behind me. And the crowd start chanting beaver and I'm up for it, right? But then I started doing it and then a couple of games, the crowd started getting behind me and the crowd started chanting beaver. So now I've got five, six thousand people. Are your kids chanting beaver? Presumably. All the children are chanting beaver. And then out of nowhere I put my fingers like that in front of my mouth, like the index finger

and the middle finger. Like the quotation marks? Like quotation marks when you go like, oh really? Like that, but in front of my teeth. teeth. And I'm like putting them up and down like they're big beaver teeth. And they're all going, beaver. So I'm dancing around going, beaver, beaver. And then, cause they're all Northern, most of the crowd, cause it's in Sheffield. This is like eight year old kid going,

come on the beaver, come on the beaver. Beaver, beaver. Beaver. So I think they were tempted to try and cut it out, but when you can't cut it out and then the crowd are shouting beaver. Oh, God. So I think they were tempted to try and cut it out, but you can't cut it out and then the crowd are shouting beaver. In many ways that's worse. But it's a lot worse.

We had a brilliant time. The Youngers found it a bit difficult, but then once I did Pineapple Coconut, she calmed down. Gladiators were all lovely, production were all brilliant, but it was such a brilliant show. And if you can get up there and get a ticket. Did you eat on the day? Were you worried about having a pizza at lunch and then being...

Basically, you eat quite sensibly and then you have loads of sugar to keep you going, they said. Right, yeah. Between each games, Jenny and Stuart would warm you up, give you some tips and go, right, you need a Mars bar, you need this, you need some Haribo, have some water, have some stuff. This is weird. At breakfast before, we were having breakfast, we had some porridge. Yeah, what are the gladiators having at breakfast? I miss them. Our call time was earlier, so I missed the gladiators. But our breakfasts were so weird, right?

We're all sat down. I'm a bit like stressed because I'm about to do gladiators. There was this old Asian man next to us, right? Probably in his sixties. And he had his phone watching YouTube on loud, really loud, no headphones, just out of this phone, propped up on his like cup of juice, watching GB News on full blast in a tiny breakfast thing. Little old Asian man, right? And I say to him, can you turn that off?

So it's really loud. He went, oh, as long as you don't mind GB News. I went, mate, I don't want to hear anything. I was like, I'm not getting involved in, also this was like the week of, you know when there was all those riots? Yeah, yeah. It was all quite tense. Not the best week to watch GB News.

No. And there's never a good week to watch GB News. I didn't get involved in that because he's trying to get into it. Yeah, yeah, of course, that's not the time. I went, mate, I'm just trying to have breakfast. I just don't want to hear any news. He went, yeah, but it's because GB News tell you the truth.

Oh no. And I was like, mate, I went, it's too early for the truth. Ha ha. I mean, it's too early for the truth, mate. I don't want to hear nothing, right? But I also was like, this is an old Asian man watching this sort of like right wing news about the riots. I'm like, mate, if GB news are talking the truth, I wouldn't think you'd want

to hear it out of anyone. I don't think you're that demographic. Fuck it. Oh, it's men's side. He wouldn't turn it down. Yeah. So I had porridge in the morning. I'm actually getting you're that demographic. Fuck it. Oh, it's mental. He wouldn't turn it down. Yeah, so I had porridge in the morning. I'm actually getting into porridge, Josh. Oh, they all come flooding back. Here we go.

I'm on this protein porridge and it does fill you up and get you going in the morning, to be fair. There you go, Rob. Just enjoy your porridge. No, I don't enjoy it, obviously. It's the right thing to do nutrition-wise. Warming you in the stomach. Oh wait till it's winter Rob. Wait till it's winter. Every time I'm satisfied with my porridge I'm going to think of you gobbling it up. I'm the new gobbler. By the end of this podcast

I'll be the stiff net, you'll be the loose net, you'll be off your face on, you'll be smoking doobies, surfing in Cornwall and I'll be stuck in the countryside reading books in porridge off fucking waste man. Rob, yeah, I can't wait to watch it. We'll do a proper debrief after it. I am thinking of from the parenting on Instagram do a live stream, I'm gonna do a live stream watch along. So join me for the live stream watch along, get your phone plugged in, have it on a little stand. Yeah, do it properly. I think it'll be a good...

Yeah, I'll have a proper watch along, but that's come January the 1st. That'll be January time, yeah. I'll get myself a curry, sit down, chill out, New Year's Day, and it'll be like the greatest day ever. Yeah, I think you will enjoy it. There's some really, really funny moments.

And I look absolutely petrified throughout. It's weird, the only bit of telly I've ever done where my sole focus is physical and survival. There was no thought apart from the chat at the beginning of all the like, you know, messing about. Yeah, but I actually when the game's happening, it's just like, I'm not aware cameras are there. Basically, I've just like, I've got to try and win this. I've got to try and try and survive, not get a jump off this and

stuff. So it's quite a weird experience there, to be honest. Small business. It's just small business shout out. Yeah, sorry if I spoke ages there, and survive, not get a jump off this and stuff. So it's quite a weird experience there, to be honest. Small business. It's just small business shout out. Yeah, sorry if I spoke ages there, but I suppose it was a bad idea. People are fascinated, Rob. It's the behind the scenes of your mind and gladiators. Two of the things that people want to know the most about.

I don't know about that, but yeah. Two of the biggest mysteries in British life. Anyone's listening and does struggle with that kind of stuff. I'm not saying just immediately go and do everything that's stressing out. Don't do gladiators. Don't sign up to gladiators. No, but I do believe in if you can breathe and calm yourself down and different breathing techniques and things like that, then most of the things you think you can't do, you can.

But don't push yourself too hard. Do it step by step. And I couldn't have done that without Jenny helping me. She was really, really helpful. So I've big up Jenny, Jenny Pacey, who helped me with that. Because that was a real moment, a breakthrough moment. And you can't always do it on your own. Well, I've got a Jen who was sent in a small business, Rob, that you are going to love. Hello, Rob and Josh. My husband and I are huge fans of the pod. We've been listening from the beginning and now have a nine month old baby girl called Darcy

who keeps us busy. So many people these days, Rob, have had kids since we started. I'm not saying we're responsible. I'm just saying our names are available if you wanna give them to the kids, even as middle names. Imagine having two kids, Rob and Josh. Oh my God.

If you've got, I know anyone with two kids called Rob and Josh. Oh my God. If you've got, know anyone with two kids called Rob and Josh, by the law of averages, that will exist. I don't think that's a good phono, is it? How does that get phono? Yeah. How does that, what do we do beyond that? Or just shout out? Yeah. Also, please can we have more playground shagging stories? We're sitting on an amazing one apparently. We are sitting on one that's absolutely sensational. But I'm thinking if we get a few more and we could do a Playground Shaggers special. My friend, he's not got kids. And he only listens to the Jeff Innocent episode

because he likes Jeff Innocent. And he said Playground Shaggers is the favorite thing he's ever heard on a podcast. And he's constantly talking to me about it. Yeah, so we want Playground Shagging stories, affairs, one night stands, all of it. We've got one, so we we going to do a special but we need a few more to build that through and then we're going to

finish on the greatest one of all time. Yeah. Right. I would love to shout out my husband's small business. They're called to vintage. That's to the number TWO. The word of the number to vintage are based in South End in Essex. So you're already on board, Rob. Nice. That's where you did your special. From their huge warehouse, they sell vintage clothes, including classic football shirts.

Oh, here we go. I need some more of them. Here we go. American sports jerseys, accessory, and loads of sustainable alternatives to fast fashion. They even have a vintage cliDs clothes section. Please follow them on Instagram, at the wonders of vintage, at the wonders of vintage.

Thank you so much, Jen Honor in Southend. Lovely, thank you, Jen. Hi Robert Josh, big fan of the podcast and I've been listening since day one. My girls are now six and four and your pod got me through the tough days during lockdown with two under two. That lockdown was so awful.

I think we forget sometimes, it was fucking hardcore. It was crap. I would love a small business shout out. I think we forget sometimes it's fucking hardcore. It was crap. I would love a small business shout out. I'm an independent travel agent and have a small business called Happily Ever Travel. I'm a Disney and Universal specialist travel agent. I run my business on the side of my regular job as a nurse and my two young children.

It's hard work, but I love it. I have a huge passion for booking once and lifetime holidays for families and taking the stress out of it for them. I do all the hard work so they don't have to and use my experiences to ensure they have the most amazing holiday as well as Disney. I can also book anywhere else.

You ask, I can do it. I would love for you to give me a shout out and maybe even book your next Disney trip for you. My Instagram is at happilyevertravel. So thanks for the laughs each week. Stay sexy and relatable. Emma happily ever travel on Instagram. Good luck, Emma. There we go, Josh. Lovely. Stay sexy and relatable. Emma, happily ever travel on Instagram. Good luck, Emma.

There we go, Josh. Lovely. You're done now. Right, I'll see you next time, brav. I can't wait. He's a lot of AI. Right, see you next week. Bye.

["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] I'm Max Rushton. I'm David O'Doherty. And we'd like to invite you to our new podcast, What Did You Do Yesterday? It's a show that asks guests the big question, quite literally, what did you do yesterday? That's it. That is it.

Max, I'm still not sure. Where do we put the stress? Is it what did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? You know what I mean? What did you do yesterday? I'm really downplaying it. Like, what did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? You know what I mean? What did you do yesterday? I'm really downplaying it. Like, what did you do yesterday? Like, I'm just a guy just asking a question.

But do you think I should go bigger? What did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? Every single word this time, I'm going to try and make it like it is the killer word. What did you do yesterday? I think that's too much, isn't it? That is. That's over the top. What did you do yesterday? Available wherever you get your podcasts every Sunday.