Edinburgh soldier Finlay Anderson wins Gladiators in dramatic finale

The dad-of-two has credited his success on the hit BBC show to his military career.

An army officer from Edinburgh who won the men's event in popular TV show Gladiators has said he hopes to return - as a Gladiator.

Finlay Anderson, 35, triumphed in the final of the gruelling competition on Saturday night, defeating his rival, wrestler Wesley Malé.

The reboot of the 1990s programme pits contestants against the Gladiators in a series of games, before going head-to-head with each other in the obstacle course-style Eliminator.

Finlay who joined the military in 2010 has done several tours in the Middle East. He started the final Eliminator game level with Malé. but he pulled ahead and ran faster to the top of the travelator to take the victory.

He had previously lost to Mr Malé in the quarter-finals, when he suffered a rib injury. But the Company Commander from the Royal Regiment of Scotland overcame his injury and said he felt confident going into the final.

“I crashed sideways through the finish line and was looking directly at my family and friends. I looked them in the eye and gave them a wave while still on the rope. It was pretty wild.”

"This is definitely the most surreal moment ever from five-year-old me playing The Eliminator in my granny's living room to lifting the real deal, this is unbelievable," he told presenter Bradley Walsh.

Finlay Anderson won the men's event of Gladiators in dramatic finale of first series of the BBC reboot

Finlay, who said he was 'chasing a childhood dream' by competing on the show, has credited his success during the back-to-back events to his military mindset and the "excitement of working under pressure",

The dad-of-two said the most challenging moment of the final was on the Edge, as that was where he had injured his ribs earlier in the competition.

He added that as a Crossfit fan, he wanted to "excel" against the Gladiator Steel during the series, because the athlete is a star of the fitness regime and won the title of UK's Fittest Man in 2020.

Anderson revealed he hopes to return to the BBC programme in the future as a Gladiator himself.

He said: "I half-jokingly said to the producers ‘If we win, do we get to be a Gladiator on the next series?’

"They smiled and walked away with a twinkle in their eyes. So, I don't know if it will happen, but that would be fantastic.

"That would be fun, but we’ll have to see."