Gladiators referee John Anderson, who lived in Fife and Perthshire, has died aged 92.
Anderson was a coach to athletics stars including Dundee runner Liz McColgan before he became the voice of the iconic gameshow with his “Gladiators ready” catchphrase.
Fans reminisced about Anderson’s role in the original 1990s version of the TV show when it returned for a new series earlier this year.
Glasgow-born Anderson lived in Dunfermline and Errol before moving to England in the late 1990s to be closer to whis ife Dorothy’s family.
According to Athletics Weekly, Anderson died in the early hours of Sunday.
Tributes to Gladiators referee John Anderson
Runner Dave Moorcroft, who he coached, told Athletics Weekly: “I can’t speak too highly of John.
“He turned water into wine. At our club (Coventry Godiva) we’d never had anybody break four minutes for (a) mile, but not only did I do it but Tim Redman, Colin Ridding and Steve James all broke four minutes.
“I don’t think any of them would describe themselves as world beaters but John just got the best out of people.”
Fan account Gladiators TV posted on X: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our beloved referee, John Anderson, at the age of 92.
“Our hearts go out to his friends and family.
“John will forever be remembered as the iconic voice that brought, ‘Gladiators ready! Contenders ready!'”
The Courier previously looked at how Anderson became a household name on Gladiators while living in Errol.
In a forgotten interview with the Evening Telegraph in 1994 he told how he was asked to be the referee on Gladiators in 1992.
He said: “I got a call from a friend who is also a member of the British Institute of Sports Coaches.
“He told me that a TV producer was looking for someone to evaluate big strong
guys to find out if they were not only real physical specimens but could move about
and perform well in games.
“He thought I knew more than anyone about that kind of testing, so he asked me to go down to Aldershot.”
Anderson was a coach to McColgan but the pair fell out when she dropped him as her coach.
He sued the runner for £75,000 and the case was settled out of court, but they never spoke to each other again.
He moved to a house overlooking Pitreavie Golf Club in Dunfermline in 1996 but moved south in 1999.
Gladiators was cancelled in 2000 after eight series.
Anderson returned to screens during a revival on Sky in 2008.
He was replaced by former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg when the show came back to the BBC at the start of 2024.
Conversation