Gladiators star Wolf leads tributes to legendary referee John Anderson after his death aged 92

Gladiators star Wolf has led the tributes to legend John Anderson following his death aged 92.

Anderson was the show’s original referee and appeared right from when it began in 1992 until 2000, with Ulrika Jonsson, John Fashanu, and later Jeremy Guscott serving as hosts.

His booming voice was heard in households across the country as viewers have known and loved him for his catchphrase, ‘Contenders, you will go on my first whistle. Gladiators, you will go on my second whistle.’

As reported by Athletics Weekly, Anderson died in the early hours of today.

One person who paid tribute to Anderson was former Gladiator star Wolf – real name Michael Van Wijk – whose character on the show had a long-standing feud with the referee.

On Instagram, he wrote: ‘Just heard my dear friend John has just passed away. Even though everybody thought he was my nemises on the show , actually we were the best of friends.

‘There is no way my character on the show would have been so successful without my interactions with John. He truly made the show. I will miss him dearly ❤ Rest in peace ????.’

One of the first people to pay tribute was Dave Moorcroft, a former runner who was coached by Anderson.

Moorcroft was one of Anderson’s most famous pupils and biggest success stories.

Having worked with Anderson since the age of 16, Moorcroft went on to break the 5,000m world record in Oslo in 1982 with 13:00.41.

Praising Anderson, the 71-year-old said: ‘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 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. I’m certain that I would never have been a decent athlete if it wasn’t for John. Not just because of the training he gave me, but he took a shy kid who didn’t believe in himself and just had that amazing ability to believe in me and others.

‘He would die for his athletes and he never took a step backwards. He was a fighter in everything he did. He coached me from the age of 16 and never took a penny. It cost him a fortune for the privilege of working for nothing.’

Indeed, before being shot to fame on Gladiators, Anderson was a gifted coach who helped track and field athletes reach their full potential.

It is estimated that, throughout his decades-long coaching career, Anderson worked with over 170 Team Great Britain athletes.

As well as Moorcroft, he coached Olympic heptathlete Judy Simpson and Olympic middle-distance finalist Sheila Carey.

He also helped Liz McColgan win the Olympic 10,000m silver in 1988.

At one point in his career, he worked briefly with distance running legend Dave Bedford, as well as Scottish endurance runners John Graham and Lynne MacDougall.

Anderson was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, later living in Nuneaton for a spell before moving to Corby.

As for his Gladiators duties, Anderson briefly reprised his role as referee on the newly-revived Gladiators in 2008.

After the stint, he left due to retiring from TV refereeing, with John Coyle replacing him.

Only one more series followed as the revival was not renewed for a third.

Anderson made other small cameos as a referee after his official retirement, including guest appearances on two episodes of Top Gear in 2016 with Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc.

He also served as an ident-voiceover for Sky’s Challenge TV.

Gladiators fans expressed their sorrow following Anderson’s death, with fan account GladiatorsTV writing 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!’

Cameron McNeish, who worked with Anderson, wrote: ‘Sad to hear of the death of my old athletics coach John Anderson. John was a mentor to me during my teenage years and went on to become one of the UK’s top coaches. He was also the ref in the original series of Gladiators. He coached no less than five world record holders. RIP’.

Others hailed Anderson as the ‘best referee’ and a ‘legend’ who had a real impact on the childhood of many.

The referee in the current BBC show, Mark Clattenburg, said: ‘One of the most iconic voices and will always be remembered. I had the most difficult task to follow him in the new series of Gladiators and watching him keep the Gladiators within the rules will always be with me!! Rest in peace legend!!’

Gladiators was revived once again in January 2023 after being secured by the BBC, 32 years after its original launch on ITV.

A celebrity edition is also in the works thanks to the huge success of the comeback series, which saw father-son duo Bradley and Barney Walsh take the helm.

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