Before he was Cobra on Gladiators, Mick Willson was working as a lift engineer in London. He went from fixing lifts in City buildings to facing contestants in front of thousands of people, and somehow kept the same appetite for winding people up.
In Season 1, Episode 7 of Off The Job: A Tradesman Podcast, Keiran and Pete sit down with Mick, whom Keiran knows as Uncle Mick. Their conversation covers his route from the tools to television, the pressure behind the famous costume, life after the original show and why, after all of that, getting the roof done is a perfectly decent ambition.
Watch the full interview with Cobra on YouTube to hear the stories, interruptions and family banter in Mick’s own words.
In this episode
- Mick’s job as a lift engineer before he became Cobra.
- How an application led to a place on the original UK Gladiators.
- The nerves, long filming days and injuries behind the TV spectacle.
- What came next, from live appearances to meeting fans years later.
- How Mick looks back on fame, health and the life he has built beyond the show.
Who is Mick Willson, aka Cobra?
Mick Willson is best known as Cobra from the original UK Gladiators. Long before the TV audience knew his name, he worked in lift engineering and trained across different sports. His Cobra profile in the Gladiators archive also covers his bodybuilding and martial arts background.
There is a family link behind this interview: Mick is Keiran’s uncle. That means Pete gets the stories of a 1990s television favourite, while Keiran can interrupt with the sort of questions you only ask someone who has known you all your life. Mick gives as good as he gets.
From lift engineering to the Gladiators arena
Mick tells Keiran and Pete that a friend’s mum helped put him forward for Gladiators. After auditions, he was initially taken on as a reserve. A couple of shows in, he was offered a regular place, and the fun suddenly felt more real.
Before the show took over, his day job involved working on lifts in offices, banks and other City buildings. He had trained on the job and, by his account, was not above playing the odd prank on people using the lifts. He stayed in engineering for a period even after joining Gladiators, before taking a chance on television full time.
He also admits to a fear of heights, which sounds inconvenient for someone who worked around lift shafts and then ended up on Gladiators. Mick explains that the work felt different when he could trust his hands and focus on what he was doing. His story is a reminder that a trade career can lead somewhere nobody saw coming, including the person doing the job.
For more stories about learning on the tools, read Keiran and Pete’s Off The Job conversation about apprenticeships.
The nerves behind Cobra’s first appearance
It is hard to picture Cobra being nervous, but Mick remembers waiting for his first introduction, looking down at the costume and realising he was about to be on television wearing very little of it. The nerves did not last forever. Meeting the press and settling into the show helped him become more comfortable being himself on camera.
The filming was harder work than a Saturday evening viewing might suggest. Mick describes long days, multiple shows and games where contestants and Gladiators could get injured. He recalls filling in when other Gladiators were hurt and damaging his ankle after a bout of Duel. The audience laughed, apparently thinking it was part of the act. It was not quite the reception he had hoped for.
Keiran and Pete also get him talking about the original show’s Birmingham arena, international versions and his fellow Gladiators. The interview was recorded while a new version of the programme was being discussed, so Mick’s comments on its presenters and games reflect that moment rather than a current review.
What happened after Gladiators?
Mick says the end of filming did not mean the work, or the attention, disappeared overnight. He continued with appearances, school visits and live entertainment. He talks about pantomime, stunt work and meeting people who still remember Cobra decades after the original programme.
There is a less glamorous side to being recognisable, too. Mick recalls stories about him being distorted in the press and moments when people wanted a photo even when he was unwell. He tells these stories with plenty of humour, but the point lands: the person inside the costume does not stop being a person when the cameras go away.
Life after the arena
Later in the episode, Mick speaks candidly about injuries, operations and serious illness. These are his experiences as he described them when the episode was recorded, rather than an update on his health today. The conversation turns to what all those years of training and performing have meant for his body, and what matters to him now.
Asked what comes next, Mick does not deliver a grand TV comeback pitch. He talks about being content, enjoying where he lives and wanting to get his roof sorted. After a career involving Gladiators, international travel and the odd lift-related prank, that is a wonderfully ordinary answer.
Watch Mick “Cobra” Willson on Off The Job
This is an episode for anyone who grew up watching Gladiators, but it is also a trade story. Mick went from learning lift engineering on the job to becoming one of the faces of a huge television show. With Keiran and Pete, he tells the bits that do not fit into a glossy “where are they now?” caption.
Watch the full Season 1, Episode 7 interview on YouTube, or explore more guests on the Off The Job podcast page.
Off The Job is produced by Trade Apps. If you work in the electrical trade, discover Electrical Certificate App for qualified electricians.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Cobra on the original Gladiators?
Cobra was the on-screen name of Mick Willson, one of the Gladiators on the original UK television series. He joins Keiran Yates and Pete Withers for Season 1, Episode 7 of Off The Job.
What did Mick Willson do before Gladiators?
He worked as a lift engineer. In the episode, he describes learning on the job and continuing to work in engineering for a time after being cast on Gladiators.
How did Mick Willson become Cobra?
Mick says a friend’s mum helped put him forward for the show. He auditioned, was initially hired as a reserve and was then offered a regular place early in the original series.
Is Cobra related to Off The Job host Keiran Yates?
Yes. Mick is Keiran’s uncle, which gives the interview a more personal feel alongside the stories from his television career.
