Gladiators Cobra and Scorpio star as Contract Comic-con comes to Rainton Arena

Fans queued in the rain to get into the event, which saw a selection of stalls selling all sorts of memorabilia, costume competitions, wrestling displays and retro video games.

Photo opportunities included Transformer Bumblebee, iconic movie scenes, and even a larger-than-life animated gorilla.

Contract Entertainment’s Lindsey Jordan was delighted with the turn-out, which was predicted to top 200: “It is the first we have run here as Contract Entertainment,” she said.

Gladiators ready!

"We have been here before with Unleashed Events, but this is the first one we have done.

"We had just about 100 people here on early admission alone, who have been in from 10am."

Among the attractions were personal appearances by former Gladiators stars Nikki Diamond and Michael Willson – aka Scorpio and Cobra.

Nikki, who was accompanied by daughter Emily, said repeat showings of the original series on Sky had created a whole new generation of fans: “What is happening now is that the kids from back then are now parents themselves and they have got their own kids into it,” she said.

The new generation of fans was just as passionate and just as protective of the show,” she added: “Everybody just loves it,” she said.

"We were very, very lucky to be part of one of the most loved shows on TV.”

‘It is brilliant’

Twenty-one-year-old Kyle White, who was dressed as Dr Strange, had travelled from Consett for the day and was in his element: “It is amazing,” he said.

Kyle is no stranger to events such as Comic-con but his support worker Dan Aisbett was making his first visit and was extremely impressed.

"It is the first time I have been to one of these and it is brilliant,” he said.

"It is so nice to see Kyle having such a good time – he is in his element – and it is a great day out for people.”

Kristan Bailey, 19, from Sunderland, was dressed as Star Wars’ Obi-Wan Kenobi: “There are way more people here than I expected , which is great to see,” he said.

"The sense of community is amazing.”