Watch: Ten of the world's strongest men are coming to Malta

Malta’s association with the Gladiator films made it the “perfect” place to film a new strongman-focused TV series, according to the show’s presenter Eddie “The Beast” Hall.

The 2017 World’s Strongest Man and social media star said Malta was the “perfect backdrop” for his upcoming Battle of the Beasts TV show, which is due to start filming this week.

“It’s very ‘Roman Empire’ and the Gladiator film set is here, so it’s just the perfect backdrop for anything to do with beasts,” he said.

Hall was speaking to Times of Malta at a gym in Mrieħel following a training session amid promotional activities before filming gets underway.

“I had a couple of weeks out here last year working with the Malta Tourism Authority. I saw the whole island and just fell in love with it; the people, the culture and the sightseeing,” he said. “I thought it was just amazing.”

Describing the new show as a “brainchild of mine for a few years,” Hall said that after years competing in strongman competitions, the format started to feel “a little bit flat – it’s just the same events regurgitated over and over, so I thought it needed reinventing”. 

The upcoming series, filmed in front of an audience, will see 10 strongmen from around the world travel to Malta to compete in challenges including sumo wrestling and belly flop challenges.

The show will also feature eating competitions, an activity Hall is no stranger to, with his popular YouTube channel – boasting 3.4 million subscribers – hosting videos of the strongman tackling large quantities of food alongside other online personalities. 

Hall’s eating challenges are a regular fixture on his popular YouTube channel. Photo: YouTube/Eddie Hall The Beast

But with consumption a hot topic amid climate change and increasing numbers of people embracing diets such as veganism, does Hall think such challenges send out the right message?

“I’m on a carnivore diet, so I eat nothing but meat, eggs and dairy, and I feel fantastic,” he said. “Everyone’s got their own path and thrive on different diets; I think you should do whatever makes you happy and feel your best”.

School run in a tank

Eating challenges are not the only thing to populate Hall’s page, which also features weightlifting, arm wrestling – and footage of the strongman driving a tank on UK roads. 

“I think there are only 89 road legal tanks in the world. I own two of them, and I guess it’s more an investment for myself,” he said of the unusual vehicle choice.

“Driving a tank on the road, going to McDonald’s and picking my son up from school in a tank are things that I just enjoy. It’s pretty cool... but in 50 years’ time, they are going to be nearly extinct and worth quite a lot, so I’m hanging on to them.”

Asked about the impact of his online presence on his career, Hall said he had been able to “capitalise” on social media platforms and now made “a good living out of it doing stupid videos – but winning the World’s Strongest Man title put me in a position to do that”.

Describing winning the title as a “childhood dream”, Hall said there was “no better feeling than winning such a competition”.

“It’s one of those alpha [male] titles on the planet,” he said, likening it to the World Heavyweight Boxing Champion competition. “If you can best the next man by lifting more weight than him or punching in the face. There’s no better feeling than that.”

Toxic masculinity? 

While Hall’s immense strength has formed the basis of his career, how might he respond to parents concerned his macho image could be misinterpreted by younger viewers, fuelling so-called ‘toxic masculinity’, where traits such as aggression and dominance are harnessed not for sport, but for socially destructive behaviour? 

“I don’t think there’s any such thing as toxic masculinity; I think there’s men that are men, and men are there not so manly in this world, and there are women that are women, and women that are not so womanly,” he said.

“I think everyone’s on their own path, and I feel like you’ve got to follow your own path and do what makes you happy – or what makes the people around you proud,” said the strongman.

“That was a key thing with my life; before any big decision, I would take a step back and ask, would that make my nan [grandmother] proud? Would that make my mum and dad proud? If the answer is no, then it’s most likely you shouldn’t be choosing that path.”

Strongman Eddie Hall (inset) said Malta’s association with the 'Gladiator' film and its beasts made it the perfect location to shoot his upcoming TV series 'Battle of the Beasts'.

Good habits

Stressing the importance of consistency when training, Hall said he had to be “one thousand per cent dedicated to being the strongest man in the world; your diet, training, sleep, recovery, and anything in between. It’s a hard job”.

Discouraging overambition, the strongman said the idea of going from not exercising to attending the gym five times a week was “pretty stupid”

But with maintaining healthy regimens a challenge for many, and Malta struggling with the stubbornly high levels of obesity, what advice would Hall give to those struggling with their weight?  

“For anyone out there that is overweight, firstly I would say to go and take a walk. Just do a mile walk every single day – walk your dog, walk to the shops – and then build on that,” he said.

Discouraging overambition, the strongman said the idea of going from not exercising to attending the gym five times a week was “pretty stupid”.

‘Normal life scares me’

As one of the world’s strongest men, what scares him? 

“Filming content and going to the gym are things that I love to do and in essence, I work for myself; what scares me is getting up every day and going back to my full-time job,” he said, explaining he used to be a mechanic for 10 years before becoming a professional strongman.

“I’m living the dream, and that’s what motivates me and keeps me working hard; to stay away from that normal life,” said Hall. 

“The thing that scares me most in this world is being normal.”