Robot Wars (TV series)

This article is about the British television series. For the video game franchises in Japan, see Super Robot Wars.

Robot Wars
Also known as	Robot Wars Extreme
Genre	Robot competition
Created by	Tom Gutteridge Stephen Carsey
Presented by	Jeremy Clarkson (1998) Craig Charles (1998–2004) Dara Ó Briain (2016–2018) Angela Scanlon (2016–2018)
Starring	Philippa Forrester (1998–2000, 2002–03) Julia Reed (2000–01) Jayne Middlemiss (2003–04)
Judges	Noel Sharkey (1998–2004, 2016–2018) Eric Dickinson (1998) Adam Harper (1998–99) Martin Smith (1999–2004) Myra Wilson (2000–01) Mat Irvine (2001–04) Sethu Vijayakumar (2016–18) Lucy Rogers (2016–18)
Narrated by	Jonathan Pearce
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	9 (Original) 3 (Revival) 12 (Overall)
No. of episodes	155 (Original) 22 (Revival) 177 (Overall)
Production
Production locations	London Docklands (1998–99) Elstree Studios (1999–2000; 2001–02) Park Street Studios (2000–01) RAF Newton (2002–04) Westway Park (2016–18)
Running time	30 minutes (1998–99) 45 minutes (1999–2003) 60 minutes (2003–18)
Production companies	TV21 (1998–2001) Mentorn International (2001–02) Mentorn (2002–18)
Original release
Network	BBC Two BBC Choice (2001–03) Five (2003–04) BBC One (2000, one episode)
Release	20 February 1998 (1998-02-20) – 28 March 2004 (2004-03-28)
Release	24 July 2016 (2016-07-24) – 7 January 2018 (2018-01-07)

Robot Wars is a robot combat competition that was broadcast on British television from 1998 to 2004 and from 2016 to 2018. Each series involves teams of amateur and professional roboteers operating their own constructed remote controlled robots to fight against each other in an arena formed of steel and bullet proof glass fitted with arena hazards and containing areas occupied by hostile and heavier "House Robots". Earlier series included assault and trial courses for competing robots.

The original version of the show was broadcast on BBC Two from 20 February 1998 to 23 February 2001, on BBC Choice from 8 October 2001 to 7 February 2003 (later repeated on BBC Two) and on Channel 5 from 2 November 2003 to 28 March 2004. A revival was broadcast on BBC Two from 24 July 2016 to 7 January 2018. To date, the show has been broadcast as 10 main series each centred around a single competition, two "Extreme" series with several unconnected events and several special episodes.^{[ citation needed ]}

Jeremy Clarkson presented the first series, with Craig Charles taking over for the second to seventh series. Philippa Forrester co-hosted the first three series, the fifth, sixth and Extreme 2. Forrester also hosted the spin-off series Robot Wars Revealed from 1998 to 1999. The fourth series and Extreme 1 were co-hosted by Julia Reed and the seventh by Jayne Middlemiss. The revived series were hosted by Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon. Jonathan Pearce provided commentary for all series.

Additional series were filmed at the UK venue for specific sectors of the global market, including two series of Robot Wars Extreme Warriors with American competitors for the TNN network (hosted by Mick Foley with Rebecca Grant serving as pit reporter), two of Dutch Robot Wars for distribution in the Netherlands and a single series for Germany. The fourth series of the UK Robot Wars was shown in the US on TNN as Robot Wars: Grand Champions in 2002 and hosted by Joanie Laurer. ^[1]

Its merchandising was commercially successful, being one of the most popular selling toy ranges in 2002 produced by Logistix Kids. It included a mini arena, pullback, friction and ripcord toys and radio-controlled versions of the House Robots. ^[2]

In 2003, the roboteers themselves formed The Fighting Robot Association and with their associated event organizers, carry on participating in competitions for new audiences. In 2013, Roaming Robots purchased the rights to the Robot Wars brand from Robot Wars LLC and operated their travelling robotic combat show under that name. ^[3] The use of the name Robot Wars for live shows ceased in early 2017, being renamed Extreme Robots. ^[4]

With a peak audience of six million viewers in the UK during the late 1990s, the format went on to become a worldwide success, showing in 45 countries including the US, Australia, Canada, China, India, Germany and Italy. In March 2003, it was dropped by BBC Two after eight series and Mentorn announced it was making 22 episodes for Channel 5, ^[5] concluding with The Third World Championships broadcast in March 2004. Channel 5 later axed the show after one series due to low ratings. ^[6]

In July 2016, the show returned to BBC Two with a new arena, house robots and presenters. The first episode was well received, becoming the top trending topic on Twitter that evening and having two million viewers, more than the last episode of the 23rd series of Top Gear in the same 8pm Sunday slot just a few weeks earlier. ^[7] The revived show ran for three series, before it ended in March 2018. ^[8]

In October 2023, the MECH+ channel (run by Mentorn and Passion Distribution) was added to Freeview with the complete Robot Wars UK catalogue streaming on the channel. ^{[9] [10]}

History

US Robot Wars events

Robot Wars was the brainchild of Marc Thorpe, a designer working for the LucasToys division of Lucasfilm. ^[11] In 1992, Thorpe had the initial idea for robot combat sport after unsuccessfully attempting to create a radio-controlled vacuum cleaner. ^[12] In 1994, Marc Thorpe created Robot Wars and held the first competition at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Approximately one month prior to the event, Thorpe formed a partnership with New York-based record company Sm:)e Communications, later Profile Records, who provided additional funding. ^[11]

Between 1995 and 1997, three further Robot Wars events took place in America and in 1995, Profile Records partnered with production company Mentorn to produce and televise a Robot Wars event in the UK. Mentorn acquired the worldwide television rights from Profile in 1995 after Tom Gutteridge (the head of Mentorn) had seen an amateur tape of a San Francisco event.^{[ citation needed ]}

Original television series

Original Robot Wars logo from 1998 to 2004

Razer, one of the most successful robots in the original series. It had the ability to puncture competitors.

Gutteridge and one of his producers Steve Carsey created a television format based on the Robot Wars concept. They produced a live event opposite BBC Television Centre in Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London and hired Derek Foxwell to build 3 combat robots, 2 of which were named The Mouse and Grunt who would eventually take part in the first UK series of Robot Wars, to take on three American robots, Thor, La Machine and The Master, all of which were veterans of the original American competition. The Controller of BBC Two, Michael Jackson, attended the event, which was not filmed and he promised to commission a series. However, it was not until 1998 that a subsequent Controller of BBC Two, Mark Thompson, fulfilled Jackson's promise and actually commissioned 6 episodes. Gutteridge and Carsey were producers and Foxwell was the technical supervisor and senior technical consultant. He drafted the rules and regulations and was in charge of the pit area and the technical team, which scrutinised the robots, got them on and off stage and helped the contestants prepare and repair their robots. Mat Irvine, initially a member of the technical team, served as a member of the judging panel in 2002 and 2003.^{[ citation needed ]}

The three person judging panel consisted of Noel Sharkey (head judge on every series: 1998–2003, 2016–), Eric Dickinson (1998), Adam Harper (1998–99), Martin Smith (1999–2003), Myra Wilson (2000–01), Mat Irvine (2001–03), Sethu Vijayakumar (2016–) and Lucy Rogers (2016–).^{[ citation needed ]}

On the first day, I was in the dressing room and looking in the mirror and looking down at the arena. And they were pulling the robots into the arena on an invisible twine because nothing was working. And I was thinking: "Oh my God, what have I done with my career?" And you know, within the blink of an eye, it was the most watched show on BBC2.

— Presenter Craig Charles on the success of Robot Wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s which aired at 6:30 on Friday evening and attracted over six million viewers. ^[13]

Profile sought no input or consent from Thorpe before doing this, which aggravated the already troubled relationship between Thorpe and Profile Records and indirectly spurred legal disagreements surrounding the ownership of the Robot Wars concept. The legal proceedings surrounding these would last until 6 February 2002. ^[12] Mentorn used Thorpe as a Consultant on the series, however and the initial series of Robot Wars in the UK was broadcast over six weeks in February and March 1998. It was an immediate hit, with more than two million viewers and a further 18 episodes were commissioned by the BBC that year. 155 episodes were produced in total and the show was seen in 26 countries. Two series were produced in the US for The National Network (now Paramount Network) and a version was also shown on Nickelodeon. TechTV (and later G4techTV/G4) ^[14] in the US aired the UK series proper. Series were also produced in many European countries. Although the series had various directors and producers, all were produced in the UK by Mentorn and executive produced by Tom Gutteridge and Steve Carsey. The initial series were staged in various film studios around London but the stage and pit area became too large to fit into any of the conventional studios, so filming was later moved to an aircraft hangar at RAF Newton.^{[ citation needed ]}

Viewing figures dropped significantly in the early 2000s, reaching only 1.2 million in the sixth series - the final to be broadcast on BBC Two. Following its move to Channel 5 in November 2003, the show first began airing in a new Sunday night slot and launched with one million viewers; however ratings fell quickly to 800,000 resulting in the show moving to Saturday nights after just three episodes. ^[15] After Robot Wars ended, an edited half-hour version of this series aired on Fox Kids (later Jetix) from 2004, on Bravo from after 2004, on Dave from 2010 and on Challenge & Sky History from before 2016.

Revival

Carbide, the winning robot in the second rebooted series. A fast-spinning bar is its primary weapon.

On 13 January 2016, the BBC confirmed that it would be rebooting the show for a six-part series. ^[16] The revived series was hosted by Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon with Jonathan Pearce returning as commentator. ^{[17] [ non-primary source needed ]} The first episode was broadcast on 24 July at 8pm, the same slot as Top Gear . Some robots from the original series returned, including Behemoth and Storm II, as well as four of the original House Robots, which were upgraded to be heavier, faster, better armed and with new looks. ^[18] The 2016 series was filmed in a warehouse at Westway Park in Renfrew, Scotland. ^[19]

The first episode received about two million viewers and was the top trending topic on Twitter with over 20,000 tweets. ^[20]

A second rebooted series was commissioned with a first celebrity special in 16 years, in which celebrities, such as Olympians Kadeena Cox and Alistair Brownlee and Jonny Brownlee, TV presenters Suzi Perry, Neil Oliver and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, singer Jordan Stevens and radio presenters Scott Mills and Robbie Savage had bespoke robots designed for them by eight major roboteers, who mentored them during the specials. ^[21]

During its original airing, the first rebooted series was sometimes referred to as 'Series 1', presenting itself as a completely new show. Starting in 2017, however, the BBC began referring to it as Series 8, with the following second series appropriately dubbed Series 9, acknowledging itself as a continuation of the original show. ^{[22] [23]} Following the 10th series, it was revealed that the BBC had decided not to renew the show for an 11th, and Robot Wars has been axed for the second time, the complete cancellation was met with backlash from fans. ^[24]

Battle rules

A robot could lose a match in several ways during the knockout format of the show:

• Immobilisation: A robot that is unable to move is counted out. In the original series 30 seconds of immobility were necessary, in later series this was reduced to 10 seconds.
• Pit: One of the arena hazards is the pit of oblivion, a large square hole in the arena. A robot that falls or is pushed into this is eliminated.
• Removal from arena: If a robot is ejected from the arena – typically by the flipper or vertical flywheel of an opponent, it is eliminated. In the original series the perimeter of the arena was a short barrier, in later series the wall was higher, making this type of elimination harder. In the rebooted series, only certain areas of the arena were not fully walled off. This meant that removal from the arena was only practical in certain areas.
• If none of the above conditions were satisfied, a panel of three judges (listed below) scored the competitors on style, control, damage and aggression.

The judges' decisions are based on the following categories:

• Aggression: The extent to which the robot was on the 'front foot' against the opposing robot as opposed to staying out of trouble.
• Damage: The amount of damage inflicted on the opposing robot.
• Control: The ability of the driver to push opposing robots, avoiding the arena hazards and if they're attacking how they're meant to.
• Style (original series only): The extent to which the robot demonstrated its abilities such as self-righting. For the revived series, the style category was omitted. ^[25]

In the original series, the Aggression, Damage, Control and Style points were weighted 3:4:2:1 respectively. In the 2016 series the weightings for Aggression, Damage and Control were 3:2:1, ^[26] with "Style" no longer a judged criterion.

Although the format changed several times over the years, these rules remained the same across all series and competitions.

Format

Domestic

Series	Competition Format	The Heats	The Semi-finals	The Final	Side and Trial Events
1	Six robots in six heats. The winners met in a single melee fight to determine the champion.	All six robots took on the Gauntlet with one eliminated. The remaining five took part in a trial with a further one eliminated. The final four took part in one-on-one Arena battles in a knockout format.	There was no Semi-Final held	The Final was held as a melee at the end of the final heat.	'British Bulldog', 'Football', 'Labyrinth', 'Snooker Octagon', 'Stock Car' and 'Sumo Basho'.
2	Six robots in twelve heats. The winners of each heat went into one of two semi-finals. Two robots from each semi-final reached the final show.		All six robots took on the Gauntlet with one eliminated. The remaining five took part in a trial with a further one eliminated. The final four took part in one-on-one Arena battles in a knockout format, with the two winners advancing to the Grand Final.	Arena battle knockout of two rounds plus a third place playoff.	'Joust', 'King of the Castle', 'Pinball Warrior', 'Football', 'Skittles', 'Sumo Basho' and 'Tug of War'.
3	Eight robots in sixteen heats. The sixteen heat winners reached one of two semi-finals. Two robots from each semi-final reached the final.	Arena battle knockout of three rounds.	Arena battle knockout of two rounds.		'Pinball Warrior', 'Football', the 'Middleweight Melee' and 'Walker Battles'.
4	Six robots in sixteen heats. The sixteen heats winners reached one of two semi-finals. Two robots from each semi-final reached the final.	Three-way Arena melee first round before two Arena knockout rounds.			'Pinball Warrior' and 'Sumo Basho'.
5	Eight robots in twelve heats. The twelve heat winners reached one of two semi-finals. Two robots from each semi-final reached the final.	Arena battle knockout of three rounds	Arena battle knockout of two rounds, with the three losers of the first round having to compete in a second-chance three-way melee for a place in the second round.		There were no Side or Trial events or Qualifying bouts held
6		Arena battle knockout of three rounds. The first round as a four-way melee with two qualifiers.
7	Eight robots in sixteen heats. The sixteen heat winners reached one of two semi-finals. Two robots from each semi-final reached the final.		Arena battle knockout of two rounds.		Qualifying bouts for the World Championships and fights from other weight classes
8	Eight robots in five heats. The five heat winners would move on to the grand final along with a wildcard robot chosen by the judges.	Round 1 was done the same way as series 6 and 7, but the two winners of each group battle go into a mini league where they fight its three opponents once each, with 3 points for a knockout win, 2 for a judges' decision win and 0 for a defeat of either form, with the top 2 advanced into the heat final and the bottom 2 eliminated. In the event two robots are tied for a qualifying position, the robot who won their bout against the other proceeds.	There was no Semi-Final held	The final works the same as the heats except the group battles feature three robots as opposed to four, with one robot being eliminated in each melee, similar to the heats of series 4.	There were no Side or Trial events or Qualifying bouts held
9
10	Six robots in five heats. The heat winners move on to the grand final. Robots in second and third place entered into 10 way wild card battle of which the winner would also move into the grand final.	Round 1 was two 3 way battles similar to series 4 which the winners would progress to the heat semi-final. Losers would compete against the losers from the opposite round 1 from which the winners would progress to the heat semi-final. After the two semi-finals, there was a third-place match for a place in the 10-way wild card battle and a first-place battle of which the winner would proceed and the loser would also compete in the 10-way battle.		The 10 way wild card battle took place then the winner joined the 5 heat winners. The rest of the final worked the same as the heats except for the omission of the third-place match.

Extreme

There were also two series made for the UK, Robot Wars Extreme, which did not focus on a single championship.

Bold text indicates robot wars extreme events that debuted ahead of the actual debut series.

Bold Italic text indicates robot wars extrmeme events that made separate debuts ahead of the added event of the second series of robot wars extreme.

Extreme 1 and 2 Events	These tournaments and themed battles continued over the entire series
All-Star Tournament	Knockout tournament featuring the most well-known competitors.
Annihilator	Six-way battles with one robot eliminated per round.
Challenge Belt	Where robots would try to defend their honour for the challenge belt.
Mayhems	Three-way battles to progress to the series annihilators.
Tag Team Terror	Two robots team up and fight tag-team style (though usually all four robots were out).
Vengeance Battle	This allowed robots with unfinished business or grudges to settle things once and for all.
Wildcard Warriors	Newcomers take on established robots.
Robot rebellion	Robots Face the House Robots
Extreme 2 Added Events	This series followed one theme over each episode
New Blood	A new robot tournament.
Iron Maidens	Women took control.
Minor Meltdown	Children took control.
Robot Rampage	A tournament with robots in lower weight classes such as antweight, featherweight, lightweight and middleweight.
University Challenge	All robots were entered by Universities.
Commonwealth Carnage	All robots were from teams based in the Commonwealth. (Similar to the World Championship)
European Championship	All robots were from teams based in Europe.

Presenters

Main presenters

Jeremy Clarkson (1998)

Jonathan Pearce, commentator

Craig Charles (1998–2004)

Dara Ó Briain (2016–2018), co-host with Angela Scanlon

The first series of Robot Wars was presented by Jeremy Clarkson and co-hosted by Philippa Forrester. In keeping with his edgy persona established on Top Gear , Clarkson frequently made tongue-in-cheek jokes about competitors and their robots, such as remarking that a contestant robot called "Skarab" looked like "cheese on toast". ^[27]

Clarkson left Robot Wars after the first series and was replaced with Craig Charles. ^[28] Charles, well known as playing the character Dave Lister in the science fiction-themed sitcom Red Dwarf , ^[29] was seen as taking the programme and its contestants more seriously than Clarkson and was more enthusiastic while presenting it. He was also often known as the "Master of Mayhem" when introduced at the start of episodes from Extreme 1 onwards. ^[27] Charles would close each episode with a four line poem ending with the words "Robot Wars". Charles presented Robot Wars until it ceased production in 2004.^{[ citation needed ]}

"My son, Jack, was a fan of the first series and said I should get involved. So I made a few phone calls and the rest is history."

—  Craig Charles speaking on how he got involved with Robot Wars.

In comparison to Charles' background in science fiction, Philippa Forrester was best known as co-host of the science and technology programme Tomorrow's World . ^[30] Her role on Robot Wars was as the pit reporter ^[31] who would speak to contestants about their robots before and after battles. Forrester was pit reporter for six of the show's nine series; Julia Reed took the role for Series 4 and Extreme 1 since Forrester was unable to participate in the programme due to pregnancy, but Forrester returned for Series 5, Series 6 and Extreme 2. When the programme moved to Channel 5 for the seventh series, Forrester did not return for unknown reasons, so Jayne Middlemiss took over the pit reporter duties. ^[28]

Jonathan Pearce was the show's commentator throughout its entire run, becoming one of only two people (the other being judge Noel Sharkey) to appear in every episode of the programme; he commentated in the same loud and enthusiastic manner as his football commentaries. ^[32] The programme was well known for phrases such as "Roboteers, stand by", "3. 2. 1. Activate" and "Cease!". These phrases were announced by the director, Stuart McDonald and became a recognisable part of the series for the entire duration of its run. ^[33]

In 2016, Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon were announced as the hosts of the eighth series, with Jonathan Pearce returning as commentator. They reprised their roles in the ninth and tenth series.

House robots

Throughout the series, house robots acted as obstacles to competing robots in battles and challenges. House robots were permitted to attack robots that were in the Corner Patrol Zones at the corners of the arena or upon the submission of a competing robot. The house robots were an intrinsic part of the programme's success and merchandising of these robots was highly successful. ^[34] Furthermore, the house robots were not subject to the 100 kg (220 lb) weight limit or weapon rules that contestant robots had to adhere to, the most notable example of this was Sergeant Bash's flamethrower.

From the Fourth Wars, a non-competitive "Refbot" was present during fights. This robot conveyed officiating signals (such as counting out immobile competitors) on the arena, gave occasional nudges to help battles along and could deploy a fire extinguisher where necessary.^{[ citation needed ]}

For Series 8, new versions of Matilda, Shunt, Dead Metal and Sir Killalot were constructed. They are considerably heavier with improved weaponry. All the house robots are over 300 kg (661 lb) in weight and Sir Killalot now weighs 741 kg (1,634 lb). Visually, all four look similar to their predecessors, but with significant differences: Dead Metal's head has been enlarged with glowing eyes, Matilda's back-mounted fins have been replaced with smaller crocodilian scales, spikes appear on her frill, her eyes are now red and her whole head section now flips up; Shunt has enlarged wheel protectors and metal chimneys replacing the smokestack; and Sir Killalot's armour and helmet has been entirely redesigned. This was said to be to show the actual shape of Sir Killalot's head, rather than the helmet he is wearing. The other house robots did not return for this series. ^[35]

Bold text indicates house robots that returned for the new series.

House robot	First competed	Weight kg (lb)	Speed km/h (mph)	Height cm (in)	Length cm (in)	Width cm (in)	Power	Weaponry	Strengths	Weakness	Method
Cassius Chrome	Seventh War	250 (550)	32 (20)	85 (33)	130 (51)	100 (39)	2x24V magnetic drive motors	Two rotary driven interchangeable "fists" and front shovel.	Fastest house robot, interchanageable weaponry	Requires time to build attack	High speed ramming
Dead Metal	First War	112 (247) (original) 343 (756) (revival)	21 (13)	70 (28)	160 (63)	100 (39)	Battery driven motors	CO2 power driven 1.4m wide pincers with 300 kg (660 lb) grip and overhead circular saw arm (S1-2) / 4000rpm magnesium circular saw mounted on hydraulic cradle which spins at 340 km/h (210 mph) (S3 onwards)	Weapons synergy	Poor manoeuvrability	Grab a competitor robot and engage circular saw
Growler	Sixth War	375 (827)	27 (17)	76 (30)	152 (60)	130 (51)	Six batteries and two electric motors	3,000 psi (21,000 kPa) front jaws and rear-mounted flame jet (Extreme 2 only)	Speed and sheer destructive power	Unpredictable	Grab with jaws & push around arena, grab & ram into side walls
Matilda	First War	116 (256) (original) 350 (770) (revival)	23 (14)	66 (26)	140 (55)	66 (26)	Battery driven engine	800 psi (5,500 kPa) pneumatic tusks that can lift 1.5 t (1.7 tons) rear mounted chainsaw (S1 to 4) / vertical 35 kg (77 lb) Hardox flywheel spinning 25 times per second; (Extreme 1 onwards)	Tough exo-skeleton	Lacks self-control	Lift/flip with tusks, hit with rear weaponry
Mr. Psycho	Sixth War	750 (1,650)	13 (8)	150 (59)	163 (64)	145 (57)	12 batteries	30 kg (66 lb) hammer and grabbing claw of 5 t (5.5 tons) force	Heaviest and tallest house robot	High power usage	Hammer strike, grab/lift with claw
Refbot	Fourth War	120 (260)	11 (7)	130 (51)	140 (55)	90 (35)	Battery power	Front and rear scoops; electric countout; fire extinguisher and coloured card medallion	N/A - Non-combative	N/A - Non-combative	N/A - Non-combative
Sergeant Bash	First War	120 (260)	13 (8)	90 (35)	140 (55)	90 (35)	Four Batteries	Propane fueled flamethrower (S1-7), Front ramming spike and rear grinding disc (S1-2) / front hydraulic pincers (S3 onwards)	Long-range weaponry	Limited fuel capacity	Engage flamethrower, grab with crushing jaws
Shunt	First War	105 (231) (original) 327 (721) (revival)	18 (11)	70 (28)	130 (51)	110 (43)	Prototype electric motor	Rear ramming plough, Front lifting 300 psi (2,100 kPa) pneumatic scoop 350 kg (770 lb) and titanium-tipped axe that can strike at the speed of 0.25 seconds with up to 1000 kg of force	High pushing power	Prone to being flipped and has no self-righting mechanism	Strike with axe, push/lift with scoop
Sir Killalot	Second War	520 (1,150) (original) 741 (1,634) (revival)	16 (10)	130 (51)	120 (47)	120 (47)	Petrol engine	Hydraulic claws mounted on lifting arm with 2.5 tonnes (2.8 tons) of crush force and spike lance (S2) / rotating drill lance (S3-S7);	Heavy with powerful weaponry	Easily Toppled, Flammable	Spike with lance, grab/lift with claw

Arena and hazards

Arenas

The Renfrew arena used for the rebooted series

There were numerous arena incarnations used during the original run of Robot Wars on the BBC. These arenas were also used by international versions such as Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors in the United States. The arena was approximately 32 by 48 feet (9.8 by 14.6 m). For Series 1 to 3 the arena was not enclosed as such, as the audience were raised above the arena. The increasing sophistication of weaponry from contestant robots – most notably demonstrated by Hypno-Disc in Series 3 – as well as arena hazards prompted producers to enclose the arena entirely in a perspex box 20 feet (6.1 m) high from Series 4 onwards, to protect the audience and production team from debris.^{[ citation needed ]}

In early 2004, the Robot Wars arena was purchased from the television production firm Mentorn by a company called Robot Arenas Ltd., based in the UK, an organization set up by a past competitor in Robot Wars to continue the sport of robot combat in the UK. The arena – valued originally at £11,000 – was sold for scrap in 2005 for £250 by the new owners of the former RAF Newton air base, where the arena was housed. A suit filed against RAF Newton by Robot Arenas Ltd. found that RAF Newton had acted reasonably in the matter and owed no compensation to Robot Arenas Ltd. ^[36]

In 2016, a new arena was constructed in a warehouse in Renfrew, on the outskirts of Glasgow, for use in the rebooted series. This arena is 15 metres (49 ft) square, with a 6 mm (0.24 in) steel floor ^[37] and higher bulletproof walls, making it harder for robots to be thrown out of the arena.

Hazards

Throughout Robot Wars' run, arena booby-traps were introduced and amended. Generally, traps which proved ineffective were omitted in later series, however some traps proved to be a success (such as the Pit of Oblivion, Floor Flipper and the Drop Zone) and were retained. The assorted traps in the arena that changed from one series the next included:^{[ citation needed ]}

• Arena Sidebars - The First Wars Only - These were parts of the arena side fence that were on the floor. These trapped robots and potentially immobilised them if they could not drive off.
• The Patrol Zone (commonly known as PZs) - The First Wars only - Four large squares in the corners of the arena marked with striped tape, each occupied by one House Robot and a booby-trap. Once a competitor robot entered one of these zones, it was open to attack by the House Robot within. The Patrol Zones were much like the CPZ's that appeared in later series but were much larger.
• Floor grilles - The First Wars Only - Grille floor panels that, like the arena sidebars mentioned above, were designed to trap robots and not allow them to drive off. Proved much more effective than the sidebars. (similar to the flame pit introduced in the second wars)
• Floor spikes - The First Wars to The Third Wars and Series 8 onwards - These were pneumatic spikes located in several positions on the arena floor that came up whenever a robot drove over them. They trapped robots and on occasion flipped them. They were removed for Series 4 after causing many upsets during The Third Wars, where robots currently winning battles would be overturned and then lose. This most notably happened during Heat B when Behemoth was flipped, could not self-right and its opponent Pitbull won by default. For Series 8, a group of five large spikes form one of the four main traps of the arena. They are powerful and large enough to lift and trap robots for a brief moment (as happened to Bonk in the opening episode), but are not as fast as their predecessors. In theory, this will avoid the sort of upsets seen in Series 3. One spike 'hole' is capable of emitting sparks.
• The Perimeter Patrol Zones (commonly known as PPZs) - The Second Wars only – A narrow band around the perimeter of the arena that replaced the Patrol Zones. A competitor robot that entered this area was open to attack by any or all of the House Robots stationed there.
• The Side Patrol Zones (commonly known as SPZs (Pinball Only)) - The Second Wars to The Fourth Wars - the House Robots guard three tyre targets in the sides of the arena during the Pinball Warrior Tournament (Two of the side tyre targets score 50 points and one scores 75 points if any tyre target is pressed).
• The Pit of Oblivion - The Second Wars onwards - Arguably the arena's most iconic feature, this was a 4-foot (1.2 m) square hole in the arena floor, painted black on the inside and partially filled with old tyres. If a robot drove, fell, or was pushed into the Pit, it would be instantly eliminated. In The Second Wars, pits were added to both lanes of The Gauntlet. For The Third Wars the Pit was open during the first two rounds of each heat, then covered during the heat final and following matches. In The Fourth Wars, the Pit was redesigned, with a yellow-and-black chevron-tape outline and was covered until halfway into a battle, whereupon it would "descend". From its very first appearance in The Second Wars, the Pit included a small pyrotechnic "explosion" that formed a large ball of white smoke. This would activate when a robot fell into the Pit, primarily used to show that a competitor had fallen in. This was changed to a small firework explosion for The Third Wars but the smoke returned for The Fourth Wars and remained until the end. From Extreme 1 onwards there was a device on the arena wall that competitor or house robots could use to activate the pit opening. In Extreme and The Fifth Wars that device was a tyre. For The Sixth Wars the tyre was replaced by a metal bumper. The tyre returned in Extreme 2 and remained for the remainder of the shows' run. The pit was enlarged and given an LED decoration on the inside for the eighth series, with the pyrotechnic no longer used. Since Series 9, the pyrotechnics have returned to the Pit.
• Flame Pit - The Second Wars onwards - A large square grill located close to the right bottom corner of the arena resembling a kitchen stove. Used to set fire to flammable robots and damage electronics. For the eighth series, this was moved to the upper left corner of the arena. (similar to the floor grills which only appeared in the first wars)
• The Corner Patrol Zones (commonly known as CPZs) - The Third Wars onwards - the House Robots were now confined to the four corners of the arena much like in The First Wars. Which house robot was used in which battle was defined by a rota system but would also sometimes depend on if a house robot was being repaired. In The Fourth Wars, the house robots switched to a rota system of Shunt, Matilda, Sgt. Bash and Dead Metal. Sir Killalot consistently appeared every round excepting battles 3 & 4 of the War of Independence when the original 4 house robots occupy all the CPZs. From The Fifth Wars and Extreme 1 onwards only two house robots were allowed in the arena at a time and this moved in a rota through all of the machines. However some House Robots did not appear in a show or on some occasions missed several shows before making an appearance. For Series 8, the CPZs are larger and L-shaped. The house robots no longer attack competitors who enter any CPZ, but stick to guarding their own and can still attack robots that have been immobilised.
• The Floor Flipper - The Third Wars onwards - A powerful pneumatic flipper set into the floor resembling an aircraft carrier catapult, capable of throwing a robot across the arena. It was generally only used on robots that had already been defeated, but was occasionally fired during events such as the House Robot Rebellion. When originally introduced, it just looked like a part of the arena floor. For The Fourth Wars the flipper was given a yellow/black paint scheme similar to the redesigned Pit of Oblivion. For Extreme 1/Series 5 the power of the flipper increased, allowing it to hurl even the heaviest robots into the air and flip featherweight robots out of the arena. For Series 8, this is no longer used as a coup de grace for defeated robots, but fires independently during a fight. It is positioned diagonally on the floor and is capable not only of launching robots into the air but also trapping robots as it closes.
• Red & Blue Perimeters (Sumo & Tag Team Terror only) - The Fourth Wars only - The Red Perimeter zone is for two robots in the red tag team and the Blue Perimeter zone is for two robots in the blue tag team.
• Angle Grinders - The Third Wars and Extreme 1 to The Seventh Wars - Abrasive grinding wheels built into the arena railings. The grinders were replaced with small pneumatic spikes in The Fourth Wars but brought back from Extreme 1 onwards.
• Pneumatic Spikes - The Fourth Wars only - As mentioned above, they replaced the Angle Grinders but proved ineffective so were omitted after one series.
• CO₂ geysers - The Fifth Wars and Extreme 1 onwards - High pressure CO₂ outlets designed to cause internal damage to robots, but were more useful for extinguishing fires.
• The Drop Zone - The Fifth Wars and Extreme 1 to The Seventh Wars - A square on the arena floor where heavy objects (television sets, ocean buoys, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.) fell from the top of the arena. Like the Floor Flipper, it was only used on robots that were already immobile. It was actually first used in Series 6 and Extreme 2, although the spot where the object would fall, a black square with a yellow 'X' shape across it, although it first appeared in The Fifth Wars and Extreme 1. Viewers did not know the purpose of this at the time. It is believed it was due to be used in Extreme 1 and The Fifth Wars Semi-Finals and Grand Final but technical difficulties meant it was abandoned.
• The Disc of Doom - The Sixth Wars and Extreme 2 only - A circular spinning panel set into the arena floor activated by a buffer similar to the pit release. This trap was used to disrupt a robot's driving and worked well on lighter competitors, but proved ineffective against Heavyweight robots. It first appeared in both The Sixth Wars and Extreme 2 but was removed for The Seventh Wars to be replaced by The Dial of Doom in the near future.
• The Dial of Doom/Doom Dial - Series 9 to Series 10. A dial that will activate when the arena tyre is pressed. If the dial swings left, it will open up the pit and if the dial swings right, it will activate "Rogue House Robot" which allows a house robot to leave the CPZ and attack a competitor robot for up to 10 seconds. Additionally, from the Tenth Wars, swinging right may trigger "The Fog of War" in which the arena is filled with CO₂ for 10 seconds, obscuring the robots from view.^{[ citation needed ]}

Competitors and results

Chaos 2 was the only robot to be the show's British Champion twice and the first to flip opponent robots over the fence and out of the arena.

See also: List of Robot Wars robots

Domestic Championships results

Series			Winner	Grand Finalists
1			Roadblock	Bodyhammer, Robot The Bruce, Recyclopse, Cunning Plan, T.R.A.C.I.E.
Series			Winner	Runner-up	Third Place	Fourth Place
2			Panic Attack	Cassius	Roadblock	Killertron
3			Chaos 2	Hypno-Disc	Fire Storm/Steg-O-Saw-Us	Panic Attack/Mace 2
4			Chaos 2	Pussycat	Stinger	Hypno-Disc
5			Razer	Bigger Brother	Firestorm 3	Hypno-Disc
6			Tornado	Razer	Firestorm 4	Terrorhurtz
7			Typhoon 2	Storm 2	Tornado	X-Terminator
8			Apollo	Carbide	TR2	Thor
9			Carbide	Eruption	Ironside3	Aftershock
10			Eruption	Carbide	Behemoth/Nuts 2	Magnetar/Rapid

Special Championships Results

Championship			Winner		Runner-up
International League Championship			Razer (England)		Diotoir (Republic of Ireland)
Championship			Winner	Runner-up	Semi-Finalists
First World Championship			Razer (England)	Behemoth (England)	101 (England)	Diotoir (Republic of Ireland)
First Celebrity Special			Pussycat (Adam Woodyatt)	Diotoir (Vic Reeves)	Gemini (Anthea Turner & Wendy Turner)	Sir Chromalot (Shane Lynch)
Championship			Winner	Runner-up	Third Place	Fourth Place
Tag Team Terror			King B3 & 101	Firestorm 2 & Scorpion	Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4	X-Terminator 2 & Invertabrat
Championship			Winner		Runner-up
Annihilator North			Spikasaurus		Dominator 2
Annihilator South			Razer		Onslaught
Championship			Winner	Runner-up	Semi-Finalists
War of Independence			Mortis (UK)	Frenzy (USA)	Ming 2 (UK)	Panic Attack (UK)
Second World Championship			Razer (UK)	Drillzilla (USA)	Manta (USA)	Tornado (UK)
The Forces Special			Anvil (Royal Air Force)	Mega-Hurts (Royal Navy)	Oblark (Fire Brigade)	Sub-Version (Submariners)
Championship			Winners		Semi-Finalists
UK vs. Germany			Fluffy (UK)	Das Gepäck (Germany)	259 (UK)	Delldog (Germany)
Championship			Winner		Runner-up
Annihilator			Kan-Opener		Ripper
Championship			Winner	Runner-up	Semi-Finalists
All-Stars			Pussycat	Dantomkia	Kat 3	Panic Attack
Third World Championship			Storm 2 (UK)	Supernova (Sri Lanka)	Crushtacean (South Africa)	Tough As Nails (Netherlands)
Championship			Winners		Runners-up
Battle of the Stars			Arena Cleaner (Scott Mills & Chris Stark)	Kadeena Machina (Kadeena Cox)	The Cat (Suzi Perry)	Robo Savage (Robbie Savage)
Championship			Winners		Runners-up
World Series			UK (Apollo, Terrorhurtz, Sabretooth, Gabriel 2)	UK (Eruption, Thor, Concussion, Big Nipper)	Rest of the World (Diotoir, Cobra, Rabid M8, TMHWK)	Rest of the World (Cathadh, Terror Turtle, THE BASH / Tough As Nails*, Weber)

• Note: After THE BASH was found to be irreparable in the World Series after its first and only battle, it was directly replaced by Tough As Nails.^{[ citation needed ]}

Merchandise

Toys (from Logistix Kids & Hexbug)

A Sir Killalot toy

Pullback and Friction toys were made of all the House Robots, with the exception of Cassius Chrome as the toys from Logistix Kids had stopped production when it was introduced for The Seventh Wars and the toys would have resumed production by Series 8, 9 or 10, but this did not happen until Hexbug took over and did so rather late in 2018. There were also pullback and ripcord toys of the Series 3, 4, 5, 6, Extreme 1 and Extreme 2 Competitors Chaos 2, Dantomkia, Firestorm, Hypno-Disc, Panic Attack, Pussycat, Razer, Stinger, Tornado, Wheely Big Cheese and X-Terminator 2. Each came with an accessory.^{[ citation needed ]}

There were remote controlled versions of Shunt, Matilda, Sir Killalot and Growler. There were also smaller remote control battlers, which had "immobilisation spots" on the rear of the toy. Sgt. Bash and the competitor robot Tornado were the only two made. These were smaller than the other remote control robots mentioned above.^{[ citation needed ]}

There were customisable kit toys of the House Robot Matilda and competitors Hypno-Disc and Panic Attack. A Sergeant Bash pitstop kit was prototyped but never released.^{[ citation needed ]}

Minibots were a series of small die-cast replica robots. The range included all of the Series 3, 4, 5 and Extreme 1 House Robots along with competitor robots Chaos 2, Dominator 2, Firestorm III, Gemini, Hypno-Disc, Mega Morg, Panic Attack, Plunderbird 5, Pussycat, Razer, Suicidal Tendencies, Tornado, Wheely Big Cheese, Wild Thing and X-Terminator 2. They had an interactive replica arena and two additional playsets.^{[ citation needed ]}

Home media

Several VHS videos were released of the show. These included "The First Great War" a look at the making of Series 1, "The First World Championship" which was released exclusively on video and the "Ultimate Warrior Collection" featuring exclusive access to the teams of Chaos 2, Hypno-Disc and Razer, along with footage of their battles. Along the same lines an "Ultimate Archive Collection" was released showing exclusive footage of the House Robots and their operators along with some of their greatest battles and most embarrassing moments.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Ultimate Warrior Collection and Ultimate Archive Collection were also released on DVD. The footage and content remained the same as the VHS releases. Series 8 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 29 August 2016, making it the first full series of Robot Wars to be released on home media. It was later released digitally. The Complete Compendium 2017 contained Series 9 and 10, along with the "Battle of the Stars" specials, were released on 11 December 2017 as a 5-disc DVD box set.^{[ citation needed ]}

Video games

Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem is the first game based on the show, released on Game Boy Color in 2000. It was followed in 2001 by Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction on PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows and Robot Wars: Advanced Destruction on Game Boy Advance. After the first three titles sold over 250,000 copies, a fourth and final game, released on Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows and Xbox in 2002 was called Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction . ^[2]

Other

A large array of other merchandise was produced due to the success of the show. Items available included mugs, glasses, mobile phone covers, toiletries, stationery, clocks, watches, bedding, curtains and clothing. The show even produced an unsuccessful single, which peaked at number 51 in the UK singles charts in December 2000, called "Sir Killalot Vs. Robo Babe - Robot Wars (Android Love)". ^[38] A custom made game officially licensed under Robot Wars LLC was started on in October 2013, using the Robot Arena 2 video game as the base engine. It featured many robots from the TV series as well as robots competing in the newer live events. It also included the original Robot Wars arena and various live arenas. It was released to the public in September 2015 and an updated version which included more robots was released in February 2016. A smaller update was released in January 2017, adding two new robots. Another update came in August 2017 which added the new Robot Wars arena from the current series and another new arena as well as some unreleased robots from the beta and robots that were due to be released in a cancelled expansion. It is only available for Microsoft Windows.^{[ citation needed ]}

Transmissions

All episodes were announced by Jonathan Pearce.

Domestic series

Series	Start date	End date	Network	Hosts		Judges [note 1]							Commentator	Episodes
Original series
1	20 February 1998	27 March 1998	BBC Two	Jeremy Clarkson	Philippa Forrester	Noel Sharkey	Eric Dickinson			Adam Harper			Jonathan Pearce	6
2	6 November 1998	5 March 1999		Craig Charles										15
3	3 December 1999	21 April 2000					Martin Smith							19
4	22 September 2000	23 February 2001	BBC Two/BBC One [note 2]		Julia Reed					Myra Wilson				19
5	6 May 2002	27 May 2002	BBC Choice/BBC Two		Philippa Forrester		Martin Smith		Myra Wilson		Mat Irvine			15
6	16 September 2002	4 October 2002					Martin Smith			Mat Irvine				15
7	2 November 2003	7 March 2004	Channel 5		Jayne Middlemiss									19
Revived series
8	24 July 2016	28 August 2016	BBC Two	Dara Ó Briain	Angela Scanlon	Noel Sharkey	Sethu Vijayakumar			Lucy Rogers			Jonathan Pearce	6
9	5 March 2017	16 April 2017												6
10	22 October 2017	3 December 2017												6

Extreme series

All Extreme episodes premiered on BBC Choice.

Series	Start date	End date	Hosts		Judges [note 1]							Episodes
1	8 October 2001	26 October 2001	Craig Charles	Julia Reed	Noel Sharkey	Martin Smith		Myra Wilson		Mat Irvine		15
2	13 January 2003	7 February 2003		Philippa Forrester		Martin Smith			Mat Irvine			16

Specials

Date aired	Title
31 December 1998	The Making of Robot Wars
12 March 1999	The Grudge Matches
19 March 1999	The Best of Robot Wars
15 September 2000	International League Championship
27 December 2000	Celebrity Special Championship
28 December 2000	Tag Team Terror
29 December 2000	Northern Annihilator
30 December 2000	Southern Annihilator
31 December 2000	War of Independence
16 November 2001	The First World Championship
20 December 2001	The Second World Championship
21 December 2001	Forces Special
10 January 2003	UK vs. Germany
14 March 2004	Annihilator
21 March 2004	All-Stars
28 March 2004	The Third World Championship
11 July 2016	Meet the House Robots
28 December 2016	Battle of the Stars: Episode 1
29 December 2016	Battle of the Stars: Episode 2
31 December 2017	World Series: Episode 1
7 January 2018	World Series: Episode 2

See also

• BBC portal

• Robot combat - includes types of robots
• BattleBots
• Robotica (TV Series)
• Robot Combat League
• Robot Fighting League - competitions in the U.S., Canada and Brazil.
• Techno Games
• Robot Wars grand finalists
• Survival Research Laboratories
• Airmageddon

Notes and references

Notes

1. For series 5 and Extreme series 1, Martin Smith, Myra Wilson and Mat Irvine took it in turns.
2. The Celebrity Robot Wars special was broadcast on BBC One, the only episode of the series to do so.

References

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4. "History". Extreme Robots. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
5. "Robot Wars leaves BBC". BBC News. 25 March 2003.
6. "news. (Accessibility)". 6 August 2004. Archived from the original on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
7. John Plunkett. "BBC2's Robot Wars attracts more viewers than Top Gear reboot finale | Media". The Guardian . Retrieved 27 April 2017.
8. Westbrook, Caroline (16 March 2018). "Robot Wars has been cancelled by the BBC after three series". Metro.
9. "Three new streaming channels for Freeview > RXTV info". 18 October 2023.
10. https://mech-plus.com
11. "Robot Wars History". Marc Thorpe. Archived from the original on 2 November 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2006.
12. "Robot Wars History". RobotCombat.com. Retrieved 19 November 2006.
13. "Interview with Craig Charles". outlineonline.co.uk. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
14. "Robot Wars". G4. Archived from the original on 1 March 2005.
15. "Saturday night switch for Robot Wars". The Guardian. 21 November 2003. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
16. "Robot Wars rebooted for BBC Two". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
17. "BBC Press Office on Twitter". Twitter.
18. Graeme Virtue. "There will be shrapnel: the return of Robot Wars | Television & radio". The Guardian . Retrieved 27 April 2017.
19. "VIDEO: Robot Wars set to return to our screens ... filmed in a warehouse in Renfrew°". The Herald. Glasgow. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
20. "Robot Wars 2017: Is new series winning over critics? | The Week UK". Theweek.co.uk. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
21. Harrison, Ellie (2 December 2016). "Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars line-up: Robbie Savage and the Brownlee brothers join Christmas show". Radio Times. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
22. "BBC Two - Robot Wars - Episode guide". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
23. "BBC Two - Robot Wars, Series 9: Teaser". BBC. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
24. "Robot Wars has just been axed again by the BBC and the fans are mad". inews. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
25. "The Show - Robot Wars". Robotwars.tv. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
26. "Robot Wars Press Pack" (PDF). BBC Two. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
27. "Robot Wars". SphereTV. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
28. "The Presenters". Robots Rule. Retrieved 18 November 2006.
29. "Dave Lister Biography". The SadGeezers Guide. Archived from the original on 21 October 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2006.
30. "Philippa Forrester". BBC Radio Bristol. Retrieved 19 November 2006.
31. "Philippa Forrester". IMDb. Retrieved 19 November 2006.
32. "Jonathan Pearce | Metro News". Metro. UK. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
33. "Robot Wars is Finally Coming Back to BBC After 12 Years". screenrant.com. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
34. "Robot Wars returns: How well do you remember the House Robots?". Metro. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
35. Gill, James (23 June 2016). "The first proper look at the upgraded 2016 Robot Wars House Robots". Radio Times. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
36. "Robot wars battle arena case decided". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 February 2010.
37. "BBC Robot Wars - Page 9". Fightingrobots.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
38. "Trading Robot". Trading Club. Retrieved 13 May 2017.

External links

• Robot Wars at BBC Online
• Robot Wars at UKGameshows.com
• Robot Wars at IMDb
• Robot Wars at epguides.com
• List of Major Combat Robotics Tournament Winners