The BBC is dusting off remote controlled smash fest Robot Wars for a new six episode reboot.
For the uninitiated, Robot Wars sees amateur robot builders pit their remote-controlled home-grown creations like the fearsome Razor (pictured above) against each other and a series of obstacle courses guarded by professionally made house robots.
The show ran for six seasons on the BBC before producers Mentorn took it to Channel 5 for one series in 2004. Now Kim Shillinglaw, controller of BBC Two and BBC Four, has commissioned Robot Wars for another run on the Beeb.
Shillinglaw said: “Robot Wars is an absolute TV classic and I’m thrilled to be updating it for the next generation of viewers. With new technological advances making for an even more exciting and immersive experience, this is a fantastic example of the kind of content-rich factual entertainment that BBC Two excels at.”
It’s unclear what Shillinglaw means by an ‘immersive experience’ but we know that the show will be recorded in a new purpose-built arena in Glasgow which will be kitted out with some bleeding edge camera gear.
The BBC says this will let viewers ‘get even closer to the action,’ and witness ‘every crushing, sawing and scorching moment in incredible detail.’ This could mean that viewers could access different feeds from the robot-mounted cameras from the red button or BBC iPlayer.
We’re also promised more ‘innovative fighting machines’ so this could see some new faces joining the likes of Sir Killalot, Matilda and Shunt.
There’s no word on whether long-running co-hosts Craig Charles and Philippa Forrester and commentator Jonathan Pearce will return, or whether the BBC will get some new faces on. Presumably the show’s original host – the one and only Jeremy Clarkson – won’t be offered the job.
Leave a Reply