Craig Charles Online-Robot Wars

ROBOT WARS

It took two very long and hard weeks of recording, but Robot Wars III has now finished showing on BBC2, over four months, with viewing figures that reached nearly 7 million a show!

The filming was done at Elstree Studios in Boreham Wood just outside North London. The set was awesome, the combat arena plain brutal.
It's a fantastic program to host, not only for watching the battles, but for the contestants and audience making it that little bit more special.

One hundred and twenty eight robots entered, but only two went all the way to the final (but more of that later). I was amazed and stunned at the quality of build and designs that were being put into battle. The age groups, the time and money spent on them all varied across the teams. But it was impossible to pick out which robot had the youngest team, the biggest budget or most time spent on design and building.

I often get asked about the size and how dangerous are the robots. Well the sizes and weight vary, but the biggest ones weight about 80kg and can lift humans off the ground. They are also extremely dangerous. The audience and film crew have to stand behind bullet proof screens during combat. No one is allowed into the arena after the battle until the robots are made safe. These machines can still jump into life even after the controls are deactivated.

We did have an unfortunate incident where a robot actually attacked the Asst Director after a fight had ended, causing him to be hospitalised and filming to be held up for two days (Alex is now ok I'm please to say). But having said that, the safety regulations enforced are second to none and although they cause grief as far as recording goes, we all stick to them.

So back to the action and what can I say, I know most of you in the UK reading this may have seen it all, but for those of you who didn't, or living else where in the World, action is what it's all about. The noise, the smoke, the audience and the House Robots make it the most exciting show ever.
Where else can you see live robots that are built to do nothing but beat it's opponent as quickly as possible? With weapons like axes, chain saws, disc cutters, angle grinders and powerful hydraulic flippers, there is nothing to compare with this show in the UK.

I'm just sorry for all the production staff and crew at Mentorn for narrowly missing the "BAFTA Award" for "Best Entertainment Program" a few weeks ago. The show made the top four nominees, but was pipped at the post by "Robbie The Reindeer". NB. Tom Gutteridge (Exec Producer) has offered a reward of £100 for any team that enters a "Robbie The Reindeer" robot in the next series. This is a genuine offer and details on how to enter can be found at the official Robot Wars web site www.robotwars.co.uk.

The next series (IV) starts recording in August, so I'm looking forward to the usual high quality of entrants and meeting some of the regulars who are now making this show what it is. The pits are the heart and soul of the show, without them, the fights would not be as exciting as they are. The teamwork is excellent and everyone is full of high spirit and camaraderie.

Below are some pictures taken from the last series. Many thanks to Steve Carsey (Exec Producer) for his permission and thanks to Dave Dempster for taking them. Hope you like them, but you do have to be there to really appreciate the excitement.

Everyone's favourite House Robot...Sir Killalot