Robot Wars

Robot Wars was a British game show inspired by an American competition with the same name. It aired on BBC Two from 1998 to 2003, with its last series shown on Channel 5 in 2003 and 2004. Additional versions were created for international audiences, including two series of Robot Wars Extreme Warriors featuring U.S. participants for the TNN network, and two Dutch Robot Wars series for the Netherlands. The fourth UK series was broadcast in the United States on TNN as Robot Wars: Grand Champions in 2002, hosted by Joanie Laurer. In 2003, the roboteers established The Fighting Robot Association and, along with event organizers, continued to engage in competitions for new audiences.

The show featured teams of amateur and professional roboteers who built their own robots to compete against each other in both friendly and tournament-style battles. In addition to battling one another, they had to evade the “House Robots,” which were not restricted by the same weight or weapon limitations as the competitors. Robot Wars attracted peak viewership of 4 million and achieved commercial success through its merchandise.