Diotoir

"They've fought in every Wars with this fur-brained machine. Slow at 6mph, boggle-eyed, a lifting weapon that hardly menaces, but we all adore, Diotoir!"

- Jonathan Pearce introduces Diotoir in Series 5

Diotoir (known in Irish as Díotóir, and Diotoir, Son of Nemesis in full) was a competitor robot from the Republic of Ireland, the successor to Nemesis, which competed in Series 3-5 of Robot Wars, both series of Robot Wars Extreme, and Robot Wars: World Series, aired as part of Series 10. The most successful Irish robot to compete on the show, it represented its home country on four occasions and reached the Semi-Finals of The First World Championship and two Heat Finals in the main UK Championship, as well as the finals of the International League Championship and Series 4 Celebrity Special respectively. Diotoir also won the Tag Team Terror competition in the first series of Extreme, paired with Pussycat, as well as two Sportsmanship Awards in Series 3-4 due to the actions of Team Nemesis.

Diotoir was especially famous for its flammable polka-dot fur, which it shared with its predecessor, Nemesis. To entertain the audience, Sergeant Bash was often put into the arena during its battles, in order to increase the likelihood of it catching fire. Team Nemesis were occasionally joined by Craig Charles’ son, Jack, although the latter was only explicitly mentioned on a few occasions.

Diotoir (Series 3-4)
"...the one that looked like an angry lady beetle crossed with a warthog."

- Nick Whigham, writing for news.com.au

Diotoir was a two-wheeled, heptagonal-shaped robot made from aluminium and alclad, covered in red fur with black spots. The robot also sported a pair of bloodshot eyes with bushy eyebrows and a wide grin, which gave it its signature 'face' and were equally as fragile as the fur. In all of its appearances, Diotoir was armed with a hydraulic lifting weapon powered by two large suspension springs originally sourced from a car, then a lorry. The idea behind this weapon setup was that the springs would enable the lifter to have unlimited flips without losing power over time, as was the main issue with CO2 or compressed air-powered lifters or flippers. However, while the spring mechanism frequently demonstrated these advantages in the arena, and proved very effective when working properly, it often broke after a certain amount of uses and did not provide enough power for the lifting weapon to act as a self-righting mechanism.

In Series 3-4, Diotoir's weapon was a simple lifting arm quoted as operating at 1200psi (referred to as pneumatic by Jonathan Pearce in the First World Championship).

Diotoir (Series 5, Extreme 1-2)
"Diotoir isn't strong, isn't resilient, isn't quick, isn't deadly, I love it!"

- Jonathan Pearce introduces Diotoir in Extreme 2

For its Extreme 1/Series 5 incarnation (also known as Diotoir 2), the wedge was shortened and made shallower to accommodate the shovel, while the robot also gained blunt side spikes on its sides intended to prevent it from being side-stranded. This incarnation's eyes also often fired away from the robot once the lifting shovel fired. For Extreme 2, Diotoir's rear end was made noticeably shorter than before, while maintaining the shallower front wedge of its Extreme 1/Series 5 form.

Its weapon in Extreme 1 and Series 5 was now a more powerful scoop-like shovel. The shovel had the grin painted on, and also featured a metal bar (Extreme 1) and later a pair of triangular frames (Series 5) mounted on top, used to hold novelty attachments on during Diotoir's appearances in Extreme 1. For its Extreme 2 appearance, Diotoir's shovel was exchanged in favour of a narrower and flatter panel, again with the grin painted on, which was supplemented with an overhead crushing arm. In addition to the changes made to its weapon, Diotoir also received various additions and modifications to its chassis and body in between its appearances, losing the natural wedge shape for a more domed design. By Extreme 2, Diotoir's weight was 90kg.

While Diotoir's weapons in its first two incarnations were not as powerful as other lifters and flippers, and its fur made it especially flammable (indeed, it was sometimes even covered in fire gel to increase its likelihood of catching fire), the robot itself had a low ground clearance and a zero-degree turning circle. These ensured that Diotoir was highly manoeuvrable and well-controlled in the arena, in spite of its low top speed of 6mph.

Diotoir (Series 10)
The version of Diotoir which competed in Robot Wars: World Series was a loanerbot initially built by Robo Challenge. It was an invertible, two-wheel drive robot with a cut-off reverse wedge shape and a design resembling that of an axlebot; however, both of its wheels were partially protected by side armour. Diotoir was armed with a vertical flywheel, weighing 15kg and spinning at a top speed of 2,000rpm. The flywheel boasted the ability to cause heavy damage and throw robots over completely, although its drive belt was exposed. Beneath the fur, the World Series Diotoir was armoured in 3mm HARDOX with 2mm steel, and also featured a higher top speed of 10mph.

Prior to competing as Diotoir, the robot had previously appeared in Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars, winning the second episode as Kadeena Machina. Both Diotoir and Kadeena Machina are fundamentally the same in design and armament; Diotoir differs aesthetically by using a red and white flywheel, a black disc mount and its signature flammable fur, including eyebrows made out of brush heads as well as boggle eyes and a large grin. The side armour around Diotoir's wheels was not present on the original Kadeena Machina, providing it with extra protection while also limiting the effect of gyroscopic forces when turning. The wheels themselves were also replaced between versions.

Etymology
Diotoir's name translates to Annihilator in Irish. As revealed on the official website and immediately following its Series 3 battle against The Steel Avenger, the name was chosen as part of a national radio competition held on RTÉ 2fm's Gerry Ryan Show; the radio station itself also helped raise support and sponsorship for Diotoir’s appearances. The robot's full name is "Diotoir, Son of Nemesis", a direct reference to its predecessor.

Qualification
Diotoir successfully qualified for Series 3-5, but at a personal cost for Team Nemesis, who would have to travel from the Republic of Ireland just to attend the non-televised qualifiers. Team Nemesis chose not to enter Diotoir into Series 6, due to the long distances required to travel to and from the UK for the qualifiers and filming of the main series. They were also unable to enter Series 7 for this reason and after losing their sponsorship; the latter as a result of Channel 5 – the UK broadcaster of Series 7 – not being transmitted on Irish television at the time. Team Nemesis would later attempt to enter Diotoir into Series 8, but received no response from the producers regarding their application. As a result, Diotoir was not selected to compete in that series. It is unknown if Team Nemesis applied for Series 9, but it then competed in the World Series, as part of Series 10.

Misfortune
"Poor Díotóir seems to be plagued by bad luck and bad timing. I mean he works fine everywhere but Robot Wars. A little bit like Razer, I think"

- Peter Redmond

Although Diotoir enjoyed considerable success within its three-year run, it and Team Nemesis suffered from numerous problems, particularly prior to the robot's appearances in Series 3-4. In Series 3, they were stopped by customs while boarding their ferry to the UK, who mistook Diotoir's lifter for a firearm and ordered the team to dismantle it before travelling. "Apparently the long lifting arm looked like the barrel of a shotgun!"

- Jacky Willoughby of the Pneumatic Fanatics

Upon arriving at the studio, Team Nemesis only had a day to reassemble Diotoir in time for filming, a process previously calculated as being four months' worth of work. Needless to say, they successfully completed the reassembly in time for Diotoir's appearance in Heat O.

"After last year's incident with customs, we decided to leave Díotóir open for inspection and we would put the finishing touches when we got there. At least that was the theory. After driving all day and all night we arrived at the studio to be told that we would be next to fight and we had ten minutes to get our robot in fighting form."

- Diotoir website

However, Diotoir's fortunes would worsen the next series. Having initially missed their connecting ferry from Ireland, Team Nemesis discovered upon arriving at the studio for filming of Series 4 that Diotoir was overweight. As a result, they were forced to remove its top armour, and later found that the chain controlling its lifting arm broke. With their replacement chain also breaking, and lacking sufficient time to find another spare, Team Nemesis entered Diotoir without armour or a functioning weapon, which resulted in its quick elimination from the main competition of Series 4.

Diotoir would enjoy considerably improved fortunes in Series 5, with few problems hampering its preparation for and performance within this series. One notable incident, however, occurred in its Heat Final against Spawn Again, where both Team Nemesis and Team Scutterbots agreed to immediately pit whichever of their robots became immobilised first in order to prevent them being damaged by the House Robots. However, Sergeant Bash and Matilda still damaged Diotoir after it had been flipped and counted out, with Spawn Again ultimately being unable to pit it due to reliability issues.

Team Nemesis failing to receive a response to their Series 8 application was highly unfortunate, as even most of the teams who did not qualify for the series still received a phone call to confirm this, bringing into question whether or not Diotoir's application was even noticed.

Series 3
"Miserable and tired after the customs experience, but hugely popular. Back again, fur-brained, polka-dotted, a hydraulic lifting arm their main weapon. It's bound to catch fire, we love it – and look out for the fur, everyone wants a piece of it."

- Jonathan Pearce introduces Diotoir in Series 3, with reference to Nemesis

Diotoir made its Robot Wars debut in Heat O, facing Sting 2 in its first-round battle. It immediately drove into Sting 2 and lost part of its front fur while trying to get its arm underneath the latter. Diotoir fired its arm, but missed, and weathered an attack from Sting 2's tail as it pushed it back and retreated. Eventually, it pursued Sting 2 across the arena and lifted it, although not without overturning it, before pushing Sting 2 around and towards the wall. "I want to see it over the Flame Pit. I want to see that fur on fire, again."

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir puts pressure on Sting 2

Diotoir briefly pressed its arm against Sting 2's side, before backing away and pushing the latter towards Sergeant Bash's CPZ. Again, it bumped and nudged Sting 2 towards the wall, before pushing it all the way across the arena into the pit, to rapturous applause from the audience. Afterwards, Ciarán Bryne revealed that the chain for Diotoir's weapon broke, resulting in it losing the use of its arm, while Philippa Forrester openly expressed disappointment about it not being set alight during the battle.

Through to the second round, Diotoir faced series newcomer The Steel Avenger. There, it started more hesitantly, moving slowly from its starting position in an attempt to line its arm up along The Steel Avenger's side. It did so as The Steel Avenger drove around it, trying to get underneath The Steel Avenger before nudging it as the latter drove itself into Dead Metal's CPZ. Diotoir drove towards and briefly underneath The Steel Avenger as it escaped, only to drive itself towards and be chased out of the CPZ by Dead Metal. It spun round, momentarily flicking The Steel Avenger onto the side rails with its arm, before knocking it back onto the floor and allowing The Steel Avenger to continue fighting. Again, Diotoir approached The Steel Avenger to line another flip up, but missed, withstanding a blow from The Steel Avenger's axe and losing one of its eyes as it pushed the latter into Dead Metal. "There's a boggle eye... so now, they just can stare blankly from the one eye. Cyclops now, from the Republic of Ireland, in the shape of Diotoir."

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir loses an eye while attacking The Steel Avenger

Regardless, it continued to pursue The Steel Avenger and bump it, before finally getting underneath The Steel Avenger and turning it over onto its side close to the wall. "...and that was their only viable tactic, and it's paid off! What a run here for Diotoir!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir tips The Steel Avenger over

Seconds later, Sergeant Bash set fire to the right-hand side of Diotoir's fur, with Diotoir attempting to lift Sergeant Bash twice in response before being lifted by Matilda. With its entire front end aflame, Diotoir turned round to push Matilda away and drive towards the centre of the arena, before Matilda and Sergeant Bash pinned it together just as 'cease' was called. Needless to say, Diotoir was declared victorious. "I'd pay my admission fee just to see this! Look at this, they’re on fire... aflame, a burning! Diotoir, they’ve got to rebuild it all over again!"

- Jonathan Pearce struggles to contain his laughter as Diotoir is set alight by Sergeant Bash

Adorned with The Steel Avenger's feather duster, Diotoir faced Fire Storm in the Heat Final. There, it immediately drove towards Fire Storm, but was pushed back towards and against the wall, before briefly getting its arm underneath Fire Storm. Diotoir hesitated and spun round as Fire Storm drove around and underneath it, before being tipped onto its back by the latter's flipping arm. Unable to self-right, it was left helpless as Fire Storm pushed it onto the Flame Pit, setting fire to the fur once again and leaving it vulnerable to an attack from Dead Metal. "Once again, the splendid entertainers from Dublin's fair city... are left feeling hot under the collar..."

- Jonathan Pearce as the smouldering Diotoir is attacked by Dead Metal

Eventually, Diotoir was speared, lifted and turned back upright by Sir Killalot, with Diotoir's arm momentarily knocking Sir Killalot's head forward as he carried it across the arena and left it on the Floor Flipper. With most of its fur burnt off, and still partially aflame, Diotoir was attacked by Sergeant Bash before being thrown through a forward somersault across the arena. Fire Storm pushed the defeated Diotoir around the arena as Sergeant Bash attacked again, with the Irish machine eliminated from the Third Wars as a result.

Diotoir later returned for two international competitions held during filming of The Third Wars, representing the Republic of Ireland. In the International League Championship, it fought in Group A, alongside Australian entry Terror Australis and Belgian representative Depoppesaurus Rex, facing the former first. Before its first battle, Team Nemesis lent the Terror Australis team their previous robot, Nemesis, after the latter's own robot broke down before its first battle, and helped repaint it onscreen. As a result, Diotoir was effectively drawn to fight its predecessor. "Interesting to see how far the Irish have progressed, and what lessons they've learnt."

- Jonathan Pearce comments on the evolution of Team Nemesis' machines before Diotoir's battle with Terror Australis (formerly Nemesis)

At the start, Diotoir shuffled back and forth from its starting position before moving forwards and bumping into Terror Australis. The two robots circled round as Diotoir attempted to get its lifting arm underneath, although it was only able to flick Terror Australis away twice as the latter drove away. Diotoir and Terror Australis continued bumping and nudging into other, before Diotoir finally lifted Terror Australis again and pushed it across the arena floor. Even as it lost parts of its fur, Diotoir proceeded to lift Terror Australis one last time before pushing it into the pit, before being lifted by Matilda and attacking Sir Killalot as it lost an eye and was set on fire again. Needless to say, Diotoir emerged as the winner, scoring three points and instantly putting itself on top of the Group A leaderboard. However, Peter Redmond revealed afterwards that Shunt had axed into its electronics at some point, which required additional repairs before the next battle.

These repairs were completed in time for Diotoir to face Depoppesaurus Rex, with parts of its fur missing and an eyepatch replacing the damaged right eye. It immediately drove towards Depoppesaurus Rex and pushed it sideways, steering the Belgian robot towards Matilda's CPZ and trying to get underneath it with its lifting arm. "Aye aye, cap'n... Long John Silver of Robot Wars!"

- Jonathan Pearce does a pirate impression upon noticing Diotoir's eyepatch

Diotoir continued to push and bump Deppopesaurus Rex around the arena, eventually pushing it into the wall and getting underneath it. However, it was unable to flip it, and continued pushing Deppopesaurus Rex towards the centre of the arena until it finally threw it over. With Deppopesaurus Rex unable to self-right, Diotoir left it to be attacked by the House Robots, and briefly pursued Matilda as Deppopesaurus Rex was pitted. As a result, it won the battle and another three points, finishing the Group Stages with a maximum of six points and progressing through to the final. In the International League final, Diotoir faced English representative Razer. The two robots immediately collided head-on and pushed each other round in circles, with Diotoir attempting to get its lifting arm underneath Razer as the latter attempted to pierce its left-hand side. Diotoir pushed Razer back and attempted to flip it, but missed, allowing Razer to back away and push Diotoir back in response. Again, Diotoir attempted to flick Razer away, but missed, and was eventually grabbed by Razer, whose crusher reached through the exposed space underneath Diotoir's lifter and bent its front. It was dragged back across the arena by Razer before being released and pushed towards the pit. After being held by Razer's beak for a few seconds, Diotoir finally slid into the pit, ultimately finishing runner-up in the International League Championship. In The First World Championship, Diotoir began its run by fighting Depoppesaurus Rex in its eliminator; the second time that both robots had faced each other. Both robots drove into each other in the opening seconds, with Diotoir pushing Depoppesaurus Rex and flicking it off the floor with its arm, but not completely over. Diotoir shuffled back and forth as Depoppesaurus Rex bumped it in response, and attempted to get underneath the Belgian robot again while pushing it around the arena. Again, it fired its lifting arm, but without flipping anything over, before pushing and chasing Depoppesaurus Rex towards the Flame Pit. Eventually, Diotoir flipped Depoppesarus Rex clean over - with Depoppesaurus Rex rolling back onto its wheels as a result - before lifting it again and hooking its lifting arm through one of its wheel spacings. Unable to move forwards or to topple Depoppesaurus Rex over, Diotoir was repeatedly singed by flames from Sergeant Bash's flamethrower, before the two competitors separated and Diotoir attempted to push Depoppesaurus Rex towards the pit. In doing so, it partially drove up Depoppesaurus Rex's lifting tail, and was lifted off its wheels as flames flickered from its rear fur. "Is Diotoir on fire? Flame, flickering from the rear end of the Irish team, we knew they'd be vulnerable to flaming fur – oh! Sizzling and burning! Are their hopes going up in smoke?"

- Jonathan Pearce as the flaming Diotoir is lifted by Depoppesaurus Rex towards the end

With seconds to go, Diotoir fired its lifting arm one last time to stop itself from being toppled completely over, before 'cease' was called and the battle went to a Judges' decision. The decision went unanimously in favour of Diotoir, allowing it to progress to the Quarter Finals, although Team Nemesis themselves considered the battle to be much closer than the decision suggested. In the Quarter Finals, Diotoir faced Cyprian representative Cerberus, a fellow UK series competitor. After a hesitant start, it drove head-on into Cerberus, pushing it back towards the wall even while the latter reversed and attempted to ram it. Pinning Cerberus against the wall, Diotoir eventually got underneath it, only to be pushed back by Cerberus. Seconds later, it flicked Cerberus off the floor with its arm, before briefly leaving it suspended on its arm for a few seconds. The two robots separated, before Diotoir again flicked Cerberus onto its side as they met in the centre of the arena and caught it by the tail with its arm. This allowed Diotoir to push Cerberus towards the edge of the pit, although both robots escaped by turning towards the Flame Pit. Cerberus spun, allowing Diotoir to get underneath it again, flick it off the floor, and topple it onto its back after leaving it suspended on its arm a second time. "Diotoir flips it once, and tries for the big one that'll end it, surely? Over goes Cerberus!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir flips Cerberus over

As the House Robots attacked the now-eliminated Cerberus, Diotoir once again caught fire at some point, before ramming Sergeant Bash and pushing and dragging Dead Metal across the arena. In doing so, it nearly pushed Dead Metal into the pit, but was unable to do so as Sir Killalot pushed Cerberus into it instead. "...and Diotoir's on fire, they won't mind that. They love to... "Burn baby, burn, robot inferno!""

- Jonathan Pearce as a smouldering Diotoir tries to pit Dead Metal Needless to say, Diotoir went through to the Semi-Finals, where it faced former Series 2 Semi-Finalist and English competitor Behemoth. With its left eye and part of its fur burnt off, it approached Behemoth and briefly got underneath its scoop, only to be tipped onto its back by the latter. Diotoir attempted to self-right using its arm, but was unable to do so, and was quickly propped onto its side – then pushed back onto its wheels - by Behemoth. It escaped another attempted flip by Behemoth to ram it head-on again, only to be lifted onto its back a second time close to a wall-mounted flamethrower. "Are they on fire again? Ah, Diotoir kebab!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Behemoth leaves Diotoir by the flamethrowers

By this point, Diotoir had caught fire again, with its left-hand side burning as Behemoth flipped it back onto its wheels and left it in Sergeant Bash's CPZ. Diotoir reversed quickly out of the CPZ, only to be lifted, chased and tipped over again by Behemoth. Diotoir was turned back upright and lifted once more by Behemoth, before recovering to push Behemoth sideways using its arm until 'cease' was called. With both robots still mobile, the battle went to a Judges' decision, which unanimously went against Diotoir, eliminating it from the First World Championship after a strong run.

At the end of the Third Wars, Diotoir was nominated for and won the Sportsmanship Award, the second time in which Team Nemesis received the award in their first three series of competing.

Series 4
Diotoir returned for the Fourth Wars, seeded twenty-first in recognition of its popularity and performances in domestic and international competitions. Competing in Heat C, it faced Ming 2 and Bolt from the Blue, and was immediately put at a disadvantage when it was forced to enter the arena without its top armour and a functioning lifter (see Misfortune). Ciarán Bryne also revealed to Julia Reed just before the battle that Team Nemesis had to replace one of its speed controllers, compounding their issues with getting it ready in time to fight. "Interesting to see what damage there was to Diotoir before we even began in the pits – well, you can see they're not right, are they?"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir is immediately flipped over by Ming 2

Needless to say, Diotoir began the eliminator by driving towards Ming 2, and was swiftly pushed and flipped over near the wall by the latter. Unable to self-right and spinning on one wheel due to the wheels being exposed, it was pushed towards the Flame Pit by Bolt from the Blue, and spun aimlessly in circles as it was left against the wall and attacked by Sergeant Bash. 'Cease' was called as Diotoir's fur caught fire and was extinguished by Refbot, with its Fourth Wars run coming to a premature end as a result. "And so, with no armour, no weapon, no sleep and no hope we went to battle. We lasted about 4 seconds. We got flipped upside-down straight away and as our weapon is also our re-righting device, there was nothing we could do about it. We were then fair game for the house robots. Díotóir, once the pride of Ireland, on his back getting torched, punched and slashed like a wounded wildebeest being ravaged by vultures."

- Diotoir website

With its top armour refitted and weapon repaired, Diotoir would later make numerous appearances in various side competitions and special events held throughout the Fourth Wars. In Sumo Basho, it drove straight towards Shunt, but was immediately pushed off the ring; lasting only 3.95 seconds and finishing sixteenth overall as a result. In the Pinball Warrior Tournament, Diotoir immediately targeted the right-hand set of barrels, and drove past Sergeant Bash to hit his 50-point target. It was set alight while trying to drive away from the target and Sergeant Bash, before nudging the sphere away and spearing the multi-ball release with its lifting arm. This forced Dead Metal to grab Diotoir in an attempt to free it, releasing the balls for the multi-ball release in the process, with Diotoir turning round, avoiding Sir Killalot and hitting the 75-point target seconds later. It backed away and drove through the car doors, scoring a total of 180 points by the end of its run. This was enough to put Diotoir joint-fifth overall in the Pinball Warrior Tournament standings, along with Bigger Brother. Diotoir also competed in the Celebrity Special, with Vic Reeves joining Team Nemesis as its celebrity captain along with his daughter, Alice. For this special, it was fitted with a pair of oversized glasses paying homage to those worn by Reeves, a set of rubber buttocks attached to the rear and a novelty frying pan attached to the lifter, which Ciarán Byrne jokingly claimed was intended to throw pancakes at opponents. Diotoir and Reeves first fought Wild Thing and Shauna Lowry; before the battle began, Reeves revealed that he had allegedly 'decapitated' one of the latter's toy bunnies and put its head and ears into Diotoir's frying pan. He described the head and ears as an extra set of 'soft buns' to throw from the pan while in the arena; Lowry in particular was irked by his actions. "Run rabbit, run rabbit, bun, bun, bun!"

- Jonathan Pearce refers to Vic Reeves' 'sabotage' of Wild Thing during Diotoir's introduction At the start, Diotoir immediately spun round as Wild Thing approached, firing its lifter and shedding its frying pan before Wild Thing pushed it around in circles. Shortly afterwards, it drove over a flame jet, setting fire to its own fur before Sergeant Bash left his CPZ to shoot more flames at it. Wild Thing proceeded to push Diotoir towards the wall, with the now-buttockless Diotoir responding by bumping into Wild Thing and trying to flip it, but missing with its arm. Seconds later, it lost its glasses upon driving close to the wall, before again being pushed across the arena and into Sergeant Bash by Wild Thing. The two robots spun round as Sergeant Bash and Dead Metal closed in, with Diotoir again failing to flip Wild Thing as it was pushed into and struggled to drive away from the wall. With Wild Thing being attacked by the other House Robots as it sat motionless next to the wall, Diotoir bumped Wild Thing as the two competitors met again in the middle of the arena. However, despite still being mobile, Wild Thing was picked up, spun round and pitted by Sir Killalot, putting Diotoir through to the next round. In the Semi-Finals, Diotoir faced the clusterbot Gemini, itself under the captaincy of Anthea and Wendy Turner. It immediately approached and cornered one of the Gemini halves as it separated, getting underneath and trying to flip it while weathering an attack from Sergeant Bash and losing both its glasses and frying pan. Diotoir hesitated as flames spread along its front fur, before driving alongside and being flipped over by one half of Gemini. It landed on the other half, which swiftly re-righted Diotoir, with both halves of Gemini proceeding to flip Diotoir over twice more. Diotoir then incurred another attack from Sergeant Bash, with one half of Gemini flipping it against the House Robot at one point. It drove towards and turned away from Matilda seconds later, before again getting underneath one half of Gemini as the latter flipped itself over. Almost immediately after, one half of Gemini became immobilised due to radio issues, with Diotoir pushing the other half back across the arena towards an empty CPZ. With both halves immobile, Diotoir was then cornered against the wall by Sergeant Bash, who proceeded to attack it yet again, although without setting it on fire. Diotoir spent the rest of the battle avoiding the other House Robots and waiting in a CPZ as both halves of Gemini were attacked, flipped and pitted, progressing to the final as a result. There, it faced Pussycat, captained by Adam Woodyatt and Natalie Cassidy. In the opening seconds, Pussycat's first attacks ripped the fur off Diotoir's front and right-hand side, while Diotoir threw its frying pan off again and pursued Pussycat just as the latter's cutting blade got caught in its now-discarded fur. In spite of this, Diotoir was pushed onto a flame jet by Pussycat, catching fire and losing its glasses before appearing to lose much of its mobility near the jet. Spinning around in circles, Diotoir was caught, sliced and pushed towards the wall by Dead Metal, before escaping to nudge Shunt, who axed and lifted it in response as Vic Reeves protested in the control booth about the House Robots' interference. Now moving considerably slower than before, Diotoir turned around as Pussycat approached and pushed it forwards, only for the House Robots to surround and damage Diotoir even further. These attacks caused smoke to emit from Diotoir and an upset Alice Reeves to turn away from the battle, before Diotoir was taken to the Floor Flipper by Sir Killalot. Despite still being mobile on one side, it was thrown over by the Floor Flipper and pitted by Shunt seconds later, with it and Vic Reeves finishing the Celebrity Special as runners-up. "Again, they didn't go too far in battle, but behind the scenes, they helped everyone else out. A spot of welding from Ciarán, bit of electronics from Peter."

- Jonathan Pearce announces Diotoir's nomination for the Series 4 Sportsmanship Award

For the second series in a row, Diotoir was nominated for the Fourth Wars Sportsmanship Award, which it won. This marked the third - and final - time in which Team Nemesis received the award.

Extreme 1
"We're here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and we’re all out of gum!"

- Ciarán Byrne introduces Diotoir in Extreme 1

A redesigned Diotoir competed in several competitions throughout the first series of Robot Wars Extreme, with varying degrees of success.

Its first appearance came in the All-Stars Tournament, where it faced Series 4 Semi-Finalist Wheely Big Cheese in its heat. In the opening seconds, Diotoir immediately attempted to get its new scoop underneath Wheely Big Cheese, succeeding in pushing it sideways and lifting it. Backing away to avoid Wheely Big Cheese’s flipper, Diotoir then attempted to get underneath one of its wheels, but was unable to push it. Again, Diotoir dodged Wheely Big Cheese and tried to get underneath its right-hand wheel again, with the two robots briefly pushing each other before Diotoir's right eye disintegrated and Wheely Big Cheese threw it onto its back. Unable to self-right, Diotoir was thrown towards the wall by Wheely Big Cheese, before being attacked by Sir Killalot and counted out. Both Dead Metal and Sir Killalot attacked the inverted Diotoir, the latter re-righting it as he pushed it towards the Flame Pit. "Look at the fur... why do they – look at the fur! It's shredded, it's like a cat's tail in there! Why do they keep lining it in fur?"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir sheds fur all over the arena

With much of its fur torn off and trailing behind, Diotoir drove away over the Flame Pit, briefly catching fire at one point, before it and Dead Metal proceeded to bump, push and chase each other around the arena. Nevertheless, having already been counted out, Diotoir was eliminated from the All-Stars Tournament. "They’re only champions because we weren't in it last year!"

- Ciarán Byrne taunts King B Powerworks and 101 ahead of Diotoir and Mega Morg's first Tag Team Terror battle

Diotoir next competed in the Tag Team Terror, initially paired with Welsh entry Mega Morg. In their first-round battle, they fought defending Tag Team champions King B Powerworks and 101, with Diotoir waiting in a corner while Mega Morg and 101 fought first. It did not enter the battle until it was tagged by Mega Morg, shedding inflatable sheep as it nudged, pursued and dodged a charge from King B Powerworks. King B Powerworks slammed into Diotoir, knocking its last sheep off the top of its scoop, before ramming Diotoir into the wall. Diotoir pursued King B Powerworks immediately after, weathering another slam before bumping into and lifting King B Powerworks again. Despite taking damage from the latter's cutting disc, Diotoir kept bumping into King B Powerworks, before using its raised scoop to clamp King B Powerworks down as it pushed it back towards Mega Morg's corner. "Well, the fur has been scratched... and Mega Morg wants to come out and protect Diotoir. Can they tag in there and allow Mega Morg to come out? Why is Diotoir taking the punishment here, and why is Mega Morg not coming out?"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir is pushed into the corner by King B Powerworks

King B Powerworks proceeded to push Diotoir into the corner, with Diotoir spinning round just as Sergeant Bash set part of its fur alight. It tagged Mega Morg in the process, only to leave the corner seconds later to attack 101. 101 pinned Diotoir against the wall, but Diotoir recovered to pin King B Powerworks against its own corner and push it around, with its sides becoming engulfed in flames as it did so. With King B Powerworks spinning uncontrollably as a result of a malfunction, Diotoir proceeded to flick and tip 101 over, the attack causing one of 101's tracks to seize up. In the closing seconds, it proceeded to bump, push and pursue the malfunctioning King B Powerworks until 'cease' was called, with the battle going to a Judges' decision. The decision went in favour of Diotoir and Mega Morg, putting the pair through to the Semi-Finals. There, they were due to face Comengetorix and Spawn Again, with both Team Nemesis and The Four Horsemen confident about their chances of winning this battle. However, Mega Morg was forced to withdraw before the battle began after blowing its speed controllers and running out of spares, and was replaced by Pussycat, which fought first alongside Spawn Again. With Pussycat struggling in the early stages against Spawn Again, Diotoir was tagged after the latter pressed the pit release button, driving towards the centre of the arena before pushing Comengetorix and Refbot towards the wall near the Flame Pit. This left it vulnerable to a flip from Spawn Again, although Diotoir landed on its wheels and recovered to repeatedly nudge, lift and push Comengetorix across the arena. Spawn Again drove in to separate the two robots, but suddenly stopped moving while doing so, allowing Diotoir and Pussycat to surround and attack Comengetorix near the pit. Diotoir reversed away from Spawn Again as it regained mobility, before pushing and lifting Comengetorix again. It then attempted to push Spawn Again as it was counted out, before resuming its attacks on Comengetorix and catching fire once again. "...and somehow, Diotoir, somehow - it always happens, why am I baffled, is on fire! Diotoir’s always on fire!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir catches fire yet again

Nevertheless, Diotoir pursued Comengetorix as the latter attempted to drive itself into the pit, before flipping it over just as 'cease' was called. Comengetorix self-righted into the pit over the top of the already-pitted Spawn Again, giving Diotoir and Pussycat victory via knock-out. "Okay guys, I want a good clean fight. I don't want any nonsense, and I hope you all understand that. Clear? And that we can guarantee a good, fair judgement from us. We don't take bribes!"

- Noel Sharkey addresses the Tag Team Terror finalists, before taking a jam tart offered by Team Nemesis and the Cold Fusion Team

In the Tag Team Terror final, Diotoir and Pussycat faced The Steel Avenger and Suicidal Tendencies, with Team Nemesis 'bribing' judge Noel Sharkey with cakes after he briefed both teams prior to the battle.

With half of its fur and its left eye missing, and one of Mega Morg's inflatable sheep on top of its scoop, Diotoir waited in the corner in the opening moments of the battle, while Pussycat and Suicidal Tendencies fought each other first. Eventually, it left the corner to attack Suicidal Tendencies after the latter pinned Pussycat against an angle grinder, before flipping The Steel Avenger onto its side. Diotoir pressed its scoop against The Steel Avenger to stop it from self-righting immediately, before backing away as Suicidal Tendencies and Pussycat approached and The Steel Avenger finally righted itself. It proceeded to tip The Steel Avenger over a second time, again blocking and bumping The Steel Avenger as it attempted to self-right again. "Look at Diotoir, there's hardly any piece – any fur left on it. It's balding!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir repeatedly rams The Steel Avenger

Diotoir then drove towards Suicidal Tendencies as the latter tried to push The Steel Avenger back upright, before continuing to attack The Steel Avenger after it had been re-righted. It bumped into The Steel Avenger and Suicidal Tendencies again before being rammed by the former just as time ran out, with the final going to a Judges' decision. As a result of Diotoir’s consistent attacks throughout the battle, it and Pussycat won the decision, with both robots being declared the Extreme 1 Tag Team Terror champions. "Guys, at last, you've finally won something!"

- Craig Charles to Team Nemesis as Diotoir and Pussycat are declared the Tag Team Terror champions

Diotoir also appeared in a Vengeance battle against Firestorm 3, the second time in which both competitors fought each other. The grudge, however, was not motivated by their previous encounter in the Third Wars; rather, Team Firestorm 'objected' to a comment made by Ciarán Byrne (under the alias Dr Zulu) in his Robot Wars Magazine column, and 'demanded' a written apology from Byrne should Firestorm 3 win.

In a staged scene shown immediately before the battle, Byrne was seen 'sabotaging' Firestorm 3 in the Pits; he was later 'warned' by a member of the production crew that Team Nemesis would lose their Sportsmanship Award if he repeated the act. "...Zulu, I've taken my pin-ups of you, off my wall at home."

- Jonathan Pearce responds to the 'sabotage' before the start of the Vengeance battle

Sporting a pink 'Firestorm Are Girlies' flag, Diotoir began the battle by driving slowly towards Firestorm 3, with both robots colliding head-on in the middle of the arena. Diotoir pursued Firestorm 3 as the latter reversed, and briefly attempted to push Firestorm 3 from the side before the two robots met head-on again. Firestorm 3 proceeded to roll Diotoir onto its side, then its back, with Diotoir throwing both of its eyes off as it attempted to self-right and was pushed round in circles by Firestorm 3. The eyeless, inverted Diotoir was pushed towards the wall, then flipped back over by Firestorm 3, briefly escaping by driving over the Flame Pit. With its fur catching fire as a result, Diotoir was again scooped up by Firestorm 3, pushed and flipped against an angle grinder, this time being left to burn, subjected to an attack from Sergeant Bash and counted out. "Well, they taunted Firestorm and Firestorm have come back to them, and met fire with fire!"

- Jonathan Pearce as a burning Diotoir is counted out

Seconds later, Sergeant Bash knocked the almost completely burnt-out Diotoir back onto its wheels, before Firestorm 3 pushed and flipped it against an entry gate just before 'cease' was called. Needless to say, Diotoir lost the Vengeance battle and the forfeit, although with the original Robot Wars Magazine's cancellation, Ciarán Byrne would ultimately be unable to write and publish his apology to Team Firestorm. "Diotoir, a charcoal mess. A nude Diotoir... nuded of fur, and Firestorm have well and truly... rubbed them in it!"

- Jonathan Pearce as a smouldering Diotoir is flipped one last time by Firestorm 3

Later on, Diotoir competed in a Mayhem battle against Series 2 Champion Panic Attack and newcomer Shear Khan, in order to qualify for a place in the second Annihilator. With a large poster of Panic Attack attached to its scoop, it fired its scoop and lost an eye moments before 'Activate' was called, jamming the scoop open for the whole battle. Diotoir began by approaching Panic Attack and Shear Khan as the latter two fought each other, before proceeding to drive onto the Flame Pit in an attempt to set itself on fire. With its fur smoking and the poster half-melted, it pursued both of its opponents again before bumping into Shear Khan, then Panic Attack as the Welsh machine turned the former over. Then, after having the poster knocked off it at some point, Diotoir met Panic Attack again near the Floor Flipper and attempted to push it from the side. However, following a head-on collision with Panic Attack, it was soon lifted over by the former's forks, balancing on its scoop and left unable to self-right. Diotoir was then picked up by Panic Attack as it was being counted out, before being carried towards and lowered into the pit, where it was soon joined by Shear Khan. As a result, it lost the Mayhem battle, and did not qualify for the second Annihilator.

Representing the Republic of Ireland once again, Diotoir finally took part in The Second World Championship, which was also broadcast as part of the first season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors. In its heat, it faced German entry Flensburger Power, UK representative and then-reigning World Champion Razer, and US Season 1 runner-up The Revolutionist, the latter representing the United States of America.

Diotoir immediately drove after and pushed Flensburger Power across the arena, eventually into the wall and across to Sir Killalot's CPZ. It left the now-immobilised Flensburger Power there as it pressed the pit release button, before briefly pushing Razer into an empty CPZ as the latter attacked The Revolutionist. Razer responded by turning round, grabbing Diotoir and piercing through its rear armour, before lifting and holding Diotoir over the Flame Pit in its crushing beak, although without setting fire to the fur. "Irish eyes are not smiling – in fact, there's only one left!"

- Jonathan Pearce spots Diotoir's missing eye as Razer lifts the Irish machine near the Flame Pit

Despite this attack, Diotoir survived to a Judges' decision, finishing the battle by flicking Sir Killalot's discarded breastplate away from Matilda. However, the decision went against Diotoir, eliminating it from the Second World Championship.

Series 5
"Diotoir started a promising run in Heat 7, dispatching the Dome..."

- Jonathan Pearce speaks highly of Diotoir in his recap of Series 5

The redesigned Diotoir returned for the Fifth Wars, now unseeded following its early defeat in the Fourth Wars. Competing in Heat G, it faced newcomer Dome in its first-round battle. Diotoir immediately drove towards Dome and flipped it over with the scoop, with Dome effectively immobilised as a result of its lack of srimech. It proceeded to nudge Dome towards the pit, before pressing the pit release button and pushing the newcomers in. "Look at this, a nudge from the scoop with the leering grin was enough, and over went the Dome..."

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir flips Dome early on

With this, Diotoir progressed to the second round, where it faced the twelfth seed and Series 4 Semi-Finalist Tornado. At the start, it immediately drove towards Tornado and turned round in an attempt to push it, withstanding attacks from Tornado's drum and launching itself off the floor with its scoop. After backing away, Diotoir was slammed and pushed into Sergeant Bash's CPZ by Tornado, sparks flying as the latter's drum made contact with its weapon springs. Diotoir escaped quickly, weathering a few more slams and shoves from Tornado as it attempted to flip it. Eventually, it was pushed into another CPZ, but again escaped just as Sergeant Bash approached, and collided head-on with Tornado once again near the Flame Pit. With parts of its fur removed by Tornado's drum – in doing so causing the drum to seize - Diotoir withstood a few more slams from Tornado, briefly smoking and manoeuvring Tornado towards the wall in doing so. "Diotoir showing tenacity and courage in there... and actually grappling there with Tornado. This is a real heave-ho...!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir pushes Tornado into a CPZ

Tornado pushed Diotoir sideways again, before Diotoir hooked Tornado under its scoop and slowly pushed it into the CPZ, the latter struggling for traction on the floor after having its front wheels lifted by Diotoir's chassis. The two robots proceeded to push each other to and from the wall as Sergeant Bash lurked nearby, with Diotoir eventually pushing Tornado towards the centre of the arena before both competitors separated. With more of its fur trailing off its sides, Diotoir sustained a few more rams from Tornado, again manoeuvring it across the arena in doing so, before Tornado drove away and attempted to attack Diotoir from the sides. "Diotoir over the years has become much more durable, you know, and this is a... terrific, sustained fight between two... stout-hearted machines!"

- Jonathan Pearce comments on Diotoir's resilience as it and Tornado ram each other

Diotoir attempted to drive towards the pit release button, only for Tornado to slam into its side, rip more of its fur off with its drum, and push it across the arena. However, with Tornado losing drive on one side shortly afterwards, Diotoir pressed the pit release button, manoeuvred Tornado towards the opened pit and pushed it in, securing itself a surprise victory and a place in the Heat Final. "Diotoir, did they sense that Tornado was on its last leg, as it were? What a shock this is! Diotoir nearly went in, but Tornado crash out! The twelfth seeds have gone! What a win for Diotoir!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir pits Tornado

In the Heat Final, Diotoir faced the thirteenth seed Spawn Again, the second time in which both robots fought each other. In return for their assistance with repairs to Spawn Again, Team Scutterbots made a Gentleman's Agreement with Team Nemesis where whichever robot was immobilised first would be pitted immediately, as to avoid the affected robot being damaged by the House Robots. Almost immediately, Diotoir was scooped up and thrown onto its back by Spawn Again, and threw both of its eyes off as it fired its scoop and tried to self-right. It was counted out while Spawn Again pressed the pit release button, with the latter attempting to push Diotoir towards the pit immediately afterwards in honour of the agreement. However, Spawn Again struggled to do so without pushing Diotoir away, allowing Sergeant Bash to set Diotoir's fur alight before Spawn Again finally pushed it towards the edge of the pit. At this point, Spawn Again lost mobility, with Sergeant Bash again setting Diotoir on fire again even as Refbot tried to extinguish the flames.

"...and Diotoir, crowd favourites... being taunted by the crowd, now... and... in a splash of steam, out go the flames and out go the hopes."

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir is extinguished, to boos and jeers from the audience

Matilda then came to lift Diotoir off Spawn Again, before turning round and damaging its scoop with her flywheel, much to Team Nemesis' dismay. Diotoir sustained more damage from Matilda as Spawn Again struggled with radio issues, and was left lying on its back close to the centre of the arena just as 'cease' was called. As a result, it was eliminated from the Fifth Wars, with the Heat Final marking its last appearance in the main UK Championship. "Diotoir gets one in the eye!"

- Craig Charles announces Diotoir's elimination from the Fifth Wars

Extreme 2
After not being entered into the Sixth Wars, Diotoir made a one-off return in the second series of Extreme, defending its Tag Team Terror title along with Pussycat. "Won it last time with Pussycat, as dotty as ever!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir enters the arena in the Extreme 2 Tag Team Terror

In the first round, they fought Bulldog Breed and Robochicken, with both Pussycat and Bulldog Breed battling first. However, Pussycat was thrown out of the arena by Bulldog Breed in the early stages of the battle, leaving Diotoir vulnerable to being thrown towards an entry gate by the latter. Diotoir landed on its wheels, but lost an eye and struggled to get its new lifting plate underneath Bulldog Breed before it drove away to line up another flip. The two robots bumped each other before Bulldog Breed threw Diotoir over once again, this time leaving it on its back next to the Flame Pit. Diotoir tried to self-right using its new crushing arm, but was unable to do so before Bulldog Breed pushed it close to the flames, setting fire to the fur once again.

"...and we know what happens to the fur-brained machine from Dublin!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Bulldog Breed leaves Diotoir over the Flame Pit

Robochicken flipped the burning Diotoir against an angle grinder, then into Refbot, the Irish competitor smoking as parts of its fur continued to burn and come off. Refbot extinguished much of the fire spreading on Diotoir's fur and knocked it off the wall, only for Diotoir to land on its back. Unable to self-right, it was counted out immediately as Refbot continued extinguishing the flames, before Matilda reversed into Diotoir, ripping its lifting plate off and throwing it back upright with her flywheel. 'Cease' was called, with Diotoir and Pussycat relinquishing their Tag Team Terror title following this defeat.

Series 10
After fifteen years of retirement, Team Nemesis returned to Robot Wars to represent the Republic of Ireland with Diotoir during Robot Wars: World Series, as part of Series 10. As experienced roboteers from the classic series, Team Nemesis were selected as captains of the 'Rest of the World' team throughout the first episode.

Results

 * }

Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 13
 * Losses: 11

Series Record
NOTE: The previous identity of the Series 10 version of Diotoir, Kadeena Machina, competed in Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars.

Outside Robot Wars
Like many other Robot Wars competitors, Team Nemesis entered Techno Games with two robots; the walking robot Ulysses, and a Loanerbot named Stanoscloir (which sported a very similar shape to Rigby). Both sported the red and black polka-dot fur and bloodshot eyes synonymous of their Robot Wars entries, and enjoyed varying degrees of success. Ulysses, powered by a 50cc petrol engine, won the Internal Combustion Sprint event in 2001 after defeating the then-reigning champion Tecumseh in the final, only to lose its title to Scuttle B² in the following year's Heavyweight Sprint. Stanoscloir, meanwhile, entered the Assault Course in 2002, but lost to Kat's Whiskers in the first round.

Although it did not compete in Series 7, Diotoir was due to make a one-off combat return at a World Championship event in 2004, along with other Robot Wars competitors. However, the event was cancelled.

Team captain and Mechatrons co-founder Peter Redmond still owns Diotoir to this day, and often brings it along to conventions and various other events as a static exhibit. In 2017, the Extreme 2 version of Diotoir was given a new coat of fur with eyeballs and a mouth, restoring Diotoir to its former appearance from fifteen years prior. The robot itself also gained a new lifting panel with an extended lower lip, replacing the one damaged in Extreme 2.

Appearances in Merchandise

 * Diotoir/Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem
 * Diotoir/Robot Wars: Advanced Destruction
 * Diotoir/Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (PC/Xbox)
 * Diotoir/Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction

Trivia

 * Diotoir was the only robot from the Republic of Ireland to win a battle.
 * Diotoir was the only robot besides Razer to win the same award more than once, winning the Sportsmanship Award in Series 3 and 4.
 * Diotoir's name was misspelled in Series 3, appearing as Diotior on the battleboards for the second-round battles of Heat O. Stuart McDonald also mispronounced it ahead of its battle against Sting 2, perhaps because of this same mistake.
 * In Extreme 1/Series 5, Diotoir was stated to have a 50cc petrol engine, when in fact it was powered by a 36v electric motor. The 50cc engine was used by Team Nemesis' Techno Games entry, Ulysses.
 * Of the fifty robots to return from Series 4 to compete in Series 5, Diotoir is one of only ten to perform better in its Series 5 appearance. The others are Bigger Brother, Firestorm 3, Razer, Prizephita Mach 2, Kat 3, Reactor 2, Rick, Destruct-A-Bubble and Clawed Hopper.
 * In 2016, Australian news outlet "news.com.au" (owned by NewsCorp Australia) profiled the return of Robot Wars. Along with several UK champions, Max Damage and the Series 3 version of Aggrobot, Diotoir was singled out as one of the show's most memorable and colourful designs.