- "All three of us (not to mention several other friends and family if they happened to be passing!) built the robots and helped with any tasks going. Generally, Pete is the bodywork and fabrication man, Dave comes up with all the drawings and mechanical designs and Ian is the welding and electrical expert."
- — The 1 Law Associates website on the roles of the team members
The 1 Law Associates were a team based in the East Midlands that competed in the the original run of Robot Wars, first being billed from Derbyshire and then Leicestershire. They first competed in Series 2 and 3, before returning in Series 5 and going on to competed in Series 6 and the second series of Robot Wars Extreme.
The team's name is a reference to the “Three Laws of Robotics”, as laid down by author Isaac Asimov in the book “I, Robot”.
The Team[]
- "It took three months to make the robot after Matthew wrote to the presenter of the last series, Jeremy Clarkson, asking if he could join the fan club. The BBC wrote back and asked if he would like to have a go at building. It started off as a bit of a joke, but the design was accepted and they decided to make it."
- — Dave Barker's wife Helen, interviewed by Ashby Mail in 1998[1]
The team in Series 2
The team in Series 3
The 1 Law Associates was a team from the East Midlands, captained by Dave Barker, along with a group of his close friends, all of who were engineers or electricians, apart from Dave's son Matthew, who was part of the team in Series 2[2]. The team first entered Sting in their first two campaigns, which performed poorly, going out in the Trial stage in Series 2 and the first round in Series 3.
- "Our initial aims with both Sting and Sting 2 were simple enough; to build a robot which would qualify for the program, and thereafter to do the best we could. This was an achievement in its own right, with several thousand applicants to beat. There was never any real thought of winning given the materials and equipment we were working with."
- — 1 Law Associates website
The team originally intended to enter Series 4 with an upgraded Sting, but as the team was unhappy with their first entry, particularly its lack of reliability, they decided to build a new robot. The team did not enter Series 4, but kept watching the show to see the improving quality of robots.
- "In series two and three, the selection process consisted of technical scutineering checks and a short driving test - the whole thing amounted to little more than an audition. If it complied with the regs, more or less worked and looked OK, you stood a good chance of getting in. ... Things had changed however, the selection process for the current series consisted of the same technical scrutineering, but instead of a simple driving test, the robot had to take part in a bout with another robot. Just "looking good" would no longer hack it! The decision was made for us therefore - if we wanted to be selected we would need a robot that would deliver the goods. If it could deliver the goods, well, then it stands a real chance of going all the way ... Our ambitions had just changed up a gear!"
- — 1 Law Associates website
Seeing the higher quality of robots in Series 4, the team was convinced they needed to enter a robot that was capable of winning the competition, rather than just qualifying, which had been their primary aim with the original Sting. The team decided to build a robot with a very effective weapon. The result was S3, which was first entered in Series 5. S3 proved much more successful than Sting, reaching two Semi-Finals and winning the Most Original Entry Award in Series 5.
Team Members[]
Dave Barker[]
Dave Barker in Series 6
Dave Barker was the captain of the 1 Law Associates and was present in all of their campaigns. Dave had been described as a mountaineer in the Robot Wars Technical Manual and was said to have been a hang gliding pilot for over fifteen years according to Jonathan Pearce in Series 3. Despite retaining as role as team captain through all of the team's campaigns, Dave almost never drove any of the robots in competition, only taking control of Sting a single time in the Football Trial in their Series 2 heat. He would occasionally speak in the pre-battle interviews, often leaving them to Ian Pritchard, but took centre stage for the post-battle interviews. Notably, Dave would always refer to the robots with female pronouns, always calling Sting and S3 "she" as opposed to "it" like all other teams.
According to the 1 Law Associates website, Dave came up with the designs for Sting and S3, drawing the concept artwork and then detailing the final designs.
Ian Pritchard[]
Ian Pritchard in Series 5
Ian Pritchard was the other ever-present team member, he drove Sting for its Gauntlet run in Series 2 and became the weapons operator for S3. Ian was as much a prominent speaker as Dave in the team's interviews and he was often the one talking to Philippa Forrester in the pre-battle interviews, stating repair jobs and tactics while Dave and Pete Allsopp worked on the robot.
Pete Allsopp[]
Pete Allsopp in Extreme 2
Pete Allsopp was the only member of the 1 Law Associates to make his first appearance after Series 2, but he would become a mainstay until the team's final outing. Pete was the main driver of Sting 2 and S3, giving him occasional speaking roles, but less so than Dave and Ian. He was usually seen repairing S3 in between fights during Series 6 and was actually the final member to speak on camera before the team's departure from the show, agreeing with Philippa Forrester about their elimination from the Extreme 2 All-Stars competition being "embarrassing".
According to the Extreme 2 programme, Pete owned his own plastering business and was very fond of beer.
Matthew Barker[]
Matthew Barker in Series 2 - his only series
Matthew Barker was Dave Barker's son, aged only nine at the time of Series 2, which was his only appearance with the team. Matthew was responsible for coming up with Sting's design, explaining in the team's first interview that the robot's whipping tail weapon was based on the Barker families' cat, Chloe, which had a kink-tail.
Matthew claimed his role on the team was the "tactician" and was also said to be responsible for polishing Sting according to Jonathan Pearce. He would have prominent speaking roles, despite his little screentime with the team. Philippa Forrester joked with Matthew asking if his tactics were to drive Sting into the pit during its Gauntlet run, with Matthew saying that they weren't in an innocent fashion. Though the team suffered an early exit in Series 2, Matthew said that he had enjoyed himself on the show, but despite agreeing with Craig Charles about coming back for the next series, he would not appear on the show again.
Robots[]
| Name | Weight Class | Series |
|---|---|---|
| Sting | Heavyweight | Series 2-3 |
| S3 | Heavyweight | Series 5-6, Extreme 2 |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 8
- Losses: 5
Series Record[]
| Main Series | 1 Law Associates Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Heat, Trial with Sting |
| The Third Wars | Heat, Round 1 with Sting 2 |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Semi-Finals, Round 2 with S3 |
| The Sixth Wars | Semi-Finals, Round 2 with S3 |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
| Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
| Series 1 | Did not enter |
| Series 2 | Entered with S3 |
Outside Robot Wars[]
S3 at Roaming Robots Gaydon in 2002
S3 and Sting 2 on display at Snibston Discovery Park in Leicester, 2003
The 1 Law Associates made occasional appearances at events outside Robot Wars, mostly during the later years of their campaigns, however their battle record would be limited due to S3 being unable to use its disc during fights. Sting 2 would also make occasional appearances alongside S3 as a static display.
The team would retire before Series 7, as all the members decided to focus on other commitments and families and could no longer dedicate the time to feature on the show, as well as the time needed keep maintaining and repairing S3.
- "We had decided to call it a day as the commitment to the show was huge in terms of time and we all had other things on and families to consider"
- — Dave Barker on the team's retirement in December 2021
After keeping both robots in his possession for the following few years, Dave Barker would lend Sting 2 and S3 to the Enginuity Museum in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire in 2011. Both robots would be displayed at the museum until mid-2021 when it was revealed that they had been taken out of the museum. In December 2021, it was revealed by Will Thomas of Team Shock that he had been granted permission by Dave Barker to take ownership of Sting 2 and S3. Will then announced that he would use both robots for teaching aids in classes with his students.
Trivia[]
- Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide incorrectly claims that Triterobot (misspelled as Tri-Terra-Bot) was the team's first robot, when it was actually Team MouseTrap's first robot, whereas Sting was actually the 1 Law Associates' original robot. Coincidentally, the two teams fought in Series 5 with S3 and MouseTrap.
- In Series 5, the team were repeatedly referred to as "newcomers" despite fighting in two previous wars with Sting, even when this fact was acknowledged during commentary. Craig Charles, Philippa Forrester and Jonathan Pearce all made this mistake across the series, and S3 was even nominated for the Most Promising Newcomer Award.
References[]
External Links[]
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