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"Diotoir's a lot of fun and our team was always a lot of fun. But we did some serious damage out of there, we took some trophies home and won a lot of matches. We lost a lot and we went on fire a lot, but we took home some trophies."
— Peter Redmond

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, Sgt. 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.

Versions of Diotoir[]

Diotoir (Series 3-4)[]

"...the one that looked like an angry lady beetle crossed with a warthog."
— Nick Whigham, writing for news.com.au[2]
Diotoir S3

Diotoir as it appeared in Series 3

Diotoir wc3 arena

Diotoir in the arena in Series 3

Diotoir was a two-wheeled, heptagonal-shaped robot made from aluminium and alclad, covered in red fur with black spots.[3]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 during the original run, 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.

Diotoir s3 mag

Diotoir during The First World Championship

Diotoir s4 arena

Diotoir, as it should have appeared in Series 4

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)[]

"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 extreme 1 arena

Diotoir in Extreme 1 with a long bar to help it self right

Diotoir (no background)

Official shot of Diotoir in Series 5

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.

Diotoir series 5

Diotoir in the arena during Series 5 with triangular frames on top of the scoop

Diotoir extreme 2 arena

Diotoir in the arena during Extreme 2

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)[]

Diotoir 10 official

Diotoir from the front

Diotoir S10

Diotoir in the World Series

The version of Diotoir which competed in Robot Wars: World Series was a loanerbot initially built by Robo Challenge. Referred to by Peter Redmond as Diotoir 3, 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 in this form 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 weighed 106kg, was armoured in 3mm HARDOX with 2mm steel, and also featured a higher top speed of 10mph.

KadeenaMachina

Kadeena Machina, previous identity of the robot

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, and was one of the additional features suggested and designed by Peter Redmond himself.[4] These wheelguards offered extra protection from the sides while also limiting the effect of gyroscopic forces when turning. The wheels themselves were also replaced between versions.

Etymology[]

Dioireland2

Diotoir with Steel Avenger's feather duster before its Series 3 Heat Final

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.[5] The robot's full name is "Diotoir, Son of Nemesis", a direct reference to its predecessor.

The Team[]

Main article: Team Nemesis
Team nemesis series 10

Team Nemesis with Diotoir in Series 10

Diotoir was entered into Robot Wars by Team Nemesis, the only team to compete in the first and last series of Robot Wars. The Irish team was captained by Peter Redmond, the driver of Diotoir, and he was joined by Ciarán Byrne in all of Diotoir's appearances in the original run of Robot Wars. Ciarán Byrne was often known on the show as "Dr Zulu", and the third member of the team was Joe Gavin, who was present for all of Diotoir's appearances except for Series 4. Jack Charles, the son of Craig Charles, would occasionally join the team in Series 4-5 and Extreme, while a new team member Will Sweeney assisted Redmond and Gavin in the World Series.

Qualification[]

Furless Diotoir

The Series 3 Diotoir without its fur

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. According to Ed Hoppitt, 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[6]. Peter Redmond would later confirm that Diotoir never competed in a qualifier battle, competing only in series where Team Nemesis were directly asked to compete. 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 a new robot into Series 8, which Peter Redmond revealed would have been based on one of their original robots, but received no response from the producers regarding their application.[7] As a result, their successor to Diotoir was not selected to compete in that series. Peter Redmond revealed on New Year's Eve 2017 that Team Nemesis did not apply for Series 9 or 10 as he did not have time to build a new robot for those series. However, following several requests from the series producers, the team returned to compete in the World Series - filmed as part of Series 10 - with the loanerbot version of Diotoir.

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
Diotoir armourless

Diotoir during construction. Note the "shotgun-like" flipping arm

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
Diotoirseries4

The armourless, weaponless Diotoir competing in the main competition of Series 4

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, Sgt. 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 their application with Diotoir's planned successor was even noticed.

Robot History[]

Series 3[]

"Miserable and tired after the customs experience, but hugely popular. Back again, fur-brained, polka-dotted, a hydraulic lifting arm as 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.

Diotoir vs Sting

Diotoir pushes Sting 2 back

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 pits sting

Diotoir pits Sting 2

Diotoir briefly pressed its arm against Sting 2's side, before backing away and pushing the latter towards Sgt. 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.

Peter Redmond: "Well, we brought matches. Flaming now!"
Ciarán Byrne: "We're all geared up for it in hauler. See, 'P' [Peter Redmond] forgot the marshmallows, so there's no point in letting that out until we get the marshmallows in, you know what I mean?"
Philippa Forrester: "For the next round, we expect marshmallows."
— Team Nemesis and Philippa Forrester following the first round

Through to the second round, Diotoir faced series newcomer The Steel Avenger.

SAonwall

Diotoir lifts The Steel Avenger onto the wall

Diotoir vs Steel Avenger

Diotoir, about to topple 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
Diotoir vs sgt bash

Diotoir flips Sgt. Bash only to be lit on fire

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
Diotoir fire

Diotoir after being set alight by Sgt. Bash

Seconds later, Sgt. Bash set fire to the right-hand side of Diotoir's fur, with Diotoir attempting to lift Sgt. Bash twice in response before being lifted by Matilda. With its entire front end aflame, Diotoir turned around to push Matilda away and drive towards the centre of the arena, before Matilda and Sgt. 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 Sgt. Bash

Adorned with The Steel Avenger's feather duster, Diotoir faced Fire Storm in the Heat Final.

Diotoir vs Firestorm

Diotoir is turned over by Fire Storm

Diotoir flame pit vs firestorm

Firestorm pushes Diotoir onto the flame pit

There, it immediately drove towards Fire Storm, but was pushed back towards and against the wall, before briefly getting its arm underneath Fire Storm. However, Diotoir suddenly lost all mobility within the opening seconds of the bout due to its batteries disconnecting[8], and it was helpless as Fire Storm drove underneath it, before being tipped onto its back by the latter's flipping arm. Unable to self-right, it was pushed onto the Flame Pit by Fire Storm, 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
Dead metal vsDiotoir

Dead Metal slices into the flaming Diotoir

Diotoir s3 floor flipper

Diotoir is thrown by the floor flipper

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 Sgt. Bash before being thrown through a forward somersault across the arena, landing on its wheels, although Diotoir was still immobile. Fire Storm pushed the defeated Diotoir around the arena as Sgt. Bash attacked again, with the Irish machine eliminated from the Third Wars as a result.

International League Championship[]

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 in its first battle, fighting Nemesis under its Australian guise of Terror Australis.

"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)
Diotoir vs Terror Australis

Diotoir pits Terror Australis, aka its predecessor, 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 each 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.

Philippa Forrester: "Are you nervous about going up against Belgium?"
Ciarán Bryne: "No, we just better bring plenty of chocolates with him [Diotoir]. I hope that thing is chocolate inside, anyway."
— Banter prior to Diotoir's battle with Depoppesaurus Rex
Diotoir vs Depoppesaurus Rex

Diotoir defeats Depoppesaurus Rex

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.

"Aye aye, cap'n... Long John Silver of Robot Wars!"
— Jonathan Pearce does a pirate impression upon noticing Diotoir's eyepatch

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. Diotoir continued to push and bump Depoppesaurus Rex around the arena, eventually pushing it into the wall and getting underneath it. However, it was unable to flip it, and continued pushing Depoppesaurus Rex towards the centre of the arena until it finally threw it over. With Depoppesaurus Rex unable to self-right, Diotoir left it to be attacked by the House Robots, and briefly pursued Matilda as Depoppesaurus 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, which had also qualified out of the group stage undefeated.

According to Ciarán Byrne, the televised version of this battle was not the first attempt at filming the fight. In Byrne's own words, Diotoir had originally driven into Razer's grip but kept its tyres on the ground, and 'slammed Razer around the arena', before it was revealed that the camera equipment was faulty and the fight had to be abandoned. The teams then broke for lunch, and Razer's batteries were recharged whilst Diotoir's were not, according to Byrne's account[9].

Razer vs Diotoir

The worse-for-wear Diotoir is pitted by Razer at the end of the International League Championship

The two robots immediately collided head-on and pushed each other around 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.

The First World Championship[]

Diotoir also represented the Republic of Ireland in The First World Championship. In its first-round Eliminator, it faced Depoppesaurus Rex, the second time that both robots had faced each other.

Depoppesaurus Rex vs Diotoir

Diotoir flips Depoppesaurus Rex again

Diotoir Depoppesaurus Rex 1

Diotoir pushes Depoppesaurus Rex towards the pit

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 Depoppesaurus 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 spacing-s. Unable to move forwards or to topple Depoppesaurus Rex over, Diotoir was repeatedly singed by flames from Sgt. 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
Diotoir Depoppesaurus Rex 2

Diotoir's rear end catches fire as the battle draws to a close

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 who automatically advanced because US entry, Mauler was deemed too dangerous to compete.

Diotoir vs Cerberus

Diotoir flips Cerberus up

Diotoir Cerberus 1

Diotoir topples Cerberus

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 Sgt. 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

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, Diotoir entered the fight as visually a shadow of its former self.

Diotoir vs Behemoth

Diotoir gets overturned by Behemoth

Behemoth Diotoir

Diotoir is side-stranded

Diotoir 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
Behemoth Diotoir 1

Diotoir catches fire yet again

Behemoth Diotoir 2

The charred Diotoir pushes Behemoth around in the closing seconds

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 Sgt. 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 newcomer 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 Byrne 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
Diotoir quickly flipped

An armourless Diotoir is immediately flipped by Ming 2

Bftb diotoir burns

Diotoir burns as Bolt from the Blue flips it closer to the flame pit

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 atop the robot, 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 Sgt. 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
DiotoirSumo

Diotoir is pushed off the Sumo Basho platform in under four seconds

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.

DiotoirPinball

Diotoir during its Pinball Warrior run

In the Pinball Warrior Tournament, Diotoir immediately targeted the right-hand set of barrels, and drove past Sgt. Bash to hit his 50-point target. It was set alight while trying to drive away from the target and Sgt. 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 reeves

Diotoir under Vic Reeves

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
Diotoir vs wild thing celebrity special s4 1

Diotoir's decorative glasses are dislodged

Diotoir catching fire vs Wild Thing

Diotoir burns against Wild Thing

At the start, Diotoir immediately spun around 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 Sgt. Bash left his CPZ to shoot more flames at it. Wild Thing proceeded to push Diotoir towards the wall, with the now-buttless 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 Sgt. Bash by Wild Thing. The two robots spun around as Sgt. 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.

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Diotoir is flipped by Gemini

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 Sgt. 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 Sgt. 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 Sgt. 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 in the final, Vic Reeves and Diotoir faced the runner-up of the main series, Pussycat, captained by Adam Woodyatt and Natalie Cassidy.

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Diotoir's fur jams Pussycat's blade

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Diotoir lies burnt and pitted

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.

Julia Reed: "They're gonna cream you guys... cream you!"
Ciarán Byrne: "Ah, cheese, great, very good! You can smell 'im from here actually, you know, he's a bit... ripe at this stage."
— Ciarán Byrne jokes about Wheely Big Cheese before Diotoir's All-Stars heat

Its first appearance came in the All-Stars Tournament, where it faced Series 4 Semi-Finalist Wheely Big Cheese in its heat.

Wheely big cheese vs diotoir

Diotoir gets flipped by Wheely Big Cheese

Deadmetal vs diotoir official

Dead Metal chases after Diotoir

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. Prior to the battle, Ciarán Byrne was seen giving Dorian Caudy a back massage in the teams' control pod.

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Diotoir clamps King B Powerworks

Diotoir vs King B Powerworks

King B Powerworks pushes Diotoir into Mega Morg's corner

Diotoir 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
Diotoir & Mega Morg vs 101 & King B Powerworks

The four robots gather around the central entry gate

Diotoir flips 101

A smouldering Diotoir flips 101 over

King B Powerworks proceeded to push Diotoir into the corner, with Diotoir spinning around just as Sgt. 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, against Spawn Again.

Diotoir vs Comengetorix

Diotoir pushes Comengetorix

Diotoir Comengetorix

Diotoir lifts Comengetorix up as Spawn Again intervenes

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.

Julia Reed: "Zulu [Byrne], what are you going to do to the opposition then?"
Ciarán Byrne: "I can't say it, I don't want there be kids watchin' them. Aw... god! Just let us get in there, will you..."
— Ciarán Byrne eagerly awaits the Tag Team Terror final
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Diotoir overturns The Steel Avenger

Diotoir vs The Steel Avenger

Diotoir holds The Steel Avenger down

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, allowing Pussycat to attack its top side with its blade.

"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. Unseen footage then saw Diotoir briefly pressurised from The Steel Avenger, as it got pushed and took a few axe hits. In the closing stages, Diotoir made some defensive turns, causing The Steel Avenger to attack inaccurately. It bumped into Suicidal Tendencies again before being rammed by The Steel Avenger 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
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Dr Zulu's offending comment about Team Firestorm

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.

Julia Reed: "What's this about the Firestorm boys doing their hair?"
Dr. Zulu [Ciarán Byrne]: "Big gang of girly boys, that's all they are."
— Ciarán Byrne teases Team Firestorm ahead of Diotoir's Vengeance battle
Zulu sabotages Firestorm

Dr Zulu 'sabotages' Firestorm 3 prior to the Vengeance battle

In a staged scene shown immediately before the battle, Byrne was seen 'sabotaging' Firestorm 3 in the Pits; he was later 'warned' by Derek Foxwell 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
Firestorm III vs Diotoir

Diotoir is turned over by Firestorm 3

VengeanceFirestormDiotoir

Diotoir burns, 'Firestorm Are Girlies' flag intact

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 around 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 Sgt. 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, Sgt. 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. Diotoir entered the battle with a large poster of Panic Attack attached to its scoop.

Diotoir displaying Panic Attack

Diotoir in its Mayhem, with a poster of Panic Attack

Panic Attack vs Diotoir

Diotoir is carried away from Refbot...

Panic Attack vs Diotoir

...and dropped into the Pit.

Diotoir immediately fired its scoop and lost an eye moments before 'Activate' was even 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.

The Second World Championship[]

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 the USA. In its heat, it faced German entry Flensburger Power, UK representative and then-reigning World Champion Razer for a second time, and US Season 1 runner-up The Revolutionist, the latter representing the United States of America.

Julia Reed: "What do you think of the Americans?"
Ciarán Byrne: "I don't."
— Interview before Diotoir's Second World Championship heat
Diotoir vs Flensburger Power

Diotoir abandons the beaten Flensburger Power

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Diotoir attempts to attack Razer from behind

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Diotoir is lifted and pierced by Razer

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Razer roasts Diotoir on the flame pit

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 around, 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 down the pit."
— 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.

Diotoirdome

Diotoir flips Dome

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, still with its scoop open due to its slow retract time. Diotoir pressed the pit release button and rolled the newcomer into the open pit, securing their knockout victory.

"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.

Philipper Forrester: "Can this robot win?"
Peter Redmond: "Well, we're fairly confident."
Ciarán Byrne: "Going downhill, yeah. If we had a start on a ramp – not a problem!"
— Team Nemesis assess their chances of winning against Tornado
Diotoir Tornado

Diotoir is rammed by Tornado

At the start, it immediately drove towards Tornado and turned around 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 Sgt. 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 Sgt. 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 maneuvering 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 Sgt. 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... stouthearted machines!"
— Jonathan Pearce comments on Diotoir's resilience as it and Tornado ram each other
Diotiornado

Diotoir's finest hour

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 due to a failed drive sprocket[10], 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. This also proved to be Diotoir's last ever win.

"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.

Spawn Again vs Diotoir

Diotoir is flipped by Spawn Again

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 Sgt. 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 Sgt. Bash again setting Diotoir on fire 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
Fierydiotoir

Diotoir suffers a familiar fiery fate courtesy of Sgt. Bash

Matilda then came to lift Diotoir off Spawn Again, before turning around 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. In the first round, they fought Bulldog Breed and Robochicken, with both Pussycat and Bulldog Breed battling first.

"Won it last time with Pussycat, as dotty as ever!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir enters the arena in the Extreme 2 Tag Team Terror
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Diotoir attempts to attack Bulldog Breed from behind

Bulldog flips Diotoir

Diotoir, flipped by Bulldog Breed

Unfortunately for Team Nemesis, 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
Burning diotoir

Diotoir burns once again

Matilda vs diotoir

Matilda smashes into Diotoir

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, and fought with a loanerbot which they had transformed into Diotoir.

"The competition is quite stiff. UK robots are well-advanced now, they’ve been going now for a number of competitions. The rest of the world… maybe not so much. But it’s gonna be a good competition… and at the end of it, we’re gonna win."
— Peter Redmond

In the Tag Team round, Diotoir was paired with Portuguese entry and fellow loanerbot Rabid M8; the pair fought Terrorhurtz and Sabretooth of Team UK, with the Irish machine starting first against Terrorhurtz.

Terrorhurtz vs Diotoir

Diotoir is immediately knocked out by Terrorhurtz

Upon ‘Activate’, the two competitors slammed head-on into each other, sparks flying as Diotoir’s flywheel repeatedly clipped Terrorhurtz’s wedge. However, the removable link for Diotoir’s drive system had not been secured properly before the battle; as a result, it became dislodged during the collision, all while Terrorhurtz axed Diotoir several times, hacking parts of its eyes and right eyebrow off.

"I think poor old Peter’s team have gone here straight away! The first impact of the big axe – you can see the weaponry spinning of Diotoir, they’re going nowhere, though!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Diotoir WS Tag Team fire

Diotoir catches fire after being tipped onto the Flame Pit by Shunt

Immobilised, Diotoir was tapped by Rabid M8, before being pushed around by Shunt as the latter also had its link dislodged by Sabretooth. It was left in the centre of the arena in front of an approaching Terrorhurtz, Diotoir’s flywheel clipping the former’s wedge again seconds before Shunt pushed it onto the Flame Pit. ‘Cease’ was called, with Shunt tipping Diotoir upside-down onto the grille and leaving its fur to burn. Seconds later, Diotoir was pushed and flipped back upright, before being pushed again by Shunt and having its fire extinguished by the Fog of War. Nevertheless, this defeat left the Rest of the World team with no points.

Diotoir fog of war

A flaming Diotoir is put out by the Fog of War

"You see, the thing about these robots is that they’re very dangerous... and so they make us do something about putting these safety links in so that they can pull them out if the robot gets out of control. Unfortunately, the safety link fell out and made it too safe. In fact, it just killed it."
— Peter Redmond explains to Angela Scanlon the cause of Diotoir’s instantaneous loss
Diotoir WS rear burnt

Diotoir, burnt and beaten

With new fur and eyes, Diotoir faced Apollo in its Head-to-Head battle. Having overseen victories by fellow teammates Cobra and Rabid M8, Peter Redmond expressed confidence that it would ‘shred’ the Series 8 champion; a potential victory in this battle could allow Diotoir to secure overall World Series honours for the Rest of the World team.

"I think Apollo is an awesome robot. I think it’s really strong, it’s really hard, it’s really fast and it’s really manoeuvrable, and it’s gotta be really hard to beat… but we’re up to the task. Even if we’re on fire, and all our fur is burning away, still a killing machine and we’re coming for you!"
— Peter Redmond prior to Diotoir’s battle against Apollo
Diotoir Flame Pit WS H2H

Diotoir immediately sets itself on fire

Diotoir vs apollo

A flaming Diotoir attempts to attack Apollo

Within the opening seconds, Diotoir turned away from Apollo and drove itself onto the Flame Pit, setting fire to its own fur in the process. It used the gyroscopic forces of its flywheel to lift itself onto one side as it spun off the grille, but was nudged back over the Flame Pit by Apollo, after which it turned around and clipped Sir Killalot’s claw.

"It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? The one place you don’t want to be when you’ve got fur on your side is on the flames… and they went straight for it! Oh, look at that! It’s a flaming gorgeous sight if you’re a UK supporter, but the Rest of the World hopes…"
— Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir sets itself on fire
Apollo vs Diotoir

A smouldering Diotoir is thrown into the air by Apollo

The two competitors charged head-on, with a burning Diotoir hitting Apollo’s side, but without causing any significant damage, before being pushed into Sir Killalot by the latter. Diotoir quickly escaped, only to be shepherded into an entry gate and thrown alongside the wall by Apollo. It recovered to drive up Apollo’s flipper, only to be flipped violently towards Sir Killalot; as it landed, Diotoir’s flywheel clipped the floor, causing it to ricochet into the House Robot’s side. Diotoir dodged Sir Killalot once again as it landed on its wheels, its flywheel starting to slow down, but another flip from Apollo left it stranded on its side on the fringe of Dead Metal’s CPZ. The Irish machine was left to burn beside the Arena Tyre as Apollo attempted to flip Sir Killalot over, before being grabbed and spun around by Dead Metal. However, the House Robot inadvertently re-righted Diotoir shortly before Apollo lifted the two robots together. Dead Metal let go of Diotoir, allowing the Irish machine to drive away and onto the Floor Flipper, where it was thrown across the arena one last time.

Diotoir side stranded

Flames surround Diotoir as it lays on its side

Dara Ó Briain: "Well, you might not have won, but there is something uniquely beautiful about a flying Diotoir launched into the sky, flames flicking around. It was beautiful to see you back."
Peter Redmond: "It was absolutely beautiful to be here, and it was great."
— The post-battle interview

As Diotoir had become side-stranded and counted out before Dead Metal’s intervention, its loss resulted in no points being scored for the Rest of the World team. With this, Team UK were declared the winner of the first World Series episode, although not without the presenters, Peter Redmond and Dave Young all welcoming Diotoir’s return to Robot Wars.

Results[]

DIOTOIR - RESULTS
Series 3
The Third Wars - UK Championship
Heat Final
Heat O, Round 1 vs. Sting 2 Won
Heat O, Round 2 vs. The Steel Avenger Won
Heat O, Final vs. Fire Storm Lost
International League Championship
Representing Republic of Ireland, Runner-Up
Group A, Match 2 vs. Terror Australis (AUS) Won
Group A, Match 3 vs. Depoppesaurus Rex (BEL) Won
Final vs. Razer (ENG) Lost
The First World Championship
Representing Republic of Ireland, Semi-Final
Eliminator vs. Depoppesaurus Rex (BEL) Won
Quarter Final vs. Cerberus (CYP) Won
Semi-Final vs. Behemoth (ENG) Lost
Series 4
The Fourth Wars - UK Championship
21st Seed, Heat Eliminator
Heat C, Eliminator vs. Bolt from the Blue, Ming 2 Eliminated
Pinball Competition
Equal Fifth (with Bigger Brother)
Pinball 180pts 5th
Sumo Basho Competition
Sixteenth
Sumo Basho 3.95 sec 16th
Celebrity Special
Runner-Up
Round 1 vs. Wild Thing Won
Round 2 vs. Gemini Won
Round 3 vs. Pussycat Lost
Extreme Series 1
The Second World Championship
Representing Republic of Ireland, Round 1
NOTE: This competition was also broadcast during US Season 1
Heat vs. Razer (ENG), Flensburger Power (GER), The Revolutionist (USA) Lost
All-Stars
Round 1
Round 1 vs. Wheely Big Cheese Lost
Tag Team Terror
with Mega Morg & Pussycat, Champion
Round 1 vs. King B Powerworks & 101 Won
Round 2 vs. Comengetorix & Spawn Again Won
Final vs. Suicidal Tendencies & The Steel Avenger Won
NOTE: Pussycat was a substitute robot and was instated after Mega Morg (Diotoir's original partner) broke down before Round 2
Mayhem
Mayhem vs. Shear Khan, Panic Attack Lost
Other Battles
Vengeance
Vengeance vs. Firestorm 3 Lost
Series 5
The Fifth Wars - UK Championship
Heat Final
Heat G, Eliminator vs. Dome Won
Heat G, Semi-Final vs. Tornado (12) Won
Heat G, Final vs. Spawn Again (13) Lost
Extreme Series 2
Tag Team Terror
with Pussycat, Round 1
Round 1 vs. Bulldog Breed & Robochicken Lost
Series 10
World Series, representing the Republic of Ireland
Partnered with Rabid M8 for Tag Team battle
Episode 1, Tag Team vs. Sabretooth & Terrorhurtz Lost via KO (0 points)
Episode 1, Head-to-Head vs. Apollo Lost via KO (0 points)

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 13
  • Losses: 13

Series Record[]

Main Series Diotoir Series Record
The First Wars Entered with Nemesis
The Second Wars Entered with Nemesis
The Third Wars Heat Final
The Fourth Wars Heat, Round 1
The Fifth Wars Heat Final
The Sixth Wars Did not enter
The Seventh Wars Did not enter
Series 8 Not selected with unspecified robot
Series 9 Did not enter
Series 10 World Series
Robot Wars Extreme Appearances
Series 1 Entered
Series 2 Entered

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

Gallery[]

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 - see Team Nemesis for more information.

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.

Diotoir in 2017

The Extreme 2 version of Diotoir, redecorated at Mechatrons in 2017

Diotoir Mecha18

Diotoir at Mechatrons in 2018

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. Most recently, Diotoir appeared at Mechatrons events in 2017 and in 2018, though it would later make an appearance at RoboNerd in September 2021.[11]

Diotoir liveevents

Diotoir at Fighting My Bots

Diotoir vs Death Toll

Diotoir in the final against Death Toll

In January 2018, Team Nemesis acquired Iron-Awe 7 after initially driving it at Mechatrons, and competed with it at the FMB (Fighting My Bots) World Finals in China. The robot was rebranded into Diotoir, having been repainted red with black spots before covering the robot in the signature fur, complete with boggle eyes and a paper grin on the flipper. Under this guise, Diotoir entered the 110kg class, winning its first battle against Indian robot, Gravity, after throwing it into the ceiling and out of the arena. In the next battle it fought Indian robot, Joker, and despite taking heavy damage to the front of its flipper, Diotoir won the match. Diotoir would ultimately finish the FMB World Finals as runner-up to New Zealand spinner Death Toll, after becoming immobilised by the latter in the final round.

Diot-Awe

Diot-Awe in January 2020 before its eyes were painted back on

Now competing under the official name of Diot-Awe, the newest version of Diotoir was repaired to compete at the team's own Mechatrons events, usually with painted polka-dots instead of fur. These appearances included a demonstration inside the arena in late 2019, and a competitive appearance at the Irish championship in January 2020. After two opening victories against ThunderChild and Nibbler, Diot-Awe was knocked out by the eventual champion Immersion after its batteries flung out of the robot while self-righting.[12]

In 2020, a fundraiser was created by Peter Redmond to raise money for a robot based on Diotoir to appear on the US television show BattleBots[13]. Over £1,100 was raised, though Diotoir would ultimately not compete in the 2020 Discovery season, nor would it be selected for World Championship VII which premiered in early 2023.[14]

Diotoir 2021

The Extreme 2 version of Diotoir at RoboNerd 2021

The Extreme 2 model of Diotoir would make its next appearance at RoboNerd in September 2021, being put on static display alongside Nemesis. A year later, Diot-Awe returned for the newly-revived RoboRiots event in Dublin, emerging as overall champion over King B Remix (competing under its previous 'Powerworks' identity) and its successor King Buxton 20.[15] It was not able to replicate this success at the 2023 iteration, however, relinquishing its heavyweight title to Immersion.[16] One of Diot-Awe's 2023 fights saw it face Two-Headed Death Flamingo, though it mostly struggled to counter the latter's pushing and pecking attacks.[17]

In December 2021, a featherweight version of Diotoir would be built under the name Minítóir. The robot was designed and built by Team Immersion, with Minítóir being based mainly upon the Series 5 version of Diotoir, featuring a large lifting scoop, now powered by an electric system. Minítóir made its combat debut at the FightFest Winter Challenge 2021. In its first fight, it went to a judges’ decision with fellow Irish representative, Herty, which was close enough for two judges to declare a draw - but the vote of the one remaining judge favouring Minítóir was enough to send it through to the semi-finals. Its next fight was against Renegade, a Scottish representative. Renegade's driver was kind enough to right Minítóir a few times in the match so the audience could get a good fight. However, it was eventually left stranded upright and tossed out of the arena by its opponent.

Appearances in Merchandise[]

"We never had a toy. We were told they were afraid kids would set fire to it."
— Peter Redmond in 2018[18]

Trivia[]

  • Diotoir was the only robot from the Republic of Ireland to win a battle, and the only robot from outside the United Kingdom to compete in a main UK championship prior to Series 7 (including Nemesis).
  • Diotoir and The Steel Avenger are the only robots to win more than ten UK combat victories without once winning a heat.
  • 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, and Jonathan Pearce mispronounced the name as such throughout Series 3, perhaps because of this same mistake.
  • In one of his Robot Wars Magazine columns, Craig Charles stated Diotoir's name was chosen as it would be a name he couldn't pronounce, though this may have been a joke.
  • 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.
  • Diotoir is the only robot to fight with more than two different Tag Team Partners, fighting with both Mega Morg and Pussycat in Extreme, and then Rabid M8 in the World Series.
  • Footage of Diotoir's battles against Dome, Tornado and Spawn Again in Series 5 was aired during montages shown throughout its appearance in Robot Wars: World Series.
  • Diotoir was the only World Series competitor to appear in a Tag Team before; in fact Diotoir's last appearance in the original run of Robot Wars was in the Extreme 2 Tag Team Terror, where it lost in the first round under similar circumstances to its World Series appearance.
  • Of the fifty robots to return from Series 4 to compete in Series 5, Diotoir was one of only ten to perform better in its Series 5 appearance. The others were Bigger Brother, Firestorm 3, Razer, Prizephita Mach 2, Kat 3, Reactor 2, Rick, Destruct-A-Bubble and Clawed Hopper.
  • Diotoir is one of four robots to have held a positive win-loss ratio in the original run of Robot Wars, before losing this acclaim in the reboot, alongside King Buxton, Supernova and Tough as Nails.
    • However, out of all robots to have an equal win/loss ratio, Diotoir has the most wins, with 13.
  • 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.[19]

Honours[]


References[]

  1. https://www.facebook.com/MechatronsIM/videos/1800793396618944/
  2. http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/design/as-robot-wars-is-set-to-return-a-look-back-at-the-some-of-the-weirdest-moments-from-the-famed-original-series/news-story/6cbc3bfe28e38c1c0b28096d294a59c8
  3. Diotoir website – Technical Specifications (retrieved May 29, 2017)
  4. https://www.facebook.com/MechatronsIM/videos/1800793396618944/
  5. Diotoir website – Sponsors(retrieved July 23, 2015)
  6. http://web.archive.org/web/20030821103529/http://www.robotmayhem.com/forum/messages/4/10974.html?1039001914
  7. https://www.facebook.com/MechatronsIM/videos/1800793396618944/
  8. http://web.archive.org/web/20081208184424/http://www.teamfirestorm.co.uk/index2.htm
  9. Conversation between Ciarán Byrne and Team Immersion in January 2020
  10. http://www.teamtornado.co.uk/rwd11.htm
  11. https://www.facebook.com/RoboNerdCore/posts/1554534531556401
  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vc6esUEaRI
  13. https://m.facebook.com/nt/screen/?params=%7B%22fundraiser_campaign_id%22%3A164409548146030%7D&path=%2Ffundraiser%2F&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fdonate%2F164409548146030%2F&_rdr
  14. https://www.facebook.com/DiotoirRobot/posts/pfbid024sLc81KhRaMVFW2b4CV3t2AbJP9gpTkPXgVpkHL1Yhfbv2bp1Y4ap65zFeoCse8Gl
  15. https://www.facebook.com/KingBuxtonCombatRobot/posts/pfbid0yb1cKHXUnNjQ3NAwS9prMpoEPbxubiVpeSLBXiB1YGYso542sc6QFBD6XK3Cxtxdl
  16. https://www.facebook.com/teamimmersionrobotics/posts/pfbid02ESam2YzzNhb5zbXBmkM4CcvbF8gorNgejhCHrc9iL6JfDLxNhVWgWb7ZQEsN6ttl
  17. Facebook video of Diot-Awe vs Two-Headed Death Flamingo, RoboRiots 2023, Kinetic Energy Robotics
  18. https://www.facebook.com/groups/685180975014482/permalink/911878785678032/
  19. http://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/design/as-robot-wars-is-set-to-return-a-look-back-at-the-some-of-the-weirdest-moments-from-the-famed-original-series/news-story/6cbc3bfe28e38c1c0b28096d294a59c8

External Links[]

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