Eric Dickinson was a British roboteer and the builder of Series 1 competitor WYSIWYG. He was best known for his appearances as a Judge on the robot combat television series Robot Wars, and as a competing roboteer in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition.
Robot Wars[]
1994-1997 US Competitions[]
WYSIWYG at Robot Wars 1996
Eric Dickinson with WYSIWYG (American Robot Wars 1996)
As recognised during his tenure as a Judge in Series 1, Eric Dickinson's first experience with Robot Wars was as a contestant in the 1996 US event, where he entered WYSIWYG into the featherweight class. WYSIWYG itself participated in various competitions, including the main Featherweight Face-Off and Melee tournaments, alongside a one-off 'Team Battle' and a head-to-head 'Grudge Match' against Steel At Work.[1]
The aforementioned Grudge Match ended in WYSIWYG becoming victorious after ramming and immobilising the French heavyweight within the opening seconds. This marked its only win throughout the competition and its career, and was among the battles highlighted in the official American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996 VHS releases. American Robot Wars 1996 also included an interview with Dickinson; the only instance where material showing him with WYSIWYG was featured in official media. WYSIWYG's win/loss record stood at 1-3 upon the conclusion of the 1996 event.
TV Show[]
- "We have Eric Dickinson, the only British veteran of Robot Wars in America."
- — Jeremy Clarkson introduces Eric Dickinson's credentials
Dickinson and his fellow Series 1 Judges are called upon
Eric Dickinson was active as a Judge for the first two series, where notably close decisions include Recyclopse vs Mortis, and Napalm vs Demolition Demon. He held this role in both Series 1 and 2 but was not seen on the show again from Series 3 onwards, with Martin Smith taking his place.
Eric's son, Matthew Dickinson, appeared as a contestant in Series 1, controlling the Stock Robot Grunt, which fell in the trial stage of its heat and never fought in combat. It was never mentioned on the show that Matthew was related to Eric, perhaps to hide the fact that he wasn't a true contestant and was hired by the producers.
Outside Robot Wars[]
Eric's son, Daniel, currently owns WYSIWYG and has made plans to build a WYSIWYG 2, though the progress of it is unknown so far.[2]
Eric passed away in October 2013 after a long illness at the age of 80[3].