Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars aired on BBC Two over the Christmas period of 2016, having been filmed alongside Series 9. Two episodes were aired, featuring eight celebrities across both.
Battle of the Stars was the second iteration of Celebrity Robot Wars, and differed from Series 4's Celebrity Special, as the celebrities entered their own brand-new machines, rather than borrowing existing competitors.
Format
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The celebrities competed with robots built by Robo Challenge that the celebrities had designed themselves, and were each paired up with a veteran competitor of Robot Wars, or "mentor", to help repair the robots, and give advice throughout the competition process. The celebrities were often joined by family and friends to form a full team.
The event was split into two shows, each featuring four robots. The robots competed in a round-robin tournament, much like the second round of the previous series, where they would face each of their opponents in a head-to-head battle. The winner of each battle would be given points: three for a knockout and two on a Judges' decision. The two robots with the most points at the end of the round faced each other again in the final, to determine a Battle of the Stars champion.
CompetitorsEdit
| Celebrity | Occupation | Mentor | Robot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Mills and Chris Stark | BBC Radio 1 DJs | Dave Moulds | Arena Cleaner |
| Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock | Scientist, TV presenter | Shane Swan | Interstellar: MML |
| Jonathan and Alastair Brownlee | Triathletes | Gabriel Stroud | JAR |
| Suzi Perry and Dallas Campbell | TV Presenters | Craig Danby | The Cat |
| Jordan Stephens | Rapper in duo Rizzle Kicks, actor | John Reid | Dee |
| Kadeena Cox | Paralympic runner/cyclist | Ellis Ware | Kadeena Machina |
| Robbie Savage | Football pundit and former player | Jason Marston | Robo Savage |
| Neil Oliver | Archaeologist, historian, author, TV presenter | Will Thomas | Soldier Ant |
TV presenter and comedian Jonathan Ross was invited to compete, having previously expressed interest over Twitter[1], but could not participate due to filming taking place while he was working in Japan[2].
All of the celebrities controlled either the robot's drive or weapon during the competition, with the exception of Neil Oliver, as Soldier Ant's drive and weaponry were both operated by his two children, Teddy and Archie.
Episode 1Edit
- Main article: Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars/Episode 1
The celebrities in Episode 1
The first episode was the first of Series 9, airing on December 28th, 2016[3]. Repeats on Challenge began on 20th November 2018.
Competitors: Jonathan and Alistair Brownlee with JAR, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock with Interstellar: MML, Suzi Perry and Dallas Campbell with The Cat, Scott Mills and Chris Stark with Arena Cleaner
Head-to-Head Battles
- Arena Cleaner vs Interstellar: MML: Arena Cleaner won by KO
- JAR vs The Cat: The Cat won by KO
- Arena Cleaner vs The Cat: The Cat won by KO
- Interstellar: MML vs JAR: JAR won by Judges' decision
- Interstellar: MML vs The Cat: Interstellar: MML won by KO
- Arena Cleaner vs JAR: Arena Cleaner won by KO
Grand Final
- Arena Cleaner vs The Cat: Arena Cleaner won
Episode 2Edit
- Main article: Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars/Episode 2
The celebrities in Episode 2
The second episode was aired on December 29th, 2016[4].
Celebrities competing: Robbie Savage with Robo Savage, Jordan Stephens with Dee, Neil Oliver with Soldier Ant, Kadeena Cox with Kadeena Machina
Head-to-Head Battles
- Kadeena Machina vs Robo Savage: Kadeena Machina won by KO
- Dee vs Soldier Ant: Soldier Ant won by Judges' Decision
- Robo Savage vs Soldier Ant: Robo Savage won by KO
- Dee vs Kadeena Machina: Kadeena Machina won by KO
- Dee vs Robo Savage: Dee won by Judges' Decision
- Kadeena Machina vs Soldier Ant: Kadeena Machina won by KO
Grand Final
- Kadeena Machina vs Robo Savage: Kadeena Machina won
GalleryEdit
TriviaEdit
- All the robots featured the same battery, motors and Ragebridge speed controllers, and all robots bar Dee used the same set of two wheels, largely due to them being stock components ordered by Robo Challenge.
- The possibility of Battle of the Stars was first hinted at when audience ticket distributors Lost in TV first revealed that Series 9 would feature recording blocks featuring celebrities. Battle of the Stars was officially revealed by Radio Times on November 22, 2016[5]. BBC Two confirmed this information on November 24, revealing Scott Mills and Chris Stark as competitors[6].
- The Wilhelm Scream stock sound effect can be heard during the introduction.
- During the 2018 Challenge repeats, the first episode was listed as Series 8 Episode 7.
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ https://twitter.com/wossy/status/760250938019946496
- ↑ https://twitter.com/wossy/status/801229721203712001
- ↑ http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-29/what-time-is-the-robot-wars-christmas-special-on-tv
- ↑ http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-29/what-time-is-the-robot-wars-christmas-special-on-tv
- ↑ http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-22/robot-wars-to-return-for-two-celebrity-christmas-specials
- ↑ https://twitter.com/bbctwo/status/801828994500923392
