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Robot Wars Wiki
Robot Wars Wiki

"The Dome has been a disaster, the aliens must've made a wrong turning but one phenomenon that's definitely not gonna disappoint in the Year 2000 is Robot Wars 4. Yes, folks, we know you've missed the mayhem. We know you've craved the carnage, and you Madam! Yes you! We know your life's been sad and empty without robots being ripped to shreds. Well the long wait is finally over because the Wars are back and we're bigger, we're badder, and we're downright more brutal than ever!"
Craig Charles' introduction to Heat A

Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars (also referred to as Series 4 and Robot Wars 4 by roboteers and show personalities) was the fourth series of the British television game show Robot Wars. It was originally broadcast from 2000 to 2001 on BBC Two. The series was hosted by Craig Charles, the pit reporter was Julia Reed and commentary was provided by Jonathan Pearce.

The Fourth Wars was also broadcast in the US on the TNN network as Robot Wars: Grand Champions. This version of the show was hosted by Joanie Laurer, with commentary provided by Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors commentator Stefan Frank.

The Fourth Wars was the last series to feature the original 79.4kg weight limit for heavyweight competitors, which was subsequently increased to 100kg for the first series of Robot Wars Extreme.

Along with the rest of the Classic Series, The Fourth Wars is available to stream in its entirety on Mech+ as of 2026.

Format[]

Craig Charles and Julia Reed appear with the House Robots in a promotional shot

Craig Charles and Julia Reed appear with the House Robots in a promotional shot

The series consisted of sixteen heats featuring six robots each. The heat format underwent significant changes, with the first round now consisting of two three-way 'Eliminators' where two robots would progress to the second round. As with Series 3, the second round featured a pair of one-on-one battles, the winners of which would face each other in the Heat Final. The winner of the Heat Final would progress to one of two Semi-Finals.

The Semi-Finals followed the same format as those for Series 3, consisting of two rounds of one-on-one battles between the heat winners. Two winning robots from each Semi-Final would advance to the Grand Final, where they were initially paired off for two one-on-one 'Eliminator' battles. The winners of each 'Eliminator' would face each other in a final battle to determine the series champion. A play-off to determine third and fourth places was also planned, but did not take place after one of the competing robots withdrew prior to the battle.

Seeded robots[]

1. Chaos 2
2. Hypno-Disc
3. Razer
4. Panic Attack
5. Firestorm 2
6. Behemoth
7. Steg 2
8. Gemini
9. 101
10. Spawn of Scutter
11. Wild Thing
12. Evil Weevil
13. Gravedigger
14. Bigger Brother
15. Wheely Big Cheese
16. Killerhurtz

17. King B3
18. Cerberus
19. Pussycat
20. Aggrobot 2
21. Diotoir
22. X-Terminator 2
23. Mortis
24. Berserk 2
25. Shadow of Napalm
26. Plunderbird 4
27. Sir Chromalot
28. Weld-Dor 2
29. Dreadnaut XP1
30. Stinger
31. Centurion
32. Suicidal Tendencies 2

Heats[]

Heat A[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat A
Heat A
Atomic Chaos 2 (1) Indefatigable
Atomic S4
Chaos 2 S4
Indefatigable
Attila the Drum King B3 (17) Medusa 2000
Attila the Drum
King B3
Medusa 2000

Eliminators

  • Chaos 2 vs Atomic vs Indefatigable: Indefatigable eliminated
  • King B3 vs Attila the Drum vs Medusa 2000: Attila the Drum eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Chaos 2 vs Medusa 2000: Chaos 2 won
  • King B3 vs Atomic: Atomic won

Final

  • Chaos 2 vs Atomic: Chaos 2 won

Heat B[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat B
Heat B
Razer (3) Robochicken Velocirippa
Razer S4
Robochicken S4
Velocirippa S4
Milly-Ann Bug Pussycat (19) Reptirron
Millyannbug-removebg
Pussycat S4
Reptirron

Eliminators

  • Razer vs Robochicken vs Velocirippa: Velocirippa eliminated
  • Pussycat vs Milly-Ann Bug vs Reptirron: Reptirron eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Razer vs Milly-Ann Bug: Razer won
  • Pussycat vs Robochicken: Pussycat won

Final

  • Razer vs Pussycat: Pussycat won

Heat C[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat C
Heat C
Firestorm 2 (5) Scar The Morgue
Firestorm2 crop
Scar
The Morgue
Bolt from the Blue Diotoir (21) Ming 2
Bolt from the Blue
Diotoir S4
Ming II

Eliminators

  • Firestorm 2 vs Scar vs The Morgue: The Morgue eliminated
  • Diotoir vs Bolt from the Blue vs Ming 2: Diotoir eliminated
Note: After the eliminators, Scar broke down and could not be fixed in time so The Morgue was reinstated.

Semi-Finals

  • Firestorm 2 vs Bolt from the Blue: Firestorm 2 won
  • Ming 2 vs The Morgue: The Morgue won

Final

  • Firestorm 2 vs The Morgue: Firestorm 2 won

Heat D[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat D
Heat D
Cronos Crusader 2 Steg 2 (7)
Cronos
Crusader 2
Steg 2
Iron-Awe Mazakari Mortis (23)
Iron-Awe S4
Mazakari
Mortis

Eliminators

  • Steg 2 vs Cronos vs Crusader 2: Cronos eliminated
  • Mortis vs Iron-Awe vs Mazakari: Mazakari eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Iron-Awe vs Steg 2: Steg 2 won
  • Mortis vs Crusader 2: Mortis won

Final

  • Steg 2 vs Mortis: Steg 2 won

Heat E[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat E
Heat E
101 (9) Dominator 2 Henry 2
101
Dominator II S4
Henry 2
Disc-O-Inferno Major Tom Shadow of Napalm (25)
Disc-O-Inferno S4
Major Tom S4
Shadow of Napalm

Eliminators

  • 101 vs Dominator 2 vs Henry 2: Henry 2 eliminated
  • Shadow of Napalm vs Disc-O-Inferno vs Major Tom: Disc-O-Inferno eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • 101 vs Major Tom: 101 won
  • Shadow of Napalm vs Dominator 2: Dominator 2 won

Final

  • 101 vs Dominator 2: Dominator 2 won

Heat F[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat F
Heat F
Gemini (8) Kater Killer Tornado
Gemini S4
Kater Killer
Tornado S4 Crop
Berserk 2 (24) Inverterbrat The Creature
Berserk2
Inverterbrat
The Creature

Eliminators

  • Gemini vs Kater Killer vs Tornado: Kater Killer eliminated
  • Berserk 2 vs Inverterbrat vs The Creature: Inverterbrat eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Gemini vs The Creature: Gemini won
  • Berserk 2 vs Tornado: Tornado won

Final

  • Gemini vs Tornado: Tornado won

Heat G[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat G
Heat G
Gravedigger (13) Kronic the Wedgehog Thermidor 2
Gravedigger 4
Kronic S4
Thermidor II S4
Darke Destroyer 2 Dreadnaut XP-1 (29) Warhog
Darke Destroyer II
Dreadnaut XP-1
War Hog

Eliminators

  • Gravedigger vs Kronic the Wedgehog vs Thermidor 2: Gravedigger eliminated
  • Dreadnaut XP1 vs Darke Destroyer 2 vs Warhog: Warhog eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Kronic the Wedgehog vs Darke Destroyer 2: Kronic the Wedgehog won
  • Dreadnaut XP1 vs Thermidor 2: Thermidor 2 won

Final

  • Kronic the Wedgehog vs Thermidor 2: Thermidor 2 won

Heat H[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat H
Heat H
Prizephita MK2 Wheelosaurus Wheely Big Cheese (15)
Prizephita MK2
Wheelosaurus Series 4 no background
WBC
Killertron Maverick Suicidal Tendencies (32)
Killertron
Maverick
Suicidal Tendencies 2

Eliminators

  • Wheely Big Cheese vs Prizephita Mk2 vs Wheelosaurus: Prizephita Mk2 eliminated
  • Suicidal Tendencies vs Killertron vs Maverick: Maverick eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Wheely Big Cheese vs Killertron: Wheely Big Cheese won
  • Suicidal Tendencies vs Wheelosaurus: Suicidal Tendencies 2 won

Final

  • Wheely Big Cheese vs Suicidal Tendencies: Wheely Big Cheese won

Heat I[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat I
Heat I
Destruct-A-Bubble Eric Killerhurtz (16)
DAB
Eric
Killerhurtz
Centurion (31) Small Torque Splinter
Centurion
Small Torque
Splinter S4

Eliminators

  • Killerhurtz vs Destruct-A-Bubble vs Eric: Destruct-A-Bubble eliminated
  • Centurion vs Small Torque vs Splinter: Centurion eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Killerhurtz vs Splinter: Splinter won
  • Eric vs Small Torque: Eric won

Final

  • Eric vs Splinter: Splinter won

Heat J[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat J
Heat J
Bigger Brother (14) Clawed Hopper Hammer & Tong
Bigger Brother S4
Clawed Hopper S4
HammerandTong
Bulldog Breed 2 Spikasaurus Stinger (30)
Bulldog Breed II
Spikasaurus
Stinger S4

Eliminators

  • Bigger Brother vs Clawed Hopper vs Hammer & Tong: Clawed Hopper eliminated
  • Stinger vs Bulldog Breed 2 vs Spikasaurus: Spikasaurus eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Bigger Brother vs Bulldog Breed 2: Bulldog Breed 2 won
  • Stinger vs Hammer & Tong: Stinger won

Final

  • Stinger vs Bulldog Breed 2: Stinger won

Heat K[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat K
Heat K
Evil Weevil (12) MouseTrap Tiberius
Evil Weevil 2
MouseTrap
Tiberius
Little Fly Sumpthing Weld-Dor (28)
Little Fly
Sump Thing
Weld-Dor S4

Eliminators

  • Evil Weevil vs MouseTrap vs Tiberius: Evil Weevil eliminated
  • Weld-Dor vs Sumpthing vs Little Fly: Weld-Dor eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Little Fly vs Tiberius: Little Fly won
  • MouseTrap vs Sumpthing: MouseTrap won

Final

  • Little Fly vs MouseTrap: MouseTrap won

Heat L[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat L
Heat L
Banshee Knightmare Spawn of Scutter (10)
Banshee
Knightmare
Spawn of Scutter
Fat Boy Tin Plunderbird 4 (26) Vercingetorix
Fat Boy Tin
Plunderbird4
Vercingetorix

Eliminators

  • Spawn of Scutter vs Banshee vs Knightmare: Banshee eliminated
  • Plunderbird 4 vs Fat Boy Tin vs Vercingetorix: Fat Boy Tin eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Spawn of Scutter vs Vercingetorix: Spawn of Scutter won
  • Plunderbird 4 vs Knightmare: Knightmare won

Final

  • Spawn of Scutter vs Knightmare: Spawn of Scutter won

Heat M[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat M
Heat M
Humphrey The Steel Avenger Wild Thing (11)
Humphrey
The Steel Avenger
Wild Thing S4
Reactor Scorpion Sir Chromalot (27)
Reactor
Scorpion S4
Sir Chromalot

Eliminators

  • Wild Thing vs Humphrey vs The Steel Avenger: Humphrey eliminated
  • Sir Chromalot vs Reactor vs Scorpion: Scorpion eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Wild Thing vs Reactor: Wild Thing won
  • Sir Chromalot vs The Steel Avenger: The Steel Avenger won

Final

  • Wild Thing vs The Steel Avenger: Wild Thing won

Heat N[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat N
Heat N
Arnold, Arnold Terminegger Behemoth (6) Rambot
Arnold arnold terminegger
Behemoth
Rambot S4
Judge Shred 2 Millennium Bug X-Terminator 2 (22)
Judge Shred 2
Millennium Bug
X-Terminator 2

Eliminators

  • Behemoth vs Arnold, Arnold Terminegger vs Rambot: Rambot eliminated
  • X-Terminator 2 vs Judge Shred 2 vs Millennium Bug: Millennium Bug eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Behemoth vs Judge Shred 2: Behemoth won
  • X-Terminator 2 vs Arnold, Arnold Terminegger: X-Terminator 2 won

Final

  • Behemoth vs X-Terminator 2: X-Terminator 2 won

Heat O[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat O
Heat O
Overkill GTI Panic Attack (4) S.M.I.D.S.Y.
Overkill GTI
Panic Attack S4
SMIDSY
Aggrobot 2 (20) Oblivion 2 Saw Point
Aggrobot 2
Oblivion 2
Saw Point

Eliminators

  • Panic Attack vs Overkill GTI vs S.M.I.D.S.Y.: Overkill GTI eliminated
  • Aggrobot 2 vs Oblivion 2 vs Saw Point: Oblivion 2 eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Panic Attack vs Saw Point: Panic Attack won
  • Aggrobot 2 vs S.M.I.D.S.Y.: S.M.I.D.S.Y. won

Final

  • Panic Attack vs S.M.I.D.S.Y.: Panic Attack won

Heat P[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat P
Heat P
Hypno-Disc (2) Raizer Blade The Predator
Hypno-Disc S4
Raizer Blade
The Predator
Cerberus (18) Terror-Bull V-Max
Cerberus S4
Terror-Bull
V-max
Onslaught (withdrew)
Onslaught S4
Note: V-Max was a reserve robot, who was instated after Onslaught was forced to withdraw due to technical difficulties.

Eliminators

  • Hypno-Disc vs Raizer Blade vs The Predator: The Predator eliminated
  • Cerberus vs Terror-Bull vs V-Max: Cerberus eliminated

Semi-Finals

  • Hypno-Disc vs V-Max: Hypno-Disc won
  • Raizer Blade vs Terror-Bull: Raizer Blade won

Final

  • Hypno-Disc vs Raizer Blade: Hypno-Disc won

Semi-Finals[]

Semi-Final 1[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Semi-Final 1
Semi-Final 1
Chaos 2 (1) Dominator 2 Firestorm 2 (5) Pussycat (19)
Chaos 2 S4
Dominator II S4
Firestorm2 crop
Pussycat S4
Steg 2 (7) Thermidor 2 Tornado Wheely Big Cheese (15)
Steg 2
Thermidor II S4
Tornado S4 Crop
WBC

Round 1

  • Chaos 2 vs Steg 2: Chaos 2 won
  • Tornado vs Wheely Big Cheese: Tornado won
  • Pussycat vs Thermidor 2: Pussycat won
  • Dominator 2 vs Firestorm 2: Dominator 2 won

Round 2

  • Chaos 2 vs Tornado: Chaos 2 won
  • Pussycat vs Dominator 2: Pussycat won

Semi-Final 2[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Semi-Final 2
Semi-Final 2
Hypno-Disc (2) MouseTrap Panic Attack (4) Spawn of Scutter (10)
Hypno-Disc S4
MouseTrap
Panic Attack S4
Spawn of Scutter
Splinter Stinger (30) Wild Thing (11) X-Terminator 2 (22)
Splinter S4
Stinger S4
Wild Thing S4
X-Terminator 2

Round 1

  • MouseTrap vs Stinger: Stinger won
  • Panic Attack vs Spawn of Scutter: Panic Attack won
  • Hypno-Disc vs Splinter: Hypno-Disc won
  • Wild Thing vs X-Terminator 2: Wild Thing won

Round 2

  • Stinger vs Panic Attack: Stinger won
  • Hypno-Disc vs Wild Thing: Hypno-Disc won

Grand Final[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Grand Final
Grand Final
Chaos 2 (1) Hypno-Disc (2) Pussycat (19) Stinger (30)
Chaos 2 S4
Hypno-Disc S4
Pussycat S4
Stinger S4

Eliminators

  • Hypno-Disc vs Pussycat: Pussycat won
  • Chaos 2 vs Stinger: Chaos 2 won

Final

  • Chaos 2 vs Pussycat: Chaos 2 won

NOTE: A third place play-off between Stinger and Hypno-Disc was planned, but due to Hypno-Disc being too damaged to enter the battle, Stinger was awarded third place

Awards[]

Main article: Robot Wars Awards

These are the winners of the various awards given out at the end of the series:

Trial Competitions[]

Like Series 3, two trials from Series 2 were held as competitions during the series. Pinball returned from the last series, whilst Soccer was replaced with Sumo. The winner was the robot with the best score at the end.

Pinball[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Pinball Warrior Tournament

Robots Competing: 101, Hypno-Disc, Spikasaurus, Stinger, Spawn of Scutter, Attila the Drum, Bigger Brother, S.M.I.D.S.Y., King B3, Razer, Banshee, Diotoir, Gemini, Firestorm 2, Inverterbrat, Killerhurtz.

Winner: Gemini

Sumo[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Sumo Basho

The Robot Wars Sumo Basho tournament was a head-to-head with Shunt. The aim was to push the house robot off the podium, or else hold on as long as possible. 'Cease' was called after one minute.

Robots Competing: Spawn of Scutter, Firestorm 2, Diotoir, Onslaught, Scorpion, Destruct-A-Bubble, S.M.I.D.S.Y., Kater Killer, Maverick, X-Terminator 2, Razer, Pussycat, Panic Attack, Behemoth, Bigger Brother, Thermidor 2.

Winner: Panic Attack

Christmas Specials[]

During the Fourth Wars, a number of special shows were held over the Christmas period. These Christmas Specials were a Celebrity Special, Tag Team Terror, Northern Annihilator, Southern Annihilator and War of Independence.

Celebrity Special[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Celebrity Special

In this special, celebrities teamed up with roboteers and took control of their robots in the arena.

Celebrity Robot Wars
Diotoir
(Vic Reeves)
Disc-O-Inferno
(5ive)
Gemini
(Turner Sisters)
Iron-Awe
(Natalie Cassidy)
Diotoir celeb arena
Disc-O-Inferno Celeb
Gemini celeb arena
Ironawe celeb arena
Killertron
(Chris Eubank)
Pussycat
(Adam Woodyatt)
Sir Chromalot
(Shane Lynch)
Wild Thing
(Shauna Lowry)
Killertron eubank
Pussycat celeb arena
Sir Chromalot Celeb
Wild Thing Celeb

Round 1

  • Diotoir vs Wild Thing: Diotoir won
  • Gemini vs Killertron: Gemini won
  • Disc-O-Inferno vs Sir Chromalot: Sir Chromalot won
  • Iron-Awe vs Pussycat: Pussycat won

Semi-Finals

  • Pussycat vs Sir Chromalot: Pussycat won
  • Diotoir vs Gemini: Diotoir won

Final

  • Diotoir vs Pussycat: Pussycat won

Tag Team Terror[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Tag Team Terror

In this special, robots were paired up into teams to fight each other. Only one robot from each team was allowed in the arena at a time and the teams could switch robots by 'tagging' them.

Tag Team Terror
Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4 Firestorm 2 & Scorpion
Bigger Brother S4Plunderbird4 Firestorm2 cropScorpion S4
101 & King B3 Inverterbrat & X-Terminator 2
101 King B3 Inverterbrat X-Terminator 2

Eliminators

  • Firestorm 2 & Scorpion vs Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4: Firestorm 2 & Scorpion won
  • Inverterbrat & X-Terminator 2 vs 101 & King B3: 101 & King B3 won

Play Offs

  • Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4 vs Inverterbrat & X-Terminator 2: Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4 won

Final

  • Firestorm 2 & Scorpion vs 101 & King B3: 101 & King B3 won

Northern Annihilator[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Northern Annihilator

In this special, six robots from the north of the UK entered the arena, with one robot being eliminated in each round until only one was left standing.

Northern Annihilator
Chaos 2 Dominator 2 Killerhurtz
Chaos 2 S4
Dominator II S4
Killerhurtz
Spikasaurus Stinger Suicidal Tendencies
Spikasaurus
Stinger S4
Suicidal Tendencies 2
  • Sixth: Chaos 2
  • Fifth: Stinger
  • Fourth: Suicidal Tendencies
  • Third: Killerhurtz
  • Runner-up: Dominator 2
  • Winner: Spikasaurus

Southern Annihilator[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Southern Annihilator

In this special, six robots from the south of the UK entered the arena, with one robot being eliminated in each round until only one was left standing.

Southern Annihilator
Attila the Drum Behemoth Onslaught
Attila the Drum
Behemoth
Onslaught S4
Razer Spawn of Scutter Vercingetorix
Razer S4
Spawn of Scutter
Vercingetorix
  • Sixth: Vercingetorix
  • Fifth: Spawn of Scutter
  • Fourth: Behemoth
Note: The Behemoth team was not given enough time to fix damage from Round 2 so the competition moved on to the next round without them.
  • Third: Attila the Drum
  • Runner-up: Onslaught
  • Winner: Razer

War of Independence[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/War of Independence

In this special, robots from the UK competed with robots from the USA to see which country had the better robots.

War of Independence
Detonator (UK) Ming 2 (UK) Mortis (UK) Panic Attack (UK)
Detonator
Ming2WoI
Mortis WoI
Panic Attack II
frenZy (USA) Ghetto-bot (USA) Rammstein (USA) The Mangulator (USA)
Ukfrenzy
Ghettobot
Rammstein arena
The mangulator4.0

Round 1

  • Mortis (UK) vs Ghetto-Bot (USA): Mortis won
  • Panic Attack (UK) vs Rammstein (USA): Panic Attack won
  • Ming 2 (UK) vs The Mangulator (USA): Ming 2 won
  • Detonator (UK) vs frenZy (USA): Frenzy won

Round 2

  • Mortis (UK) vs Panic Attack (UK): Mortis won
  • Ming 2 (UK) vs frenZy (USA): Frenzy won

Final

  • Mortis (UK) vs frenZy (USA): Mortis won

Television ratings[]

Episode Rating BARB ranking
Heat A 4.05 million 3rd
Heat B 3.97 million 2nd
Heat C 3.98 million 4th
Heat D 3.04 million 15th
Heat E 4.68 million 1st
Heat F 3.45 million 13th
Heat G 3.38 million 18th
Heat H 3.36 million 13th
Heat I 3.48 million 11th
Heat J 3.42 million 11th
Heat K 2.71 million 19th
Heat L 3.64 million 12th
Celebrity Special N/A Outside top 30
Tag Team Terror 1.7 million 24th
Northern Annihilator 2.74 million 9th
Southern Annihilator 3.96 million 1st
War of Independence 3.19 million 5th
Heat M 4.1 million 8th
Heat N 4.78 million 2nd
Heat O 4.9 million 1st
Heat P 4.7 million 6th
Semi-Final 1 5.08 million 5th
Semi-Final 2 4.95 million 4th
Grand Final 5.21 million 5th

The series' television ratings record was mixed. The series started promisingly, with Heat A reaching 3rd in top thirty highest weekly rated BBC 2 shows by attracting 4.05 million viewers. Heat B managed to earn second place with 3.97 million viewers, and although heats C and D ranked outside the top ten, Heat E became the first episode of the series to top the ratings with 4.68 million.

However, from Heat F to the Northern Annihilator, the ratings for the series began to decline, with no episode prior to the Northern Annihilator reaching the top ten. Heat K became the lowest rated heat in the main competition of the series, attracting only 2.72 million viewers and placing 19th in the rankings. By being broadcast on BBC 1, the Celebrity Special notably became the only episode in Series 4 to rank outside the top thirty.

Ultimately, once the Northern Annihilator was broadcast, the ratings for the series generally began to recover, ranking 9th with 2.74 million viewers. The remaining episodes all ranked within the top ten highest weekly rated BBC 2 shows, with the Southern Annihilator and Heat O both topping the list, and Heat N finishing second.

Robot Wars: Grand Champions[]

Robot Wars: Grand Champions was the name given to an American version of the Fourth Wars that was broadcast on the US cable network TNN in 2002. Shown around the same time as the second season of Extreme Warriors, the series run consisted of 23 episodes with all but one of the Christmas specials being shown after the Grand Final. The Celebrity Special was left out entirely, while the Tag Team Terror episode was moved to the end as the series' conclusion. The Grand Champions version of the Fourth Wars was presented by Joanie Laurer with commentary being provided by Stefan Frank.

To adapt the series for an American audience, a number of changes were made:

  • Jonathan Pearce's commentary was completely replaced, with Stefan Frank being brought in to redub the relevant sections. However, Stuart McDonald's arena announcements were left intact.
  • Most of the footage featuring UK presenters - including Craig Charles and Julia Reed - was edited out or replaced, though Reed's arms can briefly be seen in a clip from the dubbed Grand Final episode. The other exception to this was in the dubbed Heat A, which used a Series 3 clip featuring Philippa Forrester for the opening montages.
  • As a result of the above change, all of the pre-match and post-match interviews were absent, with only the competitors' team introductions being carried over into each episode.
    • Also likely due to these changes, Onslaught's withdrawal from Heat P was not mentioned in the Grand Champions version, nor was V-Max's role as its substitute. Instead, V-Max was billed as a competitor from the outset.
  • For other segments - including announcements on battle results and Judges' decisions - Stefan Frank revealed the outcomes.
  • Links featuring Joanie Laurer were added at the beginning, end and in between certain battles of each episode.
  • Measurements were converted from British to American units, as part of new statistics boards for every competitor.
  • In addition, various other elements - including the awards ceremonies and Pinball Warrior/Sumo Basho side competitions - were cut.
  • The safety disclaimer/Robot Wars Club promo at the end of each episode was replaced with a different one, simply stating that "Building robots is dangerous and should not be attempted without great care". This version of the disclaimer without Club promotions also appeared at the end of each episode of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors, and in slightly altered form throughout Nickelodeon Robot Wars.

As a result of these edits episodes were cut down from 45 minutes to around 22 minutes long to fit into a half-hour time slot, including commercials.

More information on the episode order and airdates can be found in the episode guide.

References[]

External Links[]

Navigation[]