- "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 2024.
Format[]
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 |
17. King B3 |
Heats[]
Heat A[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat A
Robots competing in Heat A: Chaos 2, Atomic, Indefatigable, Medusa 2000, King B3, Attila the Drum
Eliminators
- Indefatigable vs Atomic vs Chaos 2: Indefatigable eliminated
- Attila The Drum vs King B3 vs Medusa 2000: Attila The Drum eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Medusa 2000 vs Chaos 2: 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
Robots competing in Heat B: Razer, Robochicken, Velocirippa, Milly-Ann Bug, Pussycat, Reptirron
Eliminators
- Razer vs Velocirippa vs Robochicken: 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
Robots competing in Heat C: Firestorm 2, The Morgue, Scar, Bolt from the Blue, Diotoir, Ming 2
Eliminators
- Scar vs The Morgue vs Firestorm 2: The Morgue eliminated
- Bolt From The Blue vs Diotoir 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
Robots competing in Heat D: Steg 2, Crusader 2, Cronos, Iron-Awe, Mortis, Mazakari
Eliminators
- Cronos vs Crusader 2 vs Steg 2: Cronos eliminated
- Mortis vs Mazakari vs Iron-Awe: 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
Robots competing in Heat E: 101, Dominator 2, Henry 2, Major Tom, Shadow of Napalm, Disc-O-Inferno
Eliminators
- Henry 2 vs Dominator 2 vs 101: Henry 2 eliminated
- Disc-O-Inferno vs Shadow of Napalm vs Major Tom: Disc-O-Inferno eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Major Tom vs 101: 101 won
- Shadow of Napalm vs Dominator 2: Dominator 2 won
Final
- Dominator 2 vs 101: Dominator 2 won
Heat F[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat F
Robots competing in Heat F: Gemini, Tornado, Kater Killer, Berserk 2, Inverterbrat, The Creature
Eliminators
- Tornado vs Kater Killer vs Gemini: Kater Killer eliminated
- Inverterbrat vs The Creature vs Berserk 2: Inverterbrat eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Gemini vs The Creature: Gemini won
- Tornado vs Berserk 2: Tornado won
Final
- Gemini vs Tornado: Tornado won
Heat G[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat G
Robots competing in Heat G: Gravedigger, Thermidor 2, Kronic the Wedgehog, Dreadnaut XP1, Warhog, Darke Destroyer 2
Eliminators
- Kronic the Wedgehog vs Gravedigger vs Thermidor 2: Gravedigger eliminated
- Warhog vs Dreadnaut XP1 vs Darke Destroyer 2: 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
Robots competing in Heat H: Wheely Big Cheese, Prizephita Mk2, Wheelosaurus, Killertron, Suicidal Tendencies 2, Maverick
Eliminators
- Wheelosaurus vs Wheely Big Cheese vs Prizephita Mk2: Prizephita Mk2 eliminated
- Maverick vs Suicidal Tendencies 2 vs Killertron: Maverick eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Wheely Big Cheese vs Killertron: Wheely Big Cheese won
- Suicidal Tendencies 2 vs Wheelosaurus: Suicidal Tendencies 2 won
Final
- Wheely Big Cheese vs Suicidal Tendencies 2: Wheely Big Cheese won
Heat I[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat I
Robots competing in Heat I: Killerhurtz, Destruct-A-Bubble, Splinter, Eric, Centurion, Small Torque
Eliminators
- Eric vs Killerhurtz vs Destruct-A-Bubble: Destruct-A-Bubble eliminated
- Splinter vs Small Torque vs Centurion: Centurion eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Killerhurtz vs Splinter: Splinter won
- Small Torque vs Eric: Eric won
Final
- Splinter vs Eric: Splinter won
Heat J[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat J
Robots competing in Heat J: Bigger Brother, Clawed Hopper, Bulldog Breed 2, Hammer & Tong, Stinger, Spikasaurus
Eliminators
- Clawed Hopper vs Hammer & Tong vs Bigger Brother: Clawed Hopper eliminated
- Bulldog Breed 2 vs Spikasaurus vs Stinger: Spikasaurus eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Bigger Brother vs Bulldog Breed 2: Bulldog Breed 2 won
- Stinger vs Hammer & Tong: Stinger won
Final
- Bulldog Breed 2 vs Stinger: Stinger won
Heat K[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat K
Robots competing in Heat K: Evil Weevil, Tiberius, MouseTrap, Little Fly, Weld-Dor 2, Sump Thing
Eliminators
- Evil Weevil vs MouseTrap vs Tiberius: Evil Weevil eliminated
- SumpThing vs Little Fly vs Weld-Dor 2: Weld-Dor 2 eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Tiberius vs Little Fly: Little Fly won
- SumpThing vs MouseTrap: MouseTrap won
Final
- Little Fly vs MouseTrap: MouseTrap won
Heat L[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat L
Robots competing in Heat L: Spawn of Scutter, Banshee, Knightmare, Vercingetorix, Plunderbird 4, Fat Boy Tin
Eliminators
- Knightmare vs Banshee vs Spawn of Scutter: Banshee eliminated
- Vercingetorix vs Fat Boy Tin vs Plunderbird 4: 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
Robots competing in Heat M: Wild Thing, Humphrey, The Steel Avenger, Reactor, Sir Chromalot, Scorpion
Eliminators
- The Steel Avenger vs Wild Thing vs Humphrey: Humphrey eliminated
- Scorpion vs Reactor vs Sir Chromalot: Scorpion eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Wild Thing vs Reactor: Wild Thing won
- The Steel Avenger vs Sir Chromalot: 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
Robots competing in Heat N: Behemoth, Arnold, Arnold Terminegger, Rambot, Judge Shred 2, Millennium Bug, X-Terminator 2
Eliminators
- Arnold, Arnold Terminegger vs Rambot vs Behemoth: Rambot eliminated
- Millennium Bug vs X-Terminator 2 vs Judge Shred 2: Millennium Bug eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Behemoth vs Judge Shred 2: Behemoth won
- X-Terminator 2 vs Arnold, Arnold Terminegger: X-Terminator 2 won
Final
- X-Terminator 2 vs Behemoth: X-Terminator 2 won
Heat O[]
- Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat O
Robots competing in Heat O: Panic Attack, S.M.I.D.S.Y., Overkill GTI, Saw Point, Aggrobot 2, Oblivion 2
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
Robots competing in Heat P: Hypno-Disc, The Predator, Raizer Blade, V-Max, Cerberus, Terror-Bull
- Note: V-Max was a reserve robot, who was instated after Onslaught was forced to withdraw due to technical difficulties.
Eliminators
- Raizer Blade vs Hypno-Disc vs The Predator: The Predator eliminated
- Terror-Bull vs Cerberus vs V-Max: Cerberus eliminated
Semi-Finals
- Hypno-Disc vs V-Max: Hypno-Disc won
- Terror-Bull vs Raizer Blade: 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
Round 1
- Chaos 2 vs Steg 2: Chaos 2 won
- Wheely Big Cheese vs Tornado: Tornado won
- Thermidor 2 vs Pussycat: Pussycat won
- Firestorm 2 vs Dominator 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
Round 1
- Stinger vs MouseTrap: Stinger won
- Spawn of Scutter vs Panic Attack: 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
Eliminators
- Hypno-Disc vs Pussycat: Pussycat won
- Stinger vs Chaos 2: Chaos 2 won
Playoff
- Hypno-Disc vs Stinger: Stinger won by default
Final
Awards[]
- Main article: Robot Wars Awards
These are the winners of the various awards given out at the end of the series:
- Best Design: Gemini
- Best Engineered: The Steel Avenger
- Most Original Entry: Gemini
- Sportsmanship Award: Diotoir
- Best Newcomer: Tornado
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.
Robots and celebrities competing: Pussycat (Adam Woodyatt), Iron-Awe (Natalie Cassidy), Sir Chromalot (Shane Lynch), Killertron (Chris Eubank), Gemini (Anthea & Wendy Turner), Diotoir (Vic Reeves), Disc-O-Inferno (5ive), Wild Thing (Shauna Lowry).
Round 1
- Diotoir vs Wild Thing: Diotoir won
- Killertron vs Gemini: Gemini won
- Disc-O-Inferno vs Sir Chromalot: Sir Chromalot won
- Pussycat vs Iron-Awe: Pussycat won
Semi-Finals
- Sir Chromalot vs Pussycat : Pussycat won
- Gemini vs Diotoir: 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.
Robot teams competing: Firestorm 2 & Scorpion, Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4, Invertabrat & X-Terminator 2, King B3 & 101.
Round 1
- Firestorm 2 & Scorpion vs Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4: Firestorm 2 & Scorpion won
- Invertabrat & X-Terminator 2 vs King B3 & 101: King B3 & 101 won
Playoff
- Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4 vs Invertabrat & X-Terminator 2: Bigger Brother & Plunderbird 4 won
Final
- Firestorm 2 & Scorpion vs King B3 & 101: King B3 & 101 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.
Robots competing: Spikasaurus, Killerhurtz, Dominator 2, Stinger, Chaos 2, Suicidal Tendencies.
- 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.
Robots competing: Vercingetorix, Attila the Drum, Onslaught, Razer, Spawn of Scutter, Behemoth.
- 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.
Robots competing:
- UK: Mortis, Panic Attack, Ming 2, Detonator.
- USA: Ghetto-Bot, Rammstein, The Mangulator, Frenzy.
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[]
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