- "She may be eighty two, but my gran still takes part in the pensioner’s Olympics. OK, instead of the discus, they have the slip discus. And the double jump’s now the triple vodka, and the 100m dash to the toilet isn’t slow to follow. But, at least, they’re having a go. Although, apparently, she’s now got into hip-hop. Or perhaps she’s just gone in for a hip op’. Luckily, she ain’t here at Robot Wars, otherwise our six competitors might be in for a hand-bagging they’ll never forget."
- — Craig Charles' introduction
Heat B of Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars (also referred to in recaps as Heat 2) was the second of sixteen heats which determined the semi-finalists of Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars. The episode featuring Heat B was originally broadcast on 29 September 2000 on BBC Two. The broadcast managed to attract 3.97 million viewers, a decrease of 80,000 viewers when compared with the previous episode. According to BARB, this meant it ranked second in the top thirty highest rated BBC 2 broadcasts during 25 September-1 October, behind only The Weakest Link.
Competing Robots[]
Newcomers[]
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|---|---|---|
| Velocirippa | ||
| Weight | 78.9kg | |
| Dimensions | 0.50 x 1.00 x 0.50m | |
| Clearance | 0.05m | |
| Power | Electric car starter motor | |
| Weapons | Battering ram and bumpers | |
| Notes | Steel armour plated | |
| From: Nottingham | ||
| Team Members: Trevor Wright, Matthew Wright & Anthony Hillier | ||
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|---|---|---|
| Robochicken | ||
| Weight | 75.0kg | |
| Dimensions | 0.89 x 0.11 x 0.88m | |
| Clearance | 0.01m | |
| Power | Battery powered | |
| Weapons | Pneumatic flipper | |
| Notes | Ball cocks for eyes | |
| From: Tiverton, Devon | ||
| Team Members: Jason Snow, Alec Dick & Farren White | ||
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|---|---|---|
| Reptirron | ||
| Weight | 78.3kg | |
| Dimensions | 0.60 x 0.81 x 0.71m | |
| Clearance | 0.02m | |
| Power | 2 x Electric motors | |
| Weapons | Circular saw | |
| Notes | Top speed 15mph | |
| From: Drybrook, Gloucestershire | ||
| Team Members: Gordon Townley & Stuart Townley | ||
Veterans[]
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Razer (seeded 3rd) | ||
| Weight | 80.0kg | |
| Dimensions | 0.80 x 1.20 x 0.80m | |
| Clearance | 0.10m | |
| Power | Electric powered motors | |
| Weapons | 9 tonne hydraulic piercer | |
| Notes | 450 weight reducing holes | |
| From: Bournemouth | ||
| Team Members: Ian Lewis, Simon Scott & Vincent Blood | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pussycat (seeded 19th) | ||
| Weight | 79.7kg | |
| Dimensions | 0.56 x 0.76 x 0.43m | |
| Clearance | 0.04m | |
| Power | Electric powered motors | |
| Weapons | Blade | |
| Notes | Hand painted by Alan | |
| From: Gloucester | ||
| Team Members: David Gribble, Robert Bettington & Alan Gribble | ||
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|---|---|---|
| Milly-Ann Bug | ||
| Weight | 79.3kg | |
| Dimensions | 0.60 x 1.20 x 0.75m | |
| Clearance | 0.06m | |
| Power | 4 x 750W electric motors | |
| Weapons | Spikes and kevlar hair | |
| Notes | Domes are bullet proof | |
| From: Leeds | ||
| Team Members: Geoff Warren, Gerry Warren & Liz Warren | ||
Eliminators[]
Razer (3) vs Velocirippa vs Robochicken[]
Razer grips Velocirippa while Robochicken flips both
Razer pierces straight through Robochicken
Robochicken moved straight on to attack Razer, but its flipper did not have enough power to tip over the World Champion, who caught it in its claw. Velocirippa drove past and blocked Robochicken's escape, allowing Razer to easily pierce Robochicken's broad side.
- "Will this be Razer's championship at last? Immediately coming on the attack... and don't count your chickens before they're, um... shredded? Demolished?"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Razer holds Robochicken aloft
Razer tips off balance
Velocirippa drove around and rammed into Razer, shaking Robochicken free of the claw. Razer attempted to regain its purchase on Robochicken, but to no avail; its claw merely scraped down the smooth surface. Velocirippa made a few more daring attacks on Razer, managing to dart free after one charge, but its second reckless attack allowed Razer to capture it under its claw. Robochicken made an attempt to flip Velocirippa, but with Razer's beak piercing Velocirippa's snout, the combined weight of both robots was too much for the flipper. The attack did however allow Velocirippa to escape Razer, who then resumed its attack on Robochicken. Again unable to pierce, Razer simply pushed Robochicken across the arena floor until it gained enough leverage to launch an attack. Velocirippa rammed Razer from behind, but this did not help Robochicken escape. Razer lifted Robochicken into the air, carrying it towards the flame pits, but Velocirippa rammed into the airborne Robochicken and knocked it from Razer's claw.
Robochicken is caught in the grip by Dead Metal
Razer pierces Velocirippa
- "Oh, I always fancy a bit of barbeque chicken - oh, its not on the menu yet! Got away, I think."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Velocirippa knocks Robochicken free
Razer resumed its attack on Robochicken, the chicken's pecking weapon failing to damage Razer, whilst Razer merely cut deep into Robochicken's body. Its beak cut in so deep that Razer almost overbalanced, but retracting the weapon allowed Razer to recover.
- "Ooh, and the eyes, can they see glory ahead? No, only despair! But very nearly, Razer, overbalancing there! They were slightly overconfident in the last wars."
- — Jonathan Pearce.
Robochicken briefly escaped, but ran into Dead Metal. Whilst Dead Metal attacked, Velocirippa darted in to attack Razer, who quickly turned its attention onto it.
- "A dead end in the way of Robochicken. Velocirippa, here, has got away, almost scot-free! Danced around the arena, kept out of trouble, until now."
- — Jonathan Pearce as the House Robots attack Robochicken and Razer catches Velocirippa.
Velocirippa loses all control and rams the side wall
Killalot moves Velocirippa towards its doom
Razer pierced Velocirippa's side and held it over the flame pit. Once released, Velocirippa ran into the side wall, apparently unable to move in any other direction. Robochicken was still showing signs of movement, and attempted to flip Velocirippa, but was chased away by Razer.
- "Velocirippa's I think been immobilised, Robochicken's still bravely clucking on."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Sir Killalot and Sergeant Bash closed in on Velocirippa whilst Robochicken was still harassed by Dead Metal. Killalot caught Velocirippa's front ramming weapon in its claw, and tipped it on its side. From there, Sir Killalot carried Velocirippa into the open pit, leaving Razer and - against all odds - Robochicken to go through.
- ""Thrash 'em, Killalot." Into the pit! And it's Velocirippa that goes! Razer, of course, survives and so does Robochicken!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Qualified: Razer and Robochicken
Pussycat (19) vs Milly-Ann Bug vs Reptirron[]
Pussycat slashes Reptirron
Pussycat tears off Milly-Ann Bug's wheel cover
Both Milly-Ann Bug and Pussycat darted off on the activate, but the slow-starting Reptirron was unable to move out of range of Pussycat before the seeded robot began slashing at it. It struck the front, then ran up the top of it and brought the blade scraping across. Still unable to move away quickly, Reptirron was vulnerable to an attack on its exposed weapon area. Pussycat attacked the area and sent scraps of metal flying across the arena. Pussycat's attacks had ripped a hole in Reptirron's armour and severed the fuel lines to the circular saw; fluid was rapidly leaking from Reptirron, who seemed immobile. Pussycat scarred Reptirron's side and shoved it within range of Sergeant Bash, who quickly engulfed the leaking fluid with a blast of his flamethrower.
Milly-Ann Bug interferes with Refbot's extinguishing attempts
Milly-Ann Bug's temporary problem
- "I think they've severed the fuel lines - they have! Look at that fuel, spewing out all over the arena floor. There are torches in there - you can see the flames in the background. I think we're going to have fire later on....Its all over for Reptirron and there are the flames!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Pussycat now moved to attack Milly-Ann Bug, landing a blow on Milly's rear right wheel, hobbling the machine. Milly-Ann Bug limped away, whilst Refbot moved in to extinguish Reptirron best it could. Milly-Ann Bug foiled this by pushing it away from Refbot's weak flowing extinguisher and back towards Bash.
- "Milly-Ann Bug, trying to get a little piece of the action, which is ill-advised, really. If I was Geoff Warren, I'd get that team out of there - out of danger!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Reptirron is caught by Sgt. Bash
Reptirron continues to burn after its defeat
Refbot finally pinned Reptirron between Bash and itself and continued to battle the flames. Meanwhile, Milly-Ann Bug fled from Pussycat, dodging attacks from it and the nearby Shunt. Whilst trying to escape, its rear dome rolled onto its busted wheel, temporarily leaving it in a precarious position. Shunt pushed it free whilst Bash pushed the still flaming Reptirron into a side angle grinder. Slicing his pincers deep into Reptirron, Bash placed it on the floor flipper, where it was thrown. As cease was called, Refbot resumed its attempts to extinguish the flames.
- "Well Reptirron burned and unceremoniously flipped! Pussycat and Milly-Ann Bug go through!"
- — Craig Charles
Qualified: Pussycat and Milly-Ann Bug
Semi-Finals[]
Razer (3) vs Milly-Ann Bug[]
Razer drags Milly across the flames
Razer pierces Milly-Ann Bug
Milly-Ann Bug swerved broadside as the battle begun, but Razer quickly seized its rear dome beneath its claw. However, the dome shape fit beneath the claw and Razer's beak could not pierce the shell. Moving in reverse and with the bottom of the dome on Razer's wedge, Razer was able to reposition itself so that the tip of the beak could slice into Milly-Ann Bug. Razer lifted the rear dome into the air, dragging the top dome with it, and reversed over the flames, setting Milly-Ann Bug's hair alight.
- "Oh! And what do you require, sir? A number one cut? A number two cut? Or just burnt straight off? Oh, I think I'll have the burnt, thank-you."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Razer tears off the wheels of Milly Ann Bug
The ruins of Milly-Ann Bug
Razer dropped its enemy onto the flame pit, before herding it towards a corner. Razer sank its beak in between the two domes in an attempt to break its opponent in half. The coupling proved to be too tough, and Razer repositioned and pierced the front dome of Milly-Ann Bug. Razer attempted once more to break Milly in half, succeeding in breaking off its previously crippled wheel, but failing to break it in two. With one wheel gone, the rear dome became dead weight and the front attempted to drag it, but to no avail; Razer captured Milly and sliced off its front right wheel, followed by the front left wheel.
- "Has the bug been...bisected? Dissected? They obviously believe the weakness...lies there, in the wheels. What a horrible torture this is. It's like watching some maniacal, horrible schoolboy pull the legs off a spider. Revolting."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Razer attacks Milly-Ann Bug's wheels.
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Shunt rips Milly's hair off
Milly-Ann Bug as a result of the damage caused.
Once the final wheel had been cut free, Razer pulled back and did its famous salute. Shunt and Razer bumped Milly-Ann Bug around, with Shunt's axe slamming down and ripping its hair free. Razer harassed Matilda, whilst Dead Metal clasped Milly-Ann Bug and pushed it around as cease was called.
- "Down comes the pickaxe of Shunt, off comes the kevlar hair, looks like...spaghetti that's been left in the pan too long. Matilda joining with the fun. What's Razer doing to Matilda? I really dread to think. There's Dead Metal... [cease is called] ...they're all having a little bit of Milly-Ann Bug, the ugly bug."
- — Jonathan Pearce
- Craig Charles: "Terrible damage done as well."
- Geoff Warren: "Yeah but its been entertaining damage."
- Craig Charles: "Do you think you can rebuild that robot so you can come back and start again?"
- Geoff Warren: "No, no, this is the excuse I've been looking for to build a new robot."
- — After the battle
Winner: Razer
Pussycat (19) vs Robochicken[]
- "Similarities between the two - you may not think many, but there are you know; when my mum cooks chicken, it tends to taste like cat..."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Robochicken lands its first flip on Pussycat
Pussycat opens up a hole in the side of Robochicken
The two robots spun to collide, and Robochicken caught Pussycat beneath its open flipper. Robochicken attempted to manoeuvre Pussycat, but the seeded machine slipped away and collided once more. Robochicken managed to flip Pussycat onto its side, but Pussycat's design allowed it to immediately recover. Pussycat's blade slashed the silver sides of Robochicken, before being flipped once more in return. The two robots met head on, and Pussycat's blade slashes into the armour. Robochicken's pecking weapon came down, and Pussycat's blade cut off one of the chicken's eyes.
- "Ohhh! Aye aye, what's happened? Ohhhh! Well, pirates might have been given the old crack of the lash, but the lashes have gone here - it's the eyelashes of the chicken that have gone here - and the eye!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Pussycat slams Robochicken into the arena wall
Robochicken is slashed to pieces
By now, Pussycat's blade had cut through the thin side armour of Robochicken, exposing the wheels, and had also buckled the flipper. Robochicken continued to land small flips on Pussycat, but with no force behind it, the attacks did nothing to hinder Pussycat's attack. Swiftly, Pussycat ran up the back of Robochicken and gouged out another chunk of armour, before reversing out of range of the flipper. Robochicken flipped Pussycat upright, but David Gribble dropped the machine back onto its castor, before it spun and gouged more armour off. Subsequent attacks cut into the neck of the pecking weapon, and then completely buckled the flipper onto itself. After being flipped, Pussycat stuck its tip into the now gaping hole near Robochicken's wheel, and slammed it into the side wall. Robochicken was unable to drive away from the wall, and it continued to suffer from Pussycat's blade until Sir Killalot caught it.
- "The beak just nods, almost forlornly."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Robochicken suffers brutal damage
Pussycat tears apart Robochicken
Robochicken, tattered and torn
Killalot's lance prodded the limp remaining eyeball off Robochicken, before he stuck it into one of the many holes in Robochicken's armour. Pussycat continued to ravage the flipper area, before Robochicken was placed on the floor flipper. It moved in a feeble circle before it was tossed over. Shunt and Pussycat attacked Robochicken until the cease was called.
- "Well, the cat gets the cream, but Robochicken has to cluck off!"
- — Craig Charles
Winner: Pussycat
Final[]
Razer (3) vs Pussycat (19)[]
The Battle[]
- "We've sharpened the two teeth properly, with the angle grinders...it should do its job properly."
- — David Gribble to Julia Reed
Razer attempts to grab Pussycat
Razer runs into the side wall
The two robots shot forward, bouncing off each other upon collision. Pussycat was too fast and unusually shaped for Razer to gain easy purchase with its claw, but Pussycat managed to land a few minor blows with its blade on the rear and side of Razer. Pussycat became briefly wedged beneath the claw, and Razer shot towards the side wall. Once it slammed Pussycat against the wall, it spun in a circle and ran back into the wall. Pussycat pulled away but flipped onto its side. Whilst it floundered around, trying to land on its wheels, it became apparent that Razer was not able to move away from the wall.
- "What's happened here? Razer, I think, is stuck on the Arena wall! Oh no, not again! This time it's not the arm which caused the problems in the last series."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Pussycat attacks Razer. Note the spike that has obstructed Razer's escape
Pussycat damages the rear of Razer
Razer was stuck in forward gear, and it attempted to shimmy its front to one side so that it could drive sideways and steer away. However, it had driven right next to a spike, and this obstructed its escape. Pussycat, having righted itself, landed a blow on Razer's back, carving a gouge in Razer's rear armour. This nudged Razer into a position where it would have been able to drive free, but the arena spike negated its ability to move.
- "Who's having kittens now? It's not the cat, it's the Razer boys!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Pussycat decimates the rear wheel as Shunt comes in
Pussycat destroys Razer's wheel
Pussycat dug its blade into the rear of Razer, pushing it free of the spike, but causing significant damage to the back. Razer ran into another side spike, whilst Pussycat sliced into it repeatedly, bending the tail of Razer's claw, at which point Ian Lewis abandoned his pride and joy. Pussycat carved into Razer again, buckling the rear armour, and Shunt came charging in, ramming Razer free from the wall. However, by now Razer was completely immobile, with the wheels destroyed by Pussycat's blade. Dead Metal fetched Razer's limp form and pushed it into the pit.
Razer pitted by Dead Metal
- "Well. One of the biggest shocks of the wars so far! Razer are out. The Pussycat's still got his nine lives and he's through to the series semi-final!"
- — Craig Charles
Heat Winner: Pussycat
Ian Lewis' reaction[]
- "Well, Ian's sort of thrown his tools out of the pram."
- — Craig Charles, upon noting Lewis' absence from the debrief
Upon seeing that Razer's tail had been bent, Ian Lewis put down his controller and turned his back on the fight. Upon the fight's conclusion, he did not attend the debrief and went straight down into the pits to check upon his machine. Simon and Vincent were left to debrief with Charles and the Cold Fusion Team.
- "Some of us are gentlemen, and some of us hold back. Now, if you're out of control, you don't just go for it, do you?"
- — Ian Lewis
Later, Ian Lewis would launch a scathing attack on the Pussycat team, implying they were unsportsmanlike, and deliberately caused excessive damage after Razer had been immobilised. He stated that they had a Gentleman's Agreement that Pussycat had ignored, but his team had honoured during the battle with Milly-Ann Bug, as he claimed a majority of the damage was superficial and he had avoided damaging the domes and the expensive electronics within.
- "Well, you can ask for robot presents off Santa Claus, but you'd better ask for mercy, on Robot Wars!"
- — Craig Charles' signoff
Trials[]
Hypno-Disc nudges the 50 point target
Diotoir lasts the least amount of time in the sumo
Onslaught climbs up on Shunt
During the Fourth Wars, alongside the main competition, a Pinball Warrior Tournament and Sumo Basho Competition were also held. Unlike the similar competitions of the Third Wars, these trials featured successful qualifiers for Series 4. In between the first and second rounds of each heat, a Pinball run took place, and two sumo attempts took place in between Round 2 and the Heat Final in each of the first eight heats. For Heat B, the Pinball featured Hypno-Disc and the Sumo featured Diotoir and Onslaught.
Pinball Warrior Tournament - Hypno-Disc[]
Score: 135 points
Sumo Basho[]
- Diotoir - 3.95 seconds
- Onslaught - 17.31 seconds
Trivia[]
- Heat B marked the third consecutive occasion in which Razer was eliminated at this stage of the main UK Series. Pussycat's Heat Final victory signified two events:
- The formation of a grudge between Pussycat and Razer, along with Ian Lewis coining the term "Gentleman's Agreement" onscreen.
- The first of only four occasions where a lower seed won the Heat; the others being Heats J and N of Series 4, and Heat G of Series 5.
- Along with Heat N, Heat B was one of the few to feature the two seeds meeting in the Heat Final, with the lower seed prevailing.
- Along with Heat I, Heat B was one of two Heats from this series in which the lower seed reached a higher round in the previous series, with Pussycat reaching the Heat Final and Razer falling in the second round.
- Three of the teams from Series 2, Heat D featured in this Heat - Cold Fusion Team, Milly-Ann Bug, and Team Razer.
- The Eliminator featuring Razer, Velocirippa and Robochicken was chosen as the "Cut Your Own Battle" feature for the Ultimate Warrior Collection Razer DVD, using raw footage including alternate camera angles and lacking commentary or music.
- Just before the Heat Final took place, Julia Reed erroneously addressed Pussycat's driver, David Gribble, as "Robert".
- Reptirron was the only competitor in this Heat which was not an animal-based robot, and also the only robot not to be featured in the Robot Wars File.
- Both seeds in this Heat (Razer and Pussycat) would later appear together in the Sumo Basho Trials of Heat F.
- Every team in this Heat would go on to either win a tournament, win an award or reach a UK Championship Grand Final.
[]
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