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Series 3 Incident Press

A newspaper report on a behind-the-scenes incident that took place during filming for The Third Wars

"Well the filming of RW3 was a bit of a balls up, every one was herded around like cattle, ill informed, were made to feel unimportant in every way. Then the accident occured [sic] and things got worst [sic], people where messed about, set [sic] home, called back again, told to hang around, told not to, promised hotels yet might not have got them or they where [sic] over 1 1/2 hours away. Still not told anything, events where [sic] dropped, etc.

So my point was I wonder how the shows will pan out with the limited footage they got and if the hurriedness of it all would come over on screen. Thats why some of us, those that where there anyway, have a few biting remarks about the show, yes even after just one show! Unlike those that where not there we have a unique view of the shooting.
"
Peter Duncanson[1]

Robot Wars: The Third Wars proved to be one of the most successful in the show's history, drawing high television ratings for BBC Two and being revered by many fans. However, behind-the-scenes, a large number of roboteers were left unhappy over how filming commenced. Among criticisms were the insufficient organisation and health and safety standards enforced by Mentorn, with the most notable incident involving a machine injuring a production member. The resulting controversies resulted in numerous consequences for Series 3 and for Robot Wars as a whole, ranging from making removable links mandatory, to Rex Garrod retiring from the show in protest over lax safety standards.

Background[]

Tectonic Robot Wars: "Are there any RW rules that you oppose?"
Rex Garrod: "Yes hundreds, far to many to mention, and most of them stupid, and written by some twerp who sits behind a desk, has never got his / her hands dirty, and never made anything, let alone a sophisticated machine like a robot. And furthermore, so intoxicated with self importance and will not seek help from professionals or listen to experts, who could help them. For example after I got a rollicking from a so called health and safety man (for drilling a hole in a piece of plastic, half a mm thick with half mm drill bit, without goggles and leather gloves), I told him that serious accidents would occur because of their lack of proper real safety precautions like checking the all important failsafe devices that MUST be fitted on ALL robotic machines AND PROPERLY TESTED BY AN EXPERT WHO UNDERSTANDS THE DEVICES AND THEIR FAILINGS. He merely walked away. That advice fell on deaf ears, only for a serious accident (hospital case) to occur almost immediately."
— Rex Garrod criticising the safety standards during his interview.[2]
Dead metal01

Dead Metal's blade once almost killed Jeremy Clarkson when it detached and was propelled to where he was situated

Haardvark S2 Crop

Haardvark allegedly fell off a stage during Series 2, injuring a stagehand

Wheelosaurus Sergeant Bash

Wheelosaurus knocking off Sergeant Bash's flamethrower caused an evacuation of the studio

Disruptor

Disruptor notably lacked any means of switching it off, a precursor to the Series 3 incidents

Even before The Third Wars, there were a few notable incidents occurring during filming of the earlier UK series. In The First Wars, host Jeremy Clarkson was almost killed when Dead Metal's saw detached from the House Robot, flying at more than 200mph and becoming embedded on a concrete wall behind where Clarkson was standing.[3] During early filming for the same series, Barry was accidentally activated by and injured a crew member trying to resolve its radio interference issues.[4] Meanwhile, during Series 2, Haardvark and Whirling Dervish were both involved in separate incidents where they suddenly reversed off a ledge during previews; the former injuring a safety advisor.[5][6]

"When I saw Haardvark they were busy working on it. Apparently during the preview roll out their robot reversed off a ledge and managed to injure one of the safety advisers, the only major accident of RW."
Oliver Steeples discusses the Haardvark incident on his website[5]

Another incident during Series 2 occurred in Heat B, when Wheelosaurus knocked off Sergeant Bash's flamethrower during its Gauntlet run, causing an evacuation of the building due to the butane canister being punctured and leaking gas.[7]

The incidents, as well as other safety concerns, were repeatedly raised by various roboteers. Among them was Rex Garrod of Team Cassius, who during an interview with Tectonic Robot Wars, claimed that the poor safety standards were the result of rules being established by individuals lacking the required knowledge and experience, nor a desire to learn from professionals like Garrod on how to guarantee safety. His criticisms were twofold; firstly, he felt some rules were pointless and would not guarantee safety for the crew. Secondly, he claimed there were clear gaps in safety standards elsewhere, including not making failsafes and safety switches mandatory.[2] This made certain robots, like Disruptor in Series 2, hazardous as they were constantly switched on as there was no means to quickly and safely turn them off.[5] Despite Garrod's criticisms, including towards a health and safety officer who reprimanded him for not wearing protective gear when drilling a hole in a piece of plastic,[2] changes would not be forthcoming to meet Garrod's standards. This would be to the detriment of Series 3.

"The most disturbing fact about Disruptor is that it had no safety circuits and no main on/off switch which meant Disruptor was always live and if you touched the microswitches, well I think you get the idea."
— Oliver Steeples discusses Disruptor and its safety risk on his website[5]

Spike incidents[]

"Rex Garrod, 56, claimed the same robot injured a technician in the arm in a similar accident months earlier."
— Daily Mirror article concerning an incident that occurred during qualifying[8]

During the auditions that helped determine which robots would be selected to compete in The Third Wars, an accident occurred when a robot weighing 77kg careered off a stage and stabbed a technician with its spikes. This resulted in the technician receiving an arm injury that required hospital treatment.[8][9] Despite the incident being heavily criticised by roboteers like Garrod,[2] the machine would still be selected to compete on the show.

"It was a rotary key switch as was required by the rules at the time. A cheap one that came off the "barrel" off the key so when the key was turned to turn it off the barrel moved but not the contactor. Leaving the robot switched on. Moving to removable links was a safer alternative."
— Craig Danby discussing how the rotary key switch became damaged[10]

On 20 October 1999,[11] the robot was removed off its trolley and carried into the arena. This was known to have occurred after Milly-Ann Bug's loss to Bumblebot.[12] According to Craig Danby, under normal circumstances the robot would be immobile so that members of the production team can come into the arena before and after the battle occurs. Unlike Disruptor, the robot had a cheaply-made rotary key switch on a "barrel", which would have safely switched off the machine by having the key move both the barrel and the contactor, causing the robot to become immobile. However, Danby states that when the team behind the robot used the key switch, the switch became detached from the barrel, meaning that the key would now only move the barrel and not the contactor.[10] This meant the machine was still active when it was transferred to the arena.

"The tech was standing close by, probably in front, the bot jerked forward (probably RC interference, there was lots in that studio environment, we all used 40MHz FM back then and yeah, Milly was glitchin' a bit during our battle) banging into his feet the tech fell on top of the robot and yeah, got spiked. H&S lockdown ensued"
— Geoff Warren describing the incident in a 2020 Facebook comment[12]

This alone would not have caused an accident. However, during filming for The Third Wars, multiple roboteers complained of high radio control interference. Among issues were robots like Milly-Ann Bug suffering frequency issues during its sole battle,[12] and Team TFOSICA mentioning a "radio death line" halfway across the arena.[1] Even the likes of Hypno-Disc were affected during some of their more famous wins, with Hypno-Disc's aerial needing to be shortened after its first few fights.

Tyrant cameo

Tyrant was confiscated by Derek Foxwell, under the claim that a radio transmitter was being used by the audience to give a competitor an unfair advantage. Such radio interference potentially could have caused the accident

There were also concerns that an audience member had smuggled in a jammer to interfere with the frequencies the robots were using, to give certain machines an unfair advantage.[13] This was even mentioned during the broadcast of Heat M, where it was reported a radio transmitter was confiscated from an audience member, with concerns it was being used to unfairly assist a competing robot. This however turned out to be antweight called Tyrant, who was brought into the studios by Julian Corrie.[14] Radio interference coming from audience members has yet to confirmed as of 2023.

"Oh yes...and very controversial it was at the time, here's what I remember. Its October 1999 at Elstree and its a dark miserable night. the afternoon was long. A robot shot off on its own in the arena and spiked one of the tech guys. All hell erupted, filming was stopped and the audience told to go home. The rumor mill went full swing and its believed someone (in the audience?) had a piece of radio kit that bled over the wavelength the robot was working on and made it take off. A ambulance took the tech guy away. I slowly packed our tools and kit and loaded my car up as Milly had gone out to Bumblebot (great guys them...)."
— Martin Dawson discussing the incident and what may have caused it in a 2019 Unofficial Robot Wars post.[13]

Whatever the cause of the radio interference, it was enough for the robot to suddenly start moving while the production crew were unloading the competitors.[15] With no functional switch to stop the machine, it charged towards Robot Wars' assistant director Alex Rofaila, who was situated close by the machine according to Kim Davies. It collided with Rofaila's feet, causing him to fall on top of the machine's spikes, with one impaling his lower leg. The out-of-control machine then dragged Rofaila across the arena before it was finally stopped and removed from the studio.[16]

An alternative and somewhat conflicting report on the incident from Eye of Newt's Richard Pearce claims the incident actually occurred as Rofaila was lifting the robot from the pit, as the production crew had to manually haul pitted robots out with no remote method of activating and resetting the pit at this time. If true, this may have directly resulted in the significant changes to this arena hazard between Series 3 and 4, which introduced a panel which could be automatically lowered and raised.[17] Another account, mentioned in Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, suggests that the robot fell off a trolley before injuring Rofaila, similarly to the incident occurring in the auditions.[15]

Rofaila suffered an ankle injury which required hospital treatment.[9][15] Fortunately, he made a full recovery, though he would no longer work on the show.[18] According to Rofaila himself, he could not walk for 16 weeks following the incident. Rofaila would later put his name to spin-off show Techno Games, credited as "Unit Manager" for the first series of the show.

"We did have an unfortunate incident where a robot actually attacked the Asst Director after a fight had ended, causing him to be hospitalised and filming to be held up for two days (Alex is now ok I'm please to say). But having said that, the safety regulations enforced are second to none and although they cause grief as far as recording goes, we all stick to them."
— Craig Charles discussing the incident on his website[18]

The culprit[]

"Let's face it, it was probably the biggest lesson that the (Robot Wars) Wiki has learned is to always include sources to confirm or deny certain claims. And the More Panda Monium claim added back in 2011 was COMPLETELY unsourced. There was absolutely NO ONE that said More Panda Monium was 100% to blame for the accident. And unfortunately, it wasn't corrected until 2018, which resulted in various top lists and a couple of podcasts mentioning this blatant untruth"
— Robot Wars Wiki user SpaceManiac888 discussing on the Robot Wars Wiki Podcast how the false claims regarding More Panda Monium were spread[19]
More Panda Monium

More Panda Monium was falsely accused of causing the incidents

The identity of the robot behind the accidents has been subject to significant controversy. For many years, it was speculated that the culprit was More Panda Monium, the sequel to Series 2 competitor Panda Monium, built by Team Panda. With the machine being slated to compete in Series 3 before the accident, as well as being armed with a spike of its own, it became widely believed within the robot combat community that More Panda Monium was indeed at fault. It was even blamed for the incident by the Robot Wars Wiki via an unsourced claim.[19]

However, evidence from Tinweb and Team Panda's own website contradicts these claims. As detailed by the newspaper articles, the first accident occurred months before filming, likely during the auditions.[8][9][20] However, during More Panda Monium's audition, nothing out of the ordinary occurred, with the robot having a successful trial with only its run of the figure-of-eight not being a complete success due to an unbalanced speed controller.[21][22] Additionally, Tinweb posts show that team member Pete Collier had little knowledge of the incident, only stating that it "doesn't sound too good" based upon what he heard.[23] Had his machine been involved in the accident, Collier would clearly know more about what transpired.[19]

Most conclusive of all, was a Tinweb post by Collier in the same topic he requested more information about the incident, where it was revealed More Panda Monium was not even present at filming on the day of the accident, since its team was waiting on news regarding side competitions their robot had entered.[23] In late 2018, Collier finally stated during a Facebook Messenger exchange that More Panda Monium was not involved in the accident.[24] With this evidence, claims that the robot caused the accidents were removed by the Robot Wars Wiki in late 2018, a new outlook that finally cleared More Panda Monium of blame.

"MPM wasn't involved in the accident. We were due to take part in tag team battles but they were cancelled as a result of the H&S shutdown following the accident. They lost 3 days filming I think. Crazy really that they allowed filming so close. MPM never got to fight on tv - it was already behind the curve and the pneumatics were substandard despite being custom made for us. The whole series was badly organised with no one clear who was doing what until the last minute."
— Pete Collier in a 2018 Facebook Messenger exchange[24]

The full identity of the actual robot involved has yet to be fully verified, however, some information has been revealed over the years. According to a user called Ellis in the Out of the Arena Discord, who was friends with Rofaila's daughter, the robot was called Roadkill.[25] This is something Rofaila himself confirmed when asked about the incident.[26] Roadkill weighed around 77kg (170lbs)[8] and according to Milly-Ann Bug's Geoff Warren, was equipped with numerous spikes that gave it a visual resemblance to a hedgehog.[12] It was also armoured in thin steel tubing, cut at jagged angles and painted blue.[12][10] Currently, no images or footage of Roadkill have surfaced, making any accounts of the robot impossible to verify.[19]

"For sure...my memory was the bot was bristling with spikes, looked like a hedgehog, lots of thin steel tubing cut at very sharpy lookin' angles."
— Geoff Warren describing Roadkill in a 2020 Unofficial Robot Wars post[12]

In 2021, on the Unofficial Robot Wars Facebook group, Team Centurion captain Ray Tait recalled speculation of the robot involved actually being The Parthian Shot.[27] The Parthian Shot was present at filming for The Third Wars and appeared in various pieces of footage shown in televised episodes, but similarly dropped out under unknown circumstances. Rumours of its apparent involvement were further substantiated by YouTuber The Internet Investigator, who commented on The Parthian Shot's history of malfunctions, its mysterious absence from The Third Wars, and visual similarities between it and Geoff Warren's description of Roadkill.[28] However, this has yet to be verified, with The Parthian Shot's official weight (79.6kg/175.5lbs in The Second Wars), colour scheme and general design being entirely different to those quoted for Roadkill.

The sawblade incident[]

According to Team Onslaught's David Wood in a 2018 Unofficial Robot Wars Facebook post, another accident occurred during filming. Wood stated that a machine, armed with a sawblade, suddenly activated while someone from the technical crew was inspecting it. This resulted in an injury to the crew member's arm, which he fortunately recovered from.[24] The identities of the robot and the injured crew member have not been confirmed,[19] although YouTuber The Internet Investigator's correspondence with Wood revealed that the victim may have been Mat Irvine. Dawson, however, disputes this, claiming it was a different crew member, although he was unsure of their identity.[29]

"Yes it decided to go off on its own accord while his hand was still there. He was still doing the job once he got himself patched up and he recovered quite well I think as was still doing tech inspections the next few seasons."
— David Wood discussing the sawblade incident in a 2018 Unofficial Robot Wars post[24]

Reactions[]

"As many of you are now aware, a member of our crew was injured on the Wednesday 20th October during the filming of "Robot Wars Series III - The Third Wars" at Elstree Film Studios. The accident caused a substantial delay in filming and our schedule has now been altered significantly to accommodate this delay. This has meant that the main competition has to be our priority. Consequently we have had to drop several events to complete this."
— Bill Hobbins announcing the cancellation of various side events[11]

The Roadkill incident resulted in Mentorn producers immediately cancelling filming for the day. Typhoon's Dave Jones stated he was informed the cancellation was because of the graphic nature of the injury Rofaila received.[30] Filming was consequentially delayed for at least two days.[24]

RazerPinball

Razer was originally meant to compete in Robotic Soccer, before the incident caused it to be transferred to the Pinball Competition

VelocirippaDD2Football

Meanwhile, Velocirippa was supposed to be in the Pinball Competition before it was switched to Robotic Soccer

Because Mentorn were unable to request additional filming dates at Elstree Film Studios, the organisation was forced to prioritise the main competition over any side event once filming resumed. On 25 October 1999, producer Bill Hobbins made an announcement that confirmed the Sumo Basho, Super Heavyweight, Lightweight and Featherweight competitions would all be cancelled.[11] It was not long before other events, including an Antweight Series, Tag Team competition and Grudge Matches would also be shelved.[31][23] Additionally, other side events that would ultimately air, including Pinball, Robotic Soccer and Middleweight Competition, would be altered. Particularly, the Middleweight Competition was relegated to a single Middleweight Melee, while the list of robots that would compete in the other events was altered. For example, Razer and Velocirippa would originally compete in Robotic Soccer and Pinball respectively, before the need to hastily film these events caused them to be dropped from the running. Only interference from producer Mary-Jane Evans ensured the two robots competed in at least one side event, albeit, being swapped around in the process.[32][33] Judge Mech and Miss Struts, both of which were to compete in Robotic Soccer, were dropped completely and did not get to compete in Pinball.[34] Additionally, T-Wrecks was supposed to have battled Orac's Revenge in the main competition, but following the delay, had to withdraw, being replaced by Steg-O-Saw-Us.[35]

T-Wrecks

T-Wrecks was unable to compete following the incident due to scheduling issues

"Prior to filming, we were asked to take part in one of the 'games' which would be separate from the Knockout competition. We thought it was a great chance to have some fun and show off Razer's versatility. Originally we were to take part in the Soccer event. Unfortunately, due to an accident in the studios, filming was rescheduled and the games suffered as a result. We had dressed up for the games and it was very disappointing to be told 'That's it, sorry'. However, towards the end of the filming of the Pinball, the production crew found there was still time for a few extra runs and we were asked to take part."
— The Razer website
Cassius II Crop

Cassius 2's CO2 supply was compromised following safety standards brought in post-incident

Cerberus with saw

Cerberus' hardened saw had to be removed to comply with safety standards

Further, a range of health and safety rules were swiftly added and enforced. One of the most notable included having roboteers queue while keeping their CO2 cylinders outside in the cold. This was especially problematic for robots like Hefty and Cassius 2. Hefty had a pneumatic system that required refilling of CO2 every two hours, which the crew were unable to do because the builders were forced to queue up with their robots while waiting for their matches.[15] Meanwhile, the resulting rule change meant Cassius 2 only had one usage of its flipper or spike mechanism per fight.[8] It was likely only affected in its battle against Pussycat, however, as it was able to utilise its flipper multiple times against Dundee a round earlier.[19] Additionally, certain blades were also outlawed. This included blades liable to shatter, ultimately affecting Cerberus, Haardvark and Plunderstorm, who were forced to change or completely remove their blades if they were to compete. None would face the consequences of this rule change more than Pussycat, however.

"Yes we (the Cassius crew) didn't do very well in the last wars. Partly because we were not allowed to use our Co2 gas because of health and safety requirements imposed in panic reaction after the accident which injured a stage hand (nothing to do with us it happened before we had arrived at the studio). We had to keep our cylinders outside in the cold and this meant that we could not decant from a cold cylinder to a warm one (basic laws of physics that cannot be overcome without a pump). This meant our robot had but one flip-up or one spike operation per fight, due to the fact that no liquid gas was in the on-board cylinder, that normally contains 1 kilo of liquid co2 with an expantion rate of 571 to 1 in gas form as in its usual fighting mode, giving us almost unlimited use in 5 minutes fighting. This was a severe handicap but in the end Mick (our driver) conveniently dived into the pit (I must remember to buy him a lemming outfit). This was probably the best way out as I am afraid to say that by then I was not a happy chappy at all."
— Rex Garrod

Mentorn and the BBC also went into damage control mode. Among decisions made were to remove discussions from the official Robot Wars board concerning the accident,[24] while also defending Robot Wars' safety standards in articles regarding Rex Garrod's retirement from the show because of lax safety standards.[8][9][20] Ultimately, there was little mainstream coverage of the behind-the-scenes accidents.

"We have very strict safety procedures."
— BBC spokeswoman discussing the safety incidents[8]

Other health and safety concerns[]

"Some of the safety procedures were just unsafe, such as having the wheels off the ground at all times. The Daisy Chopper team had to use axle stands to sit their robot on making it about 5 foot in the air and not looking all that stable, I'm surprised no one was injured with a robot falling off bricks."
— Alex Mordue
DaisyChopperTeam

Daisy Chopper and Team TFOSICA. Note the axles and bricks that ensured the machine's wheels were off the ground

Aside from the accidents, a few other health and safety concerns were raised by roboteers during a Tinweb topic concerning the organisation in the Pits. Some, like Team Firestorm's Alex Mordue, claimed some safety procedures were unsafe, including the utilisation of bricks and axle stands to ensure that robots were always off the ground when in the Pits. He claimed this made some robots, including Daisy Chopper, incredibly unstable when situated on the trolleys, which could have resulted in injury had the machine fallen off its bricks. Usage of bricks in general was criticised for being difficult to insert and remove, making conforming to this procedure more difficult.[36]

S3Crowd

The audience were eventually forbidden from banging on the polycarbonate, as the screws holding it up were falling out

On the same Tinweb post, a user by the name of Andrew Poodle mentioned that the audience were not as well protected from the action as it seemed. Throughout filming, the crowd had banged on the polycarbonate protecting them from debris. However, by the time one of the two walker battles was being recorded, the audience were told to stop banging, because the screws holding it out were becoming loose, and thus likely to fall out had the banging continued.[36] While neither walker battle would have been likely to produce much debris, becoming exposed to the elements still could have put the audience in harm’s way had something more destructive been in the arena.[19] One example transpired based on an interview of the Series 3 Judges in Issue 4 of the Robot Wars Magazine. In the interview, the Judges revealed the Judges’ box was so unprepared that debris kept swinging towards the trio during Hypno-Disc's battle against Stealth, forcing them to hide under the table for the remainder of the fight’s duration.[37]

"From the audience point of view..I was a little surprised to note that the walkers exhibition event was a silent one, no banging on the polycarbonate for the kiddies coz the screws were falling out...It's hardly a Hard job to make a set that doesn't dismantle itself, or is it like that to save time at the end of filming?"
— Andrew Poodle
S3Cherrypickers

One of the cherrypickers, whose movement caused one roboteer to be sick

Triterobot Smokescreen

Triterobot smoking prompted an evacuation of the arena

Two other notable incidents emerged. Firstly, the cherrypickers used to bring roboteers upwards so that they could see the action from above, were unstable, making them sway and wobble, and ultimately causing Anorakaphobia’s David Kingsbury to be sick during his robot’s battle against Miss Ile. Meanwhile, Triterobot, was smoking so badly in its battle against Evil Weevil that an evacuation of the arena had to occur, because of the fire hazard potential, stopping the battle prematurely and then resuming it from there.[38] A similar issue occurred when Sir Killalot caught fire following Napalm's win over Robopig.[39]

Nevertheless, some argued that certain rules were pointless. For example, Agent Orange’s Peter Duncanson criticised the need to have someone monitor each time a petrol-engine machine like his was emptied of fuel, claiming such rules promoted pointless “hand-holding”.[36] Conversely, some were less critical, with Team EyeEye’s Ian Inglis mentioned in the same Tinweb post that despite being forced to refuel and test Miss Struts outside (including when it rained, causing him to become soaked at one point), he ultimately praised how the safety issues were handled throughout, and the provision of documents detailing Pit and arena procedures.[36] Craig Charles also defended the show's safety standards on his website.[18]

"Miss Struts was there on Sunday and I felt that the safety issues were well handled in the pit and the arena. I appreciated the documents with the arena and pit procedures. We also had to fuel up outside with a fireman present, but did not find this an imposition, except when it was dark in the evening. We did make it quite clear we need to fuel up about half an hour before we were in the arena. The bench we were allocated was completely taken away for us as we could not park Miss Struts within the taped lines on the floor, this worked out very nicely for us! I would agree that there needed to be more people doing the basic technical checks, as it looked like Dereck and Mat already seemed to have plenty to do. The chap who did the electrical safety tests we found very helpful and had a positive attitude to passing our homemade battery charger. Because Miss Struts is powered by an IC engine (fumes), we had to do our test runs and failsafe checks outside in the rain, would have been okay except I got soaked! I would recommend that in future everybody provides their own wooden frame to sit their robot on to do tests with the wheels clear of the ground, this would be safer than bricks and could be tailored to your robot, and help in your own workshops."
— Ian Inglis discussing health and safety on the Tinweb forum[36]

Organisation issues[]

"Don't think about entering, unless you don't mind being f**ked about, abused, treated as a prop, and kept in the dark. Fairness does not come into it, RW is a profit making TV show. We had a really miserable time in series 3, and be aware that our robot was never properly turned on due to problems relating to safety negligence earlier on. Of course none of this is deliberate, but nobody involved seems to have any organisation."
— Undertaker's team's website, dedicated to their new machine Cannibal[40] (spelling edited)

Aside from the various health and safety flaws, many roboteers were unhappy with the organisation of events. Pete Collier for example criticised how the filming was handled, with nobody understanding what was to occur until the last minute, with Peter Duncanson also claiming that roboteers were treated like "cattle" by the crew.[24][1]

Hefty

Hefty lost its self-righting mechanism to comply with the weight limit. Its team would later claim weight regulations were not properly enforced during filming

Panzer pushes Undertaker

Organisation issues allegedly meant Undertaker was not properly switched on against Panzer

Additionally, organisation issues were blamed for a variety of misfortunes robots experienced. In an interview for Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, Hefty's Darren Brown claimed that many robots were over the weight limit when they arrived at filming, yet they were forced to remove their self-righting mechanism to comply with the rules. This, combined with the CO2 issues, ultimately cost Hefty its battle against X-Terminator. Brown summarised by arguing Mentorn did not care about making the competition fair, focusing solely on entertainment.[15] Meanwhile, Undertaker's team blamed organisation issues for why their machine was not properly switched on during its loss to Panzer.[40] Whether these organisation issues also resulted in Max Damage suffering the same problems as Undertaker is up for speculation.

"The rules and regulations were not very well enforced. Mentorn didn't seem to care at all about ensuring the competition was fair."
— Darren Brown[15]

However, it should be mentioned that not all roboteers were critical of filming. Alex Mordue believed that, considering the various accidents that occurred, the crew did the best they could in these difficult times.[36] Further, although he stated he enjoyed filming for Series 2 more because of it being filmed in the Docklands rather than at Elstree Studios, Martin Dawson disagreed that the roboteers were mistreated by the crew, claiming that the rules helped ensure at least some organisation and safety were present.[12] Finally, King Buxton’s Simon Harrison stated in a Tinweb post that although organisation was problematic, being able to watch their robots’ performances months later would be worth many roboteers going back to build a new machine, no matter the hassle they experienced during filming.[1]

"Oh and about the filming, yes it was hard work for everyone, but I just bit my lip and got on with it. After all, if you spend 10 months suffering with the problems of building a bot, you may as well force yourself to put up with the last few days of suffering, and get the job done. I would tell any new roboteers not to expect to enjoy any of it at the time, but you will have forgotten the suffering when you get to sit down with a cup of tea and watch your effort months later. You will be back in the garage with a hacksaw in your hand, like a mug the day after. Madness."
— Simon Harrison discussing the filming issues on the Tinweb forum[1]

A minor issue also brought up by Simon in 2022 was the lack of organisation relating to the photoshoots for the official robot photographs. Simon stated that this process was efficiently organised in Series 2, but in Series 3 the process instead revolved around a 'puffed out junior runner' walking around the pits area trying to catch team captains at the right moment and calling them for photoshoots, which ultimately proved to be a hard job due to the large amount of teams present at each filming session. Simon continued by stating that the photoshoot sessions would still be an unorganised process as late as Series 7.[41]

Controversial battles[]

Several battles also proved controversial. The narrative behind why these battles were controversial vary, ranging from overuse of House Robots, to additional health and safety concerns.

Chaos 2 vs The Big Cheese[]

Chaos2vstbc RWS3

The House Robots' attacks on The Big Cheese attracted criticism from Roger Plant

In the early series of Robot Wars, the presence and usage of the House Robots received criticism from some of the top roboteers of the era. Rex Garrod was notably critical, claiming that although he would be happy for another competitor to destroy his machines, he would be aghast had the House Robots did so, claiming they were like “a minidigger disguised as a robot weighing over half a ton”.[15] Roger Plant was another who was unhappy with the damage being inflicted onto his robot, The Big Cheese. This was especially apparent following its loss to Chaos 2 in the Heat E final, where he became critical in a Tinweb post about the extensive damage the House Robots, in particular Sir Killalot, inflicted onto his machine post-battle. Plant noted in this post that the damage in question occurred irrespective of the machine's overall performance or potential to entertain the audience, and was highly expensive and time-consuming to repair.[1]

"I dont know about s4 with the Big Cheese as I do not agree with all the damage that the house robots are doing to the competitors robots. The BC will take many hours of repair work to the case and I and the team do not have the time right now. I am in agreement with REX about withdrawing from the RW series. I gave Mentorn a damn good show with TBC and they still tried to wreck it. It will NOT be back against the house robots if they are going to do the same again. I am working on a 100% titanium robot for the next series which will be literally bullet proof. If I get time it will be ready for RW4 TTFN"
— Roger Plant[1]
WBC Killalot

Wheely Big Cheese tries to flip Sir Killalot, the closest Roger Plant got to challenging Sir Killalot to a match

Plant had considered not returning to the show as a direct response to this issue. Nevertheless, he ultimately entered a new heavyweight, Wheely Big Cheese, into Series 4, but not before issuing a challenge pitting The Big Cheese against an unmodified Sir Killalot.[42] While that battle ultimately never took place, it may have explained why Wheely Big Cheese attacked Sir Killalot during its Eliminator in Heat H of that series.

"A SPORTING CHALLENGE FOR THE BBC/MENTORN/SIR KILLALOT The Big Cheese driven by Roger Plant challenges Sir Killalot on his own to a televised Grudge Match (perhaps during RW4 filming?). This challenge is issued on the understanding that Sir Killalot is NOT modified from as it was in RW3, ie no added weapons, weight or anything else to make it even more OTT than it already is. The Big Cheese will be the same as in RW3 with the exception that it will be slightly overweight due to necessary repairs after RW3. To keep it to its correct weight of 79.4kg would mean building a new case for it, the original case being severely damaged by Sir Killalot. This would cost £600 for Kevlar and five months work: neither of which can be justified for a few minutes of TV time. The 83.8kg shown in the bio on S3 was inaccurate as that was the weight of The Big Cheese at the audition when it was in its mock-up state. It weighed in at 79.4kg for RW3 in October 1999 as Mentorn’s records should show. Its weight when repaired with fibreglass will be approximately 85kg. Is the BBC/Mentorn prepared to accept a Sporting Challenge or will they insist on strict rules for us and none at all for them? That is, House Robots knowing no bounds when it comes to fighting robots one quarter their weight (Sir Killalot is 320kg). Maybe other robots will join me in House Robot Grudge Matches? I await your replies BBC/Mentorn."
— Roger Plant challenges Sir Killalot[42]

Pussycat vs Cassius 2[]

Pussycat vs cassius 2

Cassius 2 reverses into the pit, a move later claimed to be deliberate

One of the biggest shocks in Series 3 was when Cassius 2 pitted itself after trying to eliminate its opponent Pussycat. However, this narrative was challenged by an East Anglian Daily Times article. In the article, it was suggested that by this point in filming, Rex Garrod had decided to eliminate his machine, being so concerned about safety issues that he threw away the match and left as soon as possible.[20] Rex Garrod would also reiterate this for many years to come in conversation with other roboteers such as Jamie McHarg[43]. This may also explain why Garrod decided to hand over controls to Mick Cutter for the Pussycat battle, in a similar vein to when Mortis had a change of driver following its first Pinball run in the Series 2 Semi-Finals. This article also suggests these circumstances as the reason why Cassius 2 did not compete in the International League Championship, since, had Garrod left promptly after the Pussycat loss, he would not be present for this later competition, nor would he have been likely to accept any further involvement.[19]

"He (Rex Garrod) claimed he was so worried about the health and safety provisions on the show that he deliberately threw away a match in which his robot Cassius II was competing and walked out"
East Anglian Daily Times article implying Rex Garrod deliberately lost against Pussycat[20]

A report on the International League Championship from eventual winners Team Razer reinforces this suggestion, stating that Garrod - and Cassius 2 - withdrew from the event, and in turn allowed the recently-crowned World Champions to step in.[44]

Scutter's Revenge vs Pussycat[]

Pussycat vs Scutter's revenge

Pussycat was disqualified after its blade shattered

Pussycat's subsequent battle against Scutter's Revenge also proved controversial. The show's narrative was that Pussycat's disc was illegal, since equipping a robot with a blade that can shatter is considered a ground for disqualification, ultimately costing Pussycat its place in the Series 3 Semi-Finals. The build rules issued for Series 3 indeed stated that 'Hardened steel blades that may shatter' were banned.[45] However, accounts from two members of the Cold Fusion Team suggested an alternative perspective, as well as potential confusion surrounding associated safety hazards and the specific types of blades outlawed as such during the series' production.

"The timeline was that we were in London filming the early rounds and the diamond-edged saw was not having much effect; we went back to Gloucester for a few days and selected a toothed saw that was in Alan's workshop (Alan was away on business and I am sure he would have stopped us using it, being a through-hardened blade designed to work at low rpm); we returned to Robot Wars and told the tech team that we had a different blade, then the battle took place where it broke. The surprise about the change in blade in the commentary is of course scripted afterwards for narrative effect. If Alan had been at home I would have got him to cut teeth on his wire spark erosion machine. As it was it would have been better to have cut teeth in the diamond blade with an angle grinder rather than selecting the off-the-shelf saw blade."
— Robin Herrick

According to Robin Herrick, the change of blade occurred during a delay in filming, resulting from his team's discovery that the diamond-coated cutting disc originally fitted to Pussycat was not as effective as they had hoped. Once the team, minus Alan Gribble, returned to filming, they informed the technical crew of the change, the new carbide-tipped blade (dubbed the 'Scutter Cutter') being accepted for use in competition. The Cold Fusion Team website even mentions an untelevised pre-battle interview in which Herrick told Craig Charles - and the audience - about their weapon swap, seemingly without objections to the new blade's use.[46]

"We had actually anticipated the problem of the diamond blade clogging on softer materials so we had a carbide tipped blade with us. This caught a lot of people out as the technical people banned this type of blade on the day having said in the weeks leading up to the filming that they would be allowed."
— Robin Herrick, recollecting his account of the rule banning carbide-tipped blades being applied mid-filming[46]

Herrick recalls that their decision to bring the carbide-tipped blade surprised other competitors in attendance, alleging that a rule banning this specific type of cutting disc was only enforced on the day in which Pussycat's Heat Final was due to be filmed. This implied that carbide-tipped blades were once considered an eligible type of cutting disc before filming began, though the Haardvark team website mentions that only reinforced abrasive grinders and diamond-edged circular saws were initially allowed for this series.[47] However, Herrick accepted that hardened steel blades were disallowed entirely from the start, and that using the 'Scutter Cutter' was a mistake on his part while stressing that the original diamond-coated blade met the regulations.

"Of course if they hadn't made carbide tipped blades illegal at the last minute then we would have used our... carbide tipped blade (tips may break but disc won't).

To clear up any confusion, we did know that hardened blades were not allowed, and we went to some lengths to ensure that the diamond saw we had would not shatter. The blade we changed to was one that I had not intended to use, but in the heat of the moment I made a bad decision.
"
— Robin Herrick, Cold Fusion Team website[46]

Despite this, Herrick also expressed that there was a lack of clarity from production and technical crews regarding safety issues relating to the use of such weapons. On the Cold Fusion Team website, he also highlighted the importance of proper safety measures in the Robot Wars Arena, such as the use of protective polycarbonate screens, in shielding the show's personnel and the audience from flying shrapnel.

"It hasn't been explained to me properly why hardened blades that can chip are such a danger. There are all sorts of scenarios that could throw metal at high speed out of the arena and that's why there are protective screens!!!"
— Robin Herrick, outlining the lack of clarity regarding the 'hardened steel blade' rule[46]

Needless to say, the shattering of Pussycat's newly-equipped blade directly resulted in its disqualification against Scutter's Revenge, with scripted surprise from Jonathan Pearce being added in post-production. Robin Herrick would consider this weapon swap a 'bad decision' on his part, motivated by a hasty attempt to improve his machine's competitiveness.[46]

By contrast, Alan Gribble, in an interview with Robot Wars Wiki user Toon Ganondorf, argued that the decision was harsh. Not only did he believe that the blade did not harm anyone, but also stated that Pussycat gained no competitive advantage from using it, despite initially winning the Heat Final against its foe.[48] The latter statement was also echoed in a similar interview on the Tectonic Robot Wars website, as well as by Herrick on the original Cold Fusion Team site.[46]

"Gutted!! That is the only way to describe it. I think the decision was harsh. Nobody was hurt, we gained no advantage from using the blade and in the end we beat Scutter's Revenge without a weapon at all. Ya Boo Sucks!"
— Alan Gribble in answer to the disqualification from Series 3[49]

However, despite Gribble's claims that no injuries were sustained in the incident, a shard of the shattered blade, six inches in length, reportedly hit Judge Martin Smith on his hand while he was watching the battle from the Judges' table. Smith would actually keep the shard afterwards and still has it to this day.[50]

To avoid a repeat of their Series 3 disqualification, the Cold Fusion Team would make improvements to Pussycat's weapon for later series. The custom cutting blades it used from Series 4 onwards would be machined from a more durable 'chrome vanadium alloy steel', with no further instances of these weapons shattering for the remainder of its appearances on Robot Wars.[51] As its illegal Series 3 blade was operated at 1,200rpm - one hundred times over its 12rpm design speed[51] - an additional rule was also introduced for all competitors in Series 4, stating that the rotational speeds of any given spinning weapon 'must not exceed the manufacturer's specifications'.[52] This required the latter to be 'available for inspection' by the technical crew to ensure eligibility.[52]

In the Revival Series (Series 8-10), the rules on hardened steel blades were clarified to only prohibit off-the-shelf, 'commercially manufactured' types, as these materials became more prevalent in being used to create custom-made spinners.[53]

Griffon vs Daisy Chopper[]

RW3GriffonLiftDaisyChopper

The judges' decision between Griffon and Daisy Chopper was recounted after a protest by Team TFOSICA.

Not all roboteers were happy with the Judges' decisions issued throughout Series 3, either. In Round 1 of Heat N, Griffon defeated Daisy Chopper via a unanimous decision. However, Team TFOSICA requested a recount because they felt that Griffon’s lapses in control, combined with what they felt were better attacks from their machine, meant Daisy Chopper should have won. On his website, Griffon's driver Oliver Steeples ultimately agreed with Team TFOSICA, believing that his decision to go after the House Robots, combined with greater aggression from the spinner, should have warranted a win for Daisy Chopper.[5]

"At the end, I think [Daisy Chopper] had more aggression, they had slightly better control, but we thought 'Oh, we've flipped them once.' and thought if we do it again, it's going to go over and over. So I thought, 'It's all House Robots - one of us - fair odds'. So they thought we'd go for one of them, and at least we'll get it up in the air..."
— Oliver Steeples on Griffon's battle against Daisy Chopper[5]

Additionally, as Steeples mentioned during an interview with Robot Wars Wiki user SpaceManiac888, television showcases edited footage of events, thus meaning that not all, or any of its content should be entirely believed.[54] An example of this comes from Corporal Punishment’s loss to Ally Gator. In the edited version of the battle, it appeared that Ally Gator dominated the fight, since it wedged underneath Corporal Punishment, its opponent lacking a baseplate that caused both to get stuck and thus seemingly leading to a win by Judges' decision for Ally Gator. On screen, Craig Charles revealed this to be a split decision, to the confusion of many viewers who had seen Ally Gator control the entire bout. However, a discussion on Tinweb revealed that Corporal Punishment actually got back onto its wheels and was able to attack Ally Gator multiple times in response, justifying the split decision.[1] This may explain why Daisy Chopper ultimately received the backing from one judge once a recount was requested, although this was not enough to reverse the decision.

The Mauler vs Cerberus[]

"...although we've got problems, I hear... err, with Mauler, in The Pits. And Mauler has had to go out into the testing zone... for a final trial. And the problem... is the weaponry and the safety of that flailing weapon. Does that look under control to you? One final test to see if the team from California can stay in the competition. Is that safe? That's the major concern."
— Jonathan Pearce
Mauler Safety Check

The Mauler during its safety check, performed to address safety concerns over its weapon

In The First World Championship, The Mauler, representing the United States, was set to battle Cerberus, which competed for Cyprus. However, likely stemming from the various health and safety issues that transpired throughout filming, its overhead spinning flails were met with additional scrutiny that impacted its participation in the event.

Team Mauler

As confirmed onscreen in The First World Championship, The Mauler was disqualified after being deemed 'too unsafe' for the arena

As part of the risk assessment conducted by Robot Wars staff, The Mauler was required to run an additional test to prove that it could run safely with an operational weapon. With no suitable testing arena available,[1] the test itself took place outdoors. Despite appearing to function normally, The Mauler was ultimately deemed 'too unsafe' for the arena, a matter confirmed by producer Bill Hobbins when he and Health & Safety officer David Deane communicated with the South Bay RoboWarriors over this issue. The San Francisco machine was thus disqualified before the battle could begin.

"Fine. I've asked my questions, and you've answered them, and I don't see any way around it... que sera sera [whatever will be, will be], back to San Francisco!"
— Charles Tilford graciously accepts The Mauler's disqualification

Aftermath[]

Rexgarrodquits

East Anglian Daily Times article on Rex Garrod's departure from Robot Wars

"For one accident to occur is bad, But for two of the exact same fault to occur in my book is nothing short of criminal. I have no intention of returning to Robot Warss until I'm satisfied that safety is up to the standards I am used to in my profession (Special effects for T.V Films & Advertising). After these almighty cockups things have taken a giant step forward, But from information recieved by many of the last wars contestants, it still has a long way to go. And self important people still rule, both in safety and common courtesy."
— Rex Garrod[2]

Following all the controversies that took place throughout The Third Wars, many notable events occurred that would affect the show from Series 4 onwards. The most notable was the retirement of Rex Garrod from the show. Based on the various sources available - ranging from newspaper articles to his Tectonic Robot Wars UK interview - it was clear that Garrod simply had enough of the lax safety standards resulting in the multiple incidents occurring at filming. However, the East Anglian Daily Times article also reveals that he was unhappy with the show’s new format, which discontinued the Gauntlet and most Trial events in favour of pure combat. Rather than carrying on with its primary message of teaching children about machines, Garrod felt that Robot Wars simply focused on the fighting element instead, which he felt deviated too much from what he was interested in.[20]

S4Crowd

The audience were protected by a large plexiglass cage in the Series 4 arena

Additionally, multiple health and safety changes were established to make Robot Wars safer. These included making removable links mandatory, preventing cases like Disruptor and Roadkill from occurring again.[12] Additionally, rather than having robots be directly transported into the arena as before, they were instead placed in pens behind the arena facade, where they could be safely switched on and finally driven into the arena. This limited the need for crew members to interact with potentially unsafe robots. Ultimately, health and safety procedures in general became stricter, with criticism given to roboteers who did not conform. One example came during qualifying for Series 7, where Skorpizoid's team were criticised for inadequately covering their machine's cutting blades when it was inactive.[55] Additionally, the arena itself became safer, with the audience protected via a large plexiglass case, and the cherry picker machines being removed in favour of two static control booths (control pods) to house competing roboteers. These changes ultimately led to Series 4 and all future series becoming safer and more successfully organised, a sharp contrast from the issues that plagued Series 3.

External Links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Archived Tinweb post concerning roboteers' unhappiness over filming, and the "radio death line".
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Tectonic Robot Wars' interview with Rex Garrod
  3. Tom Gutteridge's blog discussing the incident that almost cost Jeremy Clarkson his life
  4. Team Power website, detailing Barry's Series 1 appearance along with an account of its behind-the-scenes accident
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Oliver Steeples' website, where he discusses Disruptor, Haardvark's accident and Griffon's controversial Judges' decision victory over Daisy Chopper
  6. Dave Allsopp of the Whirling Dervish team, interview aired in Robot Wars Revealed, Episode 6
  7. Oliver Steeples' website - Series 2, Show 2
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Archived Tinweb post discussing Rex Garrod's retirement and quoting the Daily Mirror article.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Alt Robot Wars Google group discussing Rex Garrod's retirement and quoting The Times article.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Correspondence with Craig Danby in 2020 on the Out of the Arena Discord.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Archived Robot Wars Discussion Board announcement discussing the cancellation of side events and stating the date when the accident took place.
  12. 13.0 13.1 2019 Unofficial Robot Wars post discussing Martin Dawson's account of events
  13. Alt Robot Wars Google group confirming Julian Corrie brought Tyrant into the studio during filming
  14. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports
  15. Correspondence with Kim Davies in 2020.
  16. Private correspondence between Richard Pearce and Discord user Mouse-Keyboard
  17. 18.0 18.1 18.2 Craig Charles' website, detailing his account of the incident and defending the safety standards
  18. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 Robot Wars Wiki Podcast concerning the Series 3 controversies, and why More Panda Monium was innocent and the false claims against it
  19. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 East Anglian Daily Times article, 8 January 2000.
  20. Archived Tinweb post showing More Panda Monium's audition was successful and incident-free
  21. Archived Team Panda website, illustrating More Panda Monium's audition went without incident
  22. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Archived Tinweb post concerning cancellation of Grudge and Tag Team matches, and confirming More Panda Monium was not present when the accident occurred
  23. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 24.6 Unofficial Robot Wars Facebook post, concerning Collier stating More Panda Monium was not involved in the accident, and David Wood's account of the sawblade incident
  24. Correspondence with Ellis on the Out of the Arena Discord, 2020
  25. Private correspondence between SFCJack and Alex Rofaila in September 2021
  26. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnofficialRobotWars/posts/1580300475583045/?comment_id=1582026592077100 Comment by Ray Tait, 16 January 2021]
  27. The Dark Side of Robot Wars by The Internet Investigator, 25 November 2021
  28. The Internet Investigator's The Dark Side of Robot Wars video, where she investigated the incidents, including the sawblade incident.
  29. Alt Robot Wars Google group containing Dave Jones' account of what audience members were informed of regarding the accident
  30. Private correspondence between Simon Harrison and Diotoir the son of nemesis
  31. Archived Razer website discussing how the Roadkill incident meant Razer would compete in Pinball instead of Robotic Soccer.
  32. Archived Velocirippa website concerning the machine being taken off Pinball and eventually placed in Robotic Soccer following the incident.
  33. Alt Robot Wars Google group concerning Judge Mech not competing in Robotic Soccer
  34. Alt Robot Wars Google group post concerning T-Wrecks having to withdraw because of the delay in filming
  35. 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 36.5 Archived Tinweb post discussing the safety and organisational issues of Series 3
  36. Issue 4 of the Robot Wars Magazine
  37. An account of the Triterobot incident
  38. Alt Robot Wars Google group concerning Sir Killalot's fire requiring an evacuation
  39. 40.0 40.1 Archived Cannibal website discussing Undertaker not being properly switched on against Panzer
  40. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Simon Harrison, 22 February 2022
  41. 42.0 42.1 Archived Tinweb post detailing Roger Plant challenging Sir Killalot
  42. Private Facebook message from Jamie McHarg
  43. Team Razer's International League Championship report (archived), confirming the withdrawal of Cassius 2 and Razer's place as its substitute
  44. Robot Wars Series 3 Rules, outlining the show's rule prohibiting the use of hardened steel blades
  45. 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 46.4 46.5 Cold Fusion Team website, outlining Pussycat's Series 3 campaign and the team's experiences with the 'hardened steel blade' rule (archived)
  46. Haardvark website, mentioning that the unused diamond-edged saw for Haardvark's Series 3 incarnation was originally deemed eligible for competition
  47. Correspondence between User:Toon Ganondorf and Alan Gribble, 21 December 2009
  48. Tectonic Robot Wars Interview 12: Bodyhammer/Pussycat (Alan Gribble)
  49. Facebook comment from Martin Smith, November 2021
  50. 51.0 51.1 Ultimate Real Robots magazine, Issue 15, p.13, article detailing Pussycat's switch to non-shattering custom cutting blades
  51. 52.0 52.1 Robot Wars Series 4 Rules, introducing an additional regulation concerning manufacturer speed specifications for spinning weapons
  52. Robot Wars Series 10 build rules, specifying a ban on 'commercially manufactured' hardened steel blades
  53. Correspondence with Oliver Steeples, 2018
  54. Skorpizoid website illustrating the stricter health and safety standards

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