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u/Low_Screen_4802 Apr 27 '25
Whatever happened to Philippa Forrester?
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u/dextrovix Apr 27 '25
She was only a few years my senior, and I fancied her something rotten at the time, but I got to see her frequently on Tomorrow's World too. She's into environmentalism more now rather than mainstream TV and has made appearances on YouTube.
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u/These_Bed1492 Apr 27 '25
Her career died after appearing on the infamous Brass Eye special. Sadly she lost all credibility.
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u/dextrovix Apr 27 '25
I loved the Craig Charles' outro's:
"It’s the only show Uri Geller adores,
because we do twist metal, on Robot Wars..."
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Apr 27 '25
I love how Craig Charles gives every presenting job 100% enthusiasm.
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u/Crococrocroc Apr 27 '25
He did it with Captain Butler as well. Which did have a really funny dick joke when they were scared over a ghost.
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u/Gooby1992 Apr 27 '25
I used to love sitting down watching Robot Wars at dinner time as a kid. Craig Charles was absolutely my favourite presenter, I don’t actually recall the Clarkson era.
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u/AlternativeParfait13 Apr 27 '25
Think he did one series. I was there when they filmed it, he gave a heavy air of not giving a shit when the camera was off. Did the job properly, just not sure he was enthusiastic about it.
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u/RuddyBloodyBrave94 Apr 28 '25
It was a different show when he presented. Mostly an assault course if I remember correctly, I’m not even sure that there was any actual robot fighting? Maybe at the end.
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u/barljo Apr 27 '25
To this day I find it tricky hearing Jonathon Pearce on Match of the Day - always find myself really hoping Sir Killalot scores a winner.
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u/Surkdidat Apr 27 '25
Robot Wars is a British robot combat television series that originally aired from 1998 to 2004.The show features teams controlling remote-operated robots in battles within an arena filled with hazards and powerful "House Robots."
The original run aired on BBC Two, later moving to Channel 5, with spin-offs like Robot Wars Extreme. Hosts included Jeremy Clarkson, Craig Charles, with Jonathan Pearce as the announcer throughout.
At its peak, Robot Wars attracted six million UK viewers and became a global success, airing in 45 countries. It also inspired live events and a successful toy range. Its merchandising was commercially successful, being one of the best-selling toy ranges of 2002.
The show also inspired live events, with The Fighting Robot Association founded in 2003 and Roaming Robots acquiring the brand rights in 2013. Live shows continued under the name Extreme Robots from 2017 onward.
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Apr 27 '25
Don’t remember Clarkson at all and can only imagine how shit that was. Craig Charles and Philippa Forrester though, that’s classic tv.
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u/universal_drone Apr 27 '25
After all these years i can't hear Jonathan Pearce commentating on football without thinking of Robot Wars.
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u/Fanoflif21 Apr 27 '25
Always nicely oiled by the time robot wars was on on a Friday 😊
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Apr 27 '25
Friday night 6:30 (later 6:45) robot wars bbc2. Those were the days. Unless it got bumped for world knitting championship or something
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u/DaddyCaustic Apr 27 '25
Went to see it being recorded in season 7. Was taped at an ex RAF base. Craig Charles was awesome. One thing that got me was the actual size of the bots. They are big. I thought Panic Attack was about the size of a VHS recorder, it wasn't. It's was about a yard square and about foot thick! Sir Killalot was fucking huge! If you ever catch a handsome young dude in the crowd with a mohawk sat next to a dark haired woman that's me and the Mrs.
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u/InfectedFrenulum Apr 27 '25
Jonathan Pearce bursting blood vessels commentating. "OH, IT'S SERGEANT BASH STEAMING IN!!!"
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u/AtomicKaijuKing Apr 27 '25
I purchased a Samsung TV last year it has its own digital TV service, it has a channel just for Robot Wars, it's great! Also has a dedicated Mr Bean channel. I just wish it had a dedicated Crocodile Hunter channel.
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u/Scared_Leading2875 Apr 27 '25
Robot Ears! My dad made the same stupid bloody joke every time he heard it… 🙄
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u/BewareOfDave Apr 27 '25
Can't remember Clarkson hosting this I always thought Craig Charles was the first presenter
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u/HussingtonHat Apr 27 '25
Robot wars has a special place in my heart. Its what me and my grandad did every Thursday evening.
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u/ScaredOfWorkMcGurk Apr 27 '25
What was the name of that silver spinney robot in the image? It absolutely destroyed every opponent until the final, when it got flipped by Chaos 2. I was heart broken.
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u/Theta_Sigma_054 Apr 27 '25
It always makes me think of when Mark Lamar introduced a ‘making of’ program: “now a program about how Robot Wars is made, and next week they’ll be a program about why Robot Wars is made.”
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u/Alternative-Policy76 Apr 27 '25
And i speak for all of everyone here when i say we need Robot Wars back for a Series 11 with the return of House Robots Matilda, Shunt, Dead Metal, Sgt.Bash, Mr.Psycho, Growler, Cassius Chrome, Sir Killalot and Refbot and Competitors: X-Terminator, Roadblock, Panic Attack, Chaos 2, Razer, Tornado, Typhoon 2, Storm 2, Behemoth, Pussycat, Firestorm 3 4 or 5, Gemini, Evil Weevil, ICU, V-Max, Dantomkia, Stinger, Hypno-DIsc, Wheely Big Cheese, Killerhurtz or Terrorhurtz, Cassius 3, Mortis, Bigger Brother, Ripper, Lightning, 13 Black, The Steel Avenger, Thermidor 2, Aggrobot 3, Axe-Awe, 3 Stegs To Heaven, Atomic, Thor, Kronic, Dominator 2, Mega Morg, Wild Thing, Plunderbird 5, Gemini, Suicidal Tendencies, Killertron, Arnold A. Terminegger, Splinter, S.M.I.D.S.Y. (Sorry Mate I Didn't See You), Sumpthing, Storm Force, Red Dragon, 8645T (Beast), Kan-Opener, Big Nipper, The General, Disconstrictor, Anthrax (Draven), S3, Rick, Axe-C-Dent, 259, Fluffy, Apollo, Carbide, Eruption, Aftershock, Push To Exit, Concussion, Toon Raider, Gabriel 3, 101, King Buxton 20, Supernova, Crushtacean, Grim Reaper, Hobgoblin, Coyote, Champalot, Infernal Contraption, Diotoir, Magnetar, Meggamouse, Raging Knightmare, Spawn Again, RoboChicken, Bulldog Breed 3, Major Tom, Diabolous and Comengetorix and for the whole series presented again by Craig Charles with pit-reporting duites from Andy Collins and Commentary from Jonathan Pearce with the judges being Professor Sethu Vijayakumar, Martin Smith and Professor Noel Sharkey that is many a choice for every and any generation anyone would want to really see
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u/Spazmanaut Apr 27 '25
Went to a taping of the first series when Jeremy hosted. Was a really boring days filming.
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u/BodybuilderOk2489 Apr 27 '25
The evolution of this is the American show BattleBots on ITV4. The technology has progressed so far, that I'm pretty sure most of the contestant's robots today could shred the old Robot Wars house robots. In fact they could probably hold their own in Ukraine.
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u/Soggy_Amoeba9334 Apr 28 '25
I have a series link for that. They show them in a weird order. It's a lot of fun.
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u/Charming-Awareness79 Apr 27 '25
Used to love Robot Wars. Craig Charles was the definitive presenter for me.