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"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 Julia Reed

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

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

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

Seeded robots[]

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

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

Heats[]

Heat A[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat A

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 2, Tiberius, MouseTrap, Little Fly, Weld-Dor 2, Sump Thing

Eliminators

  • Evil Weevil 2 vs MouseTrap vs Tiberius: Evil Weevil 2 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

Round 2

Semi-Final 2[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Semi-Final 2

Round 1

Round 2

Grand Final[]

Main article: Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Grand Final

Eliminators

Playoff

Final

Awards[]

Main article: Robot Wars Awards

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

Trial Competitions[]

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

Pinball[]

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

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

Winner: Gemini

Sumo[]

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

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

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

Winner: Panic Attack

Christmas Specials[]

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

Celebrity Special[]

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

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

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:

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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