BBC Robot Wars

I think, personally, they're finding the selection process a bit difficult. I received an email yesterday with a questionaire on which "would be used to select the participants". That's on the 25th January, near enough 6 days before the end of the month when they're supposed to make their decision. But now they're wanting to know more about the teams involved, what makes them tick¸hoping to pick up a sob story - as is the case with a lot of televised competitions these days it seems.

I'm not going to fill out the form to be honest, I wanted to take part on the basis of my idea for a robot, not on the basis of how many sugars I have in my tea. Maybe next year!

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But now they're wanting to know more about the teams involved, what makes them tick¸hoping to pick up a sob story - as is the case with a lot of televised competitions these days it seems.

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Personally, i think that's unlikely. The BBC have already said that this new series will have more of a focus on the engineering than before; their stated aims include providing inspiration for the next generation of engineers. With that in mind, i think they will look to minimise the 'reality TV' theatrics. I suspect their selection process will be driven primarily by finding interesting machines. I also think they will be looking for a good mixture of machines built by professional engineers, and those built by chaps in sheds using bits of scrap they found in a skip.

This is all my opinion / conjecture, obviously.

"...those built by chaps in sheds using bits of scrap they found in a skip..."

Damn it I should have applied!

I think they will just want a spread of different robot types, regardless of the team's background. Something like Thor or Big Nipper would get straight in as there aren't many hammers and grabbers about, but I think if all the flipper teams apply they'll end up picking a select few.

I entered the trials for series 7 with Pressure mkII, I was in with two established robots and one newcomer.
The newcomer kept grounding and broke down pretty quickly, Pressure mkII battled on but was beaten by the more experienced team's machines.
Three out of four in each trial were to go through to the show, we're in I thought.
The newcomer was allowed onto the show, instead of Pressure, because "they had amusing costumes"!
The irony is, when they went on the show their robot broke down in the bull pen behind the arena and they never made it into the arena, their robot and costumes were never seen!
TV producers and directors like to make good telly, they don't usually care how they get it, rules will be bent and goalposts moved if it suits them.
I have worked with Robot Wars, Holby City (with robots!), Mechannibles, scrapheap Challenge and Top Gear, I speak from experience.
Mike.

Come to think of it, Top Gear still owes me £200!!!

I worry with all this rush their will be a lot of "the current scene robots" with some extra armour and nothing new. The time scale is so unrealistic. I would like to see big nipper on tv again,Thor, and a few others, but without thinking of flippers I can't seem to thing what else their is.

The restrictions on spinners over the post-TV years will have really held back their development. I suspect this new series will be dominated by the big flippers. If they decide to commission more series, then i think the range of truly effective weapons / designs will start to diversify pretty quickly.

Yeah if it went to full combat you'd see stuff like Electric Boogaloo and Last Rites appearing.

I agree with you, it will make things difficult for the bbc when theirs loads of flippers, especially with how good they are anything different will be out in the early rounds. I just hope they don't ruin it bringing it back as their won't be another series. All the audience loved spinners but with the timeframe you would have your work cut out building something new. Their maybe some that dust off their old spinners but would they cut it today against Hardox.

Hardox or not I don't think the monocoque design of the modern heavy flippers are braced enough to stand up to something like last rights. You'd need a welded brick to take the hits. I have a feeling that's why the American heavy scene went the same way as the British weight classes that allow spinners. I.e., if you dont have a spinner you have an invertible bulldozer brick to stand up to one.