BBC ends Robot Wars for the second time

UK broadcaster BBC Two has killed off its mech-on-mech battle format Robot Wars for the second time.

The series, which is from Mentorn Scotland and SPJ Media and counts Passion Distribution as its international vendor, has run for three seasons.

The original run came 1998 and 2004, and its revival was greeted with a widely positive response from viewers and the international TV community.

However, the BBC claimed it needed “room for new shows”, and was therefore ending the series.

Robot Wars sees teams enter customised robots into one-on-one battles in a specially built arena, with powerful house robots adding an extra layer of danger. Dara O’Brien and Angela Scanlon presented the most recent incarnation.

Producers are likely to look for a new home for the show, with a tweet from the programme’s official Twitter feed including a #BringBackRobotWars hashtag.

The finished series has sold around the world, though Passion has not yet shopped international versions since relaunching it to market a few years back.

Sad to confirm the BBC’s decision to de-activate our House Robots. A huge thank you to Dara & Angela, our brilliant judges Noel, Lucy & Sethu, all of the amazing teams and most of all…you for joining us on this amazing robot smashing adventure. #BringBackRobotWars #RobotWars

— Robot Wars (@UKRobotWars) March 16, 2018