Robot Wars: Series 8 (found Science Channel reruns of robot combat game show; 2018)

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Robotwars2016logo.jpg

Series 8 logo.

Status: Found

Date found: 6 Sep 2022

Found by: Deadeye John

Robot Wars: Series 8 is as the name suggests the eighth season of the BBC robot combat game show Robot Wars. A reboot of the show, the series originally ran from 24th July to 28th August 2016 on BBC 2. From August to September 2018, Science Channel would air reruns of the series, featuring commentary from Bill Seward.

Background

In July 2018, parent company Discovery, who would later air the reboot series of BattleBots, announced that Science Channel would broadcast reruns of Robot Wars: Series 8, with its premiere episode being set for 8th August 2018.[1][2] This would mark the reboot series' first airing in the United States.[1]

The six episodes would air between 8th August to 12th September 2018.[2] Compared to the original BBC 2 episodes, some changes were apparent.[3] The main difference between the two versions was that commentary from Jonathan Pearce was replaced by analysis from fellow sports commentator Bill Seward.[3] Seward would also replace the roles of hosts Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon, who only appeared in brief segments of the show.[3] Furthermore, the series was known simply as Robot Wars, with each episode being given a name, Heat 1 being called "First Blood".[2] Finally, the statsboards used to provide key information about robots like weight and armour were altered, utilising the imperial system.

Ultimately, the Science Channel reruns were not well-received.[4] Some fans criticised the alterations for their focus on providing BattleBots-esque edits that removed the show's charm.[4] Additionally, Seward's commentary was also panned for being generic and lacking the enthusiasm of Pearce's original voiceover.[4]

Availability

Because of the reruns' unpopularity, the majority of Science Channel episodes of Robot Wars: Series 8 became lost media. The only full episode that was currently publicly available prior to September 2022 was Heat 1/"First Blood", having been uploaded to YouTube alongside a trailer promoting the episodes. Additionally, a few clips of the other episodes, including "Thor's Fury", "Flip Happens", "Going Airborne", "Hell On Wheels", and "Championship Clash",[2] were uploaded onto Science Channel's Facebook page in August and September 2018.

By 6th September 2022, all episodes were found and uploaded onto YouTube by a user under the alias of "Deadeye John".

Gallery

Videos

Trailer for the series.

Episode 1, AKA "First Blood".

Episode 2, AKA "Thor's Fury".

Episode 3, AKA "Flip Happens".

Episode 4, AKA "Going Airborne".

Episode 5, AKA "Hell On Wheels".

Episode 6, AKA "Championship Clash".

See Also

External Links

References