Robot Wars (lost work on unfinished cartoon series based on robot combat game show; existence unconfirmed; 2002-2004): Difference between revisions

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==Background==
==Background==
By January 2002, ''Robot Wars'' hits its worldwide popularity peak. According to an article by ''The Guardian'', the show by then had been sold to twenty countries, with some also broadcasting spin-off shows, including ''Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors'' in the United States, and Dutch and German series too. It was also expected to generate more than £100 million in TV rights and merchandise sales. ''Robot Wars'' proved especially enticing to children; by 2001, the show established a 34% share of all children watching British terrestrial television.<ref>[https://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-challenge-decision-results/o09011.pdf Court case involving ''Robot Wars'', which discussed its success and popularity with children.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref>
By January 2002, ''Robot Wars'' reached its worldwide popularity peak. According to an article by ''The Guardian'', the show by then had been sold to twenty countries, with some also broadcasting spin-off shows, including ''Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors'' in the United States, and Dutch and German series too. It was also expected to generate more than £100 million in TV rights and merchandise sales. ''Robot Wars'' proved especially enticing to children; by 2001, the show established a 34% share of all children watching British terrestrial television.<ref>[https://www.ipo.gov.uk/t-challenge-decision-results/o09011.pdf Court case involving ''Robot Wars'', which discussed its success and popularity with children.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref>


Henceforth, Mentorn decided that a cartoon series based on the show would be ideal to further capitalise on the show's popularity with children. According to ''The Guardian'', Mentorn had begun to plan this show by January 2002, with the aim of producing episodes over the next two years. These episodes would then be broadcast between 2004 and 2005.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/jan/11/broadcasting1 ''The Guardian'' article discussing the main show's success, as well as Mentorn planning a cartoon series.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref> The main narrative of the cartoon is unknown, but according to ''Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports'', the main show's House Robots would be key characters in the cartoon spin-off.<ref>''Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports'', which briefly discussed the cartoon. Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref> Ultimately, the cartoon never appeared on television screens, as ''Robot Wars'' was cancelled in 2004 following poor Series 7 ratings on Channel 5, the channel having acquired the show from BBC 2 in 2003.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/21/broadcasting.channel5 ''The Guardian'' discussing ''Robot Wars'' on Channel 5, and its poor ratings that would ultimately lead to its cancellation.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/25/bbc.channel5 ''The Guardian'' discussing Channel 5 acquiring TV rights for ''Robot Wars''.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref>
Henceforth, Mentorn decided that a cartoon series based on the show would be ideal to further capitalise on the show's popularity with children. According to ''The Guardian'', Mentorn had begun to plan this show by January 2002, with the aim of producing episodes over the next two years. These episodes would then be broadcast between 2004 and 2005.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/jan/11/broadcasting1 ''The Guardian'' article discussing the main show's success, as well as Mentorn planning a cartoon series.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref> The main narrative of the cartoon is unknown, but according to ''Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports'', the main show's House Robots would be key characters in the cartoon spin-off.<ref>''Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports'', which briefly discussed the cartoon. Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref> Ultimately, the cartoon never appeared on television screens, as ''Robot Wars'' was cancelled in 2004 following poor Series 7 ratings on Channel 5, the channel having acquired the show from BBC 2 in 2003.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/21/broadcasting.channel5 ''The Guardian'' discussing ''Robot Wars'' on Channel 5, and its poor ratings that would ultimately lead to its cancellation.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/25/bbc.channel5 ''The Guardian'' discussing Channel 5 acquiring TV rights for ''Robot Wars''.] Retrieved 1 Aug '21</ref>
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==See Also==
==See Also==
*[[1995 Robot Wars UK Open (partially found rejected robot combat TV show pilot; 1995)]]
*[[1995 Robot Wars UK Open (partially found rejected robot combat TV show pilot; 1995)]]
*[[American Robot Wars 2000 (lost MTV pilot of British robot combat game show; 2000)]]
*[[BattleBots (found Comedy Central robot combat game show; 2000-2002)]]
*[[BattleBots (found Comedy Central robot combat game show; 2000-2002)]]
*[[BattleBots (lost build of unreleased GameCube/PlayStation 2 game based on combat TV series; 2003)]]
*[[BattleBots (lost build of unreleased GameCube/PlayStation 2 game based on robot combat TV series; 2003)]]
*[[BattleBots Collegiate Championship (partially lost unaired spinoff of robot combat TV show; 2009)]]
*[[BattleBots Collegiate Championship (partially lost unaired spinoff of robot combat TV show; 2009)]]
*[[Mechanoids (partially found BBC game show; 2003)]]
*[[Mechanoids (partially found BBC robot combat game show; 2003)]]
*[[Robot Wars (lost MTV pilot of British robot combat gameshow; 2000)]]
*[[Plunderbirds: Talk Robots (partially found unfinished robot combat mockumentary film; 2019)]]
*[[Robot Wars (lost near death footage of Jeremy Clarkson from robot combat gameshow; 1998)]]
*[[Robot Wars (found cameos of robot combat-themed BBC 2 ident; 1999-2000)]]
*[[Robot Wars (partially found unaired or partially aired battles of BBC gameshow; 1998-2017)]]
*[[Robot Wars (lost footage and HSE documentation of behind-the-scenes accidents of BBC robot combat game show; 1998-1999)]]
*[[Robot Wars (partially found uncut battles from BBC robot combat gameshow; 1998-2017)]]
*[[Robot Wars (lost near-death footage of Jeremy Clarkson from robot combat game show; 1998)]]
*[[Robot Wars (partially found footage of robot combat show qualifying auditions and battles; 1998-2003)]]
*[[Robot Wars (partially found unaired or partially aired battles of BBC robot combat game show; 1998-2017)]]
*[[Robot Wars (partially found uncut battles from BBC robot combat game show; 1998-2017)]]
*[[Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1 (lost original BBC Choice version of robot combat battle; 2001)]]
*[[Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1 (lost original BBC Choice version of robot combat battle; 2001)]]
*[[Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors: Season 1 (found TNN robot combat gameshow; 2001)]]
*[[Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors: Season 1 (found TNN robot combat game show; 2001)]]
*[[Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors: Season 2 (partially found behind-the-scenes footage of TNN robot combat gameshow; 2002)]]
*[[Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors: Season 2 (partially found behind-the-scenes footage of TNN robot combat game show; 2002)]]
*[[Robot Wars Revealed (partially found BBC Choice spin-off of robot combat gameshow; 1998)]]
*[[Robot Wars Revealed (partially found BBC Choice spin-off of robot combat game show; 1998-2000)]]
*[[Robot Wars: Series 3 (lost HSE documentation concerning behind-the-scenes accidents; 1999)]]
*[[Robot Wars: Series 8 (lost unaired pilot of BBC robot combat game show; 2016)]]
*[[Robot Wars: Series 8 (lost unaired pilot of BBC gameshow; 2016)]]
*[[Robot Wars: The Kick-Off (lost BNN robot combat special; 2001)]]
*[[Robot Wars: The Kick-Off (lost BNN robot combat special; 2001)]]
*[[Robotica (found TLC robot combat game show; 2001-2003)]]
*[[Robotica (found TLC robot combat game show; 2001-2003)]]
*[[Robots Revenge (lost Discovery robot combat documentary series; 2001)]]
*[[Robots Revenge (partially found Discovery robot combat documentary series; 2001)]]
*[[Why Hypno-Disc can't work in an office (found testing video of Robot Wars competitor; 2000, 2007)]]
*[[Why Hypno-Disc can't work in an office (found testing video of Robot Wars competitor; 2000, 2007)]]



Latest revision as of 10:40, 28 April 2022

Robot wars title.jpg

Title card used for the British version of the show.

Status: Existence Unconfirmed

Robot Wars is a British robot combat game show produced by Mentorn. Broadcast on BBC Two and Channel Five from 1998-2004, and from 2016 to 2017, the premise involved machines built by amateur engineers battling other competitors in combat. A major success in the early 2000s, a few sources stated that a cartoon series based on the show was being produced, but this ultimately never materialised

Background

By January 2002, Robot Wars reached its worldwide popularity peak. According to an article by The Guardian, the show by then had been sold to twenty countries, with some also broadcasting spin-off shows, including Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors in the United States, and Dutch and German series too. It was also expected to generate more than £100 million in TV rights and merchandise sales. Robot Wars proved especially enticing to children; by 2001, the show established a 34% share of all children watching British terrestrial television.[1]

Henceforth, Mentorn decided that a cartoon series based on the show would be ideal to further capitalise on the show's popularity with children. According to The Guardian, Mentorn had begun to plan this show by January 2002, with the aim of producing episodes over the next two years. These episodes would then be broadcast between 2004 and 2005.[2] The main narrative of the cartoon is unknown, but according to Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, the main show's House Robots would be key characters in the cartoon spin-off.[3] Ultimately, the cartoon never appeared on television screens, as Robot Wars was cancelled in 2004 following poor Series 7 ratings on Channel 5, the channel having acquired the show from BBC 2 in 2003.[4][5]

Status

While the concept of a cartoon series based on Robot Wars has been verified by reputable sources, whether any animation was made prior to the show being shelved remains unconfirmed. The Guardian and Gearheads mention that Mentorn did indeed have plans for the cartoon, with two years to produce the show. However, whether actual work was done on the show was not confirmed by either source. There was also no news from Mentorn or other reputable sources regarding development of the cartoon. Hence, it is unknown whether the cartoon was scrapped at the conceptual stage, or was cancelled during development.

See Also

References