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HIGHLIGHTS
REG BBC One, Mon 6 Jun, 9pm Feature length political drama from Jimmy McGovern starring Tim Roth as Reg, a man who stands against Tony Blair after his son is killed in Iraq.
THE REVENANT DVD / Blu-ray, Mon 6 Jun Brutal yet beautiful tale of survival in the snowy wild west centred around an Oscar-winning performance from Leonardo DiCaprio.
AGATHA RAISIN Sky 1, Tue 7 Jun, 9pm Quirky comedic murder mystery based on the novels of MC Beaton with Ashley Jensen in the title role. Back for a full series after a one-off festive special in 2014.
OUTCAST FOX, Tue 7 Jun, 10pm Moving from zombies to demons in this new horror from Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. See review, page 103.
WAYWARD PINES SEASON 2 FOX, Wed 8 Jun, 9pm Dark sci-fi starring Matt Dillon. Can Wayward Pines survive the big twist in Season 1?
NEW BLOOD BBC One, Thu 9 Jun, 9pm Fraud officer Stefan Kowolski (Mark Strepan) and PC Arrash ‘Rash’ Sayyad (Ben Tavassoli) investigate murder and corruption in the pharmaceutical industry.
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK SEASON 4 Netflix, Fri 17 Jun Piper (Taylor Schilling) and co return to Litchfield Penitentiary in this dramedy set in a women’s correctional institution.
ZOOTROPOLIS DVD / Blu-ray, Mon 25 Jul Top-notch animated anthropomorphic police comedy from Disney.
THE GET DOWN Netflix, Fri 12 Aug New series from Baz Luhrmann, following a group of teenagers in 70s New York during the early days of hip hop (with a dash of disco and a side order of funk).
WORLD OF WARCRAFT: LEGION PC, Tue 30 Aug Following the release of a big-budget movie, the latest expansion set for the world’s most popular MMORPG introduces a new ‘demon hunter’ class, raises existing level caps and includes new areas, dungeons and raids. (Henry Northmore)
2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 103
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
As cult show Robot Wars returns, co-hosts Dara Ó Briain and Angela Scanlon tell Henry Northmore why they can’t wait for the
mechanical carnage to commence
H idden deep within an industrial estate in Paisley something is stirring. The acrid stench of burnt metal mixes with the sound of rending steel echoing through a cavernous warehouse. From the outside it looks so innocent, but inside, a dormant machine has awakened. Robot
Wars is back. Bigger and badder than ever.
For anyone who doesn’t remember the show which ran from 2001 to 2003 on the BBC, before making a brief move to Channel 5 for its i nal season, it was the ultimate in geek gladiatorial combat as teams pitched their homemade robots against each other in a test of strength and power. A series of one-on-one matches ensued as mechanised warriors fought while trying to avoid deadly traps and the lethal ‘house robots’ (Sir Killalot, Matilda, Shunt and Dead Metal). You can hear the crunch of grinding metal before you even enter the arena. The 22-meter squared i ghting pit is surrounded by 37 tonnes of polycarbonate bulletproof glass to protect the audience. Each death match is a blizzard of circular saws, hammers, l ippers and spinners. ‘Now they have spinners, these arms that spin round at 3000 revs per minute, they do proper damage,’ explains new presenter Dara Ó Briain obviously still hyped from the last battle. ‘The number of times we’ve had things smash into the glass in front of us! You can see it just below you: steaming shrapnel basically.’
‘You are completely immersed in their world,’ adds co-host Angela Scanlon. ‘They’ve spent three years building a robot, painstakingly putting it together and it takes three seconds to demolish it in front of everybody. You can’t help but be engrossed in that.’ When you enter the ginormous studio, you’re swallowed up by a pumped-up crowd baying for mechanical carnage. Head house robot Sir Killalot is greeted like a rock star with a burst of Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ over the PA. In person, Sir Killalot is an intimidating beast. He’s doubled in size since he was last on our screens 13 years ago, now weighing in at a terrifying three quarters of a ton. Behind the scenes the backstage pit buzzes with energy. This is a dream come true for the amateur roboteers who tinker with their creations. Advances in technology have made their motorized marvels even more deadly, with custom 3D printed parts, lithium batteries and access to Hardox (hardened steel used in tanks) and the house robots no longer rule the roost.
But once they leave the kill l oor there’s a real sense of camaraderie. ‘In one i ght a robot was taken apart, absolutely destroyed,’ recalls Ó Briain. ‘There were four or i ve different teams gathered around one table welding pieces together to get that robot out again for the next i ght.’ It’s the contestants’ passion and excitement that really makes Robot Wars unique. ‘We have a father and daughter team, and the girl was a Robot Wars baby,’ says Scanlon. ‘Her mum went into labour while watching her husband i ght. She’s back with her dad and his old team mate going through it all again. It’s kind of heartwarming and totally bonkers.’
Robot Wars returns to BBC Two this summer (date tbc).