Ever conscious of an unduly beloved dormant property the BBC have given the green light to a new series of Robot Wars. We are promised 6 shows with a ‘new structure with more robots, more battles and more science than ever before.’

So we may get GoPro cameras on the robots themselves but will we see the return of Shunt, Sergeant Bash, Matilda and Sir Killalot? We can but hope.

The story broke earlier today with the BBC’s press office quoting acting controller of entertainment Alan Tyler when announcing the new series, ‘The redeveloped Robot Wars proved compelling – offering a mix of real people, real passion and raw power.’ I was hoping he’d say Real Steel in there too, and then go on to announce Hugh Jackman was fronting the series.

Craig Charles was the beleathered Cheshire cat who shouted his way through the first TV incarnation and nostalgia dictates that he should be somewhere involved in this new go around the battlebot arena. The series went through a number of iterations (EXTREME, Annihilator, etc) since it was dropped from BBC Two in 2001. But the BBC have decided now the time is right to bring the whole thing back.

My memories of it are foggy at best. I remember a lot of this:

robot wars 2

and very occasionally some of this,

robot wars 3

but if I’m honest it was the behind the scenes elements, where teams of excitable young men, or teams of fathers and their children which stuck with me most.

The nostalgia factor is there for sure, and you can bet the BBC will want to make this a mini-Top Gear (after all, Jeremy Clarkson presented the first series) with added retro value, but what I hope is that a new generation of ‘roboteers’ come forward in their thousands. And we see the tinpot smashing contest retain its grassroots, home-made feel. The pride in their faces (and the anguish when their Knife/Toaster 9000 got pushed into a fire pit) was always a good thing to see.

We’ll update when we know more. Until then – to the shed!