With Angela Scanlon and Jonathan Pearce

Dara O Briain is to host BBC Two’s revival of Robot Wars.

He will be joined by fellow Irish presenter Angela Scanlon, with Jonathan Pearce returning as commentator.

A new purpose-built fighting arena  is being constructed in Glasgow for the new six-part series show, using  state-of-the-art cameras .

O Briain said: ‘I am thrilled to be presenting Robot Wars. For too long, the schedules have cried out for a show in which dedicated amateurs, toiling day and night, handcraft sophisticated automatons built on the delicate interplay of hand-wired servo motors with custom-built circuit boards and fingertip motion control, just to see them get smashed to pieces by a dustbin carrying a massive hammer. It’s war, and how I love it so.’

The BBC’s acting controller of entertainment, Alan Tyler, added: ‘Dara is the perfect host for Robot Wars. Funny, intelligent, warm and genuinely enthused by both the engineering science and the passionate people behind the machines. I’m slightly worried he may actually apply to be a contestant. 

‘Angela’s razor-sharp wit and clever curiosity, alongside Jonathan’s expertise and insight, complete a perfect partnership. We can’t wait to bring the new series to the BBC Two’s audience.’

A new  logo for the series has also been unveiled. Executive producer Andrew Robertson gushed about the ‘seismic updated tonal shift’ of the design.

The show first aired in 1998 and ran until 2004, although an air date for the reboot has yet to be confirmed.

Tickets are available for the recordings of the show here. 
 

Published: 3 Feb 2016