Setting up for its 10th series now is one of Channel 4's best shows. Like all great shows its had its issues, dull series', presenter changes and spin-offs but finally after 2 years off Scrapheap Challenge is finally back.
The application form for Scrapheap is pretty much in line with the rest of the show. There are no fancy graphics and the whole thing's done on a word processor rather than a big Photoshoppy graphics program. The series 10 application form calls for 'Budding Backyard Brunels' to take on 12 of supposedly their best challenges yet. The build-time is still set at 10 hours and hasn't changed in the main series since series 1 which had teams building until sunset. Which was probably 10 hours really.
The form asks for the team member's names, their team name and any reason behind it, their relationship and interests in the first section. Interesting requests in the next section include nicknames with 'Go on, even the bad ones' in brackets next to it and any unusual hobbies, talents or skills as well as passions and any amazing facts.
Then comes the mechanical skills, this year the applicants must (it says at the top) be proficient in handling welding and cutting machinery. Then they're asked to rate their skill level (from beginner to great) in these areas. Welding, Cutting, Sawing, Joining, Turning, General mechanics, General electrics, Familiarity with engines, Hydraulics and most interestingly Swimming. Team members are then invited to give their ideal challenge. Its an interesting form, if a little badly formatted.
Scrapheap started in 1998 as Scrapheap. Without the Challenge though its always been abbreviated to Scrapheap by its friends. Sally Gray was an original host as well alongside the ever reliable Robert Llewellen. 2 teams who were the same each week would compete to build a different machine each week from whatever they could find on the scrapheap. Whoever's machine performed best in the test were the winners. Easy.
Series 2 changed the format. Now there were 8 teams competing in a knock-out competition. Each team had 3 members and would be joined by an expert in the field of whatever they were building to provide assistance. Sally Gray was also gone, off to present the first series of 50/50 presumably and replaced by series co-creator Cathy Rogers.
The rules as they were for series 2 still exist to this day. Teams get 10 hours to build their machines with help from their experts. Each team has a captain who can only venture outside the team build area onto the scrapheap itself if the team's 2 scavengers (normal non-captain or expert members) can't get a piece of scrap out by themselves even with the help of the quad bike they have to get around (complete with trailer). If specialist equipment is needed such as rockets they are provided, but hidden on the heap. The exception is for stuff like vehicle seats which will be provided for safety reasons if the ones the teams have don't meet the requirements. Once the build time is up the machines are transported to the test site where they are allowed an hour of tinkering time to make any required modifications or repairs using their basic tools.
From series 5 onwards Robert Llewellen has presented the show alongside Lisa Rogers. I'm assured she is no relation to Cathy.
There have been multiple spin-offs. First came Junkyard Wars, the American version produced and co-presented by Cathy Rogers with the very able assistance of Tyler Durden. The British and American shows have joined together multiple times to pit the UK against the USA. Annoyingly this usually takes place on our heap and we get beaten.
Three teams competed in Scrapheap Mega Challenge. The USA, the UK and China all came together to fight the ultimate challenge. To create a multi-purpose vehicle for 3 tests. Because of the enormity of the challenge teams were given 20 hours of build time over 2 days. China got beat by a long long way.
Cathy Rogers popped up again in 2002 for spiritual spin-off Full Metal Challenge. 27 teams had constructed multi-purpose vehicles in their own time and were then brought to an abandoned nuclear power plant where a sadistic funfair had been constructed to test these machines. The teams were building blindly not knowing what their challenges would be. The series took the form of a knockout tournament with 3 teams per heat with only the winner going through. Personal favourite challenges for me include Roller Coaster, a tricky winding track not that dissimilar to Trackmania. King of the Hill, a race to capture 2 coloured mounds and then climb a giant hill in the middle of the arena and then Grand National, the series' grand finale race around a tough waterlogged course over multiple fences. FMC lasted only one series, which was a shame.
Then came Zero to Hero. Again not a Scrapheap affiliate but no-doubt inspired by and pandering to the same crowd. 2 teams of 3 each with an expert would scavenge equipment from a warehouse and try to create the equipment to transform one of their members into a superhero! Or as was more often the case, a lycra clad idiot with a vacuum cleaner strapped to their back. An ex-Marvel artist and costume designer were on hand to create the look and the whole thing was immensely entertaining. It lasted 2 series'.
Then came The Scrappy Races. 4 teams this time built road legal vehicles (again in their own time) and then travelled to 4 different scrapheaps across Britain to adapt their vehicles for 4 different challenges. This was a proper Scrapheap spin-off and as such had many familiar teams involved. It has had 2 series' so far with the second series extended to 5 stages. Build time was shorter than normal Scrapheap though at 8 hours.
Then finally is Scrappy Races Rally. Again 4 teams, again 4 vehicles built in their own time and again 5 challenges with 8 hours build time. However speed was everything. As soon as the klaxon for the start of the build went the teams were on their own time. Once they were done they had to pack up and leave the scrapheap to stop the clock. The time was then totted up like a normal rally so building quickly was the key to victory as well as driving well and having a mechanism that worked fast. In this series simply doing the job wasn't enough, it had to do it well.
After every series the series winners take on the Champions. Originally the previous series winners and since a title that must be defended like a challenge belt in boxing or wrestling. The Champions title was held by the Megalomaniacs for 2 years until they were beaten by 2001 winners the Cat-ylists, a team of Jaguar engineers. The Cats have defended the title relentlessly ever since.
Scrapheap's 10th series (dispite only running for 8) is a time for celebration. So we shall overlook the mind-numbing boredom of series 8 and look forward to this new dawn.
Scrapheap Challenge returns to Channel 4 Sunday April 8th at 5:40pm.
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