Dara Ó Briain to co-present Robot Wars reboot with Jonathan Pearce returning as commentator
Dara Ó Briain will co-present Robot Wars when BBC Two reboots the much loved series.
Dara Ó Briain
The comedian and Mock the Week presenter will be accompanied by fellow Irish broadcaster Angela Scanlon.
In presenting the show the duo will meet with the competing teams to discuss their robots as well as obtain feedback from the judges.
While Ó Briain and Scanlon will replace former host Craig Charles, some familiar names will return to the fold. Jonathan Pearce, best known for his work as a football broadcaster, will reprise his role as commentator on the show.
O Briain said he is “thrilled” to be presenting the programme. "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."
Scanlon, who has previously worked for Irish broadcaster RTE, said she was “excited to be joining such a legendary show that, after all this time, still manages to make people squeal with joy.”
She added: “I cannot wait to see the robots in all their metallic glory playfully destroying each other."
Speaking of his return Pearce said the show was “an immensely enjoyable programme to commentate on,” and added that he was “delighted to be involved and back among the cut and thrust of the robot battles."
The reboot of the show will be filmed in a purpose built venue in Glasgow and was commissioned by BBC2 and BBC4 controller, Kim Shillinglaw, who said the concept of the show was a "fantastic example of the kind of content-rich factual entertainment that BBC2 excels at".