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Scrapheap Challenge

Two rival teams are given the task of building some kind of machine, in one day, using only the items found in an unusually well-stocked scrapyard. Machines constructed to date have included trebuchets, hovercraft, rockets, and more.

10 Votes (7.5)

1998 HD United Kingdom English Ended
Game-show
engineering contests and competitions expert opinion

Credits:

Robert Llewellyn

Lisa Rogers

Dick Strawbridge

S1E1 - Hovercraft 1998-04-12

The teams must build Hovercrafts in the Pilot of the now successful show.

S1E2 - Siege Engines 1998-09-13

In the first episode of the first series the two teams must make siege engines.

S1E3 - Power Pullers 1998-09-20

In this episode the two teams most make machines capable of moving heavy weights.

S1E4 - Sub-Aqua 1998-09-27

This week the two teams must make diving rings from the scrap.

S1E5 - Powerboats 1998-10-04

In this episode the two teams must make powers boats from the scrap.

S1E6 - Off Road Buggies 1998-10-11

In this episode the teams must make buggies that are capable of going off road.

S2E1 - Flying Machines 1999-09-05

In this episode the two teams must make a machine capable of flight.

S2E2 - Cannons 1999-09-12

In this episode the two teams must create fully functional cannons

S2E3 - Amphibious Vehicles 1999-09-19

Robert Llewellyn and co-presenter Cathy Rogers unveil a doubly hard challenge - build a car that thinks its a boat!

S2E4 - Land Yachts 1999-09-26

The teams are asked to build a yacht, but not one for the high seas - a land yacht capable of carrying the entire team. The winners will sail through to the semi-finals.

S2E5 - Mileage Marathon 1999-10-03

The first of the Scrapheap Challenge semi-finals, where two teams are challenged to build a vehicle to travel as far as possible on only a cup of petrol.

S2E6 - Marine Salvage 1999-10-10

The challenge is to build a salvage machine capable of raising a Mini from the bottom of a murky lake and park it safely in a car park.

S2E7 - Final: Walking Machines 1999-10-17

The teams are challenged to make a walking machine: the winning contraption must carry the whole team and a heavy safe across a haphazard obstacle course.

S3E1 - Demolition 2000-09-17

The teams each have to build a machine capable of demolishing a set of industrial outbuildings at an old power station in Norwich. Sadly, no explosives are allowed, but they manage all the same. The Beach Boys, a group of twentysomething surfers, decide on a straightforward, human-powered battering ram, and do something no other team has ever managed — they finish building before time is up. The Chaos Crew keeps the Junkyard Wars tradition alive, with a great, big, nasty-looking machine. They build a big hydraulic claw that can rip down walls.

S3E2 - Aerial Bomber 2000-09-24

Teams must build a nonpiloted flying vehicle that can accurately drop paint bombs on a target on the ground. Both teams need to go with radio-controlled vehicles, but thats where the similarities end. Three Revs a Minute are three trainee ministers (Get it? Revs?) who decide to build a working model airplane. Their opponents, The Mothers of Invention, go for a big blimp made of Mylar. The challenge begins at 3 a.m., since both teams want to avoid any wind.

S3E3 - Underwater Chariot 2000-10-01

In this challenge, The N.E.R.D.S. (New England Rubbish Deconstruction Society) — the first American team to compete in the show — take on The Dipsticks, three undersea-oil-drilling platform engineers. The task of the day turns out to be a minisubmarine, which can pull two scuba-clad divers around an underwater obstacle course. The Dipsticks create an elaborate vehicle to ride in. The N.E.R.D.S. stick to their KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy and build a James-Bond-style diver tow, a submersible engine and a propeller, which pulls the divers behind it.

S3E4 - Windmill 2000-10-08

The Techno-Teachers go up against The Manic Mechanics to see who can harness the forces of Mother Nature and build a windmill to power a machine crucial to life as we know it — a coffee grinder! One team constructs a conventional fan-bladed windmill, while their opponents go for a vertical-axis Savonious rotor. Quick on-screen sketches reveal which is best for which wind conditions. But a half-hour before the competition, the weather services release a gale warning, forcing one team to clip the blades off their windmill for fear of having them ripped off. But at competition time, the wind doesnt get over 2 miles per hour.

S3E5 - Missile Launcher 2000-10-15

This time, a team called Filth goes up against the winner of Demolition (Chaos Crew or Beach Boys) to design and build a machine that can throw a rugby football as far as possible using only their own muscle power, so no motors allowed. They have to create something that can store muscle power gradually, then release it in a controlled burst. Filth decides to ignore their expert and creates a huge cross-bow-type machine. The other team decides to pump up an air cannon to shoot the ball. And while the winner cant be revealed, one team captain manages to throw his rugby ball farther than his machine could.

S3E6 - Bridging Machines 2000-10-22

Brothers in Arms go up against the winner of Bomber (3 Revs a Minute or Mothers of Invention) in a challenge to build a vehicle that can carry all four members across a 30-foot ravine. The vehicle must also be capable of both deploying a bridge and retrieving it once the team is across. The Brothers go for a van-based bridger, while their opponents use bikes.

S3E7 - Giant Mower 2000-11-05

Theres an acre of wheat to cut and collect. This semifinal Junkyard challenge sends the competitors down to the farm to see who can build the best mower. One team turns a taxicab into a take-no-prisoners lawnmower, while their opponents turn a pickup truck into a harvester. Amid lots of smoke and chugging, both teams machines "buy the farm." The winning machine is an impromptu scythe made out of a foot of metal.

S3E8 - Steam-Powered Car 2000-10-29

In the second semifinal match, the challenge is to make a vehicle that drives on steam power. One team finds a weird little three-wheeled car and adds a steam engine, their opponents decide to build a dragster. But dont think that these machines will be on the roads anytime soon. A broken drive shaft on one car has to be welded back together mid-race, while the other car has no brakes, and must be thrown into reverse to make it up hills.

S3E9 - Final: Fireboat 2000-11-12

In the championship match, the two surviving teams see who can build a boat that will go across a lake and put out a fire in a burning building. One team builds a Land-Rover-based fireboat with an amazing pump, but their boat is less maneuverable than theyd like. The other teams pump is not as strong, and their boat keeps taking on water.

S3E10 - Grand Final: Dragster 2000-11-19

Drag racing. Nothing gets a Junkyard Warriors blood stirring like sheer speed. In this special match-up, the Season 3 champs go up against last years winner to see who can go as fast as possible while staying on the ground. The champs go for a classic dragster car, but when their gearbox blows up, they have to flip the back axle upside down, making reverse gear push the car forward. Last years winners go for a trike, which increases the possible speed, but takes much more precision to build.

S5E1 - Mud Monsters 2002-09-15

The first test of the new series was a closely fought three-round contest. The Barleys won the first round convincingly, but the Munch Bunch stormed to a surprising victory in the second. With everything to play for in the final round, the Barleys were lucky to make it to the finish line: a treacherous mud-hole nearly sank them. The Munch Bunch then had not only to complete the section but to improve on the time set by the Barleys. But it was not to be. Their machine became firmly embedded in the same mud-hole that nearly bagged the Barleys, and they were unable to complete the round. The victorious Barleys will be back in a few weeks.

S5E2 - Hovercraft 2002-09-22

This week saw a remarkable comeback by the Martial Mechanics, proving once again that nothing is certain on Scrapheap. The Krazy Karters were quicker over both land and water in the first two rounds although they were certainly helped by the Martial Mechanics 30-second penalty for crashing. Round three looked like a formality, but then disaster struck the Karters: their craft was caught in a strong crosswind and lost air pressure, making it considerably slower over the rest of the course. Seizing his chance and holding on to both his nerve and his craft, the Mechanics Jason snatched victory.

S5E3 - Rapid Fire 2002-09-29

This week sees two new teams battling to become the fastest golf-ball guns on the scrapheap. The day started badly for the Clean Sweeps. They discovered that their ball-feeding mechanism was jamming and were forced into a last-minute rethink. Unfortunately this turned out to be just the first of their problems. Round one was a test of speed and accuracy, and the Sweeps struggled on both fronts: their aim was wayward and motor problems reduced their rate of fire. The Boat Buoys on the other hand looked the genuine article, delivering a string of balls into the moving target and shooting themselves into the lead in the process. Round two was designed to test the machines sheer power: the object was to smash a wall of bathroom tiles. The Sweeps were forced to abandon their erratic motor for a cordless drill and, although they made an impact, they were no match for the blazing firepower of the Boat Buoys.

S5E4 - Blind Navigation 2002-10-06

Academics get stuck in a maze This week the teams have been asked to map uncharted territory. The Hammerlocks, a team of wrestlers from Coventry, and the Academics Anonymous, a team from Kingston University, have to navigate their way around a hostile environment in a vehicle with the windows blacked out. The Academics seemed to start well but they had a major problem: they couldnt tell when all four wheels of their bus were off the ground or when the bus was level, and this cost them valuable time. They failed to negotiate the first turn in the maze, lost their bearings and crashed into the side or the course. Tension was high as the Hammerlocks took their turn in the maze. They also had problems: their navigational devices werent reliable. However, they were able to crawl their way around the course using a giant mechanical feeler and eventually made it to within a stones throw of their target - and into the next round!

S5E5 - Railroad Racer 2002-10-13

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S5E6 - Clockwork Cars 2002-10-20

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S5E7 - Smooth Rider 2002-10-27

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S6E1 - Wheelie Cars 2003-09-14

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S6E2 - Bomb Disposal Vehicles 2003-09-21

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S6E3 - Backpack Cars 2003-09-28

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S6E4 - Amphibious Motorbikes 2003-10-05

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S6E5 - Ice Racers 2003-10-12

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S6E6 - Giant Dart Throwers 2003-10-19

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S6E7 - Jet Powered Cars 2003-10-26

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S6E8 - Super Slick Speedboats 2003-11-02

S6E9 - Fire Engines 2003-11-09

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S6E10 - Car Curling 2003-11-16

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S6E11 - Final: Tanks 2003-11-23

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S6E12 - Grand Final: Grand Prix Racers 2003-11-30

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S9E13 - Christmas Special: Paddle Boats 2007-12-09

In this Scrapheap special a team from the UK faces a team from the US to make Paddle Boats from scrap to commemorate the maritime achievements of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

S10E1 - Scrap Speed Record 2008-04-27

To get the series off to a smashing start, the first episode challenges the teams to break one of Scrapheaps longest-standing records. Back in series six, The Catalysts set a top speed of 72mph in the Grand Prix Challenge. Now The Rocketeers, a team of pyrotechnicians from Bath, and The Brum Brums, motor mechanics from Birmingham, are challenged to beat that time, in the scrap speed record attempt. Where better to do it than historic Pendine Sands, the spiritual home of British land speed record attempts? The teams are under expert scrutiny as they attempt to race their way into the heap record books - this weeks judge is two-time land speed record-holder Richard Noble.

S10E2 - Scooter Shooters 2008-05-04

This weeks mechanical migraine promises to be a Scrapheap classic. The teams must build contraptions to throw a 100-kilogramme scooter as far as they can, without the help of compressed gas or gunpowder. The Balloonatics, a trio of hot air balloonists from Liverpool, take on The Aquarium Crew, a team of aquarium constructors from Dorset.

S10E3 - Superbikes 2008-05-11

The teams build high speed motorbikes capable of racing each other head-to-head around the twisty Scrapheap circuit.

S10E4 - Decoration Dash 2008-05-18

Its a decorators dream as two teams compete to build a mobile painting machine capable of decorating a house from a distance

S10E5 - Dune Bashers 2008-05-25

The teams must build super-swift vehicles capable of racing up and over the Scrapheaps very own desert dunes.

S10E6 - Powerboats 2008-06-01

The teams compete to build wave-pounding power boats capable of skimming across the Scrapheap lake. And its not as easy as it sounds.

S10E7 - Rocket Railway 2008-06-08

Inspired by the sleds used to test supersonic planes and spacecraft, the teams are challenged to build a superfast railway... but all usual forms of propulsion are banned.

S11E2 - Stuck in the Mud 1 2009-09-06

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S11E3 - Water Power 1 2009-09-13

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S11E4 - Blow Football 1 2009-09-20

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S11E6 - Monster Golf 1 2009-10-04

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S11E7 - Super Surfboards 1 2009-10-11

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S12E1 - Chariots 2010-06-06

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