About this season
Scrapheap Challenge is an engineering game show produced by RDF Media and broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. In the show, teams of contestants had 10 hours in which to build a working machine that could do a specific task, using materials available in a scrapheap. The format was exported to the United States, where it was known as Junkyard Wars as a completely different TV series. The US show was also produced by RDF Media, and was originally shown on The Learning Channel. Repeats have aired on another Discovery network, the Science Channel.
Episodes (7)
1. Flying Machines
Aired 5 September 1999
In this episode the two teams must make a machine capable of flight.
2. Cannons
Aired 12 September 1999
In this episode the two teams must create fully functional cannons
3. Amphibious Vehicles
Aired 19 September 1999
Robert Llewellyn and co-presenter Cathy Rogers unveil a doubly hard challenge - build a car that thinks it's a boat!
4. Land Yachts
Aired 26 September 1999
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.
5. Mileage Marathon
Aired 3 October 1999
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.
6. Marine Salvage
Aired 10 October 1999
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.
7. Final: Walking Machines
Aired 17 October 1999
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.