And you thought the TV Licence was struggling for relevance? Bah.
The BBC has announced that it is recommissioning Robot Wars for BBC Two - with six hour-long episodes set to feature "a new structure with more robots, more battles and more science than ever before".
Dara O'Briain will host the new show, along with presenter Angela Scanlon (you may have seen her as the digital host of The Voice? Us neither). Jonathan Pearce will also be taking up the mic once more as commentator.
"I am thrilled to be presenting Robot Wars," said O'Briain. "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 iconic series initially ran on BBC Two from 20 February 1998 until 23 February 2001, before switching to digital channel BBC choice for a run that ended in 2003. The UK format has since shifted and evolved in various guises, with a stint on Channel 5 ending in 2004, before touring entertainment shows took on the legacy.
Mentorn Scotland - who produced the original series - will handle the production of the rebooted series, which will take place in a new purpose-built, bullet-proof fighting arena in Glasgow, "allowing viewers to get even closer to the action, with state-of-the-art cameras capable of capturing every crushing, sawing and scorching moment in incredible detail".
No details have yet been given on the exact format of the new show, nor when it will air.
Former series consisted of a main destructive championship, while smaller side events tested additional qualities such as driving control.
Will the House Robots return? Could teams behind the likes of Razor, Chaos II, King Buxton and Hypno-Disc return to combat? Now that Jonathan Pearce is on board, we don't mind what they do with it.
