Scrapheap Challenge is an engineering game show produced by RDF Media and broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. In the show, teams of contestants have 10 hours, in which to build a working machine that can do a specific task, using materials available in a junkyard. The format has been exported to the United States, where it is known as Junkyard Wars. (The US show is also produced by RDF Media, and is shown on The Learning Channel.)
The UK programme is presented by Robert Llewellyn, joined in series 2-5 by Cathy Rogers, and in series 6 onwards by Lisa Rogers (no relation).
A typical episode will feature a competition between two 4-person teams, each consisting of three regular members, plus an expert in that field. The judge for each episode will typically be a specialist in (non-junk) versions of the machine being constructed.
The challenges are many and varied, usually involving teams constructing a machine to achieve a particular objective. The final showdown usually consists of either head to head races or individually run timed events. Examples of challenges include making a jet car, a bridging machine, a car-crusher, or a machine to fling a mini as far as possible.
The idea for the show came from a scene in the movie Apollo 13, where NASA engineers had only a short period of time to construct an air filter out of parts available on the space capsule. The show also draws its inspiration on the 1980s TV series 'The Great Egg Race'.
Scrapheap Challenge originated on the British Channel 4, but was imported to United States television under the name Junkyard Wars. Later, an American version of the show was created with the same name.
In the United Kingdom, the two programs have distinct names, but American audiences only see the Junkyard Wars title. Sometimes, video of the UK version is even edited to blot out the name Scrapheap Challenge. In 2004, a series of the US programme was broadcast on Channel 4 under the title Scrapheap Challenge USA, but only the title sequence was changed and the rest of the programme, including logos and verbal references to "Junkyard Wars" remained intact.
The first series of the show, in the UK, pitted the same two teams against each other each week, and was simply titled Scrapheap. The Challenge part was added when the gauntlet was thrown down to new competitors, and a knockout championship process was created.
The actual scrapyard used in the programme is located in a former army training area just outside Basingstoke, Hampshire, and is not open to the public.