Is there going to be a children's or teenage version of Scrapheap Challenge?
We are really keen to make a version of Scrapheap for kids. To make this happen, we need as many people as possible to write in, so that we can demonstrate the huge demand. Send your letters or postcards to:
Scrapheap 4 Kids
RDF Television
140 Kensington Church Street
London W8 4BN
or e-mail:scrapheap4kids@rdfmedia.com.
What happens to all the machines after filming is finished?
Some of the vehicles are still at the scrapheap; some have been scrapped; one or two didn't make it to the end of the show! Others, improbably, have proved there is life beyond the scrapheap. The yellow bus used in one challenge was raced in an east London demolition derby by Terry (manager of the scrapheap, man in white coat, and crane driver). Apparently it did very well. And there are plans to convert one of the boats for pleasure use on the Thames.
Where is Scrapheap 2002 filmed?
Near Reading in Berkshire. The last series was filmed in Los Angeles. Before that it was filmed in Canning Town, east London; in Brentford, west London; and in Bath.
Is it a real scrapheap? Or is it a TV set?
It's a mixture of the two. The sets have always been built on waste land on the edge of working scrapheaps. We take loads of material from the working scrapheaps and make use of their infrastructure. We don't use the working scrapheaps themselves because we need build areas and facilities for the crew, because they tend to be too tidy and well sorted, and because they are, well, working!
Can I visit the filming of Scrapheap?
'Fraid not: due to health-and-safety and insurance reasons we have to keep the number of people visiting the site to a minimum.
Is the scrapheap 'seeded' with appropriate materials?
Almost everything that is used in the programme is general scrap. But in order for us to be able to set a wide variety of challenges, we sometimes have to place something specific on the site. We always make sure that there are the materials to build at least two different solutions to the challenges we have set.
Is there a Scrapheap Challenge book? Behind the Scenes at Scrapheap Challenge by Robert Llewellyn, price £16.99, rates five stars on Amazon. This book is about the last series, but is still a great read. It's witty and it gives an insider's view of how Scrapheap gets made.
There is also a Scrapheap Challenge DVD and video – Scrapheap Challenge 2 – The Commandments (£19.99 for the DVD and £12.99 for the VHS). Also rates five stars on Amazon. Both formats are available from the Channel 4 Shop.
