Wheelie Car The first test of this year's Scrapheap Challenge is to build a car and drive along a short, winding course. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Well, not quite. In true Scrapheap style, there's a twist – the car has to navigate the course while doing a wheelie on its rear wheels. All of a sudden, it doesn't seem quite so easy. The Squadron Peter Scott, Simon Goodchild and Stuart Driver are a team of RAF engineers. They keep their feet firmly on the ground and spend their time hanging around in hangars. Their ideal challenge is to build an ejector seat – as long as they don't have to be the guinea pigs. When it's time for chocks away, this highly skilled team could well be soaring to the top of the scrapheap. The Squadron's technical consultant is Carl 'Oz' Wickham. Oz works for Monster Events Ltd, a company that builds stages and moving platforms for rock concerts. Aside from that he has built the world's first and only Monster Land Rover. Nicknamed 'Fat Landy', this bizarre vehicle takes passengers for a crushing cruise over parked cars. Destroyers James Ellis captains this Royal Navy team, with Adrian Eason-Bassett and Jason 'JJ' Swift standing firmly by his side. The three-man crew will ship out of HMS Sultan, Gosport and set sail to our sea of scrap. With their military precision, these navy boys will easily navigate their way through the competition. The Destroyers' technical consultant is Tony Baily. Tony runs Moto-stunts International, a Suzuki Jeep display team that incorporates formation driving, wheelie stunts and stunt driving. Formerly a member of the Royal Artillery Motorbike Display team, known as the 'Flying Gunners', he has built all sorts of crazy cars. The expert Our first expert of the series is 'Rocket' Ronnie Piccardo. Ronnie is a legend in the world of drag racing and exhibition cars and has been involved with the sport since the 1960s. He regularly thrills the crowds at drag races around Europe in hi

Bomb Disposal For the second test of the series, our teams must build 'remote-handling' machines that can complete a number of dextrous activities while the bodgers maintain a distance of 15 feet. Tasks include cutting down a wire fence, emptying brimming buckets of toxic waste and defusing bombs. Nothing major, then... Cops and Bodgers Andy Luchesa, Andy Stamp and Les Scott work for Hampshire Constabulary. The two Andys are police officers and Les, better known as 'Miss Marple', works as a scenes of crime officer. The Cops and Bodgers will have no problem solving our challenge and getting the best result. These cheeky coppers will be charging their way to the final and beating everyone in their path. The Cops and Bodgers' technical consultant is Henk Altman. Henk is part of the remote-handling team at a futuristic nuclear-fusion lab in Oxford. The pressure vessel the fusion takes place in is such a hazardous environment that a �10million super-dexterous manipulator is needed to carry out maintenance inside. Men in White (Coats) Graham Young, Daren Chapman and Joe Ezuanyamike all work at Kingston University in Surrey. They live in their white lab coats. These bodging boffins love their job and often stay late to play on the flight simulator in their aerodynamic and automotive laboratories. At lunchtime they love to mess around with their remote-control cars. Watch out for this team, as they are full of crazy surprises. The Men in White's technical consultant is Kevin Hunt. Kevin works for BNFL, designing remote-controlled machines to dismantle nuclear power stations. He has spent more than forty years working on remote-handling equipment for the nuclear industry, for underwater operations and for the particle accelerator project at CERN in Switzerland. The expert This week's expert is Shaun Whitehead. Shaun was the chief engineer on the Beagle2 project, a British mission to Mars that is the ultimate in remote handling. It is a spac

Backpack Car This week, the teams must race head-to-head in a three-stage race. In stage one, the vehicles are already assembled. When the whistle blows, the teams are allowed to push them out of the start zone but after that, they're not allowed to put their feet on the ground. The racecourse is about a mile long, with twists to test the manoeuvrability of the vehicles and a steep downhill slope at the end to test the brakes. The first vehicle across the line wins. In stage two, the teams have to disassemble the vehicles and put them into their backpacks. They then have to put on the rucksacks and run across an SAS-style assault course until they reach another assembly zone on the tarmac. Once there, they move onto stage three. They must re-assemble their vehicles and race them in a straight line, the first across the line wins. Ging Gang Goolies Be prepared, this team of Essex Scout leaders come with all sorts of skills and they have the badges to prove it. Bob Murphy, Brian Abbott and Tony Boughen enjoy activities in the great outdoors. Regularly hiking, orienteering and climbing, these boys certainly have the edge. So tighten your woggles and salute the Ging Gang Goolies as they are sure to travel great distances. The Scout leaders' technical consultant is Martin Dellow. He works for the largest kart manufacturer in the UK. Brought up in East London, he's been with local company Biz Karts for more than 20 years and knows his way around small, lightweight vehicles – perfect for this challenge. He used to race motorbikes on a professional level until an accident stopped his career. Apart from his interest in anything that goes 'vroom', he enjoys skiing. He's been known to skive off work if the snow is right. Good thing his MD is his skiing buddy... Muck Spreaders Pentti Christian, Richard Matthews 'Tricky' and Mike Sainsbury 'Chunk' are all young farmers from Harper Adams Agricultural College in Shropshire. They are all into 4x4 off-road

Amphi Bike In the first intentionally wet challenge this year, the teams have to build motorbikes that can swim. The Amphibious Bikes have to complete a three-stage test involving driving on land and water before finally competing in a head-to-head amphibious slalom race. Rockin' Rabble Geoff Bunting, Trevor Cartwright and Philip Lodge are a team of Yorkshire Teddy Boys who intend to bring a touch of retro culture to the 'heap. They are Fifties fanatics and are ready for some rockin' and a rollin'. They've agreed to switch off their jukebox and stop living in the past to concentrate on stepping to Scrapheap success. The Rockin' Rabble's technical consultant is Mike Ryan, who came second in Bike magazine's Amphibious Motorbike Challenge and has built an amphibious Lamborghini that looks like the real thing until it hits the water. He's a real geezer, somebody who can make something out of nothing. He's going to fix floats to the left and right of an off-road Enduro motorbike, then add a propeller at the rear, which is driven by a chain from the rear wheel of the motorbike. The front wheel will sit in a specially made bow section to help it enter the water quickly. Double Deckers Jason Blossom, Jon Green and Owen Hunt are boys who work on the buses. They are based in a bus workshop in High Wycombe. They fix and maintain Carousel buses to rent out to companies around London. There is only one route for this team and there will be no scheduled stop until they have got to the end of the competition. The Double Deckers' technical consultant is Gordon Halley, a potato farmer from Scotland. He's won Bike magazine's Amphibious Motorbike Challenge twice and is an old competitor of Mike Ryan, the Rockin' Rabble's consultant. He's going to build one of the weirdest machines the 'heap has ever seen – an off-road trial bike stuck in a rowing boat. The drive will come from a paddle wheel made out of metal garden chairs and will be driven by a chain

Ice Racer For the second of our quarter-finals, the bodgers must build fast vehicles that can race around an ice rink. As the space isn't vast, we have imposed some criteria on the teams to which their vehicles must conform. Their machines can't be more than five feet wide and seven feet long – and the engine capacity must not exceed one litre. Hot Property Ross Lindsay is an estate agent who works for Townends. Craig Smith and Scott House (no, really... Ed) are the company's financial advisors. They are a confident team, great negotiators and have promised to play fairly. Hot Property are as safe as houses and in it to win it! Hot Property's technical consultant is Mike 'Cookie' Cookson, a man who has a life-long obsession with anything powered by an engine. His real passion is motorcycle racing. He's done motocross, sidecar speedway and sidecar TT racing on the Isle of Man. He started his career as an agricultural engineer (always good preparation for Scrapheap) but nowadays he rebuilds passenger coaches and builds his own racing bikes. Cookie's plan is to build a Morgan-style trike with two driven wheels at the front and lots of sharp spikes in each wheel. Jet Pack Benjamin Jewell, his brother Toby and Jolyon Sanders are eccentric jet engine know-it-alls from Northants. They spend every spare minute of their time designing, building, testing and modifying these contraptions while trying not to set their garage on fire! The Jet Pack intend to thrust their stuff and launch into the final with a big bang. The Jet Pack's technical consultant is last year's Mud Monsters' expert, Richard Hopkins. There isn't much he can't do when it comes to off-roading. He has held almost every title for British off-road 4x4 events, including British Off-Road Champion and the British Hill Rally Champion. In between British tournaments, he competes internationally in endurance off-road events, including the Spanish and the Mexican Baja events and the grue

Giant Darts Weird throwing machines are a Scrapheap must-have. A giant seven-foot dart is the latest projectile to get the Scrapheap treatment, joining the ostrich eggs, cabbages, golf balls and Minis of previous challenges. Take cover! Like pub darts, this test is all about accuracy. After building their machines and fashioning aluminium tubing into darts, the teams will take aim at three targets. The first two will be well within their machines' capabilities but worth fewer points. At the end of the range will be a third target worth more points. Each team will have three shots, but which target will they go for? Iron Maidens Suzanne Hawkes, Wendy Sadler and Angharad 'Harry' Thomas are all involved in Science and Engineering. Suzanne won The Young Women Engineer of the Year 2001 award. They are members of NOISE (New Outlook In Science and Engineering). Their role is to be mentors and role models to younger students and encourage them to take part in the industry. The Iron Maidens plan to outwit any other team. The Iron Maidens' technical consultant is Tod Todescini, a special effects supervisor familiar with realising the impossible and building strange mechanical contraptions. He also has an interest in weapons, so he's well set up for this challenge. Jousters Tom Parker, Dave 'Sparky' Parker and Dave 'Scotty' Allison are all Knights of the Black Phoenix. This involves jousting, archery and sword fighting. These North Yorkshire men are ready to put on their armour for a good scrap and are sure to scare their opponents and give any challenge their best shot. The Jousters' technical consultant is Paul Denney. He is no stranger to Scrapheap – he led Storm Force to victory in series four's 'Egg Shooter' trial. He wasn't quite so fortunate in last year's Car Flinger test. Paul's passion is medieval weaponry, so he's ideally suited to this challenge. The expert Joining our manic meddlers as this week's expert is Lieutenant Colonel

Jet Racer This week's challenge is one of the most dangerous Scrapheap has ever seen. Our teams have to build two jet-powered dragsters to race on a section of the Santa Pod raceway. They each have three runs of the course and the quickest run will determine the winner. Destroyers James Ellis captains this Royal Navy team, with Adrian Eason-Bassett and Jason 'JJ' Swift standing firmly by his side. This three-man crew will ship out of HMS Sultan, Gosport and set sail to our sea of scrap. With their military precision, these navy boys will easily navigate their way through the competition. The Destroyers' technical consultant for this challenge is Bruce Simpson, a New Zealander who has flown over especially to take part in this challenge. Bruce is probably the most qualified person in the world to build a pulsejet from scratch (which is lucky, because that's what he's going to do – Ed). Bruce is currently researching pulsejets for clients in the aerospace and defence industries with the aim of producing a new generation of low-cost, high-speed pulsejet-powered UAVs (unmanned air vehicles). Ging Gang Goolies Be prepared, this team of Essex Scout leaders come with all sorts of skills and they have the badges to prove it. Bob Murphy, Brian Abbott and Tony Boughen enjoy activities in the great outdoors. Regularly hiking, orienteering and climbing, these boys certainly have the edge. So tighten your woggles and salute the Ging Gang Goolies as they are sure to travel great distances. The Ging Gang Goolies' technical consultant is Nick 'the safe' Haddock this time around. He is a locksmith by trade and has been opening and repairing safes for the past five years. Although jet engines like the ones in this challenge aren't built commercially, many are constructed by 'garage enthusiasts' like Nick. He is ideally placed to send the Goolies soaring into pole position. The expert This week's expert is record-breaker Richard Noble, who fle

The challenge Picture the opulent and stylish atmosphere of Monaco with bright young things messing about in sleek, streamlined speedboats. Then completely forget that image and brace yourself for a scraptastic boat race on one of Surrey's finest lakes. Cops and Bodgers Andy Luchesa, Andy Stamp and Les Scott work for Hampshire Constabulary. The two Andys are police officers and Les, better known as 'Miss Marple', works as a scenes of crime officer. The Cops and Bodgers will have no problem solving our challenge and getting the best result. These cheeky coppers will be charging their way to the final and beating everyone in their path. This time around, the Cops are joined by technical consultant Stuart Edwards. He works for Bernard Olesinski, one of the leading boat designers in Britain. In his day job, he designs yachts that will set you back �2 million but when the sun sets on the Isle of Wight, he goes down to the harbour and tinkers with his own speedboat, a rigid inflatable with a massive engine in the back that yanks it up to 50mph if needed. Apart from boats, his passion is messing around with his Cobra motorbike, a black beauty that ended up in a ditch a few months ago when he got a bit too excited about the power output. If it's fast, it's Stuart's kind of thing. Jousters Tom Parker, Dave 'Sparky' Parker and Dave 'Scotty' Allison are three knights from Yorkshire. They enjoy jousting and sword fighting to wile away the time. Yikes! These North Yorkshire men are ready to put on their armour for a good scrap – let's hope it doesn't weigh them down in the water! The Jousters are joined by Adam Younger for this challenge. He is a softly spoken man who turns into a fanatic in the company of water and internal combustion engines. Living on the Isle of Wight, he's been around boats for as long as he can remember. Fifteen years ago, he started turning his hobby into a profession – and quite successfully so. He and his group of mates (w

Robert Llewellyn and Lisa Rogers present the Golden Sprocket awards - the glitziest occasion in the scrap-metal calendar.

Fire Engine Returning to the 'heap for the first semi-final are Surrey estate agents, Hot Property and Fifties fanatics, Rockin' Rabble. This three-round contest requires the teams to demonstrate the various capabilities of a modern fire-fighting appliance, including rescuing cutesy kittens and battling against raging blazes. Hot Property Ross Lindsay is an estate agent who works for Townends. Craig Smith and Scott House are the company's financial advisors. They are a confident team, great negotiators and have promised to play fairly. Hot Property are as safe as houses and in it to win it! For this fiery task, Hot Property are joined by Yorkshireman Kevin Sedgwick, the laidback engineering manager for Angloco, a fire engine manufacturer that builds anything from tiny water tankers for Guernsey to enormous ladder trucks for Barbados. Kevin has been with them for thirteen years. Many moons ago, he started off as a mechanic, so practical skills aren't a problem. In his spare time, he tinkers around with his two historic racing bikes and the monstrous Guzzi 1100 that rattles the windowpanes in his local neighbourhood. Rockin' Rabble Geoff Bunting, Trevor Cartwright and Philip Lodge are a team of Yorkshire Teddy Boys who intend to bring a touch of retro culture to the 'heap. They are Fifties fanatics and are ready for some rockin' and a rollin'. They've agreed to switch off their jukebox and stop living in the past to concentrate on stepping to Scrapheap success. This time, the Rockin' Rabble's technical consultant is Mike Madsen, the bubbly, youthful technical manager for Emergency One, a leading fire engine manufacturer near Glasgow. He dropped out of school at the tender age of 16 to become a computer programmer but then went back to university to study engineering and business. After his first visit to Emergency One, he fell in love with the big red monsters they build. He tinkers for a hobby and has littered the world with the badly

The Challenge Is no sport safe from the heavy hands of our teams? For the second semi-final, our circus of mayhem visits on the serene sport of ice curling. But in another Scrapheap world first, the teams have to slide full-sized Minis down an ice rink. Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present... car curling! Destroyers James Ellis captains this Royal Navy team, with Adrian Eason-Bassett and Jason 'JJ' Swift standing firmly by his side. This three-man crew will ship out of HMS Sultan, Gosport and set sail to our sea of scrap. Their military precision has already helped them sail through two of our challenges – but have they got what it takes to get to the final? For this all-important semi-final, our Destroyers are joined by Mark-Paul Buckingham, a materials engineer who loves snowboarding. In fact, he loves the white stuff so much, he's now set up his own business working with ski and snowboard materials and refining the hardware for the mountains. Cops and Bodgers Andy Luchesa, Andy Stamp and Les Scott work for Hampshire Constabulary. The two Andys are police officers and Les, better known as 'Miss Marple', works as a scenes of crime officer. The Cops and Bodgers will have no problem solving our challenge and getting the best result. These cheeky coppers have already disposed of bombs and built a speedboat – but can they take on the Destroyers and win a place in this year's final? This time, the Cops' technical consultant is Perry 'Winkle' Gosling, a fabricator-welder who builds massive moving machinery for theatres and rock concerts. The expert Dr Jane Blackford is an ice expert from Edinburgh University. She studies ice-friction and has worked out amazing new ways of looking at snow flakes under a microscope. Jane also looks at avalanches and winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. Most notably, her team worked with the British Olympic curling squad, developing a special 'sweep-ergometer' that allowed the team to p

Tank For the spectacular, show-stopping series final, our bodgers have been asked to build a couple of spud-shooting battle tanks. Get ready for some serious target practice. Destroyers James Ellis captains this Royal Navy team, with Adrian Eason-Bassett and Jason 'JJ' Swift standing firmly by his side. This three-man crew will ship out of HMS Sultan, Gosport and set sail to our sea of scrap. This military team has made it through to the series final but can they make the grade and graduate to our grand final next week? Army Warrant Officer Paul Ramsey joins forces with our navy boys for the series final. As a Royal Engineer, his job is to keep the British army's tanks rolling. But can his expertise help to steer our Destroyers to victory? Hot Property Ross Lindsay is an estate agent who works for Townends. Craig Smith and Scott House are the company's financial advisors. They are a confident team, great negotiators and have promised to play fairly. Hot Property might be as safe as houses but can they win the series final and restore the reputation of estate-agent kind across the globe? Ray 'Mudge' Smith joins our estate agents for this all important challenge. He has restored about 50 tanks and other military vehicles (mostly rare British and American vehicles from WW2) since 1991. Mudge currently owns and organises War and Peace, the largest private vehicle show in the world. With his help, Hot Property are in with more than a fighting chance of reaching the grand final. The expert David Ansell is the expert for the series final. As a Lieutenant Colonel with the Army's own engineering team, the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), he is used to carrying out tank repairs at a moment's notice. The British Army uses nearly four hundred Challenger tanks around the world. REME work alongside combat units to recover and repair equipment. This is the sharp end, where repairs are often carried out without the proper

Grand Prix They're back! That's right, our reigning champions the Cat-alysts have resurfaced to see if they can make it a hat-trick and beat the Destroyers, our 2003 series winners, in this week's extravaganza. All they have to do is build a single seat, open-cockpit racing car. But will they be able to outwit our cunning Royal Navy team and retain their title? Destroyers Our Royal Navy boys James Ellis, Adrian Eason-Bassett and Jason 'JJ' Swift have already seen off The Squadron, Ging Gang Goolies, Cops and Bodgers and our surprisingly handy estate agents, Hot Property. Joining them for this jaw-dropping grand final is Nick Jordan, an engineer with more than 30 years of working experience of motor sports for teams such as Lola. Can he help our Destroyers take on the wily Cat-alysts and steal the trophy from under their whiskers? Cat-alysts There's barely any need to introduce these boys as they are becoming part of the Scrapheap furniture. These car-flinging champs saw off the Barley Pickers last year and the Megalomaniacs the year before that. But never let it be said we don't have any manners here at Scrapheap � The Cat-alysts are all engineers at the Jaguar factory in Warwickshire. In his spare time Garry Preece, the team captain, has an obsession with antique bathroom taps. Tim Wright is into motorcycles, scuba diving and snowboarding. Shane Brading's bodging career began at the tender age of 13, when he converted an old Volvo into a banger racer. Helping the Cat-alysts in the 2003 grand final is Matt Feasey, part of the design and development arm of the Cosworth Formula 1 team. Matt has rebuilt several cars and often builds bits of test rigs at work but hasn't ever built a vehicle from scratch. The expert Rob Taylor is the Chief Engineer at Jaguar Formula 1. He's worked in F1 for about 15 years and has worked at many of the big names such as Jaguar, Ferrari, Arrows and Benetton.