Engineers Jim Ellis, JJ Swift and Adrian Eason-Bassett are on top of the junk pile after romping to victory in TV’s Scrapheap Challenge.

Millions have watched the team from HMS Sultan in Gosport turning junk into working machines and vehicles.

Their efforts came to a head in the show’s final, when the engineers converted bits and pieces into a working military tank, decorated with a White Ensign, to take on and beat a team of estate agents, whose design was attractive but lacked the stamina of the Navy trio’s battlefield armour.

The road to the final of the Channel 4 show saw the engineers, who took the team name the Destroyers, defeat the RAF with a wheelie car and Scout leaders, whose jet car couldn’t keep up with the Navy model.

Hampshire Police fell victim in the semi-final to the Destroyers’ bizarre ‘car curling’ contraption – a device which propelled cars down an ice rink.

“It’s been a dream come true,” said Adrian. “I’ve watched nearly every show and when the chance to do it came along, I had to have a go.

“With the team we had I just knew we’d go all the way, and that was before a camera had rolled. The whole experience gave me such a buzz.

“Once you’ve done one, you just had to do another and another, winning was the only way!
JJ, a CPO(MEA) with 18 years’ experience in Royal Naval engineering circles, had also always fancied his chances at the show.

“This was a chance to put my money where my mouth was. I’m quite a practical hands-on type of person, just what the program was after.

“Some might say I’m a little mad at times with some of the ideas that I come out with. After all what sort of a person has electric curtains on his pit on board?”

The show was not without its dangers – JJ set fire to his legs, Adrian dropped a spanner on Jim’s head, and there were usually plenty of sparks flying around when the machines were being built.

Navy teams have not done well in the contest in the past, so White Ensign honour was at stake, as well as a bit of personal kudos.

“This was the only chance I would ever get to have my 15 minutes of fame,” said Jim, who with his colleagues has actually enjoyed around 200 minutes in all.

“I was continually saying how bad the teams were doing and their designs weren’t up to it. When the opportunity presented itself, I pounced like a coiled spring and then got to find out just how hard it really is. Ten hours of thinking on your feet and no room for slacking.”