The World of David Walliams: General Discussion

[Dave]

My gut feeling for next year is they will remove direct references to Walliams, whether that goes as far as removing his voice from Gangsta Granny I don’t know.

I suspect they will be quickly looking to replace the IP however, how thy do that is for debate. A cloud cuckoo land style overlay for a few years might come in 2027 as a stop gap.

I don’t think Merlins money worries are so big that they will mothball the area, but I suppose it’s not out of the question if they think reputational damage is a big enough risk. I suppose they could “sanitise” most of the area fairly quickly Gansta Grannie is the only real tricky one to do.

 

[QTXAdsy]

To be fair, Black Hole went slightly steampunk for a year or two before X-Sector arrived and then they changed the concept.

Whilst I love X-Sector I often wonder how it would have panned out…

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

 

[spotweld]

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

I've just had a look at the Port Discovery concept art and I genuinely shed a tear. What a waste X Sector is in comparison.

 

[owenstreet7]

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

I don't believe the purchase of Thorpe Park was related but I could be wrong.

Tussaud's stake in PortAventura was sold in 1998 which enabled Thorpe Park to be purchased soon after.

 

[QTXAdsy]

I've just had a look at the Port Discovery concept art and I genuinely shed a tear. What a waste X Sector is in comparison.

Aye, how close we came to the UK's answer to Discovery Land had the whole Thorpe deal never happened.

I don't believe the purchase of Thorpe Park was related but I could be wrong.

Tussaud's stake in PortAventura was sold in 1998 which enabled Thorpe Park to be purchased soon after.

No, IIRC, the deal to buy Thorpe had been rumbling along which clashed with the plans for Towers and the money that would have gone to the theming of Port Discovery was instead used for Thorpe.

The reason for X-Sector's concrete jungle look was a way to cut costs down which in the short term worked but nearly 30 years later looks dated. One of the great 'what if' moments of Towers history and if TWODW is to be replaced with Project Horizon part of it, they have a worth while idea of Port Discovery to bring that back from the dead and use that theme.

Not far fetched honestly as the double lift concept for SW1 was used for Smiler and the hole in the ground concept for Katanga Canyon's coaster was used for Oblivion so old ideas don't die out but get used later on down the line.

 

[jon81uk]

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

Oblivion opened March 1998, Tussauds bought Thorpe Park in 1998. The X Sector theme was set in stone long before the Thorpe Park purchase. I don't think that Tussauds acquiring Thorpe had any reflection on the X Sector theming for Oblivion and the surrounding area.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Oblivion opened March 1998, Tussauds bought Thorpe Park in 1998. The X Sector theme was set in stone long before the Thorpe Park purchase. I don't think that Tussauds acquiring Thorpe had any reflection on the X Sector theming for Oblivion and the surrounding area.

Admittedly my mind is a little hazy but the money needed for the full buyout for Thorpe did use funds the year prior for Port Discovery and this last minute cut back did see X-Sector happen.

Like many, I wonder what might have been had it happened...

 

[jon81uk]

Admittedly my mind is a little hazy but the money needed for the full buyout for Thorpe did use funds the year prior for Port Discovery and this last minute cut back did see X-Sector happen.

Like many, I wonder what might have been had it happened...

From the TowersStreet History section https://towersstreet.com/construction/x-sector/#portdiscovery

Port Discovery was clearly the favoured plan for the area for several years, to the extent that Tussauds trademarked the name in late 1994, indicating their intention to bring this area to the park. It was not until two years later in February 1997 that X-Sector was trademarked along with the slogan 'Don't Look Down', indicating a significant change in direction for the area.

X Sector was firmly decided on early 1997 so would have been set in stone as a concept late 1996. Additionally the train design would have gone to B&M.
Sorry I don't see that the Thorpe Park purchase had anything to do with it. More likely that the B&M track suited a more industrial theme and it was harder to make that fit with the rounder steam punk style.

 

[owenstreet7]

From the TowersStreet History section https://towersstreet.com/construction/x-sector/#portdiscovery

X Sector was firmly decided on early 1997 so would have been set in stone as a concept late 1996. Additionally the train design would have gone to B&M.
Sorry I don't see that the Thorpe Park purchase had anything to do with it. More likely that the B&M track suited a more industrial theme and it was harder to make that fit with the rounder steam punk style.

Aye, how close we came to the UK's answer to Discovery Land had the whole Thorpe deal never happened.

No, IIRC, the deal to buy Thorpe had been rumbling along which clashed with the plans for Towers and the money that would have gone to the theming of Port Discovery was instead used for Thorpe.

The reason for X-Sector's concrete jungle look was a way to cut costs down which in the short term worked but nearly 30 years later looks dated. One of the great 'what if' moments of Towers history and if TWODW is to be replaced with Project Horizon part of it, they have a worth while idea of Port Discovery to bring that back from the dead and use that theme.

Not far fetched honestly as the double lift concept for SW1 was used for Smiler and the hole in the ground concept for Katanga Canyon's coaster was used for Oblivion so old ideas don't die out but get used later on down the line.

With regards to the Thorpe Park purchase, I have checked the source and it's on the Wikipedia article which does say that the Thorpe purchase was made possible by the sale of PortAventura

The Tussauds Group - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on The Tussauds Group

History of The Tussauds Group

www.referenceforbusiness.com

Let's move back to the Walliams World topic