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Alton Towers week on TV

Steve74

TS Member
Seems that next week is "Alton Towers Week" on TV, with the Top Gear episode that was filmed on that Friday during the Gardens opening being shown on Sunday (1st Nov, 8pm BBC1) and the Channel 4 documentary on Tuesday November 3rd (10.15pm). Thought I'd start this thread ready for people to comment before, during and after the shows.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to both shows. What are other people's thoughts?
 
The sooner Towers do a full-blown, 90's Pleasure Beach style documentary, with Francis Jackson stood looking down from the walkway over the driving school shouting "I'LL BASH YA", the better.

Not expecting too much coverage in terms of the Top Gear episode; it'll be a small segment of the overall section on electric cars.

Looking forward to the other one more so, hopefully, it isn't dumbed down too much and gives us some nice BTS insight.
 
Also I was at Towers on the 16th and The Gadget Show (channel 5) were filming. Looked like they were testing cameras. Saw them filming the Oblivion drop (as I was on it), and then bumped into them a few hours later on towers Street, and then wheeling their equipment trolley out of the gardens when it was going dark.
 
The Top Gear segment is to feature electric cars. It appears the lack of electric vehicle charging at Alton Towers hasn’t gone unnoticed on Twitter.

Bit ironic.

 
I hope top gear do say about lack of EV charging at towers.

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Good to see Towers featured on the TV so much this week. With the WickerMan doc last year, and the upcoming Gadget show appearance, and the Gardener's World episode it's a good time to watch TV.
 
I sense someone high within the marketing function of Merlin has championed the use of indirect TV advertisement through segments on popular TV shows and documentaries. To be honest it works quite well.

Eg. This Morning have been following Sea Life heavily recently, the Freak Show segment, the C5 Legoland documentary, Top Gear, Gadget Show, this new AT documentary, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more are in the pipeline.

Good strategy.
 
I sense someone high within the marketing function of Merlin has championed the use of indirect TV advertisement through segments on popular TV shows and documentaries. To be honest it works quite well.

Eg. This Morning have been following Sea Life heavily recently, the Freak Show segment, the C5 Legoland documentary, Top Gear, Gadget Show, this new AT documentary, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more are in the pipeline.

Good strategy.
Following the success of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, how about "My Big Fat Gypsy Trip To Alton Towers"? Or is that a bit too much?! :eek::D:p
 
I don't have much of a marketing mind, what is the idea behind having so many TV slots at the end of the season? Surely this kind of stuff would draw in more attention and talk if it was during the actual open season? Scarefest ends very soon and with that we only have until the 15th Nov until season end. I'm not trying to criticise, I just think I'm missing a trick here.
 
I don't have much of a marketing mind, what is the idea behind having so many TV slots at the end of the season? Surely this kind of stuff would draw in more attention and talk if it was during the actual open season? Scarefest ends very soon and with that we only have until the 15th Nov until season end. I'm not trying to criticise, I just think I'm missing a trick here.
I'd be very surprised if Merlin/Towers have a say in when these are broadcast. I guess it is all down to the schedulers at the BBC and C4. It may well have been planned to air the C4 doc earlier in the summer but at that time Covid cases were low. With the cases of Covid rising, maybe they decided to leave it until now as it is more relevant (given the description of the documentary). With Top Gear, I'm guessing they can air any episode in any order, so perhaps due to other circumstances, this episode has aired last. By the new year I'm sure Top Gear will be repeated on Dave and the documentary repeated on More4/4Seven/C4/E4 (delete as applicable!) ad nauseam anyway! :D
 
Great! Now I can turn Top Gear off! :p

I liked some of the aerial footage they had of the park, was kind of refreshing seeing the place without its' Oktoberfest/Scarefest setup too. I'm really not interested in cars, and I don't like the "banter" these guys have with each other at all, so this was a bit of a slog to get through. Nice to see Alton Towers in a positive light though.
 
Why did they keep calling Nemesis. The Nemesis.

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Following the success of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, how about "My Big Fat Gypsy Trip To Alton Towers"? Or is that a bit too much?! :eek::D:p

The trip happens every year and is despised by many, no need for extra marketing on that front.
 
Why did they keep calling Nemesis. The Nemesis.
Because it is the Nemesis

Honestly this is the pettiest of all enthusiast complaints about those darned Gee Pees

I really enjoyed the feature, really well made and made the park look loads of fun too! Great idea and I dont even watch Top Gear!

More of this sort of thing of theme parks in media please rather than sentimental cobbled together rubbish like that Wicker Man one or how the previews make this latest covid doc one look
 
I’ve got to admit I very much enjoyed Top Gear’s feature filmed at the park! A very fun and different way to use Alton Towers within wider media!

I also look forward to the documentary tomorrow!
 
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here is the Top Gear feature:
 
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