[202X] Project Horizon (SW9?): Planning Approved

[Dave]

This really has nothing to do with Walliams.

People forget Horizon was the only big project that was outline commissioned by the previous Merlin leadership team but hadn’t actually started construction when the leadership changed. I am sure the delay was because the new leadership team were reviewing all projects that hadn’t gone past the point of no return against their own strategy.

It’s very likely the theme and possible even the coaster model/ layout have changed dramatically in that time, it’s also possible they where considering canning it completely, but the current moves are nothing to do with walliams.

 

[AltonLover123]

We’m don’t know they’ve expanded its original form ….

We know they haven’t updated the plans for now.

You’d assume that the publishers were in talks with Towers before the news broke publically and whilst there has been rumblings for a while regarding Walliams, an entire retheme or rebuild of the area to incorporate the horizon plans would need a lot of work. It’s not something that can happen in a few weeks (unless it’s poorly done).

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

He's on the Xmas Woukd I Lie To You (filmed around May I believe) and when the publisher story broke they issued a statement...

Walliams is also scheduled to appear on comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? on Boxing Day.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: "While we're not making any changes to the festive schedules, we have no future projects directly involving David Walliams."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cev8p7d0gmgo

So they've not recorded anything more with him for a looong time.

I would hardly classify seven months as a "looong time" in the glacially slow world of television production. The Would I Lie to You? Christmas Special is part of the Series 19 production block, which filmed back in May. They don't wheel Rob Brydon out on Christmas Eve to film it live.

"Would I Lie to You?" At Christmas (TV Episode 2025) | Comedy, Game-Show

At Christmas: Directed by Barbara Wiltshire. With Rob Brydon, Lee Mack, David Mitchell, Helen George. For this festive edition of the comedy panel show Rob Brydon, Lee Mack and David Mitchell are joined by Jools Holland, Swarzy Shire, Helen George and David Walliams, who reveal amazing stories...

www.imdb.com

If you're referring to the adaptations of Walliams' children's books, "Grandpa's Great Escape" was the last "new" production released by the BBC in 2018 (filmed in 2017).

BBC - David Walliams

Comedy dramas based on David Walliams's best-selling children's books.

www.bbc.co.uk

The BBC's statement that they have "no future projects" is a magnificent piece of performative PR. It sounds terribly decisive and moral, but in reality, they haven't commissioned a Walliams adaptation since Grandpa's Great Escape aired in 2018. They are essentially announcing that they are bravely continuing to do exactly what they have been doing for the last seven years. It’s easy to cancel a man you weren't employing anyway.

If you are looking for new adaptations, you need to look at Sky. They commissioned Fing! for a 2026 release.

Fing! - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You’d assume that the publishers were in talks with Towers before the news broke publically

No, you wouldn't, because they weren't in talks with anyone else... including Walliams himself.

Coincidences exist, they happen more often than not. I'm not sure how many more reliable people have to explain that the Horizon documents uploaded yesterday would have been submitted weeks ago; that Horizon was never going to be part of the old Cred Street area.

I was honestly expecting more Thoosies to suggest that the Horizon update was obviously*, clearly* and almost definitely* a response to Universal UK gaining planning permission. I was not expecting conspiracy theories about the alleged actions of a children's author.

*sarcasm.

 

[jon81uk]

This really has nothing to do with Walliams.

People forget Horizon was the only big project that was outline commissioned by the previous Merlin leadership team but hadn’t actually started construction when the leadership changed. I am sure the delay was because the new leadership team were reviewing all projects that hadn’t gone past the point of no return against their own strategy.

It’s very likely the theme and possible even the coaster model/ layout have changed dramatically in that time, it’s also possible they where considering canning it completely, but the current moves are nothing to do with walliams.

Yep and I think the leadership likely realise that planning permission to build a building in that area is still a good thing, as you are unlikely to get anything without a building in that area, even if you then change plans on what to do with the building it makes sense to keep the planning permission active.

 

[BSwiss]

Just an idea but I’d love this ride to be a dark rollercoaster but to the music of ITHOTMK. Similar to CanCan Coaster at Europa Park.

Would be unique and very Alton Towers.

Sorry to quote something 7 pages back, but I like this idea and think it can be taken further.

Curse works thematically as it’s an isolated attraction, but linked via its story to the overarching park. I think the same logic could be applied to Horizon - by making ITHOTMK part of the lore with the creation of a ‘Mountain King’ character related to the Altons.

 

[Dave]

Yep and I think the leadership likely realise that planning permission to build a building in that area is still a good thing, as you are unlikely to get anything without a building in that area, even if you then change plans on what to do with the building it makes sense to keep the planning permission active.

Exactly, the only thing that is static is the dimensions of the building, they where not even that prescriptive with the theming.

I would hazard a guess they have changed quite a lot of the plan, but that they are still wanting an indoor coaster in that location.

 

[Squiggs]

I was honestly expecting more Thoosies to suggest that the Horizon update was obviously*, clearly* and almost definitely* a response to Universal UK gaining planning permission. I was not expecting conspiracy theories about the alleged actions of a children's author.

*sarcasm.

Whereas everyone in the know knows that actually Universal UK is actually Universal rssponding to the planning permission for Project Horizon being granted.

 

[AltonLover123]

No, you wouldn't, because they weren't in talks with anyone else... including Walliams himself.

They definitely would. If they knew they would not continue with one of their clients for future publications they would legally have to inform them of this.

There are contracts in place with both Walliams and Merlin.

I haven’t once stated the horizon news is part of Walliams world. I was just theorising that towers will have known prior to the press release from Harper

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

They definitely would. If they knew they would not continue with one of their clients for future publications they would legally have to inform them of this.

There is absolutely no law that compels a publisher to inform a client (or in this case, an author) that they are conducting an internal investigation into their conduct, or that they intend to sever ties, until they are ready to do so.

The Telegraph's original investigation explicitly states that Walliams was kept in the dark until the eleventh hour:

The decision to drop Walliams comes after the sudden departure of Charlie Redmayne, the publisher’s former chief executive, who left in October. Kate Elton succeeded him as interim boss. It is understood that Walliams did not know about the Harper Collins investigation and that its conclusions were not put to him.

And his own agent confirmed this:

Walliams’s agent said: “David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins.
“He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”

https://archive.is/WfBeO

He did not know, until shortly before The Telegraph went to print with their article.

Alton Towers and Merlin Entertainments certainly wouldn't have been consulted either, as the decision to not publish any future Walliams books has no contractual impact or relevance to their current licencing agreement.

Merlin is a third party licensee. Their contract is to use the intellectual property of the existing books for a theme park land. Whether HarperCollins chooses to publish future books is an internal commercial strategy decision for the publisher.

If HarperCollins had whispered to Merlin that they were investigating Walliams or planning to drop him before telling Walliams himself, they would have opened themselves up to massive legal liability for breach of confidentiality or tortious interference.

Corporate legal teams do not share sensitive HR or commercial data with third party theme park operators just to be polite. Merlin found out when we did.

 

[BSwiss]

Feels likely that Merlin’s PR-facing response will be similar to BBC’s. Something vague about not adding anything new DW-related and respecting the investigation process.

 

[Craig]

Much of the discussion taking place in here is not relevant to Project Horizon and leaning more toward discussion specifically about the allegations against Walliams.

The bottom line is we will likely never know every specific reason for Project Horizon coming about. As others have pointed out, we do need to be realistic that a multi million pound attraction at a company that lives at the pace of Merlin isn’t going to change planning speed or direction at a moment’s notice of the back of a news article last week, or even rumours/stories from further back than that. These projects are many, many years in the making and the decisions are for far more long term strategic reasons than PR knee jerk reactions. I think it’s far safer to assume that they identified a need for additional capacity and innovation in what is a pretty stale side of the park more than anything else.

We have off topic forums for discussion about the news about Walliams, and specific topics for the area at Towers already. I know speculation about what could come of an area next door can be good, but at the moment it’s constantly derailing this topic away from discussion about Horizon. Unless there is specific mention of World of David Walliams being affected by Project Horizon in future planning documents, let’s keep discussion out of here for the time being.

 

[Ash]

Seems a steady amount of similarities? Another Merlin multi buy?

 

[AT86]

Similar in the way that they are totally different in most of those categories?

 

[Hid]

The only real problem with Project Horizon with it being in that location is whether people will go back there. It will need a great marketing campaign in order to make sure people are aware

With the Dungeons Boat Ride not attracting guests that way general public may assume there is nothing there.

Being to many parks, dead ends often make rides quieter and footfall less.

 

[AT86]

The only real problem with Project Horizon with it being in that location is whether people will go back there. It will need a great marketing campaign in order to make sure people are aware

With the Dungeons Boat Ride not attracting guests that way general public may assume there is nothing there.

Being to many parks, dead ends often make rides quieter and footfall less.

That part of the park is dead because there is nothing worth going back there for. A new high investment ride will drive footfall.

Forbidden Valley is a dead end, it manages fine.

 

[Dave]

The only real problem with Project Horizon with it being in that location is whether people will go back there. It will need a great marketing campaign in order to make sure people are aware

With the Dungeons Boat Ride not attracting guests that way general public may assume there is nothing there.

Being to many parks, dead ends often make rides quieter and footfall less.

It’s less out the way than Forbidden Valley, if you build something interesting then people will go to it.

People didn’t venture to dungeons because it was naff and upcharged.

 

[Hid]

That part of the park is dead because there is nothing worth going back there for. A new high investment ride will drive footfall.

Forbidden Valley is a dead end, it manages fine.

It’s less out the way than Forbidden Valley, if you build something interesting then people will go to it.

People didn’t venture to dungeons because it was naff and upcharged.

Even when it was Toyland Tours wasn't one of the reasons that closed was because it had less crowds and was out of the way and this is a similar place to that

 

[Dave]

Even when it was Toyland Tours wasn't one of the reasons that closed was because it had less crowds and was out of the way and this is a similar place to that

Toyland tours got queues, it closed because they thought the Charlie IP would attract guests.