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Potential New Universal UK Park

Had a thought following the finale of Ant & Decs Saturday Night Takeaway last weekend, in Florida they have Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon (late night chatshow host), but imagine if they did create a UK version of something like that with someone like Ant & Dec.
Don't see it happening as the main reason we got Jimmy Fallon in Florida was for synergy with NBC.

But I do actually like the thought of what could happen if they focused more on "British" stuff. The Bridget Jones Experience or Four Weddings and a Funeral 4D?

The Johnny English stunt show would actually be a good thing though, combining the skill of stunts with some slapstick routines.
 
The locals seem broadly positive based on the BBC article with just one guy who's a bit NIMBY. If you have kids in school in the local area it's a no brainer with the jobs and opportunities the park will bring. Bedford itself will benefit from tourists staying in the area. If they can tackle the infrastructure side it's huge with for the area
 
John_P said:
Just hopeful that the noises coming out this weekend means Merlin and the other UK park operators are now (if not already) hard at work at planning investments and additions to their own parks for the next decade.
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Extremely unlikely, and they'd be very foolish to do so. This will be something to keep an eye on, and a strategy will be developed when there is certainty. Even then, that strategy is unlikely to involve borrowing huge amounts of money chasing identical custom in an unwinnable battle.

Even once they have certainty, an expected opening date, and details of what exactly is being proposed (they have none of these at the moment), it's likely that a response will be to avoid direct competition, not encourage it.
 
With Universal on the horizon it’s given me food for thought about Merlin’s approach and what they could/will do.



And in all honestly I think they’re just going to stick to what they’re doing now and plod along. Universal will chuck money left right and centre and if Merlin did have the money I’m sure they’d be doing the same instead of budget cuts especially towards themeing and rides. Thorpe Parks new coaster is a prime example. The ride is evidently cut short because of budget constraints with no/minimal themeing, compared to Universal rides that are adequately long and more well themed and thought out.

It may not be fair to compare both as they’re both completely different operator’s, but all these years Merlin has been quoting itself as second to Disney. be that in terms of number of guests but it’s still a very bold statement to make.

I’m very curious to see how Merlin are going to react if (fingers crossed and looking likely) it gets the approval. As mentioned a lot of people already want to jump ship to Uni.
 
Tim said:
Doctor Who is a really problematic IP. In theory it has a lot of potential as a fully immersive dark ride experience. Recreating that "bigger on the inside" moment is a classic illusion trick which would be spectacular.
However the show reinvents itself too often to be a suitable Theme Park IP. Just compare how the show looks now to how it looked 7 years ago. It's completley different. That's the same timegap between now and the park opening. They'd end up with the same problem as Fantastic Beasts, and that's before the show changes again after it opens.
As much as I'd love to see it, there's simply no way a major Theme Park would open an attraction they knowingly have to completely overhaul every 5 years.

It would however make for an amazing show or seasonal event. Imagine if they used it during Halloween as a "Meet the Monsters" Scare Maze light.
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Any Doctor Who based dark ride would need to be screen based so they can update any sequences with The Doctor soon after their regeneration if focusing on the current doctor. 😊

If using popular doctors, they may be able to get away with using someone like David Tennant but everyone has their preferences with Doctors so may not be able to please everyone.
 
Tim said:
Doctor Who is a really problematic IP. In theory it has a lot of potential as a fully immersive dark ride experience. Recreating that "bigger on the inside" moment is a classic illusion trick which would be spectacular.
However the show reinvents itself too often to be a suitable Theme Park IP. Just compare how the show looks now to how it looked 7 years ago. It's completley different. That's the same timegap between now and the park opening. They'd end up with the same problem as Fantastic Beasts, and that's before the show changes again after it opens.
As much as I'd love to see it, there's simply no way a major Theme Park would open an attraction they knowingly have to completely overhaul every 5 years.

It would however make for an amazing show or seasonal event. Imagine if they used it during Halloween as a "Meet the Monsters" Scare Maze light.
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You either need a ride that's constantly adaptable or something very generic (a Dalek ride?). I think something that contains all variations of the Doctor and allows future Doctor Whos to be 'added on' could work; it would have to be more screen-based, however.

Excalibur said:
With Universal on the horizon it’s given me food for thought about Merlin’s approach and what they could/will do.



And in all honestly I think they’re just going to stick to what they’re doing now and plod along. Universal will chuck money left right and centre and if Merlin did have the money I’m sure they’d be doing the same instead of budget cuts especially towards themeing and rides. Thorpe Parks new coaster is a prime example. The ride is evidently cut short because of budget constraints with no/minimal themeing, compared to Universal rides that are adequately long and more well themed and thought out.

It may not be fair to compare both as they’re both completely different operator’s, but all these years Merlin has been quoting itself as second to Disney. be that in terms of number of guests but it’s still a very bold statement to make.

I’m very curious to see how Merlin are going to react if (fingers crossed and looking likely) it gets the approval. As mentioned a lot of people already want to jump ship to Uni.
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I agree. I would assume Merlin will continue with their current approach. Universal will no doubt cost much more to visit than the Merlin parks and will aim at tourists and overseas visitors. Merlin could concentrate on operating domestic parks that are more 'budget-friendly'. I doubt they have an appetite to aim for an international audience with Alton Towers or their other parks.
 
Merlin will need to go hard on promotion the year Universal opens. Same with other parks like Drayton, they won't be able to offer the level of experience Universal has but they can offer a good value day out. Drayton has been pretty good at promotional offers and I think that's the way Merlin will need to go
 
owenstreet7 said:
If using popular doctors, they may be able to get away with using someone like David Tennant but everyone has their preferences with Doctors so may not be able to please everyone.
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That makes me think, there are now 2 doctors, they could make it so you have the adventure with the david tennant doctor, as he was having a break in the show, so they could use that and say that he got involved in something as I am guessing david tennants doctor will not be featured too much in the next seasons so probably won't require changing the ride
 
I wasn't sure how locals would react, in the last few years Luton Council have been trying to expand Luton Airport which has been incredibly unpopular especially with folks outside Luton however the airport plans are way closer to houses (they include building a new terminal in a local park) and they come with a far more noise pollution (especially at night) and more air pollution.
 
I think it helps that it seems that Universal actually care about people’s opinions, and that they seem really really enthusiastic about the whole project. Like they said in the first meeting they were impressed by the outcome and how positive people were. I really really really hope they go ahead with this and planning is accepted!
 
owenstreet7 said:
Any Doctor Who based dark ride would need to be screen based so they can update any sequences with The Doctor soon after their regeneration if focusing on the current doctor. 😊

If using popular doctors, they may be able to get away with using someone like David Tennant but everyone has their preferences with Doctors so may not be able to please everyone.
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I think you are underestimating the cost and time involved in updating screen based (digital content).
Yes, it is technically possible to build a simulator or flying theatre style of ride and update the film every few years. But no one (not even Disney and Universal) do. It simply takes too many resources for the return on investment. When these rides do get updates it's usually a decade or so later.

The Hall of Presidents is the only attraction I can think of that gets regular major updates, and even then it's politicaly motivated and they prey for a two term election.
 
So if we are optimistically going with this happening, what do we think the timeline will be in terms of announcements and construction?
 
havaska said:
I suspect an announcement on whether this gets the green light before the end of the year.

Construction to start 2025 in my opinion.
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I reckon a 2025 construction start is slightly optimistic myself. Bear in mind that even after Universal gives the project the green light, they still need to submit a full planning application to the government and have their proposal go through appropriate scrutiny.

I know that that project had a litany of other issues, but bear in mind that the team behind the ill-fated London Resort project were forecasting that it would take 18 months from the submission of their full planning application to get approval of the planning application by the government, and that even had the gold-plated NSIP status to fastrack it through the planning process. I’m unsure if Universal have been granted NSIP status, even if the proposal is being viewed by the UK government rather than Bedford Borough Council.

If Universal’s proposal was to take a similar 18 months to gain planning approval, we’d be looking at early to mid 2026 for a planning approval if they submitted a full planning application towards the end of 2024.

Given that Universal wouldn’t be starting construction straight away (they’d need to hire construction workers, order supplies, and do all that good logistical stuff after the planning approval), I reckon we’d be looking at more like late 2026 or possibly even 2027 for a construction start and an opening somewhere in the ballpark of the early 2030s.

And that’s if everything goes wonderfully to plan; as we’ve seen with the London Resort’s planning application and numerous other large infrastructure projects in the UK (such as HS2), it only takes a few heavily dissatisfied people to throw a massive spanner in the works. We could see currently hidden opponents emerging from the woodwork when it comes to the scrutiny and seriousness of an official planning application.
 
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Enabling work will probably start later half of 2025 with main contractors starting in 2026 providing nothing on planning delays it

One big plus for the site is that it's already on the local plan to be developed so there is no debate as to if the land gets built on or not. London Resort never had this and they didn't own the land either. Universal have been incredibly slick so far
 
It’s quite interesting how far Universal are broadening their themes from Film.

I think (with zero degree of certainty but for the love of chucking ideas about) we could see something involving Football. It’s permanently popular, has huge cross-generational appeal and is a big draw for overseas visitors.

The Premier League, Champions League, FIFA and UEFA are all actively seeking commoditisation opportunities at every turn and the chance to seek their IP to Universal would likely delight them.

It’s also very future-proof from an IP standpoint. It’s hard to see the popularity waning anytime, and it’s popularity isn’t reliant on ongoing entertainment quality or the media relations stability of an individual.
 
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