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The World of David Walliams: General Discussion

Hid said:
Do we think this area will be the next to receive a retheme of all the areas it needs it the most.
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That is an intresting question,

X sector could have some work, however it is minor.
But DF I would argues also needs some investment, and they may be forced into it if Rita's unreliability continues and they need a replacment.
 
Dark forest needs a new coaster and flat ride. All of which would be significant investment but it absolutely needs doing. X Sector could be revamped with a new flat ride and some renovation work. Walliams world needs everything, new rides new theming, bringing unused building back into use. I think relocating the driving school would be good to make the area more accessible. Either way this area can't have long left in it's current form.
 
The park needs indoor areas for when the weather isn't great. We're all aware of the perpetual amount of rain we get, but in recent times also the crazy hot springs/summers we've been getting and this looks to be something that will become pretty norm for us. Having some indoor cooler spaces that also acts as a shelter from rain/snow etc is always useful for park goers when they go to the park and the weather isn't in their favour. Yes, they can't put a giant dome over the entire park. But maybe areas scattered about including more dark rides would help.

To be able to cover the entirety of Wallams World seems rather crazy, but just looking at the area, it's got so much potential space wise why not put it all to good use.

Here's a few video examples of what i'm getting at. Just indoor areas with smaller rides so it's a little more catered for kids and family attractions.


From: https://youtu.be/tApuMJBlWUE



From: https://youtu.be/7KPeM1Hyb54
 
cookiee_munster said:
The park needs indoor areas for when the weather isn't great. We're all aware of the perpetual amount of rain we get, but in recent times also the crazy hot springs/summers we've been getting and this looks to be something that will become pretty norm for us. Having some indoor cooler spaces that also acts as a shelter from rain/snow etc is always useful for park goers when they go to the park and the weather isn't in their favour. Yes, they can't put a giant dome over the entire park. But maybe areas scattered about including more dark rides would help.

To be able to cover the entirety of Wallams World seems rather crazy, but just looking at the area, it's got so much potential space wise why not put it all to good use.

Here's a few video examples of what i'm getting at. Just indoor areas with smaller rides so it's a little more catered for kids and family attractions.


From: https://youtu.be/tApuMJBlWUE



From: https://youtu.be/7KPeM1Hyb54
Click to expand...

I would think this could work well, if they made it a dark (interims of light level) theme (like pirates of the carrabean at DLP) such as a forest, or maybe a village at night I think t could work well
 
cookiee_munster said:
The park needs indoor areas for when the weather isn't great. We're all aware of the perpetual amount of rain we get, but in recent times also the crazy hot springs/summers we've been getting and this looks to be something that will become pretty norm for us. Having some indoor cooler spaces that also acts as a shelter from rain/snow etc is always useful for park goers when they go to the park and the weather isn't in their favour. Yes, they can't put a giant dome over the entire park. But maybe areas scattered about including more dark rides would help.

To be able to cover the entirety of Wallams World seems rather crazy, but just looking at the area, it's got so much potential space wise why not put it all to good use.

Here's a few video examples of what i'm getting at. Just indoor areas with smaller rides so it's a little more catered for kids and family attractions.


From: https://youtu.be/tApuMJBlWUE



From: https://youtu.be/7KPeM1Hyb54
Click to expand...

This is actually a great idea. You could install a big glass canopy over the street area to the back of the towers in a Victorian style so it doesn't look to jarring with the towers. Make it a steam punk area with some decent family flats and a couple of indoor rides and possibly a new indoor themed jungle gym. Leave the bottom end open for a possible taller flat ride ( steampunk pirate ship).

This area could operate in winter and seasonal events, it makes a lot of sense but would require strong theming and investment. Nobody wants an ugly shed / warehouse there
 
cookiee_munster said:
The park needs indoor areas for when the weather isn't great. We're all aware of the perpetual amount of rain we get, but in recent times also the crazy hot springs/summers we've been getting and this looks to be something that will become pretty norm for us. Having some indoor cooler spaces that also acts as a shelter from rain/snow etc is always useful for park goers when they go to the park and the weather isn't in their favour. Yes, they can't put a giant dome over the entire park. But maybe areas scattered about including more dark rides would help.

To be able to cover the entirety of Wallams World seems rather crazy, but just looking at the area, it's got so much potential space wise why not put it all to good use.

Here's a few video examples of what i'm getting at. Just indoor areas with smaller rides so it's a little more catered for kids and family attractions.


From: https://youtu.be/tApuMJBlWUE



From: https://youtu.be/7KPeM1Hyb54
Click to expand...

I’m not sure if Towers would ever have the budget for a large-scale indoor land, but they probably could build a covering over the ‘street’ portion of CCL, similar to how it’s been done at the main streets for Universal Studios Beijing/Singapore and Legoland Dubai.

That way a good proportion of the land would be away from adverse weather conditions. Project Horizon would be indoors with an outdoor queue in shade, and a Flávio’s replacement that’s still outdoors but with an enclosed queue.

Weather extremities are only going to get more common in the UK, and Towers needs to adapt to become more resilient to mitigate those effects. Can’t remember where I heard it but apparently UK theme parks hit peak profitability at 23 degrees celsius, and then declines from there onwards.

I know they give out sunscreen, and have given out water and sunglasses previously. Whereas Thorpe have installed water misters like you would see in US/Asia parks which I’m sure we’ll see soon enough at Towers. These are very immediate measures, however to have significant effects on crowds, they need to embed planning for weather extremities into long-term planning substantially.
 
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In times past, there was a lot more cover at the Towers...more arcades, little wildlife museum, model railway, more shops on Towers Street, the magnificent dancing water fountains...The Crux/Credo (!), and the covered rides behind cuckoo land, the train carriage cafe and Swiss Cottage, all shelter, all gone, in the name of progress.
 
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Bert2theSpark said:
I’m not sure if Towers would ever have the budget for a large-scale indoor land, but they probably could build a covering over the ‘street’ portion of CCL, similar to how it’s been done at the main streets for Universal Studios Beijing/Singapore and Legoland Dubai.

That way a good proportion of the land would be away from adverse weather conditions. Project Horizon would be indoors with an outdoor queue in shade, and a Flávio’s replacement that’s still outdoors but with an enclosed queue.
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Yes, exactly. Indoor areas can get very hot and noisy, but covers would be ideal. Combine that with a lot more family dark rides in that area, and it'd be perfect.
 
More info in this Telegraph article, it’s behind a paywall so info copied below.


David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher following an investigation by The Telegraph into inappropriate behaviour towards young women. Walliams, one of the country’s best-selling children’s authors, faced accusations that he had “harassed” junior female employees at Harper Collins. One woman who raised concerns was given a five-figure payoff by the publisher and left the business. This newspaper began investigating allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Walliams last year. The decision to drop Walliams comes after the sudden departure of the publisher’s former chief executive, Charlie Redmayne, 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. A spokesman for Harper Collins told the Telegraph: “After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision. “HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.” Walliams, who rose to fame more than 20 years ago through the comedy series Little Britain, has since become one of Britain’s most successful authors, with more than 40 books and short story collections to his name and sales of more than 60 million copies. In 2019 it was estimated that he and his publisher had sold £100m worth of books. His books are widely used in schools, have been translated into 55 languages, according to Harper Collins, and have been adapted for television by the BBC.

The 54-year-old’s television career has already stalled following allegations about sexist remarks he made as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. But it can now be revealed that he was also at the centre of a major Harper Collins investigation last year, after a junior employee complained about his conduct. It is understood that staff were interviewed as part of the inquiry by the publisher, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. Well-placed sources told the Telegraph that following the investigation, some junior staff were kept away from the author and one employee agreed a settlement and received a payoff. Former staff also told this newspaper that they were told to work in “pairs” when meeting Walliams and were advised not to visit his home.

In 2023, a junior employee raised concerns and an investigation by the publisher followed. Employees who had worked with Walliams were interviewed as part of the inquiry, which also involved at least one in-house lawyer. The investigation concluded in 2024. The Telegraph understands the company took steps to ensure that Walliams and some members of staff would be kept apart. A junior woman who had raised concerns about the author’s behaviour left the organisation after concluding a settlement with Harper Collins that included a five-figure payout. Walliams was already a major television star when he started writing children’s books, which were published by Harper Collins, in 2008
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The cynic in me notes how the news has broken after most people have completed their Christmas shopping.

HarperCollins have been forced to make their public statement about having dropped the publication of new David Walliams novels, because The Telegraph published their investigation today.

I expect that they never intended to announce that they were no longer publishing new Walliams novels, and instead planned to just quietly drop him.

Existing published novels will seemingly remain on sale.
 
There must be a market for his books but I don't know who's buying them, anyone I know with children certainly wouldn't go anywhere near them. Sub-Roald Dahl and without any of his redeeming qualities.

He was always a bizarre choice for a whole world at Alton Towers, shocking lack of foresight on their part.
 
A retheme makes sense soon anyway, and surely there will be a clause in the IP contract for things like this. Ultimately Merlin will decide whether they feel the threshold to retheme urgently is met by this new development. The fact the area is named after him rather than being more generally named after a fictional land or idea must be a consideration.

What I’m not sure of is how they could retheme Gangsta Granny easily? Even if renamed it something generic like “The Crown Jewels Tour” for a season or two until they get CAPEX, they would still need to make new videos for all the screens and change a bunch of theming, so I can’t see an easy solution.
 
The area has an identity crisis anyway. The website lists all the rides belonging to Towers or cloud cuckoo land. The app still mentions TWODW though.

I wonder if they will just quietly remove his name from everything for next season and just refer to it as the Towers. Gangsta Granny the ride could just be called gangsta granny loosing his name above it. My guess is it will have a retheme as part of tidying up this area anyway, hopefully being incorporated into Horizon if that ever happens.

I do wonder if minecraft land had gone to Towers if the ride would of had a minecraft theme applied to it. I do expect there will be a big IP attached as that seems to ve the current merlin strategy. Maybe Lego Harry Potter following the recent announcement or something else lego. Being quite far from legoland means it would not be competing for the same market unlike putting lego into chessington for example.
 
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