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Thorpe Park: General Discussion

I found the worst bit of the attraction the headsets because they were very bulky and were too big, although the actors were poor.
Yeah I had to hold mine up with my hands the entire time as it kept slipping down. Personally though I didn't think the attraction as a whole was too bad. I'll never forget the moment when a stranger who was stood next to me grabbed my arm during one of the show scenes as an actor came up to us. 🤣
 
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In hindsight, I wonder if the headsets being semi supported from the wall or ceiling (rather than "stick this on your head") might have been more practical and less prone to breakages.
 
Genuinely think having screens instead of the windows some how would have worked much better, along with an actor or two in costume or something. Individual headsets are always going to be a nightmare unless you run it like Can Can VR with the walking part
 
Ahhh, Derren Brown's Ghost Train, Merlin's greatest ever flop that has been a hindrance to Thorpe Park ever since it opened. It just never really worked, they jumped on the VR bandwagon of the time but built at attraction that was centred around it. I suspect the IP has run out and not been renewed (plenty of rumours that Derren Brown was never really happy with it).
 
He wasn’t happy with the ride, but then, he wasn’t as involved as the marketing would have had you believe and didn’t even see it in person until shortly before it opened. The crux of the storyline was already well developed and the system designed before he signed up, as that early name/logo trademark reveals. The way DBGT plays out is extremely Merlin and very un-Derren, whose work doesn’t typically feature demons and fracking disasters. Incidentally, I think the pre-show is the finest part of the whole experience and much more in tune with his excellent stage work, although it unfortunately plays no coherent part in setting up for what’s to follow.

The floating train trick is cool, as is your ultimate return to the point at which you started. Unfortunately, both of these elements are so understated as to go unnoticed by most.
 
With regard to Derren Brown’s personal thoughts on Derren Brown’s Ghost Train; we’ll probably never know his exact thoughts, but I do think that it could be construed as rather telling that he has done little to no promotion of the ride since it opened, and he has had very little involvement in the overhauls and changes that have happened since.

To announce the Rise of the Demon changes, they had to hire an actor to play “Drew Bronner” (an anagram of Derren Brown) rather than have Brown himself involved with bulk of the promotional materials.

Surely if Brown was truly proud of Derren Brown’s Ghost Train or happy with the end product, he would be heavily advertising it in his shows and such?

Of course, that on its own is not something to draw any conclusions from, but I do think it could be an interesting piece of evidence.
 
There is a new Thorpe group which have been posting all sorts of bits. One bit which is great is work is taking place on the swarm this winter giving the ride and station some TLC.

They have posted that the ride is having:
🪵 Replacing damaged queue line and station panels
🖊 Removing all graffiti
📺 Replace/repair TV screens (work started in '22)
🧑‍🔧 Repairing broken fiberglass
🎨 Repainting the station and queue line infrastructure
🧼 Giving everything a good scrub!

And here are a few work in progress photos:
 

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Surely if Brown was truly proud of Derren Brown’s Ghost Train or happy with the end product, he would be heavily advertising it in his shows and such?

I don't think it being advertised within the actual show would ever have been expected or have worked, but last time I saw him live the program did have a full back page ad for the ride, I'm guessing the year after opening. Probably contractual more than a ringing endorsement, but it was there.
 
There is a new Thorpe group which have been posting all sorts of bits. One bit which is great is work is taking place on the swarm this winter giving the ride and station some TLC.

They have posted that the ride is having:


And here are a few work in progress photos:

This is genuinely great to see, it was starting to look a right state towards the end of the season, nice to see Thorpe’s attractions getting this kind of attention at last after years of cheap quick repairs
 
The TLC to the TV screens is definitely needed as most of them weren't working when I last went to Thorpe, which was the first Sunday of Fright Nights 2022.
Some of the queue line tvs were actually on when I visited later during fright nights and it’s the first time I’ve seen them on for years, however there was no audio which was a shame.
 
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