35 years ago on the 11th April 1990 Vampire opened at Chessington World of Adventures. Along with the much acclaimed Bubbleworks, the rides were the focus of Transylvania, the first truly themed area at a theme park in the UK. In this episode we celebrate both rides by chatting to the creative genius who brought them to life and made them the special attractions we have known and loved - John Wardley.
John takes us through the history of the rides, the problems he faced along the way and shares some details you may not have heard before!
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45:57
S3 Ep13: Unpopular Theme Park opinions
We’ve all got one…..
This week it’s been over to you as we ask - what are your unpopular theme park opinions?
From SLC’s to POV’s - we’re covering off the unpopular opinions you sent in; and whether we agree or not….
We’ll be revisiting this topic so if you have your own please send it over!
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28:58
S3 Ep12: Do we care about Theme Parks too much?
As theme parks have started to reopen for the 2025 season, things haven’t all been plain sailing. As theme park enthusiasts we often get called overly critical, so do we care too much? Do we notice things and get worked up over things your average park guest wouldn’t? Or are we right to push for higher standards for everyone?
In this episode we talk about the Alton Towers 2025 opening day which didn’t go as well as hoped and try and work out if we were right to be upset by it.
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52:43
S3 Ep11: Making a splash - Water Rides in the UK
Despite our climate we’ve always had a strong line up of water rides in the UK, but are we starting to fall out of love with them? Especially the classic log flume?! In this episode we look at some of our favourite water attractions - past and present - and discuss what we think the future of water-based rides could look like.
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44:44
S3 Ep10: Oakwood: What went wrong?
The UK theme park enthusiast community has been left reeling from the shock announcement of the closure of Oakwood Theme Park in Wales. This week we’re joined by RCCGB Chairman Andy Hine to look back at the park over the years and try and work out what went wrong? Is there any chance Megafobia can be saved and what does the future hold for the park once held in such high regard by enthusiasts and the public?
About Parkcast - The UK’s Original Theme Park Podcast
The UK’s Original Theme Park Podcast
Reviews. News. Tips. Opinions.
Rollercoasters - Parks - Rides
Parkcast is a UK based theme park podcast bringing you all the latest news from theme parks across the globe, interviews with influential people in the theme park industry along with money saving tips, tricks and suggestions to enhance your day out. Join us, it'll be quite a ride!
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