I can easily imagine that guy sitting in his parlor, panting at the naked ankles of women park guests through a CCTV monitor while dressed in a bear costume.

Yes, I have to wonder about the definitions of both “frisky” and “caterpillars” in British English. Those are not two words that are usually go together.

@@AlexanderBlues1228 indeed lol

So that’s what the “crazy castle” scenario in RC2 is a reference of. Interesting.

There's actually quite a few english theme parks built on old castles. Most small town english theme parks are built on/around either a castle or a farm

Well not literally on a castle. It’s next to Alton castle🤷‍♀️

@@gracekim25 its actually quite a long way from Alton castle few miles down the road which is a catholic summer camp (i am from stoke-on-trent and visited both) the towers are actually considerably larger and more impressive than whats left of the castle

And Disney pinched/took all the ideas from Blackpool pleasure beach

that's just how British people seem to think distances are. I once heard a Brit call a 4 hour drive a major road trip. In the US, that's like a day trip out to get your nails done, not really a road trip worth talking about.

It’s 3 1/2 hours away from where I live and I’d never been befire last year as it was too far, but then since we got merlin annual passes it’s like it’s only 30 mins away and we go loads lol

@cumquatrct3 I mean, it probably has to do with the fact that Britain has a fraction of America's territory. But sure, your explanation seems legit

@John Nichols My parents were always open about finances with me. If I wanted something for Christmas or a birthday and it was too expensive, they'd tell me 'sorry, we can't afford it, but we can get you something else'.

Yeah, I drive over twice that every day just to get to work. It's a bit different in America

Oh yeah….smiler…😶

"Northern England"? Ah yes, the midlands, so named for being at the top of the country.

​@@mysteriousbob As a Notherner I can say that the main pressure in claiming Alton Towers as the best theme park in the north is so we don't have to say Blackpool Pleasure Beach

That was so horrifying. I was an adult when that happened, so I grew up at Alton Towers many years earlier; I remember The Mouse had a bit of a reputation, it was one of the parks earliest coasters, was rickety, and had more than one accident in its history. Nothing as bad as The Smiler, but still pretty horrible. Super-thankful that I was always safe at the park.

​@@jack-a-lopiumthe smiler is a great ride tho, love it

Ive lost my fair share of accessories there as a kid xD

"were still expecting the movie to start when we dropped" that must've been fun XD

You thought you needed to be strapped into a car to watch a movie?

@@dharmallars someone is having trouble remembering how naive our parent were were before the internet I see. Alton Towers was the furthest a lot of us had even travelled from our home towns back then. It’s not inconceivable you’d be strapped in a flat train that simply drove you in the dark then shook you about a bit to a movie of a black hole at the end. Much like the beginning of Doctor Who. No one knew what to expect when it first opened.

@@L0rdOfThePies ik this comment is old but,, your icon.

Linksbro Am I wrong in thinking that the presenter sounds a lot like Tim Curry?

It's so incredibly old too. The advert that is. Though, I don't hear anyone use the phrase either. Not where I live anyway.

It left me stirred, but not shaken...

@@lawrencecalablaster568 No.

@@OEDODRAGON It's very common in Australia.

Glad you shared!

that's really cool that you documented the history or our town. Haven't read the sentinel in about a decade since by grandad was in it for getting banned from Weatherspoon's in Biddulph over peas.

Currently a U-Rest stop at Universal's Islands of Adventure is actually a shut down show stadium

Abandoned store? "Fuckit, let's turn it into a Spirit Halloween!" Abandoned indoor ride? "Fuckit, let's turn it into a haunted house!"

Its just a perfectly efficient use of space. It's cheaper than doing a full renovation since the place looking like shit just adds to the effect

Well duh. What better theme for a dead attraction?

@@collinmclaren6608 perfect

Jayfive276 The reason the engineer overrode the system is due to the fact that they only knew of four train cars on the track. They had added a 5th and had not told the engineers. When the engineers counted the cars they counted the four that they knew of, thus causing the engineer to override the system believing the system was faulty.

@@dargonpheonixx8175 It was also due to pressure from the higher ups, as down time led to less pay, so the employee felt pressured to get the ride running again quickly. This is a company putting productivity above customer safety, and frankly I wouldn't feel comfortable going on any ride at this park, having read about this.

@@blackwing97 That doesn't make any sense, almost all downtime is due to things maintenance crews/ride operators can't do anything about like sensors wearing down naturally over time. It doesn't make any sense that staff would get paid less for things they can't avoid. Also anybody can see that doing so is a recipe for disaster, so can I ask where exactly you read this?

@@bulletnotloaded3586 honestly I made this comment 7 months ago and don't remember. I was only going off what I've heard, I'm not an expert on the situation.

Fascinating Horror has a good video on the incident

Or the whole of Action Park.

So x-sector

🤣🤣🤣

@@kcapila Wat.

Soooo true and I love it XD

@@kcapila Oh but they speak very highly of you sweetie......lol

It would be even sicker if it was true lmao.

xingcat The next book about the trump whitehouse

🤦🏾‍♂️

Sounds like a night out with John Wayne Gacy.

"Send in the clowns...." (Too soon?)

Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me.

Oblivion: WHO SUMMONED ME!!?!?!

100% agree, Nemesis really stands the test of time and is a masterpiece of working with limitations (such as height restrictions.) The queue is the most fun I've ever had waiting for a ride!

I went about five years ago and couldn't believe how filthy and run down the park was. Nemesis was so rough and the "river of the blood" was not dyed any more and had moss floating on the surface. Doubt I'll go again.

@@alexkrycek3359 that joke didn’t land very well :)

I'd argue that the limitations actually enhanced certain aspects, Oblivion seemingly dropping into a pit added to the fear factor. I remember the buzz around it as a kid and how crazy the idea of a coaster that would just hang above a drop like that and then plummet into to ground was. Had they been able to build taller and it just banked around it would have been far less impressive. I used to live in Derby near Alton Towers and now I regret I didn't go there more often in the later years, I hadn't been back since before their built Air so I missed loads of iconic new coasters that are in the park now, I think I only got to do Nemesis and Oblivion as the last big ones made during the times I went.

I’ve never been to Alton Towers or indeed, England. The closest I’ve come is Fawlty Towers. But based solely on what I’ve seen, Nemesis and Space Mountain aren’t even remotely comparable. It’s like comparing Evander Holyfield to a toddler with boxing gloves. Nemesis is a full scale, inverted roller coaster, practically carved into a hillside with a river that used to run red. Space Mountain is one, small tick up from a family coaster with lasers and fun sound effects. They’re not even in the same league...

ThisIsNotHarvey as someone from outside U.K. I only found out about Alton towers from the accident where two cars collided amputating legs of people in first row

Haohmaru HL Lol yeah same here

A lot of our ads were mad in the 90s early 2000s the you’ve been tangoes one was mad also

I just remember after every one, my brother wouldn't stop laughing.

Bloody yankee

My cousin made the mistake of riding X No Way Out with a row to herself sat in the middle where there was no head rest :/

HELLO YOU! I almost went to Thorpe Park during a trip to the UK, But my UK Friend had to cancel due to work. I'd love to go back to England to visit one of your theme parks some day.

My first experience of X No Way out was being on the BACK of the ride so I was going first. Apparently they've changed the ride to go forwards now.

Larry Bundy Jr are you saying that the flying fish (and indeed the scorpion express at chessington) is exactly the same ride as the black hole?!

Oh my gosh I remember going on the flying fish. It was one of the very first roller coasters I went on as a kid.

We even made the largest cup of tea ever as a symbol of friendship, and the British decided we were hooligans.

Nah it’s just there will *always* be a rivalry with America and England

As an Ohioan, I am laughing.

@@ryanepley3180 the actual Towers and gardens were before that

@@Grimmwoldds not every Brit likes tea

Every big ride at alton towers (except galactica)

@@james_guy6930 (and rita)

Every single notable coaster there may as well be themed to psychological horror. Smiler, Oblivion, Wicker Man, Thirteen……

Wait are you serious? Have you been to any amusement or theme parks?

Katherine Thompson he should totally do the Space Invader from Blackpool Pleasure Beach too!

Katherine Thompson Same, also loved the little bit of history of the towers too. Can’t seem to find anything on it so well done Kevin for finding what you did!

Oooo! Yes! A look at the history of Pleasure Beach would be great!

I'd prefer thorpe park, imo much better than blackpool but maybe on par with alton. Maybe history of X:\NWO and it's rethemes?

@@Picobits thorpe park would be great. fun fact: my voice broke on Stealth

Jacob Garland yeah these videos are awesome, first time here :)

Very cool video!

Yeah makes sense 😂

YOU SHOULD POST VIDEOS EVERYDAY!!!!! >:( IT MAKES ME SAD AND MAD!

Great job!!

Love the frequency of the uploads!

I go to Alton Towers every year and the corkscrew was re themed in its last days to a caveman prehistoric theme and called the bone shaker which was very apt always came of there with aching body and headache😖😖😖😖😖all gone now, thanks for doing a UK park😁😁😁

It's great seeing a European park pop up! I don't know if there's that big of a story to tell since I'm actually not very knowledgeable about amusement park history, but Efteling's Pegasus could be another fun European episode maybe? Efteling's one of the oldest theme parks in the world so there might be something fun to share in its history :)

As a Utah resident ive ridden Jetstar 2 at lagoon a bunch and it's really not that scary of a ride, maybe in pitch black but with the lap thing it's kind of though of as a couples ride

I’m from the south and people still talked about it. I heard loads of rumours about it like they use laughing gas!!

I know since there are both Amusement Park so saying one ripe off the other is like saying Batman is a ripeoff of Ironman since there both similar. Of course there are similar they both superhero. Same for amusement parks. However that ad at the beginning: All i could see was it a small world, teacups, and gardens which all staples of Disenyland and I couldn't help but laugh. (Disenyland do in fact actually take their plants decoration seriously. Like have cabbages in Tomorrowland to give unusual greenery or keeping a Old tree that the orginal landowners made diseny promises to never cut down in Adventureland. )

Claude Terry-Marchant I rode a jetstar 2 at lagoon it was really smooth suprizingly smooth

Dec bruh the jetstar 2 trains are so weird it’s like it makes you gay lol

I just discovered it. 17k views on day one for theme park history ain't bad.

Or have a pint of ale while making a tv show about a hobo in a time travelling box who kidnaps innocent women that goes on for 60 years

😅oh boy

That's just how historical based British attractions are sometimes Like fairly nearby there's Warwick Castle, where you can take a tour of the dungeons including plenty of torture devices

Welcome to Alaska!

Bruh. The disaster transport references.

Haha hell no. I used to love the black hole. Also oblivion used to break down so often when it first opened I remember a time when it broke down and they were all stuck hanging down for like over an hour

@@parimabartender Shut it you fucking rascist

@@trixsta4807 massive necro, but what happened here

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

As a sort of show, executions were popular to watch as well as civil war battles at one point.

People weren't being publicly tortured and executed in the 1890s. The Victorians were obsessed with faux-medieval gothic horror - Victorian showmen invented the Iron Maiden (metal casket lined with spikes) and claimed it was a medieval torture/execution method, and the same with a few other really weird 'medieval torture devices'. Chastity belts were also a faux-medieval Victorian invention, as was droit de seigneur/prima noctis (a medieval lord's right to rape peasant women on their wedding nights) - they never existed. Never. These were not real medieval objects or laws. But the wealthy (and sexually repressed) Victorian upper-class enjoyed the _scandal_ and the _excitement_ and the ability to feel morally superior over how far they'd come since those _barbaric_ medieval folk. (The general view at the time was that Victorian British democracy was the absolute pinnacle of civilisation and all of history was leading up to this moment of triumph. Google "Whig history". It's all part and parcel of the same idea.) (Yes, I have a history degree, how could you tell?) So yeah, the Earl probably had travelling showmen come around with _real genuine medieval torture instruments_ for people to stare at, aka a metal casket made in the village down the road a couple of years ago with fake dried blood on the spikes.

@@aim-to-misbehave5674 I didn't expect to have my medieval misconceptions debunked today, so I thank you for this selfless community action or spreading information.

Ricardo Saucedo Same here!

*sees it and drops what I was watching* I bet the Black Hole would have been awesome to ride; it amazes me how much coaster can be squeezed into a small space with enough ingenuity!

Ricardo Saucedo I’m eating popcorn right now

I know right! This is like one if those rides that suffers from major changes over the years but yet still enjoyable and that you wanted to ride it over and over again!

Lol

MISTA WORLDWAAAAAAHHHHHHDE

WORLD STAR!

Yay its DISNEY DAN

Disney Dan I

I was scared of the whole x sector as a kid!

alton towers ads are deranged and engrained into the british schoolkid subconscious. i remember the smiler one and nearly shitting my pants! they were even on cereal boxes lol

@@OwlyFisher i can attest to that! I loved that cereal though..

I still remember Oblvion being a massive deal in the late 90s, early 2000s. It really did have this strange mystique to schoolboys of the time. Going to Alton Towers and riding it was seen as an amazing thing for those who got to go.

Oblivion was awesome, something about the way it all builds up and the sensation of dropping into the hole. You'd think it would just be a one trick pony. But oh my god.

I remember my first time going on Oblivion, a mixture of fear and excitement as the car left the station, and then a minute later thinking, “Is that it?” Probably the most overrated coaster ever. One almost-but-not-quite-vertical drop and that was it. Dropping through the misty hole was quite fun though.

British Theme Park Archive Smiler was awesome though

No man it was a bad ride from the get go. Everyone that worked at the park was wary of it. The whole thing shook under high stress and the computer system was so dodgy. I was unfortunate enough to of been present on the day of the accident. It was harrowing.

QT MLE they almost have 100k subscribers.

honestly i could see this getting into the millions at some point

QT MLE me too

@@ricardoacosta8744 11 months later and he's on 470k

Was that some goodwill gesture to the residents due to the fact you always heard of local displeasure at all the noise and the fuckton of coaches threading the village?

Yeah, that was the idea! I heard they stopped giving them out at some point after 2007, when I moved away. I have no idea how they keep the locals happy now as the traffic was always horrific!

Siobhan Harper I went to Alton towers last year and heard they allow the residents to work and get free passage in the theme park. So they're still doing something I believe.

roarshach13 That was the most British ad of all time

John Broome, the park's original owner, was notoriously smug. It is a hilariously old fashioned advert but not one that really represented the park the way most people knew it at that time. It was a nice relaxed, British park and was more about fun rides in an amazing setting than just trying to rip off Disney in that smug way.

Those Promos are so calm it's jarring.

roarshach13 well it was cheaper and the lines weren‘t as enormous so definitely better as Disneyland 😏

If you think Alton Towers is better that's perfectly fine. Hell it's perfectly in the spirit to tell your competition "we're better than you." Buuuuut to try to say that you're better than you're competitors whilst clearly trying to be them is a bit...dumb. Also "they're 150 years too late" doesn't mean shit. Being first doesn't automatically make one better.

And you should definitely do a colab with pieguyrulz for this vid

The pirate ships are a favorite in carnivals and state fairs in america as well. We have a fully enclosed variant, run under several names that can do a full operator controlled loop however and many visitors find it confusing or jarring

TheLegend1800 What’s wrong with it?

lol!

Andy Sorensen torture devices? My kinda park People were so much less sensitive back then.

TenaraTheCat It’s also a good Security measure.

One of these things is not like the others , one of these things is not like the rest

James Copper Clowns are creepy.

I feel like he would do more if he could find out more about them, especially on some Asian and European attractions it can be hard to find information in English.

There are more than enough defunct theme parks here in Australia to do a whole season on. Wonderland Sydney probably being the most notable...

@@Dr0dd he could always talk about the development hell Ontario Place is currently in XD

oh f-k I blanked out the memory of the cable cars, I remember being in them with some couple we didn't know and the guy was shaking it and jumping

Can I take you to Alton Towers?

Cole Freer I was staring hard at the jet star 2 footage. "Is that... Is that the rocket? Wait the flying aces are right there! That's lagoon!"

I think that's part of the reason Oblivion goes into the ground.

Solution.... Build taller trees!

Dan Spinabella I don't know why but that made me laugh so much!

Man the backstory behind the smiler, wicker man and 13 makes this my favourite theme park.

Steb let's hope not. It's first incident was bad enough. Those kids almost died.

every news article about alton towers/gp ever: *the actual part* "This could be like the major incident back in 2015 which left 2 girls without legs..." Fuck off, GP.

Is it sad that I know what you are talking about even though I live in the US and don't watch the news?

Saphiria TheBlueDragonKnight if you watch KZfaq videos like this then no, it's not sad/surprising.

StebMcDreb to be honest I doubt they will, they’ve already faced enough backlash, nearly got the ride permanently shut down after 2 years and blown way out of proportion. I’m sure now that it happened it was a big lesson for the ride operators to pay attention and I’m sure now they have extra security and testing the sensor which faulted to allow the other car to pass and completely re-done it otherwise this ride would still be a danger but, it’s not and I’m sure they made it extra safe

Oh hey ewan

i remember visiting the park as a little 6 year old and wondering why i couldn't go on black hole because all of the tent and signs were still there 😂 summer of 2008

Sparky Strongly relate so much with this

i literally came on here to find the Lagoon comments ahahaha

Chris Dawson But did vekoma design it? Vekoma manufactured Arrow's designs in Europe to reduce cost of shipping. So I would say it's fair to credit arrow with designing the coaster. Either way fuck vekoma.

TheEpic22 I don't know the exact ins and outs of it but corkscrew has always been credited to Vekoma. I'm pretty sure it's a Vekoma model as well, just using arrows style track. Arrow never built the same model themselves anywhere else in the world so I think it's fair to say it's a Vekoma design. Vekoma built quite a few of these. The original Vekoma plaque is also displayed along with the track at Alton towers main entrance.

TheEpic22 rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&mo=8204

TheEpic22 To be fair Vekoma has recently built some pretty cool stuff.

HeadphonesLady Maybe it's the unique factor. Every British theme park has to have a unique element. Alton towers has a height limit. Thorpe Park is an island, Blackpool is just a bunch of coasters crammed into one space.

@@WritingisDifficult Legoland is just the same as it is in every country, that one Scottish theme park outside Glasgow is dangerous af, Chessington has a zoo....

@@WritingisDifficult The RollerCoaster Tycoon objectives basically wrote themselves

​@@goodjobeli M&D's is a shithole

Chessington is a neglected starving child.

Spoke too soon.

Atomicsora 12 assclowns disliked who I wish would be tortured by fireworks

Hey, someone who got why the dislike button really exists x)

Mark Wordley this what he found in his research. Unlike the other videos he hasn’t been to Alton towers. It’s harder to research. Maybe there are some areas to improve but he put a lot of effort researching

@@paulakroy2635 Well then he shouldnt do a video on something he doesn't actually know well enough or done proper research on. But I forgot on KZfaq it's the person with the best logo that counts, not the person with the best understanding or experience with the subject. Googling facts is not proper research on something pre-internet from a different country, otherwise you just dont capture the subject and spread misrepresentation.

Oh yeah..

Lightningstone2u RCT was a British game after all ;)

Now I know what I need from this channel. The walk-through Who experience in the Gallifrey vault would be one of the more different episodes for this.

Check the description

Ooh, there it is. Good save

"obligatory Michael Eisner reference" I love it.

A spectacular theme park. 👌🏻

Do You Think This Would Make A Interesting Video for defunct land =D www.thorpeparkmania.co.uk/ride/X%20No%20Way%20Out