A James Bond stunt show is mooted, alongside a Back to the Future “thrill ride”, and duffel-coated bear, Paddington, will headline a British Icon family zone.
Universal United Kingdom Resort will open in Bedfordshire in 2031, the Government announced on Wednesday, with the exchequer pledging £1.3bn to upgrade infrastructure and transport links to the area. The US entertainment giant Comcast will invest £6bn in an attraction that’s expected to draw 8.5 million annual visitors from the UK and overseas (Alton Towers attracts around a quarter of that number).
The resort will drive a (symbolic) rollercoaster through a European theme park scene which, to borrow from cartoon-land, is the Dozy dwarf to the US’s Road Runner. US theme parks are defined by their scale and “coaster wars” mean that owners compete to build taller, faster, and steeper rides, to smash world records and lure the crowds.
Shorts
Sally and her son at Parc Astérix in northern France
