I love listening to Parkcast, whether the guest is Nemesis designer John Wardley, Ride Comparisons or another UK theme park legend, and I imagine a lot of Theme Park Daily readers do too.
But for those who don’t know, tell us about Parkcast — what is it, how did it start, and what can people expect from it?
Parkcast is a podcast for theme park fans — you can listen to the audio version or watch it as a video on YouTube. I'd worked in radio for a long time, and an old boss of mine got fed up hearing me talking about theme parks and rollercoasters all day. One day, he said, "You should do a podcast about all this stuff," and that was that. It's really somewhere for theme park fans to hear discussions on the parks that they know and love, but also hear from the people in the industry who bring everything to life. There aren't many opportunities for fans to hear that side of the theme park industry, so I wanted to make it really accessible. It's always very honest, but I'll never moan for moaning's sake — I always try to keep every episode balanced.
You’ve built up so many contacts across the theme-park industry. Did you ever work in the industry yourself?
No, never! But through my radio work, I was lucky enough to do a lot of work with parks. I went to the opening of Thirteen, recorded a radio show at Blackpool Pleasure Beach around the launch of Icon, and even came up with the world record campaign that Oblivion still holds!
You’ve just got back from IAAPA, London (the huge attractions industry exhibition) — what were the main trends or things you noticed at the event?
There were a lot of animatronic dinosaurs. I'm not sure there were any specific trends, more just manufacturers always pushing for the next thing. The Europe expo isn't as "showy" as the Orlando one, I don't think, but it was great to have a chat with so many companies, and they were all more than happy to chat with enthusiasts.
Was there anything at IAAPA that really caught your eye and made you think, “I really want to see one of those in a UK theme park”?
I was very jealous of the Gravity Group woodie which is going to Magicland in Italy. A family woodie with an inversion, and the train is beautiful. I'd love to see that here.
There is a decent back catalogue of Parkcasts now. What’s the one old Parkcast episode Theme Park Daily readers should go back and listen to?
Oh God, that's so hard to choose! I think maybe the ones with Francis Jackson — he gives so much context to things we can get frustrated about as fans. And obviously, he's a legend!
FRANCIS WAS OF COURSE PREVIOUSLY GENERAL MANAGER OF ALTON TOWERS - HERE ARE THOSE MUST LISTEN EPISODES…
PART ONE
PART TWO
This year, we've seen you receive mystery packages with classified park info. Can you tell us about that?
I don't have anything else I can say?! Someone dropped into my inbox who claimed to have worked on the Horizon project and sent me info relating to old plans for it. I have no reason not to believe them to be true, and what I was sent corroborates with things other people had already heard. It's a shame it didn't progress in that direction.
You’ve spoken to so many people across the industry and the wider theme-park community. I imagine it's a real mix of eccentrics and engineers. Who are some of your favourite people?
Oh, now I'm going to get angry messages if I miss someone out! As I mentioned, I loved chatting to Francis. John Wardley is just incredible to talk to, and I've been lucky enough to record two podcasts with him. Neil Dwyer, who runs Six Flags Qiddiya, is just brilliant and so welcoming to enthusiasts, as is Lawrence Mancey from Paultons. Josh from Crealy is a riot and has done incredible things! But (mainly because he'd kill me if I didn't say him) — Glenn, The Notable Stranger, who has done all the amazing soundtracks for Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is my best mate, and so he deserves a special mention.
If you could spend one entire day at any theme park in the world, with unlimited access and no queues, where are you going, and what’s the first ride you’re heading for?
It will come as no surprise to anyone to hear me say Europa Park. I just love that place, and I crave it so much when I haven't been for a while. Controversially, I'm going to say Silver Star — I could ride it all day, and it always makes me smile.
And finally, quick-fire: your home park, favourite UK park, favourite coaster — and the one ride you’d happily never ride again?
My home park for now is Fantasy Island — although it was Oakwood growing up. My favourite UK park is a tie between Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Paultons, Stardust Racers is my favourite, and you'll never see me on Infusion again.
And that's all! A massive thank you to Bex for this, and we hope to work with Parkcast again at some point! Thank you for reading, and be sure to check out the latest episode of Parkcast here!
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