London Dungeons is a family-friendly attraction and SAW isn't fun either.

Dungeons has a (somewhat diminished) educational aspect though, which makes using real historic events acceptable and necessary to a certain extent. Saw is a work of pure fiction. Swarm is set in a plane crash that didn't really happen. Etc etc.

That makes those all very different to a stand alone ride which exists purely for entertainment being based on the real life murders of some real life prostitutes in gruesome circumstances. These things actually happened to real people, I can imagine that not sitting too comfortably with some people.

And Thorpe have openly said they want to actively push towards the family market. Just adds up to ripper feeling a bit unlikely to me.

^ If you mean the posters then they have been stuck there for weeks now!

 

 

Edit- Also about this Jack the Ripper thing, do you think parents are going to buy tickets to take their children to a serial killer ride?

 

Plenty of family attractions have an element of violence, nothing graphic obviously, but in Jack The Ripper there is potential to craft a perilous journey of some sort. Let's say they have selected a (family) IP, maybe Doctor Who, with the Doctor on a mission to prevent the Ripper murders from taking place then it can work for families, especially if the Ripper happens to be an alien. You can plonk this character in any situation in any major event in history and there can be a pretty good story in that, it's what the makers of that drama do an awful lot.

 

Not that Doctor Who is going to be the theme of this ride, just giving an example of how to make a grim chapter in London's history accessible to a family audience, if that is what Thorpe is aiming for with this new ride. But having said that, I'm A Celeb does not scream family friendly yet the park opted for that this year and it seems to be successful among families. It can be done.

It may seem like a strange idea, but could this ride possibly be a continuation to the Vengeance story which used to be at the London Dungeons? I looked up WC in regards to the postcode in London, and it is nearby 50 Berkley Street which is where Vengeance took place. With the ghost like glow behind the words and now the Victorian style environment being brought up, maybe it could be related if not the same story line to the London Dungeons attraction.

With the current level of creativity at Merlin parks at the moment, it actually wouldn't surprise me if they just recycled the theme from Vengeance.

The theming we originally saw in the plans was a disused Victorian warehouse, so there is hope we may not see that theme recycled.

Just a thought, If Thorpe is going down the Victorian route/Jack the Ripper, and they want to be family friendly. What about Horrible Histories?

Just had a thought, the whole park is a mess as it is in terms of themes next to each other, but wont it look incredibly odd a victorian warehouse next to a jungle and sling shot birds....just saying.

Just a thought, If Thorpe is going down the Victorian route/Jack the Ripper, and they want to be family friendly. What about Horrible Histories?

Horrible Histories would be just perfect. Properly adult funny, kids love it too. If they let them have a proper creative imput I'd be amazed if it was anything but awesome.

This is the best idea yet!

Now horrible histories would be perfect. I'm not sure how you could get it working as a ride which you would want to do over and over but it would be one great ride the first time round. 

Worth throwing it out there that Warwick Castle have had a few family-aimed Horrible Histories events the past couple of years, and they've been quite successful from what I've gathered!

The Horrible Histories would be great; its a great family show, but they stopped doing the TV series a couple years back (though I think they may be revamping it). But surely the building would look a little more quirky if it were to be this IP?

True, the building doesn't scream comical laughs...

The Horrible Histories would be great; its a great family show, but they stopped doing the TV series a couple years back (though I think they may be revamping it). But surely the building would look a little more quirky if it were to be this IP?

The good thing about children's TV is it's generational, it doesn't need to have 15 series of 24 episode each to stay popular, because as one generation grows out of it, another will be becoming interested, Balamory is a prime example, still being broadcast a decade after it was cancelled.

Don't think it's this though, unless the ride itself takes on something similar to the Black Cab ride at Tussauds and could perhaps play a different attraction each week.

Personally I wouldn't like it either. I would prefer a much more thrilling ride. Horrible Histories doesn't suggest that to me..

Horrible Histories? Sounds like they'd be rebuilding rooms straight out of Phantom Phantasia. Hmm....

If it's Jack The Ripper I'll genuinely cover my whole body in foam bananas

If it's Jack The Ripper I'll genuinely cover my whole body in foam bananas

QFP.

More plans on the council's website have gone up today.  Don't get too excited though, it's just about how they've changed the size of the building ever so slightly and need to show how the new building will look in the park compared to the old one (spoilers:  it looks basically the same).

 

Only thing of any real note is this plan, which shows roughly how the queue line will look (click to enlarge)...

Cattlepen of doom confirmed/

Cattlepen of doom confirmed/

Minimal space to make a queue line so a Cattle pen is the best option I still don't understand the hate. 

*generic comment we've heard 100 times about how a dark ride's queue is important and Merlin are awful*

ok Maybe its a Dr Who spinoff rather than Dr Who itsef -

 

Madame Vastra possably?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Vastra,_Jenny_Flint,_and_Strax

 

fits with both the perfume bottle and the teaser posters

Minimal space to make a queue line so a Cattle pen is the best option I still don't understand the hate. 

 

Cattlepens are crap...

 

Just a fact of life really, especially given that we end up spending a LOT of time in such queues, it'd be nice if parks provided either some interactivity or something beyond the dull, flat cattlepen...

 

Something that was once something very important, the differences between Colossus' queue design and Swarm's are astounding...

Minimal space to make a queue line so a Cattle pen is the best option I still don't understand the hate. 

 

*generic comment we've heard 100 times about how a dark ride's queue is important and Merlin are awful*

 

It helps to have low standards I guess. 

I don't like cattlepens either Mark, but people moaning about it every page gets a bit tiresome.