Podcasts about Warwick Castle

Contains: Depiction of Suicide Under Duress, Verbal AbuseThe team arrives at Warwick Castle to find the doors are open, the traps are removed, and their presence is expected...Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DnDarkPodcastMerch available at: https://www.dndarkpodcast.com/storehttps://ratethispodcast.com/dndarkInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dndark_podcast/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dndark_podcastReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDarkPodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dndarkpodcastCast:Crypt Keeper (GM) - Danger Dan JerzLarry Talbot, The Wolfman - Jordan NelsonMary, The Frankenstein Monster - Ben MagnetJack Griffin, The Invisible Man - Grayson NormanErik, The Phantom of the Opera - Aaron KaufholdImhotep, The Mummy - Daniel CruzOriginal Music:"Lets All Have a Ball" by Ryan Whyte Maloney and Tony Carboney"We're Going Down" Melody provided by Nicole Carino"The Vampyre"/"Dragon's Den" by Alexander Lapko

The team recuperates from the events of Big Ben and prepares to return to Warwick Castle...Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DnDarkPodcastMerch available at: https://www.dndarkpodcast.com/storehttps://ratethispodcast.com/dndarkInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dndark_podcast/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dndark_podcastReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDarkPodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dndarkpodcastCast:Crypt Keeper (GM) - Danger Dan JerzLarry Talbot, The Wolfman - Jordan NelsonMary, The Frankenstein Monster - Ben MagnetJack Griffin, The Invisible Man - Grayson NormanErik, The Phantom of the Opera - Aaron KaufholdImhotep, The Mummy - Daniel CruzOriginal Music:"Lets All Have a Ball" by Ryan Whyte Maloney and Tony Carboney"Reiner's Theme" by John Stoic DreamVenturer

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your hosts are Paul Marden and Oz Austwick.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. Show references: https://ukthemeparkawards.com/winners https://ukthemeparkawards.com/sponsorsWatch the UK Theme Park Awards 2024 on YouTube. Interviewed Guests:Paul Kelly: BALPPA  Neil Poulter: Thorpe ParkRoss Ballinger: Drayton ManorDanielle Nicholls & Sophie Tickle: Alton TowersJennifer Howlett & Charlotte Peirce-Gregory: Legoland https://www.linkedin.com/in/sineadwaldron/Sinead Kimberley is the Senior Client Success Manager of Rubber Cheese and has a background in digital marketing, engagement software and all things client satisfaction. She guides clients through the various stages of their project, ensuring they have the information they need when they need it, as well as being the link between our developers and clients. https://x.com/MrTicketeerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andypovey/ Transcription:  Paul Marden: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in and working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Paul Marden. Paul Marden:  Hello and welcome to our first Skip the Queue Season Six Rubber Cheese get together. And we've got a corker. Today, there's four of us virtually together for our meetup after having been together yesterday in real life at the UK Theme Park Awards. So that's what we're going to talk about today. Paul Marden: We're going to talk a little bit about all the cool stuff that we saw yesterday at Thorpe park and enjoyed those theme park awards. But before we do that, should we do some introductions? Because I think everyone knows me and others, don't they? Oz Austwick: I'm here again. Paul Marden: You can sound more pleased. Everyone will love you. I'm thrilled. Oz Austwick: Absolutely thrilled. I couldn't wish to be anywhere nicer. Back in my office, not surrounded by monkeys. Paul Marden:  We are also joined by Sinead Kimberley, who is the Senior Client Success Manager here at Rubber Cheese. Say hi, Sinead, and tell everyone what you do. Sinead Kimberley: Yeah, so I work with our clients and making sure they've got everything they need for the website and try and act as the voice of the client, essentially with our developers, so that what you ask for, they know how to make it technical. I can pass it back to you and make it all visible on the website and get everything done. Paul Marden: That you need the glue that binds us together. And today we are also joined by the probably I've got to prove this. I'm going to have to do the counting because I know that other people do count. I'm thinking Dom from Mary Rose for sure counts the number of times he's been there. Andy Povey: So am I. Paul Marden: But I think Andy Povey, roaving ticketing expert and gentleman of leisure, joins us today possibly as the most frequent guest on Skip the Queue. But today you get upgraded to co host status because you joined us. Andy Povey: Well, I feel honoured, Paul. Thank you. Oz Austwick: Is that actually an upgrade? Paul Marden: I definitely think co host is an upgrade. For sure. For sure. Oz Austwick: Speaking of co hosting, I'll just point out that also in this episode we have some interviews recorded at the awards, some with winners, some with prize givers. It'll make more sense in the YouTube version where you can actually see them. But if you're listening to this just as an audio podcast, you need to know that when the room gets noisy or you can hear people screaming in the background, that's a clip from Thorpe Park itself. So that's coming up throughout the podcast today. But as always we start with where we've been recently, other than Thorpe Park. Paul Marden: Why don't I start with you, Andy, because I know you've been on a few trips just recently with the family. Where's an attraction you've been to recently that sticks in your mind as being pretty cool? Andy Povey: So most recently was a couple of weekends ago. We took the kids Tower of London on a Sunday afternoon or a sunny Sunday afternoon. It's absolutely superb experience. We've been members of Historic Royal Palaces for six months, eight months, something like that. And it's one of those that just sits in the dusty corner of a drawer somewhere and didn't get used. So we dusted it off and said, "All right, let's go to the tower.". Brilliant experience, absolutely superb. The kids loved it and they really engaged with all of the interpretation there. And it's probably my third or fourth time of taking my ten year old girls there. And there's something new every time or something different every time that we haven't picked up on, we haven't seen so great experience. Paul Marden: I love it. And I love it going there with membership because I think when you go the first time, you get wowed by all the really big stuff, you know, the shiny jewels and all of that kind of good stuff. By the time you go there second or third time, you begin to notice some of the other stuff. There's some lovely little regimental museums hidden off in the corner. Aren't there lots to find in there? Which if you only go the once and you do it as a set piece, you don't necessarily notice it because you want to go and look at the court stuff. Andy Povey: Yeah, it's just the single visit. It's just a high pressure environment, isn't it? You want to catch everything, you want to get the best value out of it. I mean, we got there at 02:00 in the afternoon. I don't think I'd have done that if I was just paying for the single day entry. Paul Marden: What about you, Sinead? Where have you been recently? Sinead Kimberley: Mine is up north, Wyresdale Park. And it's just an outdoor park, so not kind of a ticket place that you need to kind of buy a ticket for. But I loved it because when went, it felt like we'd just gone into a normal park, but you felt like you were at some kind of holiday camp and you could hear kids playing in the water on the paddle boards and the kayaks and then you had all the dogs running around and then you had the hikers going past you to go up. And we did go for a walk. So went, I think it was maybe two and a half hours up to the peak and it was just lovely to see all the families as well on a sunny day. Rare up in Lancaster. No rain for once. Sinead Kimberley: And, yeah, it was just a lovely place to be. You had a really nice feel of just people having fun and enjoying nature, which I think is really lovely. So, yeah, that was my favourite recently, besides Thorpe park, obviously. Paul Marden: Oz, what about you, mate? Oz Austwick: Goodrich Castle. We took the family away and we did a couple of nights glamping. Amazing place. I won't go on too much about that, but went to Goodrich Castle, just outside Ross on Wye, and it's the first time I've ever been. It's amazing. So many of these castles are just a series of small walls and there's nothing to actually see, but it's a proper castle. There's a moat and a bridge over it to get in, and there are dungeons and towers. You can go up and it's. Yeah, it's fantastic. If you're in the area, definitely go check it out. It's well worth it. Paul Marden: Lovely for the kids, isn't it? Because I do think, whilst it can be a really lovely day out to go to some of these castle ruins, it can be pretty tough to imagine as a ten year old what it was actually like and what that low wall over there actually was. Oz Austwick: There's definitely a trade off, though, because the more castle there is, the more the older kids love it. But I've got a four year old as well and I'm much happier when it's a flat bit of grass with a couple of stones in it than when she's trying desperately to scale up a spiral staircase that has been worn down for 500 years. Paul Marden: We did the wall around Warwick Castle a few years ago and I was at a heightened state of anxiety, I think it's fair to say. Oz Austwick: Yeah. Paul Marden: So mine is the National Marine Aquarium, which is one of the Rubber Cheese clients down in Plymouth, and it's my first time of actually going and seeing it. And were there. We were coming back from a holiday in Cornwall, so it was a stop off on the way back and it was such a lovely stop off. My memory of it is we've been. We were avid watchers of the anime show that was on at Christmas last year. We really enjoyed watching that. Millie loves animals and she loved the turtle that was in the show last year. And went and I. We were there. It must have been ten minutes before closing time. They were trying to get people to leave. Paul Marden: We were one of the last families there, but were just sat on the floor, on the top floor looking into the tank where the turtle was. It was just so relaxing to just watch this turtle coming in and going out and the sharks that were in there. It was a really beautiful place. Lovely place. Really enjoyed that. So going from serene, calm aquarium, let's talk about Thorpe Park and the National Theme Park Awards. How was it for you guys? I hasten to add, I didn't make it Hyperia yesterday, which we did. Oz Austwick: Notice that Sinead and I did. Sinead Kimberley: My eyes were closed. Paul Marden: So what was Hyperia actually like then? Was it, was it as scary as I thought it might be? Oz Austwick: Yes. Sinead Kimberley: Yes. But also as incredible. Yeah. I was sad I didn't go on twice. Oz Austwick: You know, all of those feelings you get when you go on a roller coaster, that kind of the adrenaline and the sense of fear and all of that you get that gives you a bit of a buzz when you get off it. Imagine just dialing all of that up to eleven and. Yeah, mind blowing. It's too far, it's too big, it's too high, too scary. No, I'm glad I did it. Paul Marden: They did say yesterday, didn't they, when they were talking about the ride itself, that it was the tallest roller coaster in the UK, I think. But also the one with the most weightlessness in the UK, which I can't imagine how you measure it and I can't imagine what it's like. So can you put into words what the weightlessness was like? Oz Austwick: You know, if they've got these big over the shoulder harnesses that come down and you're in the seat and, you know you're safe, you know you're trapped and you're sitting with all your weight on a seat because that's just how you sit. Right? Paul Marden: Yeah. Oz Austwick: But for most of this ride, you're not. You're somewhere in between the two. You're not sitting and you're not pushed up against the harness, you're just being flung around constantly. Sinead Kimberley: Yeah, yeah, it is weird. I think I didn't notice when the harness thing you get is different to the normal one, so you don't have that big thing pushing your shoulders back. It just goes around your waist and then there's like a bar you can hold in front. It is safe, we can confirm because we are here, but it did make you feel like you weren't quite as stuck to something as normal. And then add to that you were moving faster, and you were dropping from higher heights. You realise that you were still falling, which you don't normally do on a roller coaster. Normally you realise you're falling and then you're done, whereas this, you realise you're falling. You start to be like, okay, but I'm still safe. And then you maybe open your eyes and you look around this I couldn't. Sinead Kimberley: I carried on realising I was falling a lot longer. You really felt it in your body. Oz Austwick: That first peak where you go and it starts to move, and then it literally, it takes you up and you're lying backwards and you're going up, and you can just about see the track ahead of you up there. And then you get to the top, and it's such a tight curve that as you drop, you can't see the track, and you just drop. Yeah. Sinead Kimberley: I loved it, though. Paul Marden: Should we go back to the podcast and move away from therapy session? Oz Austwick: Yeah, we can come back to therapy later, though, right? Because I think I need it. Paul Marden: So yesterday was the third year that we've sponsored one of the awards, so it was the third time I've been to the awards. Third time it was in real life, fifth year of running, and it was just lovely, wasn't it? It was such a nice industry get together. I think you were commenting this morning, Andy, on LinkedIn, about the networking effect of it. Andy Povey: Yeah. The industry we're in is a very physical, actual industry. People go to attractions because they want to do something so well. Virtual is great, and digital is great, obviously. I mean, it's what I've been doing for a very long time. There's nothing that really gets to the heart of what this industry is all about better than the face to face physical interactions. And that was a real sort of epiphany away, I think I said on a message to someone the other day, yesterday, that's just really important. It was the first event I've been to since May. Very good. Oz Austwick: Good. I thought it was a real eye opener how you kind of going there as an exhibitor. And it was my first time. I kind of assumed that I'd stand next to a stall and people would come over and I'd try and talk to them, and all they'd want was whatever free merch I'd have on this. But it wasn't like that. It was like being in a big room with a bunch of people who were friends and they were happy you were there, too, and it was just a really lovely experience. It didn't feel like a corporate trade show type event, which is exactly what I was expecting. Paul Marden: And it is fiercely competitive. So everybody does want to win in the categories they're in. Oz Austwick: Yes. But Alton Towers wins them all. Paul Marden: Right, so I am here with Sophie and Danielle from Alton Towers. It's been a successful day for you guys, hasn't it? Did you manage to count the number of awards or did you just lose count? Danielle Nicholls: I think it was a level, maybe round and fair. Paul Marden: Definitely double figures. Definitely double figures. We saw both of you going up and down the stage. Up and down the stage. Highlight, which was the one for you, Danielle, that you really appreciated. Danielle Nicholls: You know, what it was between two. So super proud of everything we did with Nemesis. Like Nemesis Reborn has been such a momentous campaign throughout. Paul Marden: Yeah. Danielle Nicholls: And so I'm super proud of that one. But for me, I think the one that has my heart in, it's our community award. So I was super proud to play silver for that one. Paul Marden: It was brilliant to get you up on the stage, bring the band back together again with you and Ross up there. And Sophie, what about you? What was the biggest highlight for you? Sophie Tickle: So I was really keen for the Best Marketing Campaign purely because I know how hard our team works on it. So I was really kind of brutal. And the nemesis story is just incredible. So we felt like that was. That was a really good win for us. And then best ride storytelling is always a nice one just because we feel like it just captures everything. The resources. Paul Marden: I really enjoyed watching when we had the. ad campaigns that came on and we saw everything that everyone had produced and you could see the storytelling that goes into something like nemesis reborn. And then the room was just quiet at the end of it because were all just captured by all of these videos. Danielle Nicholls: Everyone could have won that one, genuinely. But we're so proud. Like, Alton is such a lovely, friendly community in itself. Like, there's hundreds of people that work all the towers. Like, you can never just put it down to one person. It's such a big team effort. Everyone pulls together for everything. So, like, Alton After Dark winning golf best of event, that was amazing as well. I'm super proud of that one. Paul Marden: Everyone loves an after dark event, don't they? Yeah, it's awesome. Awesome. Danielle Nicholls: They do. Paul Marden: Thank you for joining me, ladies. It's been really good to talk to you all. Cheers. So, yes, it is fair to say that Alton Towers did make a lot of trips onto the stage. Danielle and her yellow jacket was seen going up on stage quite a lot yesterday. But there's a real diversity of different attractions that were nominated. So I think they said more than 30, nearly 40. I think it was attractions that were nominated. 20 attractions overall. Yeah, 20 attractions overall. One prizes. There was one that was really close to my heart. Brean Theme Park. It was where my granddad and my dad played golf 45 years ago. I would go to Brean Leisure Park, as it was then, and go down helter skelter all the time. So to see that up on the awards for a nomination was really lovely. Paul Marden: And there's quite a few other smaller attractions like that got nominated. Talk a little bit about the categories or the memories that we got yesterday that stuck in our minds. Andy, was there a category for you that you were really impressed by? Andy Povey: Yeah, there was. For me, it was the Accessibility initiative the Katapult sponsored. Obviously, Merlin were very heavily represented in the nominations for that category. I think there were five out of the eight nominations were for either for Merlin Parks or things that Merlin were doing as a bigger or as a cross group activity. But there were also some really quite simple things from much smaller parks. So noticeably there was a Camel Creek, again, down in deepest, darkest Cornwall, who were nominated for their changing places facility. And that just really brought home to me. Yes, it's important that Merlin, as the largest operator in the country, are leading the way and they've got the resources to put behind this and all that kind of stuff. But it's not just about doing those big things. Andy Povey: Small things can make a difference and can make a really significant difference. And that's really key to. Was one of the key messages in the industry, I think. Paul Marden: Yeah, I thought it was an interesting category. First time that it appeared in the awards, as you say, Katapult sponsored it, and it was quite a nice match between Katapult and that category because they've been doing quite a lot of work in designing spaces and attractions that are more accessible to people. So that was really. It was quite a nice match between sponsor and category. And as you say, there was some really lovely stories to be told around. What was there? I loved there was a Merlin initiative where they were taking the characters and the stories of the parks out to hospitals and places where they were terminally ill children, which there's lots of stories that have existed for a long time of kids being taken to the parks themselves. Paul Marden: But what about when they can't make it to the park and can you bring the magic of the park to them? I thought that was a really lovely idea. Andy Povey: Magic tour, they call that. And it's actually run by the Merlin charity, Merlin's Magic Wand. Paul Marden: Yeah. It's a cracking idea, isn't it? Yeah. But then you take it down to the changing places toilets and the initiatives to make places and make it clear what the accessibility of the place actually is, because we know that's really important, that people that have accessibility needs will not go to new places if they're not completely sure that it is accessible to them. And having a space on your website and winning an award, or even being shortlisted for an award for having that information on your website, I think is amazing. It's a cracking idea and there's so much that the sector is doing that has opened my eyes just in the last year, from the M&H show that were at six months ago to just seeing some of the stuff yesterday, thought it was brilliant. Oz Austwick: Shall we have another interview from the awards? Paul caught up with another Paul. Paul Kelly from BALPPA. Paul Marden: So, Paul, you've just come from the first session of giving out awards and you on stage giving out bridge award. Paul Kelly: I was doing the best theme park for toddlers, both in the small category. And the large category. Paul Marden: And who was winning? Paul Kelly: Well, unsurprisingly, I think it's not the first time they've won small categories won by Paulton's Park. And considering the amount of investment they've done, and I'm not surprised, they also won the large as well. So, really good taking off. Paul Marden: It is, yeah. We were talking on our table that they've been doing this now for a very long time, able to get up on stage and win awards. Still, they must really be investing in what they're doing. Paul Kelly: Continuous investments. I mean, if you get a chance like I do, look behind the scenes, they're investing infrastructure, their staff, for how they run the park, but think of ten years ahead. So, yeah, incredible family, incredible journey. So, yeah, good luck. Paul Marden: Behind the scenes, Pickworld must be quite the operation. Paul Kelly: Yeah. I mean, again, well, one of the things they've done, although it is photographers, they do very well in bandits now, builds them on that because they have invested in trying. I don't think they might be saying, "They do very well in bandits now," builds them on that because they have invested in trying. I don't think they might be saying. Paul Marden: That it is just about having. Paul Kelly: Well, but, yeah, paddlings are well deserved. Paul Marden: Amazing. Well done. Thank you. Paul Kelly: Yeah, no problem. Paul Marden: Sinead, what about you? What was the category that jumped out to you? Sinead Kimberley: Yeah, so for me, I think it was the sustainability, partly because it's something that I am kind of working on, looking at a lot at the minute with clients and also a thing that I've been kind of getting myself up to speed on within the industry, because I think everyone talks about sustainability, but often it will be either a really big initiative or it's something that's just what everybody else is doing. So, you know, more recyclable packaging or that kind of thing. And I really loved. There was a roller coaster, I think it was Greenwoods, was it, Andy? Andy Povey: Yes. Sinead Kimberley: They had like a people powered or counterbalanced roller coaster. And I was sat on a table and kind of asked what that was. And the person next to me explained that it doesn't use electricity, it just uses people. So as you're going up, you're powering people, going around the roller coaster, essentially. And it just sounds incredible. I've never heard of anything like that before. And I was also talking to some of the people about the sustainability of a website and something that we don't think about. You think about how many clicks to get tickets sold or to get you to see the video or whatever, but you don't necessarily think about the server powering every single click, empowering every single page view. Sinead Kimberley: And so to kind of see how different places have worked with sustainability, whether it's the reusable cups or roller coaster that's literally using people to power it and then enjoy it at the same time, was really interesting to kind of complete my picture of what sustainability looks like in the industry and all the different things it could touch on from the website to literally on the park itself. And when the parks are by nature not going to be the most, you know, energy efficient, maybe because you've got these massive roller coasters you need to power safely. It's really interesting to see that the small things, like you mentioned, Andy, with accessibility, the small things really can altogether make a really big impact on how you as an organisation can be more sustainable. Sinead Kimberley: So, yeah, that was really eye opening, I think, seeing those different nominees. Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Oz Austwick: I think the one that won it as well is a lovely example of however much you ask people to do something because it's the right thing to do. If you actually make it in their interests to do it, suddenly it becomes much more viable. So you can. Everyone's got recycling bins, but if you've got this reverse vending machine where you put your empty plastic bottles in and you get something back out of that, then clearly people are going to do. If you were there with your kids, they're going to be collecting bottles they find lying around and making sure they go in the right bin because they get something. Paul Marden:  And it wasn't just a little something, was it? It wasn't just a couple of tokens. You could win some pretty amazing prizes out of it. Oz Austwick: Absolutely. Yeah. Andy Povey: Yeah. I was at the Latitude Festival last year and they were charging a temp deposit on every waxed paper cup. And the number of kids running around collecting huge stacks of these cups. Oz Austwick: Yeah. Andy Povey: And they were even going into the bins and taking them out of the bins, which I'm not sure was the real driver behind, but they were making. It must have been hundreds of pounds. Oz Austwick: Absolutely. It was the same. I used to go to the rugby quite a lot before my rugby team disappeared. And they would charge a one pound deposit on plastic reusable cups and you could either keep it as a one pound cup or give it back and get your pound back. And most people just. They'd have a few beers and they'd leave them. But at the end of the match, kids, just like you say, would be running around collecting these and they'd be walking away with 20, 30 quid's worth of cups. You know, what an amazing thing for the kids to do. Just makes it worth their while, doesn't it? Paul Marden: So I'm here with Jennifer and Charlotte from Legoland. So you've been at the awards today with us. How's it been? Was it a successful day for you guys? Jennifer Howlett: Pretty successful, yeah. A few wins across the category. Paul Marden: Yeah. So what. What categories did you. Did you get awards for? Charlotte Peirce-Gregory: So we've got new band, which I was Ninja tonight, which is really exciting. That was our summer first year. Jennifer Howlett: We've done it as well. So it's really exciting to see that. Paul Marden: So I love Ninjago. The ride itself. What's the event all about? Charlotte Peirce-Gregory: So, literally, we had loads of different things going on. We had dragons, drumsy, we had loads of different entertainments. We had characters, meet and greets, and were new characters, which was really exciting. Aaron and Sora. So, yes, that was great. And that finished quite long ago. Sarah's missing to see that. Paul Marden: Excellent, excellent and highlight of the day for you guys. What did you see that has really got you excited? Charlotte Peirce-Gregory: Do you know what, thing is for me with the map? I look after all things catholic events and stuff, and that was quite nice that you see. Paul Marden: It's funny because everyone was laughing a little bit. I know award for the maps, but actually, the maps and the attraction is so important. It is, it is. If you walk in and you don't get a map, it's like, How do you figure out where you're going, you're always going and looking at the map on the wall instead of having it in your hand. So, yeah, it's a bit of a laugh, but actually I think it's a really important. Yeah. Lovely to meet you guys. Thank you for joining us. Cheers. Paul Marden: So, Oz, tell us what was the standout moment for you yesterday? Oz Austwick: I thought it was really lovely to see in amongst all of these theme parks and massive organisations getting up there to win awards, that there was an award specifically for content creator of the year, that these people are out there producing content that literally markets and drives visitors to these attractions to go on these rides and they were actually recognised a change. And I thought that was both a lovely thing as a concept, but also as a YouTuber myself, within a very small and specific niche, it was really nice to get to chat to some other YouTubers from an equally small niche and spend a bit of time with them. I thought it was really. It was lovely. So I just want to shout out to Andy from Coaster Crazy and Digital Daniel, lovely people. Sinead Kimberley: Thank you, Andy, for helping me on the roller coaster as well. It was needed. Paul Marden: You were with those influencers, weren't you, during the awards itself? I think. I think it's a bit of a challenge having a daytime awards, that it can be a bit of a struggle to get some life out of the audience. And George, the compare does graft to try and get us into the mood. But I've noticed every year I've been there that if you sit anywhere near the influencers, that's usually the naughty table with lots going on. Sinead Kimberley: They were very well behaved. Oz Austwick: Because you were sat with them at the award. We went with them round the park later and it was lovely to see people visiting the park, recognizing them and coming up to say hi and that this is genuinely a thing that really works. Yeah, I just thought it was. It was great. Let's recognize these guys because I doubt any of them are making a full time living out of this. They're doing it in their own time because they love her. So if you're. If you're from a theme park, support them a little bit more, get them in there, let them. Let them do this stuff because it does benefit you. Paul Marden: You say they're not making a full time living. I can't remember what the couple are, Andy, who have every year at theme park awards, they're never there to collect their award because they're always somewhere in Florida or California, because September is a perfect time for them to go and do all the recordings. I guess parks are a little bit quiet. Weather's still good. Oz Austwick: Yeah, but that's the thing. Maybe they go in then because it's cheaper. Paul Marden: Yeah. Still having a good time recording to make a good living.Oz Austwick: You can make a good living from social media, but it's pretty rare. Paul Marden: So I am going to claim. Yeah. Executive prerogative and I'm going to take two memories and talk about them. Oz Austwick: That is definitely cheating. Paul Marden: So I'm going to talk first about the. The main awards, the best theme park, which, strangely, last year were at Chessington, won by Chessington. This year were at Thorpe park, won by Thorpe park. Oz Austwick: What are you saying? Paul Marden: I don't know. I don't know. But what I am. I guess what I am saying was what I really loved was the recognition of the whole thought pop team. Now, it wasn't the whole thought pub team because that would probably be hundreds of people and the stage wouldn't take it, but we had a little kind of troop of different people from across the park come and collect the award and I just. I really liked that. I thought that was a lovely thing to see those people being recognized. Neil Poulter: And that's exactly. It's a team effort, there's no doubt about it. Obviously, many people in the room, but the people behind the scenes as well. And we've had a fantastic year. It's been a journey. You don't just arrive at winning best theme park and best new attraction. It's a journey that we've been on for the last three and a half years. We haven't previously won that award, so I think it's testament to where we've come from, but hopefully where we're going as well. So, super excited. Paul Marden: Highlight for you? Neil Poulter: I think, obviously, Best Theme Park. I think winning the big one is something that, you know, is. Feels like new territory for us, but I think, you know, we deserve our seat at the table. Neil Poulter: But, you know, across the awards, you know, best new attraction, obviously, for Hyperia is that also some entertainment in terms of stitches and Friday nights, which we're so proud of, you know, a fantastic maze. The team that do our social, which, again, you know, allows us to speak with our audience, our most passionate audience and really, you know, them winning the gold was also a huge highlight for me as well. Paul Marden: Awesome. So time for some food and then some fun after Hyperia. And here's some screaming. Neil Poulter: Yeah, absolutely. Can't wait to ride it. I actually wrote it yesterday for about only the 6th time and I went on the back. It was amazing. But, yeah, hoping people that haven't even experienced it yet will get a chance to. And if people have, which I'm sure many have, they will come back and enjoy it. And the sun's shining, so what better time to be at the Thorpe Park? Paul Marden: So congratulations, Neil. Thank you for talking. Neil Poulter: Thank you very much. You're welcome. Paul Marden: But then the other memory for me was our own award. We sponsor the Social Media Content Category and I nearly missed my queue. I was quite happy sitting there listening to all of these parks being nominated, thinking, well, that's interesting. Well, that sounded very good. And then I realized it was me and I was supposed to get on stage and hand the award out, so there's a little rush to the stage. But what I really liked, it was lovely to hand over the gold award to Thorpe Park, meet the social media team there. Paul Marden: But it was also really nice because it was an opportunity to meet a couple more Skip the Queue alumni, Danielle and Ross, they used to work together at Drayton Manor and as we've already said, Danielle is now at Thorpe Towers and was up and down like a fiddler's elbow on the staircase yesterday. Oz Austwick: She's a full time award collector. Paul Marden: But it was lovely to get the band back together again up on stage. Handsome. Some bronze and silver awards out to Ross and Danielle. I really enjoyed that. It was just nice. It's really nice because Kelly first met them at the awards three years ago. Again, she was sat on the naughty table at the back with the two of them making lots of noise and enjoying themselves. But just, we got immediately the sense of enjoyment and fun that the two of them had and that they bring to the work that they do. And it was lovely to see that recognised yesterday on stage because we have nothing to do as sponsors of the award, we have nothing to do with choosing who the winners actually are as a team of esteemed judges. And then the public vote also counted this time. Paul Marden: But, yeah, to see, to see the growth of people that have been on the podcast, their careers growing, and then seeing them back on stage again yesterday, that was really lovely. I enjoyed that. Paul Marden: It's a bit weird, isn't it, because the awards are in the daytime, it's. All a little bit where we can. You always come and you bring the energy to the room, don't you? Yes. We got the band back together up on the stage with you and Danielle. Ross Ballinger: Yeah. Paul Marden: Both in the social media category. So that was nice. To see what have you got in your hands at the moment? Ross Ballinger: I've actually just got pleasure Wood Hills award because I'm representing them today as well as part of the luping UK contingency. Paul Marden: Okay, so what did they win? Ross Ballinger: They got bronze for Best Theme Park. Paul Marden: Oh, wow. Ross Ballinger: Which they have overhauled their map this year, which is really fantastic. So we're getting too excited never to excited about. Paul Marden: No. Ross Ballinger: But maps are a great addition to any park. Paul Marden: Do you know when you walk in the gates and you don't get the map and it's like, oh, people have got it. Yeah. People will complain. Absolutely. And everyone loves a map. Ross Ballinger: They take a lot of. It's no easy task. They can take six to twelve months to get a really, you know, popping man. Yeah, yeah. And it's obviously all down to the illustrators and everything like that. Paul Marden: And the life of the park as well, because you're telling stories. Andy Povey: Oh, yeah. Ross Ballinger: You've got to bring the paper to life. Paul Marden: So highlight for today for you. Ross Ballinger: Highlight, obviously, being on the show, on stage, being on stage for the social media category. Close to my heart, that kind of category. I love socials. I love doing what we do on socials. And it's a big core team for Drayton Manor. Paul Marden: Is it really? Ross Ballinger: It's the whole team that really. It doesn't really channel itself into one person. We have a great executive, Morgan McHenry, that looks after the top end of all the social media. So she's the goddess that orchestrates it all. But she will be. She will say that it's not just her, but everyone just contributed to making sure our social media channels are like, just absolutely fantastic and great for people to watch. Paul Marden: I think they're most authentic, aren't they? When you get everybody involved all across the park, all the people telling their little stories and showcasing what party's like. Ross Ballinger: That's what it's all about. A lot of other departments do their job. They think they're just having fun on TikTok again. But we're not, you know, we're really like behind the scenes thinking of content, going out, filming the content, you know, putting the content together, scheduling it to go out. Paul Marden: It doesn't just happen by itself. Ross Ballinger: It doesn't happen. Paul Marden: You don't just walk out with a phone and get yourself a smash hit video that just goes viral. Ross Ballinger: Well, the more fun we have, the more engaging it is. So it's our job to be fun. You have fun. Paul Marden: It's a tough life. Right. Lovely. See you again. Bringing the alumni back together again. Ross Ballinger: Great. Thank you. Thank you. Paul Marden: So that was the UK theme park awards yesterday, but that's not the only thing happening in the industry at the moment, is it, Andy? Something big and important is happening next week. Andy Povey: You mean my trip to Amsterdam? Paul Marden: Well, I was thinking more about the IAAPA conference that was at Amsterdam as opposed to your particular trip to the. Andy Povey: Yeah, so it's the 20th 30th instance of the IAAPA Europe show, IAAPA Europe Expo, this time taking place in the RAI at Amsterdam, or in Amsterdam from Tuesday to Thursday next week. Lots of great stuff, lots of great people. All about the attractions industry. There might be an occasional beer or two while we're there on the short. Paul Marden: I think it is important to note for Mrs. Povey, if she actually does listen in, that this is an important work event and there will be lots of networking. And if you're not networking, you're not working. We know that. However, it is also worth mentioning that on numerous occasions yesterday I heard you talking to people about the after parties that you were planning to attend. And yeah, it's a busy social calendar that you've got signed up to next week. Andy Povey: It certainly is. I think I might need to cut down on the pre party work to give time for the after party to take the best. Paul Marden: So you're going to enjoy yourself and do lots of important networking next week. But I guess the call to action for listeners today is if you are planning on being at IAAPA next week, hunt down Andy. He's a tough guy to miss and everybody knows him. So go and find him, have a chat with him and enjoy yourselves in IAAPA and we will be back in two weeks time. Thank you very much guys. It's been delightful having a foursome as co hosts and I think we get to do this again. Oz Austwick: I quite like this. We should do this more often. Paul Marden: Absolutely. Paul Marden: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.   The 2024 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Help the entire sector:Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsFill in your data now (opens in new tab)

Aircon back on in case you wondered what the noise was. Got burnt at Warwick Castle. Much love and gratitude, Belle x #warwickcastle #comediansnetwork #equity

On this week's episode we're headed back to Warwickshire, and Martin is telling his take on the legend of Lady Godiva!We start off chatting about St Ethelbert, and the rather severe haircut he received from King Offa of Mercia, after which we wander to Warwickshire!In addition to discussing some parts of Warwickshire that are no longer considered part of the county, including Coventry and Birmingham, along with the likes of Warwick Castle and Stratford Upon Avon, we then debate the merits of a couple of possible County Dishes - Warwickshire Stew and the much more traditional, if possibly dangerous, Pickled Pigeon...After some folkloric chat about topics like the mysterious Mickleton Hooter, the highwayman Bendigo Mitchell, and a one-handed Jacobean poltergeist, plus some excerpts from this week's Local Legends interview with author of Warwickshire Folk Tales Cath Edwards, it's onto the main event: Martin's take on the story of Lady Godiva's life and naked ride, "The Hand of God."Speak to you again on Thursday for our new Magic and Medicines bonus episode all about Amulets!The Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...Bonus Episodes are released on Thursdays (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) plus Local Legends episodes on Saturdays - interviews with acclaimed authors, folklorists, podcasters and historians with unique perspectives on that week's county.With a range of exclusive content on Patreon, too, including audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Kay joins us to talk about the women who lived in Warwick castle, he has designed a special tour to tell their stories, so head over to the castle to see and experience this all yourselves. https://ko-fi.com/historyhackwww.uk.bookshop.org/historyhackwww.patreon.com/historyhackwww.historyhack.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're deep in December and are immersing ourselves in our Christmas study of the Inklings, focusing on Tolkien's Letters to Father Christmas. Meanwhile we have fun at Warwick Castle and Mirabelle meets a special someone. Plus we're talking about various seasonal activities, baking and craft.

John and Olly are on location. Join them as they journey around Warwick Castle and talk more about the Wars of the Roses. The chaos of Towton, the reign of Edward IV and the climax of Tewkesbury. 

Adam takes you on a journey to the historic Warwick Castle, located just outside Birmingham in Warwick, England. Join him as he explores the castle's ancient secrets, from the original Motte and Bailey design to the chilling tales of past. Adam's joined by historian Ben who guides him through the castle's history. But it wouldn't be a proper visit to a castle without a spine-tingling ghost story. Ben shares the eerie legend of Sir Fulke Greville, a former owner of the castle, and the tragic events that unfolded within its walls... Join Fun Kids Podcasts+: https://funkidslive.com/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join the conversation as we journey with Debra Blazer, an American mum of three, on an exhilarating 12-day road trip through the UK. Ever wondered how to squeeze a family of five and their luggage into a rental car? Debra effortlessly navigates the complexities of travelling with kids, sharing her wisdom on packing light and pre-planning logistics. From navigating bustling cities to exploring picturesque countryside towns, she offers a treasure trove of practical advice for those planning their own UK road trips.As Debra recounts her family's explorations of historic castles, you'll feel just like you're there with them. She paints a vivid picture of their experiences with bus tours, shares the sheer fascination of visiting the Roman Baths in Bath, and their experience of driving in London. Hear about their unforgettable visit to Warwick Castle and how her son compared it to Disney World. Plus, you're in for a treat as she shares their incredible experience with falconry at Bolton Castle. As we move up to Scotland, Debra's narrative comes alive with the stunning beauty of places like Elgin Cathedral, Brodie Castle, and the breathtaking Isle of Skye. From the excitement of a day tour to the challenges of climbing castle stairs with a five-year-old, her anecdotes are as compelling as they are insightful. As we wrap up our virtual journey, Debra discusses the invaluable role of the UK Travel Plan Podcast and Facebook group in planning their trip. So hop in, buckle up, and let's hit the road with Debra on this unforgettable UK adventure.For further information and the full show notes for this episode visit UKTravelPlanning.com/episode-59>> Visit our shop for guides and resources to help plan your trip including our popular UK Train Travel ebookSupport the showSupport our show ❤️ Do you enjoy our weekly podcast? We love putting together our shows for you and sharing our knowledge, love of UK travel and of course practical tips to save you time and money.

Part 1 of the 4 part midseason finale. The team infiltrates Warwick Castle and races against the clock to stop Reiner from resurrecting Count Dracula...Merch available at: https://www.dndarkpodcast.com/storehttps://ratethispodcast.com/dndarkInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dndark_podcast/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dndark_podcastReddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDarkPodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dndarkpodcastCast:Crypt Keeper (GM) - Danger Dan JerzJack Griffon, The Invisible Man - Grayson NormanErik, the Phantom of the Opera - Aaron KaufholdLarry Talbot, The Wolfman - Jordan NelsonMary, The Frankenstein Monster - Ben MagnetImhotep, The Mummy - Daniel CruzFeaturing Jenai Pellarin as Carmilla KarnsteinOriginal Music:Lets All Have a Ball by Ryan Whyte Maloney and Tony Carboney

Think brutalist architecture meets plants and thats what the Barbican Conservatory is all about! We chat with the head gardeners Marta in this first episode of series 12 of the podcast. Marta explains to @mr_plantgeek and @ellenmarygardening about how she got into gardening, what it's like to garden at the Barbican and some of the amazing plants softening the striking architecture. Afterwards Michael and Ellen gossip about BBC Gardeners World Live from a bench at Warwick Castle.   In this episode also hear from two new contributors for series 12 - Lee Connelly @skinnyjeangardener with some fantastic tips to get your kids gardening and Max McMurdo @maxreestore with some top DIY tips for your garden.      Series 12 of The Plant Based Podcast is sponsored by People Plants Wellbeing where you can find your magic through the power of plants and nature. Relax at a nature immersive retreat, wellness day, forest bathing walk or contact the studio about creating a tailored team based day for your work colleagues wellbeing. We also have an exclusive discount code for our podcast listeners which can be used for all People Plants Wellbeing services.    Take 10% off all services, treatments and retreats with code PBPSERIES12 via the website or when you contact the team to book. Next wellness days are coming up soon…find out more and book your place at peopleplantswellbeing.com or on instagram @peopleplantswellbeing.   Offer code valid until the end of series 12. *terms and conditions may apply.

We missed UK Proms in the Park last year, much to our disappointment. So we were delighted to be invited to come along to this year's event, set at the West Mids Showground.The UK Proms in the Park is an open-air classical concert featuring a wonderful orchestra lead by Alex Postlethwaite and conducted by Joe Davies. When is comes to culture, classical music is the engine that drives it. Whether it be operas, TV shows, cartoons or movies classical music is the perfect companion to all media in general.So, Alex was in his absolute element running around with a microphone speaking to musicians, organisers and sampling music too (including a beautiful solo by the one and only Katy Rink!). We tried to get a lengthy interview with organiser Peter Metcalf but he was here, there and everywhere doing his thing. We spoke to conductor Joe Davies, leader Alex Postlethwaite, the beautiful voice that is Samantha Oxborough and compare/singer Rodney Earl Clarke.WORD-UP! Ok, so we implemented a new game on the show (at probably the worst time) We asked for a list of random words that had to be wedged into conversations that took place on this podcast. We had 46 words, but how well do you think Alex did shoehorning them into his interviews?The UK Proms in the Park is a tour and there are 3 more shows to go in Warwick Castle, Bath and Windsor so if you would like tickets, we highly recommend taking a look at the website for more information and ticket sales - https://www.ukacgroup.com/ukpromsinthepark-1

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends January 31st 2023. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: https://aromaprime.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/liam-r-findlay/Smells for Theme Parks and Dementia Care: AromaPrime on BBC NewsKickstarter for the game where a reward is a scent collection, based on the locations in the game Smell tour of Amsterdam Liam R. Findlay is a designer of themed attractions who also works for AromaPrime, advising attractions on how to enhance their experiences using scent. AromaPrime was founded in 1973, and it creates weird and wonderful pongs for venues like Alton Towers, The British Museum and Madame Tussauds. The company's collection of over 400 concoctions ranges from Dinosaur to Dungeon, and Pirate Ship to Penguin Sick. While Liam helps clients select or develop the best smells to tell their stories, he also assists in implementing them in the most effective ways. Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson.We're getting smelly on the podcast today as I speak with Liam Findlay, Multisensory Attraction Designer and Sensing Specialist at AromaPrime. Liam discusses the use of Aroma's storytelling and psychological influences in your attraction and why smell is a form of mind control. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Liam, hello. Welcome to Skip the Queue.Liam Findlay: Hi, how are you?Kelly Molson: I'm very good. How are you is the question?Liam Findlay: I'm very good. Fatigued from lots of orders, but it's a good thing.Kelly Molson: Right, we'll talk about that in a minute because it's a very busy season for you. Our listeners will find out why soon, but first, icebreaker questions. So I'm going to start with a couple of topical ones. I want to know, what is your favourite smell and also, what is the smell that turns your stomach?Liam Findlay: My favourite smell is probably a kind of, when I was growing up there was an attraction called The Timewalk in the town I lived in, and it had a musty smell in a Black Death scene. And it was very scary and dark in there and it had that horrible smell but the attraction's been closed for over a decade now, and everyone in the town remembers it for its Black Death smell. And now I work for the company that made that smell, so I have kind of a personal connection to it.Kelly Molson: Oh, how funny. Okay, so do they have the smell in the archives? So can you go and find the smell and it takes you back to that attraction?Liam Findlay: Yeah, we're selling it now as The Timewalk smell for locals who might want to transport themselves back.Kelly Molson: This is amazing. And again, this is something that we will talk about a little bit later, the reasons why smell is so emotive for people. Okay. And what about the worst smell?Liam Findlay: I'm not sure when it comes to that because I'm so used to all sorts of horrible smells, and especially with AromaPrime, everything's artificial so I know it's just chemicals, so I don't tend to be repulsed by them. Personally, I think things that are to do with people's mouths, like food-related smells or if someone's just been eating and you can smell it.Kelly Molson: Like if someone had eaten raw onion or something like that? Yeah, okay. All right. I mean, mine's tequila but there's a whole other story around that that we'll save for another day. All right. What are you most likely to buy when you exit through the gift shop?Liam Findlay: Probably a magnet for my parents' fridge.Kelly Molson: Do they collect magnets when they go on holiday and stuff? Is it full of them?Liam Findlay: Yeah, it's kind of a mandatory thing, if someone goes on holiday they have to get a magnet for the fridge.Kelly Molson: Okay. All right, I like that. That's quite a good collection to have. Liam Findlay: Unless they sell smells, Efteling sells smells of its rides in its gift shop. So that's a must do for me.Kelly Molson: I've never heard of that before. Is that the only attraction that you know that does that?Liam Findlay: I think Europa Park might have done it, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach has candles that are inspired by the rides, but they aren't the actual smells. So yeah, I don't know why more places don't do it.Kelly Molson: Well, maybe they will after they hear this podcast, Liam, who knows? Okay. And if you could choose any attraction to create a smell for, what attraction would it be?Liam Findlay: It's hard to say because I kind of work on lots of smells for all sorts of attractions anyway. I think I always enjoy kind of time travel ones, maybe linking back to The Timewalk attraction that I grew up with, because they always have a nice variety of smells with all the different time periods you can go through.Kelly Molson: Okay, yeah, all right. So yeah, there's a little bit of variety involved in what you could create with them, so it wouldn't all be the same.Liam Findlay: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Okay, interesting. Thank you. All right, Liam, what's your unpopular opinion?Liam Findlay: I would say that bad smells are not necessarily bad in that like I was just saying they can bring back memories. We work with lots of care homes at AromaPrime, and sometimes you can have a horrible fishy smell that's used in scare mazes, but it's also used to bring back memories for people that used to be fishermen or fisherwomen. Bad smells, if you put them in different contexts, they can actually not be so bad. Sometimes you can have a kind of horrible manure smell, but if you present it as something like a lovely countryside kind of atmosphere, people can react positively to it. And actually, rhino dung, I was sniffing some rhino dung last week.Kelly Molson: As you do.Liam Findlay: At Chessington World of Adventures, and we were saying how it's just got a lovely kind of grassy smell to it because the rhinos eat grass, but then when you realise it's rhino dung, you might end up reacting to it negatively.Kelly Molson: So we need to reframe our minds around what that smell is and take away the bad connotation of it?Liam Findlay: Yeah. Bad smells are perhaps not always necessarily bad depending on how you look at them, that's my message.Kelly Molson: All right, listeners, well let us know what you think. As ever, I'm going to need to reframe tequila in my mind. Maybe, I don't know, maybe if we meet up at an event, someone can help me do that, who knows? I thought about you while I was on holiday a few weeks ago, Liam. I don't often think about many of my podcast guests when I'm on a holiday, but you definitely came to mind. It was because of some of the things that we're going to talk about today.So I took my husband and my daughter into the Museum of Torture, which was a very small museum in Tuscany, in Sienna, probably not child friendly, I'm not going to lie. I don't think my 14 month old was overly impressed. But it was very small museum, we went down into the dungeon area and it was very small and it was very dark and it smelt really musty. And it was the one part of the museum for me that really captured that sense of for like, "Oh, this is a dangerous place to be, something horrid is going to happen here." And it was because of the smell. You didn't have that in any of the other areas.And it was really fascinating, you walked around and you looked at these torture instruments and you saw how people were treated and what they did to people but that area was the one place that it really got under my skin and up my nose, but for the right reasons because of the smell. And it instantly made me think about you and what you guys do. So tell us a little bit about AromaPrime and then tell us a little bit about what your role is there.Liam Findlay: Well, AromaPrime's been around since 1973, so we're turning 50 next year and throughout that time we've been making immersive smells for visitor attractions. So it could be to kind of increase anticipation and anxiety in a rollercoaster queue with the smell of fire, for example, like at Alton Towers it's Wickerman rollercoaster. Or it could be to educate people and engage them in the past if it's a historical smell. It could be to kind of bring about certain feelings if they're walking into a hotel and you want a lovely signature scent that's going to make people relaxed, or if it's historical or a nostalgic sense that are used in care homes like I was just saying to kind of bring back fond memories. So there's kind of lots of ways you can use smells to trick the mind and change how people feel, maybe feeling anxious in the Torture Museum.And my job is to advise attractions on how to implement these smells and which smells might work best and kind of lead to the best results in their attractions. So whether they want to make people feel a certain way or if they want to tell a certain story and use smells to change how the story's being told as it developed. So it's very exciting, always lots of different projects.Kelly Molson: It is. And I'm really intrigued about how you came to be in this role. So your bio says that you advise on Aroma's storytelling influences, psychological influences and thematic influences, as well as practical ways to utilise aroma in different environments. All of this is really, really fascinating. But what did you study and how did you get to be this person that advises them on all these things?Liam Findlay: Well, I actually did an animation degree and then I worked in the animation industry for a while. And from that I kind of learned lots of design skills and storytelling skills and I ended up putting that into work at an escape room where I designed escape rooms. So there was kind of sound design and visual design and telling stories again. And then I ended up working freelance designing experiences and museum interpretation for attractions like castles and more escape rooms and a ghost train on one occasion. And through working in the attractions industry as a designer, I wondered if I could maybe contribute my kind of understanding of the processes behind attraction design and put that into smell. And I knew that AromaPrime existed and I wondered if maybe I could help them out through that. So I sent them an email and they said, "Oh, we're looking for someone like you," and they took me on and I think it was late 2018 maybe so it's been a few years now and it's been going quite well.Kelly Molson: So you've kind of honed your craft working at AromaPrime. So can you just explain a little bit about, I understand about the storytelling influences that we talked about and how smell brings back those memories and it can transport you to a different place, tell me about the psychological influences and the thematic influences. What do you mean by those? How does that work?Liam Findlay: It's a bit like what I was saying about the rollercoaster queue or in a scare maze, for example, you might use a pleasant smell that lots of people have a familiar connection with like the smell of bananas. Maybe not everyone likes bananas, maybe the smell of chocolate, to kind of lift people's spirits and give them a false sense of security so that when they suddenly turn a corner and see something horrid and it has a disgusting kind of rotten smell, you're kind of crafting the psychological journey for them. So you're bringing back these pleasant emotions and memories and then you're twisting it. And maybe that horrible smell will be the smell of vomit that most people will have really unpleasant associations with and it'll make them feel uncomfortable when suddenly a pig man jumps out with a chainsaw. So you can tie the sense into how the story develops and manipulate or influence emotions as it goes along.Kelly Molson: Yeah. And what about the thematic influences? What does that mean in terms of smell?Liam Findlay: It's probably the most basic way of looking at sense. So at fantasy experience for example, like we did a wizard mini golf attraction recently, so it's kind of binding or creating sense that apply to a theme. And sometimes that can be tricky if it's a fantasy theme, you might not really be sure what kinds of smells potions have. But with our unicorn smell, for example, we sniff some horses, as you would, and we read lots of ancient myths about unicorns and we kind of approached it like we would approach historical smells. So we want them to be backed up with stories and kind of authenticity where possible to make sure that the theme is as strong as it can be.Kelly Molson: Isn't that funny though because when you said unicorn, the image of unicorn in my head is glittery and pink because every little girls are obsessed by glittery pink unicorns. And so I was like, "Oh yeah, but for me, unicorns smell a bit sugary," a sweet sugary smell they'd smell like.Liam Findlay: Yeah, well that's what the final product is really. It's like got a little undertone of horse, but it's mostly like a birthday cake.Kelly Molson: Yes. Oh, I love that. Thank you for explaining that. That's put me right. Yeah, it's really weird how you see what something looks like and you instantly imagine what it smells like, even though I have no clue what a unicorn smells like, obviously.I guess it's the same feeling, the one that you spoke about in terms of making people feel comfortable and then shocking them is, I can remember reading something years ago about if you are selling your house, have some freshly baked bread just come out of the oven because that is a smell that everyone finds quite comforting and quite homely. And so then if you can smell that while you're in a new home, you think, "Oh yeah, I could see myself living here. This is a cozy place to be, isn't it?" So it's that kind of sense that you're trying to get build in people.Liam Findlay: Yeah, it's a big thing in retail using scents in shops. There was a study where people went into a room, I think it was full of shoes and it wasn't scented and they kind of responded to what they thought of the products, whether it was shoes or not. And then there were some other participants who went into a room that was scented and it had the same products and the people in the scented room valued the products as being more expensive, or they guessed that they would be more expensive because they saw them as a higher quality because the room was scented even though they didn't realise it was the scent that was causing that.Kelly Molson: Because they could smell the leather and the... Right, okay. Gosh, that's interesting, isn't it? How it can affect how you perceive something as well.Liam Findlay: Yeah, it can change perception. And also like you say about pleasant smells, if you smell something like bread, it makes you kind of hungry because it kind of triggers those memories of enjoying bread and therefore you'll start to kind of seek it out and you won't necessarily find bread, but you'll seek out some kind of satisfaction and that satisfaction might end up being purchasing something.Kelly Molson: A very expensive house purchase.Liam Findlay: Yeah.Kelly Molson: How do you create smells? Because I watched one of the interviews that you did, I think it's for the BBC, which I will link to in the show notes, it's really interesting. But I think one of them said that your recipes, some of them are based on 30 year old recipes, these smells. So how do you even start to create the smells?Liam Findlay: Well, yeah, well like I was saying, we are turning 50 next year, so it was actually slightly inaccurate in the BBC video is-Kelly Molson: Sorry, kids, it's wrong.Liam Findlay: Well that was my fault, I told them the wrong date. Because actually, there are not many records about the company history and I only a while ago realised or found a document that said when it was founded. So it's always been a bit of a mystery. But yeah, over that time we've accumulated over 400 aromas, so we've kind of got a big stock of anything anyone could imagine just about. And if they want something that's a bit more specific, sometimes we might combine our existing scents. So it might be a bit of grass with a bit of rotten eggs for some kind of Roald Dahl soup for example. And then if we are making something from scratch, it will be a case of finding the chemicals that kind of have certain qualities like you might have a chemical that is generally used in rose products because it has a rose smell and then you can combine it with others. And often we'll have references like maybe rhino dung, we've been sent otter poo and jaguar urine before to get that right.Kelly Molson: In the post? Go get the post today, I wonder what could be in it, that's a surprise.Liam Findlay: Yeah. So sometimes we'll be kind of mixing things and sniffing and then we'll also send lots of samples to the clients so they can say if it's accurate or not and it works that way.Kelly Molson: That's brilliant, isn't it? Funny to understand what might turn up in your letter box each day. So when you work with an attraction, Halloween is a very obvious market for you. There's lots of scare things that happening and they are very smell related. But how do you work with an attraction? What's that process of them calling you in and going, "Look, we've got this thing that we are doing, how can you work with us?" What do you do?Liam Findlay: It kind of varies on what their end goal is. Sometimes regardless of what the kind of function of the attraction is, sometimes it will just be a case of them telling us how large the space is and then we'll advise on the kind of machine that they'll need because we do machines as well and the themes as well and then we'll suggest some scents and then they put them in the machines. And it can be quite a quick process sometimes.If it's more complex, it might be like a museum that wants a historical scent and they don't want it spreading around the whole museum and stinking things out or ruining the paintings down the corridor, there can be more advice to give in that regard. So museums often it's good to use what's called dry diffusion when you have an object that's scented rather than liquid kind of going out as a mist into the air. So that object will just kind of emit a smell and you can maybe put a lid over it or have it in a container that has a puffer. So yeah, I would often ask what the end goal is and then kind of make some suggestions from there.Kelly Molson: Yeah, because I hadn't thought about if it's a museum, those artefacts and those things could be damaged by certain smells. It's also, I guess you have to be quite consultative in your approach about what you offer to them individually.Liam Findlay: Yeah, another case or another issue can be around whether people want to smell things or not. Like if they go to a scare maze, they'll probably expect to be repulsed. But if you go into a museum, I suppose it's because people aren't really used to it, they're not always prepared to sniff things. So it can be good to have flaps so people can choose whether they're going to smell things or not. Or maybe some places will put up little warnings if it's kind of a profound world war trench set that they can walk into and there's going to be horrible smell of bodies and things. Sometimes there might be a warning because it almost equates to having gory images, like in museums you'll have warnings that there'll be gory images here.Kelly Molson: Yeah, and I guess talking about what we were saying earlier about those emotive, it can take you right back to a place, I guess that could be quite frightening for some people as well if they don't want to be taken back to those places, for example.Liam Findlay: Yeah. And because smell's kind of flexible and a horrible smell relating to war could also be a horrible smell relating to some other unpleasant personal memory. So yeah, sometimes you have to think about how the smell's going to be presented in a way that's going to work for the visitors.Kelly Molson: Okay. Thorpe Park, the Dungeons and Warwick Castle all have promotional scent ranges. This is something that you helped them develop, isn't it? I think this was during the pandemic. Am I right? So can you tell us about this? How did this happen?Liam Findlay: Well, it was a tricky time because all the parks were closed so the parks were wondering what to do while they were closed. And the parks were our customers as well, so we couldn't sell to them. So everyone was kind of out of action at that point. So we were kind of thinking of ways that we could engage people in our products for the parks and for us. So I think it was Thorpe Park we approached first and we just suggested that we could kind of release some of their smells that they used in their scare mazes and eventually it was Warwick Castle and the smells they used in their Kingmaker Experience and the Dungeons and their smells to make them available, branded under the scenes that they appear in those attractions so people could buy the Blacksmith smell at the Warwick Castle Kingmaker Experience. And that was a nice way to take people back to the attractions while they weren't able to visit.And it helped AromaPrime as well because we were kind of profiting from the customers of our customers in a way that everyone was kind of happy with because it was promoting the parks and the customers were happy because they were being taken back to the parks. There was one customer who contacted me and was thanking me for the opportunity to buy the smell of the Tomb Blaster ride at Chessington World of Adventures because her sister had autism and she was really struggling with the lockdown and being able to transport herself back to the ride through the smell during lockdown kind of brought her lots of comfort. So it turned out to be a kind of lovely and beneficial project for everyone, a nice way of adapting to the scenario.Kelly Molson: That is so wonderful, isn't it? By the power of smell, being able to be in your favourite place without being able to leave your house. That's incredible, what an amazing thing to have been able to do.Liam Findlay: Yeah, and fans really enjoy it. The Wicker Man Woodsmoke smell from Alton Towers is really popular and we get people that diffuse it in their living room and make all the lights red and they play the music and send us photos.Kelly Molson: That's taking true fan to a whole nother level, isn't it? Recreating the smell of your favourite attraction in your living room, wow. Okay, that's great. But there's other ways of using smells as well, isn't it? And I think this is something that you've been talking about quite a lot on LinkedIn that I was really interested in. A smell tour of Amsterdam has been developed. And you've been part of this, haven't you? So this isn't just about attractions, this is about tourism as well. Tell us about this. I don't fully understand what it is and how you've developed it.Liam Findlay: Well, this was run by Odeuropa, who I've been collaborating with a lot. And Odeuropa is a kind of global group of academics who are working to improve the ways that senses are used to tell historical stories and how they are used their museums. And one of their projects was this smell tour of Amsterdam and this was done through a scratch and sniff card. So my job was to illustrate the card and it was a map of Amsterdam so you could kind of follow a route and go to an apothecary that had a certain ingredient to its perfume that it once used or you could go down to the canals and smell what the canals used to smell like hundreds of years ago and kind of scratch as you went around. And they developed an app as well so you could kind of track where you were going.And that was a really nice way to engage people in history and they were able to access the stories themselves. They weren't just going through a museum and reading stuff, they were properly exploring and sniffing and taking it all in. And it was a really exciting way. It was throughout the month of September and the cards were available at Amsterdam Museum and it was an exciting way to get people enjoying and almost living the past because they were going through the real places where all this stuff happened.Kelly Molson: That's such a brilliant idea. So yeah, it's completely immersive, isn't it? You are in the area, you're doing a walking tour so you can see the places that are being described to you and then you can smell what they smell like a hundred years ago.Liam Findlay: Yeah, it was cool.Kelly Molson: Wow. That is really cool.Liam Findlay: Got lots of good responses.Kelly Molson: And I guess you worked with them in the same mode that you would an attraction, it's just understanding what used to be there, finding the smells that you already have and then bringing them all together into the scratch card.Liam Findlay: Yeah. In this case, Odeuropa already had the smells because they've been working on lots of different historical smells themselves like the smell of hell, I think based on a kind of 1700s painting, maybe it was another century.Kelly Molson: And what does hell smell like? Can you describe it to us?Liam Findlay: From what I understand, it's mostly fire and bodies.Kelly Molson: Burning hot stuff? Okay.Liam Findlay: But one of the members of Odeuropa had worked on an exhibition in The Hague where people could go around a gallery and they had paintings and smell puffers like foot pumps so they could pump it and a smell would come out and that would be the smell of the painting or of something that was in the painting. And it was a nice way to kind of engage them with the contents of the painting, kind of look a bit harder and think about what's making that smile and why did it smell that way? So Odeuropa already had lots of interesting smiles that they could incorporate into this.Kelly Molson: That's brilliant. I would absolutely go on a scratch and sniff tour of anywhere.Liam Findlay: Yeah, well it's a nice model because you can kind of apply it to any city or even, I don't know, an ancient school or a hospital or all sorts of places.Kelly Molson: And if you think, I guess there's just so many advantages to it as well for people that can't see the places that they're in but can still feel that emotive connection to them by being able to smell what those places smell like.Liam Findlay: Yeah, smell is very good in terms of accessibility because even if you're on a theme park ride and you're going along in a boat and maybe there are cannons going off, if you can't see the cannons or you can't hear the cannon sound effects, if you smell it, it kind of means that you're not missing out on the story.Kelly Molson: Yeah, it's brilliant. I hope they do more of those, I'd be up for that.Liam Findlay: Yeah.Kelly Molson: There's a quote that I read from you that said, "Smell is a form of mind control." It really resonated with me, especially because of some of the things that we've been talking about. But let's go back to what you started to talk about at the beginning of our interview was about the smells for care homes because you've worked on quite a few projects for those as well. And I think obviously this is not attraction related, but I just think this is such a wonderful thing to be able to use your skillset for. Tell us a little bit about what you've done.Liam Findlay: Well, care homes was one of the company's first kind of activities I suppose back in the seventies. I mean, back then it would be the smells of the 1920s that would be made to take people back into the past. And that's something interesting as well because the kind of residents who are always getting that bit older and the smells that will be familiar to them change gradually so we have to kind of think, okay, maybe World War smells, I saw on Twitter someone was complaining that their mother was being subjected to World War II songs, even though most care home residents probably weren't around back then anymore or at least a small number.So yeah, we've been producing nostalgic smells for care homes for a long time and it can be really nice if there's like carbolic soap for example is a popular one. If there's a smell that lots of people perhaps with dementia who will have personal memories with, it's a nice way of unlocking those memories, especially you tend not to lose your smell memory. So if you smell something from the past and even if you have memory problems, smelling that can kind of unlock something from years and years ago and bring back those memories and encourage conversation with the other residents that you might live with about their memories and then they'll kind of start talking about it and sniffing and it can be a nice way to lift spirits as well as bringing back memories.Kelly Molson: Yeah, it's wonderful, isn't it? I saw the clip, and again this was in the clip that we will add into the show notes, but it was about the soap smell and the lady said, "Oh, it just makes me feel comfortable." It took her to a happier place where she just had really good memories of it and it was just such a lovely clip to see, you could almost see her face kind of light up with the smell because it took her back there instantly. It was just brilliant. And just think that's such a lovely thing to do.Liam Findlay: Yeah, there's a company called Rempods, which they make a kind of sets for all care homes like a recreated nostalgic pub from the sixties or a train carriage, that's quite a popular one. So like a wall and there's a window that's a screen and you can see the countryside going past. And we work with them quite a lot to supply smells to kind of bring that whole experience together. So that kind of ties into the theme entertainment as well.Kelly Molson: Yeah, it's like a mini attraction in a care home with sense. That's incredible. I had no idea that that was even a possibility. What a brilliant thing to be able to do for people.Liam Findlay: Yeah. It could even be as simple as a memory box that. We have a customer who makes memory boxes for care homes, which are just kind of full of props and things that the residents might be familiar with and they include the smells as well. And that same customer, she is a funeral director and we have what are called aroma cubes, which are normally used by care homes and they're just little cubes you can pick up and sniff. And there was someone who was in her chapel of rest who had died and the person who had died had worked in a bakery so this funeral director had put the smell of bread in a little aroma cube just in the same room. And when her family, the person's family visited in the chapel, they could smell this and they just found it really kind of nice and it took them back to her bakery and it wasn't kind of gimmicky, the room wasn't full of bread smells, it was just a little thing that they could use to have a nice moment with. And it worked really well.Kelly Molson: That is so lovely. I was just thinking, because I lost my granddad a really, really long time ago, I think I was like 20 when I lost him. And if I could be in a room now and his smell would be Polos, he had Polos, pockets full of Polos everywhere, even when he passed away, all of his cardigans had Polo packets in them. And that would be the smell that would bring me back to him instantly. So I can completely imagine how comforted they were by smelling that. Oh, it sounds really lovely. Liam, I know that you're super busy at the moment because we are recording this at the beginning of October and Halloween is coming and everyone goes crazy at Halloween, right? So you've been busy since probably a good few months with people ordering in their smells. What's the most popular Halloween smell on order at the moment?Liam Findlay: I'd say the familiar one is the most popular because you want smells that are going to affect the largest range of people. So it will be things like vomit and poo and rotting flesh is actually popular. And I suppose not many people would be familiar with that.Kelly Molson: It's not a statement you hear very often, "Rotting flesh is very popular." It's not popular here.Liam Findlay: We've released a new blocked urine smell as well. Because we already had a urine smell, but I wanted to try something that had more of a kick to it. So we've got kind of two urine choices this year.Kelly Molson: Wow, wow. We've taken it to a whole new level of poo and wee smells on the podcast people. Liam, thank you for joining us today. I've thoroughly enjoyed talking about this and I think it's such a fascinating subject to talk about. So thanks for sharing your insight. We always ask our guests for a book that they'd like to recommend to us, something that they love or something that's helped them in some way. What would you like to share with us today?Liam Findlay: Mine is Theme Park Design and the Art of Themed Entertainment by David Younger. And this is like, I think-Kelly Molson: It's like a Bible, Liam. It's huge.Liam Findlay: Yeah. Well I was just going to say, lots of attraction designers kind of treat this as their Bible because it's like a big encyclopedia of everything to do with theme park design. So there's a bit about smells in it, there's a bit here about costumed characters, there's stuff on cues and how different cues work. So it's like anyone wants to go into theme park design or attraction design in general, even if it's like museums, this is a great resource.And actually David Younger, the author, I've just been working with him because he's started a Kickstarter for a video game that's based on a theme park sort of. And we've put together a scent collection of the different locations in the game so as people are playing, they can sniff the smells and kind of transport themselves into the world of the game.Kelly Molson: Oh, how cool. You must send over the link to us and then we can pop that in the show notes for any of the listeners that will be interested in it.Liam Findlay: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Okay. So look, as ever, I feel like this is going to be an expensive one for my marketing budget, because that looked like a really big book, Liam. But as ever, if you'd like to win a copy of this book, then if you pop over to our Twitter account and retweet the episode announcement with the words, "I want Liam's book," then you'll be in a chance of winning it. Liam, thank you for joining us on the podcast today. Good luck with Halloween, I know it's a really crazy busy time, but thank you for coming on and sharing all of your wonderful smells with us today.Liam Findlay: That's all right. Thank you for having me. It's been fun to talk about them.Kelly Molson:  Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip the queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

Warwick Castle has an amazing history that's spans over 1000 years. The ghosts that have witnessed here over 100s of years are still often seen.

Season 5 – Gap Year: UK Episode 5 (Full episode) Are you a theater fanatic? Hilarie is! (Go figure...) But even if you're not, you'll still love the history and charm behind Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon. This small English city has protected and cultivated the history of Shakespeare, who is widely believed to be the greatest writer in the English-speaking world. Not only did he write plays for the stage, like "Romeo & Juliet," he also coined many of the terms we still use today – things like, “It's all Greek to me!” Walk with Jamin and Hilarie through the streets of Stratford-Upon-Avon, where this hopeless romantic was born, where he fell in love with his wife (Anne Hathaway), and where he was ultimately laid to rest. Theater productions like "War of the Roses" are performed regularly at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre here. While staying in the city, Jamin and Hilarie also took day trips to Warwick Castle and The Cotswolds. So much to see. So little time… You can subscribe to Travel FOMO in two different ways: (1) See their adventures on YouTube and (2) follow audibly from wherever you listen to podcasts. Why? Because they're traveling to 18 different countries in the coming year, and you won't want to miss it. This episode is available wherever you listen to podcasts. To see these Stratford-Upon-Avon places for yourself, watch their video from the trip: https://youtu.be/Wi5qZj38h2U. Travel FOMO is hosted by a husband and wife duo, Jamin and Hilarie Houghton. Learn more about them at www.travelfomopodcast.com. Follow us on social media: Instagram: www.instagram.com/travelfomopodcast Facebook: www.facebook.com/travelfomopodcast TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@travelfomopodcast

This episode Mirabelle's reading some classic poems, Eden's talking about choosing her first GSCE, we're all talking about what we're looking forward to this month as well as sharing highlights from recent trips to Moseley Old Hall, Warwick Castle and an RSPB bird hide!

Joining us on the How Did You Podcast in 10 minutes is Dean, Dean is an outstanding creative who has big theatre plans and will be off to act at Warwick Castle very soon. Chatting to Dean was fantastic and you'll find it here!

Paranormal researcher AP Sylvia kicks off the new year with a discussion of his new book "Vampires of Lore."  Much of the vampire lore seems to stem from Stoker's "Dracula," but is his information based on earlier ways to kill off these terrifying creatures?  AP looks at many legends from Greece, Serbia and other Eastern European countries.  We will look at earlier publications, "Nosferatu" and more recent movies to see the evolution of vampires.  AP has a fascinating study.  We will also cover his international research into paranormal sites.  We'll look at England's Warwick Castle and the infamous Tower of London and unique stories from US cemeteries.   Locations of Lore - Exploring the strange sites of New England and beyond with A. P. Sylvia.

Paranormal researcher AP Sylvia kicks off the new year with a discussion of his new book "Vampires of Lore."  Much of the vampire lore seems to stem from Stoker's "Dracula," but is his information based on earlier ways to kill off these terrifying creatures?  AP looks at many legends from Greece, Serbia and other Eastern European countries.  We will look at earlier publications, "Nosferatu" and more recent movies to see the evolution of vampires.  AP has a fascinating study.  We will also cover his international research into paranormal sites.  We'll look at England's Warwick Castle and the infamous Tower of London and unique stories from US cemeteries.  Locations of Lore - Exploring the strange sites of New England and beyond with A. P. Sylvia.

Paranormal researcher AP Sylvia kicks off the new year with a discussion of his new book "Vampires of Lore."  Much of the vampire lore seems to stem from Stoker's "Dracula," but is his information based on earlier ways to kill off these terrifying creatures?  AP looks at many legends from Greece, Serbia and other Eastern European countries.  We will look at earlier publications, "Nosferatu" and more recent movies to see the evolution of vampires.  AP has a fascinating study.  We will also cover his international research into paranormal sites.  We'll look at England's Warwick Castle and the infamous Tower of London and unique stories from US cemeteries.   Locations of Lore - Exploring the strange sites of New England and beyond with A. P. Sylvia.

The tumultuous life of a handsome Gascon knight who became the lover of England's king, Edward II. How did he become Lord Lieutenant of Ireland? What happened that terrible night at Warwick Castle? How did the consequences of their love affair shape politics for a decade? And what happened to Edward II when he suddenly disappeared in 1327?

Episode 44 of the Counties of England podcast covering the life of William Shakespeare, the facts about Warwick Castle and the inspirations JRR Tolkien took from Warwickshire for his novels. This podcast was written, edited and narrated by me, Finn Gray. It is a year-long project I am tackling for my silver Duke of Edinburgh skills award. Further details about each of the counties can be found on my website: https://www.countiesofengland.co.uk I upload transcripts, maps of the counties and information I didn't have room for in the podcast. Most weeks I use information from Matthew Engel's excellent book: ‘Engel's England' (Profile Books, 2014). Music is from Tribe of Noise and the track I use at the start and end of each episode is ‘Tiny People' by Magnus Moone.

Park maps are fascinating as they illustrate a park's moment in its history - so join Nick and Chris as Nick blindly delves into his park map collection to discuss - in no particular order - Thorpe Park Fright Nights, Cadbury World, Warwick Castle, Universal Orlando, Phantasialand, Chessington World of Adventures, Universal Hollwood, Tulley's ShocktoberFest and Madame Tussauds.   What's new? What's changed? Find out! 

Episode Notes Shivani Badgi is a New Jersey/New York based dancer with 20 years of dance experience in Kathak, Lavani, and Bollywood. She began her training in dance at the age of five under Guru Padma Khanna at Indianica Academy. She furthered her dance education to learn Ballet, Jazz, and Contemporary at Joffrey Ballet School, Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University, and Broadway Dance Center. She has had the opportunity to perform on reputable stages at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center during the 50th Anniversary of Lincoln Center, at Warwick Castle and Island Gardens for the American Alliance of Performing Arts London Invitational, Theatre for the New City in NYC, Philadelphia Museum of Art, NBA Halftime Show, and Times Square at Diwali. Shivani is currently furthering her Kathak education with Guru Syed Sallauddin Pasha of Ability Unlimited. She currently teaches Kathak and Semi-Classical at her dance studio, The Gurukul Performing Arts in New Jersey. E-MAIL: shivanibadgi@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.shivanibadgi.com YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/shivanibadgi Show Highlights (0:04:17) Teaching bollywood with a kathak foundation (0:07:04) Deciding what's right for students (0:09:59) Pushback for doing bollywood (0:12:04) Timeline of learning dances (0:16:51) Favorite Dance form (0:18:01) Learning multiple dance forms (0:26:38) Soorpanakha Backstory (0:35:41) Flat feet and Kathak (0:38:09) Teaching Style (0:41:59) Performing Career (0:45:23) Performing at Times Square (0:52:57) Making high quality videos (0:54:34) Pandit Gopi Krishna Ji (0:58:13) Dance Practice

Episode 9 of the 2021 series of the award-winning (!) 'home-learning' inspired podcast series, Primrose and Terry: in the shed. Starring 7 year old Primrose Lee and her Dad, Terry. In the episode we remember Hermione the hamster, who has sadly passed away. We also talk about our trip to Warwick Castle. Featuring a conversation with Lester the podcast dog and Mummy in the garden. Primrose and Terry: in the shed is produced by Primrose Lee, edited by Terry Lee, with music and imaging by Primrose Lee. Our artwork is by Stoo Elvin.

We're looking back over a thousand years of action-packed history at Warwick Castle in the heart of Middle England. This medieval fortress, complete with battlements and dungeons, is situated in Shakespeare country, barely a ten-mile drive from Stratford-Upon-Avon. 

In this episode we're having a suprisingly good time at Warwick Castle despite heavy rain, cooking some interesting flatbread, Belle goes for a walk and we're closing in on the end of our academic year.

In this episode of Activity Quest, Anna Louise becomes a mermaid – she learns all about swimming, water safety and fins! – and Bex chats to the Children's Laureate, Cressida Cowell.  All of that, plus stuff to do across the country from visiting a dragon to buying a mag.  Remember, whatever you do and however you do it, tell us at FunKidsLive.com/ActivityQuest – and remember to rate, review and follow this podcast wherever you’re listening to it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BE WARNED: It's LuAnna, and this podcast contains honest, upfront opinions, rants, bants and general explicit content. But you know you love it!On Luanna: The Podcast this week: It's been a glorious weekend, Anna's been spotted at Warwick Castle, Lu's inviting Carrie Symonds to be her new pal, Anna's not happy with the roads, duck eggs are back at the Zisso household plus Parish councils could be getting two new recruits. Plus, back to school quiz, Prince Phillip's funeral, the Cuthbert vs Colin the Caterpillar debate, food related weirdos and a rant from Luisa. Remember, if you want to get in touch you can:Email us at luannathepodcast@gmail.com OR drop us a WhatsApp on 07745 266947

Ben Yee-Paulson is an internationally recognized American composer, who's music has been premiered at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Harvard University, Curtis Institute, Warwick Castle in England, La Schola Cantorum in Paris, the DiMenna Center in New York City, and the world opening of Microsoft’s flagship store in New York City. Nationally, Ben’s music was awarded first-place in the Costello Competition, both a Merit Award and “Emerging Composer” status from the Tribeca New Music Festival, honorable mention from the Charles Ives Concert Series, and finalist position from ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers multiple times. Internationally, he received honorable mention in the Future Blend Composition Competition, and was a semi-finalist in the Tampa Bay Symphony’s Composition Competition. Ben was a composer-in-residence at the Zodiac Music Festival and DePaul University. He is represented by PARMA Recordings.Ben’s music has been played renowned ensembles like the American Modern Ensemble, Ensemble Del Niente, the American Modern Orchestra, the NEC Contemporary Ensemble, and the New York Youth Symphony. Other premieres occurred at the European American Musical Alliance, the Bard Conductor’s Institute, the Atlantic Music Festival, the Zodiac Music Festival, the Mostly Modern Festival, and the International Horn Symposium in Belgium. His music has been played by prominent artists like Grammy-nominated cellist Thomas Mesa, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra violinist Chelsea Kim, and internationally-acclaimed harpist Abigail Kent. Ben is a Doctor of Music student at Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music, studying with Aaron Travers and Claude Baker. He has a Master of Music from New England Conservatory and Bachelors of Music from New York University, where he studied with Michael Gandolfi, Kati Agócs, and Justin Dello Joio.The Question of the Week is, "What defines a successful partnership between performer and composer?" Ben and I discuss fruitful relationships he has had with performers, what the general mindsets and goals of modern day composers are, how performing and playing piano has informed his own composition style, and how he would hope his music would be performed in two hundred years.

This week we take a look into a bizarre tale about a ghost who revealed he had secret treasure hidden away in a castle in Warwick that went untold and forgotten about for almost 100 years.If you have a story you want us to cover or a spooky tale of your own that you want read out on the podcast then send it on to us at paranormalhotlinepodcast@gmail.com. To keep up to date with all things spooky follow us on Twitter @ParanormalHL

In today's podcast you will have the chance to explore the history and paranormal activity surrounding a castle with over 1000 years of heritage, intrigue, murder, torture, ambitions, plots and so much more. It was here that many key English Kings and ambitious men of the court like The Kingmaker would reside. Within the walls of the castle we explore the Victorian Seances carried out by Anne Greville, the Countess of Warwick and the stories of hauntings that this castle is reported to have. With its rich history, Warwick Castle is the location of many ghostly legends one of which is centred around Sir Fulke Greville a poet and playwright who was a rich and influential man. He would be murdered by his manservant and die agonisingly from his wounds a month later. His spirit is said to walk The Ghost Tower and stare from dark corners. Many feel his presence at the place where he once composed such prophetic lines as: If nature did not take delight in blood, She would have made more easy ways to good. So let's dive into the delights that this location has to share..... Thank you for listening. If you wish to support the Haunted History Chronicles Podcast then please click on the Patreon link. https://www.patreon.com/Haunted_History_Chronicles Please use the links below or on the website to keep in touch via our social media pages : to ask questions and review other content linked to this episode. Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/HauntedHistoryChronicles/?ref=bookmarks Twitter: https://twitter.com/hauntedhistory4 Instagram: instagram.com/haunted_history_chronicles Website: https://www.podpage.com/haunted-history-chronicles/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hauntedchronicles/message

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcastIf you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this episode.Competition ends March 31st 2021. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references:https://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-spooner-079b6a15/Transcription:Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. In today's episode, I speak with Geoff Spooner, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter. We discuss the tour's phenomenal success, and yeah, you guessed it, the motivation for launching with pre-booking only. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip The Queue.Kelly Molson: Geoff, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. I'm excited to talk about you. We've got lots to get through today. But as ever, I start with my icebreaker questions.Geoff Spooner: Okay.Kelly Molson: So first one for you. Are you a believer in having a very regimented morning routine? Are you a 4:00am start kind of guy?Geoff Spooner: I can't think why anyone would want to start at 4:00 AM. I can't think of anything worse than that. I am fairly regimented because I have children and I think that necessitates that in order to actually get them out of the house at a certain time which I've done a lot more of during lockdowns. And my wife just broken her foot, unfortunately, so-Kelly Molson: Oh, God.Geoff Spooner: Having to do a lot of that, and appreciating all that she does normally. I think routine is good, but you know, you read it in these things and they say, "Tell us about your daily routine." And they're like, "Oh, I wake up at 2:00am and I go for a swim," and you think, "Oh, you're absolutely mental."Kelly Molson: No, you don't! You're a crazy fool if you do that.Geoff Spooner: Absolutely mad. Why would you do that?Kelly Molson: It's the middle of the night. I'm totally with you on that. I just don't get it, and I think it's part of that really horrible hustle culture that we have at the moment where every waking minute you should be pushing yourself and pushing yourself, and actually you should be getting up earlier for your morning routine as well. No, it's not for me. We've got dogs, so again, I have a very regimented set routine.Geoff Spooner: Same thing, same thing.Kelly Molson: But it definitely doesn't start at four o'clock in the morning.Geoff Spooner: Kids are just more expensive versions of dogs, really, aren't they?Kelly Molson: Yeah. Probably less messy as well.Geoff Spooner: Yeah. Well, I don't know. I don't know.Kelly Molson: Okay. All right. Next one. If you could bring back any fashion trend from your youth, what would it be?Geoff Spooner: Well, I'm a child of the '80s, so I certainly wouldn't recommend bringing anything back. The stuff that my mum used to make us wear, I just think is... It's harrowing images in my head when I see it, so yeah. I think my wife would disagree with you, but I try to sort of block the '80s out of my memory, really.Kelly Molson: See, I'm a big nostalgia person and the '80s is my era as well. That's where I grew up, so I have a real fondness for it. Not so much the fashion. It wasn't cool, was it?Geoff Spooner: No, it wasn't. It's not one we look back on and go, "I looked damn good then."Kelly Molson: Actually, I don't think there's any year that I look back on and think that-Geoff Spooner: I look at what my 10 year old wear and I think, "Look what I had to wear when I was 10. Oh my God."Kelly Molson: So, can you tell me your unpopular opinion? Something that you believe to be true, but almost nobody else agrees with you on.Geoff Spooner: Probably a bit controversial for the company that I work in, but my preference really is I think that film trailers are too long.Kelly Molson: Oh.Geoff Spooner: I don't know. I think less is more, less is more. There's a point where you're telling a bit too much of the story, and I think I want to be surprised when I go to the cinema, and I love going to the cinema. So that would be my probably quite unpopular opinion.Kelly Molson: Well, no. I'm with you on that. I love a trailer, so I get really excited at the cinema when the trailers come on, because I think, "This is a great buildup." But yeah, you're right. Sometimes you think, "Have I just watched all of the best bits from that film? Probably."Geoff Spooner: It's tricky.Kelly Molson: Well, let's see what our listeners think, whether that's controversial or not. I'm sure they'll let me know. Thank you for answering those silly questions.Geoff Spooner: No worries.Kelly Molson: I want to start with your background, because you've got a really impressive career in the travel and leisure industry. You've worked at Warwick Castle, LEGOLAND Windsor, London Eye. Can you tell us a little bit about it? Was it always a sector that you were really passionate about and wanted to work in?Geoff Spooner: No, not really. I look at my kids today. My daughter's headmaster, she's only 10, asked if I'd do a careers talk for her school, and I thought, "Gosh, isn't that fantastic?" No one ever used to tell you these things. You'd do your certificate of achievement and things like that at school, and you'd do your test and they'd say you'd have some completely random job that you never even thought you'd be interested in.Geoff Spooner: So I don't think I had a massive career plan when I was a child, but once I went into university and things like that, I was really interested in animals. So I thought I would end up working with that really, because I have a Zoology degree.Kelly Molson: Wow.Geoff Spooner: So I'd be like Newt Scamander from the Fantastic Beasts. That was before my time. So I was working in a zoo, at Chessington, actually, in their zoo team there. I used to do that during the holidays, and while I was doing my degree and I thought... I tell you what. Working in a zoo is such fun. It is really, really great fun.Kelly Molson: Aw, I bet.Geoff Spooner: And I loved that so much. Randomly one year I ended up, rather than being in the zoo, ended up going to work in guest services at the park, which is... In a theme park, guest services can be quite a fun place to work as well, for lots of different reasons, and I really enjoyed doing that. Then I worked in admissions with the admissions team as well, just the year that I was graduating. That was 2000, and Tussauds, who owned Chessington at the time, had just opened the London Eye.Geoff Spooner: I think probably, looking at all the parks and then looking at... It's essentially a Ferris wheel. What can go wrong? Then we opened the London Eye and found out, what could go wrong? So then there was a lot of emphasis on, "Okay, we've got to get this back quickly, because so many people want to come and experience it." So I ended up joining them as the front of house visitor service manager with the team there, putting together a team. They didn't have a visitor service team at the time, randomly. Just let anyone go behind the information desk and give out-Kelly Molson: Wow.Geoff Spooner: Give out any old random sort of information, which sounds absolutely crazy now, but that's kind of the way it was. So I had lots of fun with that, working there for five years, and then I moved to manage admissions and that was a massively, massively... I mean, still is a massively popular attraction. But you know, having 12,000 pre-booked visitors and 12,000 people on the day coming to the attraction is, if you've been... I'm sure probably everyone who's listening has been to the London Eye. That is a tiny little footprint of an attraction. But when we were duty director or duty manager and you're walking around that attraction, you're easily doing 7,000 meters, or 7k, on your Fitbit or whatever it was.Geoff Spooner: So yeah, that was really good fun. Then not a lot was happening, really, at Tussauds, and I'd thought I'd really enjoyed the London Eye, and I was sort of looking at, "What else should I do? Maybe I should go and work in a different industry," and maybe looked at ticketing, that sort of thing.Geoff Spooner: An opportunity came to go and join National Express, which is a very different industry to visitor attractions. Travel has many more challenges, mainly because lots of people arrive at you very angry for [crosstalk 00:07:51] no fault of anything that you've done, particularly, because their plane's been seven hours later or something like that, and then they're amazed that at 2:00 in the morning, you haven't got a coach that's going to wherever it is they live. So that was a really different experience. Worked with their teams there, worked all of their airport sites. You know, very, very busy, and a really, really demanding kind of job. I think the thing you find there is that when you work at an airport, there's nothing worse than going to an airport every day and not going on holiday.Kelly Molson: Oh, gosh! Yeah, that must be really soul-destroying.Geoff Spooner: So I did that for about five years, and then I was really missing visitor attractions, though, and so wanted to get back into that. An opportunity came up at LEGOLAND, and I joined there as Operations Director, and had lots of fun working there. LEGO's a great brand, LEGOLAND's a great brand, and it's a really fun attraction. During my time, we were really lucky. We put in things like the Star Wars Miniland that they had. We were sort of fine-tuning the Atlantis Submarine ride and the sea life that went with that.Geoff Spooner: Everyone thought we were absolutely mad, because we decided to open an open air outdoor water park in DUPLO Valley, and we just ended up opening it on the summer when there was the biggest heat wave ever. So from April till about September, it was one of those ones where it was like 80 degrees every day, and we looked like complete geniuses after that, to be honest.Kelly Molson: Perfectly timed.Geoff Spooner: Yeah, it was good. But sort of halfway through that, unexpectedly, really, the role at Warwick came up, to be GM for that, and it's just such a fantastic attraction. It's so beautiful and an incredible place to work. I thought, "Well, I'll give that a go." I was allowed to go and do that, and so we moved up to Warwick, where we still live, and I had a lot of fun there putting in lots of different combination offerings and things like that. Literally very happy doing all of that, but got a call asking if I'd be interested about coming over to Warner Bros. Probably the only other attraction that I would have considered doing.Geoff Spooner: Yeah, so then I came over to work with a really amazing team here, and a really equally special kind of brand, with Harry Potter and the filmmaking and everything that goes along with that.Kelly Molson: I mean, it is, isn't it? It is a hugely iconic brand. It must've been a really tough decision, because Warwick Castle, like you say, it is, again, iconic, and absolutely incredibly beautiful. All of the attraction places that you've worked at, actually, have a really huge draw for people, for very, very different reasons. So with the Making of Harry Potter tour, have you been there from the start? Were you there when it first opened?Geoff Spooner: No. So I joined in 2016, and the tour opened in 2012. And you know, if you walk around our building, there's lots of pictures of the opening and William and Kate attending, and Jo, and all of that, and there's a lot of our team actually here today who were here in 2012 for the opening, or were here while we were building it. A couple of our duty managers were in the films. So you know, there's that huge kind of love for it, really.Geoff Spooner: One of the things, I suppose, that really appealed to me, and sort of convinced me to come over and drive an hour and a half to work every day is that Warner Bros. just have a really amazing approach to the way that they work. They have this incredible, I suppose, expectation of quality, and they want everything to be done to a very, very, very high standard, and also to invest to deliver that as well. So it's not unattainable. They very much very consider what they want to do. What is the experience we're trying to deliver? What is the service levels going to be like?Geoff Spooner: I suppose the opportunity to come and work in that environment, knowing also that we were going to be building, if I came along, that I'd be working on an expansion that was massive, which is the one that we've just opened in 2019. So there was a lot to be doing, lots to going on, another expansion that we'd be opening in 2017 in the meantime. A really amazing brand.Geoff Spooner: It's a bit irresistible, I suppose, is probably the best way to... You know, you wouldn't really get that opportunity. I think people couldn't quite understand it in 2016. They couldn't understand, why would you go there? It's sort of over now. It's a bit done. Harry Potter's a bit done. What's happening? But I did know that, obviously, the Fantastic Beasts films were in development, so that was going to bring the whole Harry and the wizarding world back to the people's front of mind. And also, we had the Cursed Child play opening, and all of those things kind of happened at the same time. So the brand was very, very resurgent, people still really, really want to do it.Geoff Spooner: Also, from my point of view, part of the challenge is, in some respects, it's not easy. But if you go to attraction and you're going there to make it much better, that's can be very exciting, and gives you all sorts of opportunity to try.Geoff Spooner: If you're going to an attraction that's got 25,000 five-star TripAdvisor reviews, and has a five-star trip about, you can mess that up, I suppose. So the challenge for me, I think, was to come in and really maintain that, but knowing that we were going to have to get bigger, knowing that we were going to have to grow our numbers, knowing that we probably have to grow our price and do all of those things, and make that all sort of successful and be profitable at the same time. So it was a very unique challenge to find yourself presented with as an opportunity, but I'm really pleased that I did it, because it's been absolutely huge fun for since 2016. It's kind of flown by really.Kelly Molson: Yeah, and an opportunity that you just couldn't have missed out on at all. It was interesting what you said there about an attraction that has such a highly rated, been so highly rated by people because of a couple of stats here. I think I read that since it opened to the public in 2012, it's welcomed up to 6,000 visitors a day during peak times, and TripAdvisor reports that it's been the highest-rated attraction worldwide every year since the tour opened. I mean, it's really a peak, isn't it? To maintain that is something else, but to build on it is a whole other story.Geoff Spooner: Yeah. And even when we opened, we weren't open at the levels that we were out in 2013 or 2014, so we ramped up to about 5,000. When I joined in 2016, our top day was 6,000. We looked at the operation and tweaked that to six and a half quite quickly before we had the expansion, and with the expansion now, we're up to seven and a half thousand people a day. And you know, like you say, we've got sort of 40,000-odd TripAdvisor reviews now, and our average day is 96%.Geoff Spooner: It's amazing to do that because I think people come based, I think, on word of mouth, based on that sort of reputation, but their expectation because of that is set really, really high, and our team have this mission to exceed the expectation. But they, all credit to them. They manage to do that really consistently, and the experience is really consistent. We see that not just on TripAdvisor. We see it on Google reviews, we see it on Facebook.Geoff Spooner: So it's lovely to be in the role that I'm in, because people say, "Ooh, I went to Harry Potter World yesterday." No one ever gets the name of the attraction right. You think, "Okay." And then they say, "And I had a fantastic time." You can walk around the attraction and someone says, "Are you the manager?" And you sort of think, "Oh yes. How can I help you?" And they go, "We're having such a great time!" So-Kelly Molson: Oh, that's nice!Geoff Spooner: Yes, you know, if you walk around the bus station and someone says, "Are you the manager?" You know what's coming. So yeah, it's great.Kelly Molson: Yeah, completely different story.Geoff Spooner: It's a lovely change.Kelly Molson: Oh, that's a really nice. I loved what you said earlier, actually, about having to re-engage people with the brand. You knew that the new films were coming out and new things were happening. But I think that with Harry Potter, the story is ingrained in so many of us from such a young age that I now see that progression where... You know, I read all of the books when I was younger, and I've watched all of the films, and I've been to see the play, and I've been to the attraction. And now I can see, like, my friend's children are growing up. My friend's eight year old is Harry Potter obsessed. She's loving the books. As soon as the attraction opened up after lockdown, they went, and it's really lovely to see that progression.Kelly Molson: I guess one of my questions for you was going to be, how do you keep the magic alive for repeat visitors? Because people will come back time and time again. But I guess they bring small people with them, and they bring different people with them over the years as well.Geoff Spooner: Yeah. I think we have a real range of audience as well. It's not just sort of one type. It's not just families. Yes, we have lots of families, but we have lots of couples. Today there's a lot of couples in the tour. It's mid-week and it's in December. We have also grandparents bringing kids. And like you say, there's the original generation that watched the films, grew up with the books, and they're transferring that. I think good stories, good storytelling, stands the test of time.Geoff Spooner: My oldest daughter, for some reason, not into the books. Likes Harry Potter a lot. Just, I think, a bit scared by the books. She's 10. My youngest daughter, who's seven, absolutely loves everything. Wants the books read to them, wants all the characters' accents done properly. You know, everything. So for us, that's great, and that gives you the demand, and we have to create the pull to make people want to come in the first place and visit again.Geoff Spooner: Now, fundamentally, we've got a really good attraction. The sets, the props, the costumes that you see... Most people have that mental image of what does the Great Hall at Hogwarts looks like. They have what they've watched on the television. And when you walk through the doors and you're in the Great Hall, you are standing on that set, and it has become a kind of Mecca for Harry Potter fans. So that is absolutely a massive plus to start off with. But how do you get them to come a second time, or a fourth or fifth time?Geoff Spooner: We've taken the approach of doing two things. One is expansions, and the other one is a kind of seasonal features. The expansions we've done three of. Our first one was in 2015. We built out one of our stages and knocked a wall down, and then all of a sudden you were standing in King's Cross station, and you have the actual Hogwarts Express train stood in front of you, and people absolutely love that. Then in 2017, we moved all of our on-site warehousing and things like that, and we moved all our photography around. A very big internal move in an attraction that's open. We introduced the Forbidden Forest, so you can meet enormous acromantulas and Aragog, and they all come down from the ceiling. There's lots of ghostly fog, and you can see centaurs, and you can see Buckbeak and bow to him. And that's been really... People absolutely love that, and that's helped to keep people coming back.Geoff Spooner: Then with the expansion, we had last year, Gringotts bank has just been.... It's a huge, huge expansion, but it really, really delivers, and I think we had lots of secrets in that as well. So we told people that you could see the bank. We told people, "You'll see the Lestrange vault." We told people that you would see goblins, and how they're made, and people are really interested in how you make somebody into a goblin. But they didn't know that when you leave Gringotts, you walk through destroyed Gringotts bank and you see this huge dragon coming at you, and I think that's a real surprise element that I've now ruined, but I think most people really, really love.Geoff Spooner: So those are some of the things that we do. And then we have features where it's more like touring exhibitions, where we focus on a particular aspect of the story and the filmmaking process. So we might have a feature like Wizarding Wardrobes, which we did, which is all about costume. We might have a feature about, specifically, the Goblet of Fire. This year, we launched our new Celebration of Slytherin, and we were just about to open that before the first lockdown, so we actually ended up opening on the 20th of August. So slightly delayed. With that, we try to bring in... For example, you come into the Great Hall, all the Slytherin banners are there. If you are a Slytherin, it's a big wow. If you're not, it's a big wow, but you sort of wish maybe it was your house.Geoff Spooner: Then we introduced the new... We basically took the Slytherin common room set, and we recreated that and put that into our stage. I think the great thing about where it is is that you would never know it hadn't been there forever. So we're always kind of mixing up what the inside of the tour looks like, and trying to re-present that in different ways. We've just launched, because it's December, Hogwarts In the Snow. So very Christmassy, lots of trees at the moment. If you go into Diagon Alley, that's all snowed at the moment. So a really beautiful time here. Lots of people come back for that. Lots of people come back for our Dark Arts season at Halloween, where we have floating pumpkins everywhere, and you can meet lots of Death Eaters and duel with them.Geoff Spooner: So lots of those things keep coming back. We have lots of event dinners. They're timed with some of those features, Valentines, things like that. So yes, lots and lots of things just to keep that presence there, and keep noise around the attraction. And all of that is backed up, I think, with some really amazing work that our marketing and our PR teams do to deliver that in a very eye-catching and very memorable way. So yeah, it's a great brand to work with from that perspective, because you've got eight films to work with, plus Fantastic Beasts in the future.Kelly Molson: Yeah, absolutely. It feels like because of the additional films as well, it feels like there's always going to be something else that could be added, and something more exciting that can come along and on. I mean, I'm smiling the whole way through listening to this, because I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and just the way that you talk about it, it just paints such a magical picture as well. It makes me want to go back.Kelly Molson: I kind of want to go back to the start of when it opened, and I know that you weren't there from 2012, but I mean, it's a hugely hot topic at the moment, and it has been throughout the whole of this year, is pre-booking. It's controversial to some. Some love it, some hate it. But when the studio tour opened, it opened with pre-booking and Carly, a good friend of mine, Carly Straughan, who was a recent guest on the podcast. She said that when the decision was made that that was going to happen, everybody was up in arms about it and said, "Well, it's not going to work. You know? People won't come." It's very clear that that was completely and utterly wrong, and people did come. They come in their thousands.Kelly Molson: I mean, I don't know how many of these questions you can ask, but I kind of wanted to understand what the motivation was for launching with that model, and then really what the kind of main benefits were, as well.Geoff Spooner: Well, it was actually, I think, at the time when the studio tour... And we've obviously got a huge film studio at Leavesden Studios next to us. When all that was going through planning, I think there was this sort of, however much you said it wasn't a theme park, there was this perception, I think, or concern, that the tour would be like a theme park. And there is an association, I think, there of there's peak flows into and out of theme parks from a traffic point of view. So actually the reason that we are a pre-book only attraction, it is actually, and timed as well, is because of our planning conditions basically. So it was actually sort of something that was thrust upon us to prevent traffic congestion in the local area.Geoff Spooner: Like you say, I think at the time, there were a lot of people who were concerned that maybe that'd be a bit of an Achilles heel for the success of an attraction, but actually it's turned out to be probably one of our best positives as a visitor attraction. I think I've been on lots of calls in lockdown, and it's interesting to see lots of other attractions saying, "Oh, it's great. We know who's coming now. It's amazing!" You know, and you're sort of saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."Geoff Spooner: But I guess the main benefits are, firstly, it is really helpful to know who's coming, and how many people are gonna turn up on... Lots of times in different attractions, you've staffed up for 3000 people, you've no reason to expect there to be more than 3000 people coming, and 12,000 people turn up, and the experience is terrible, and you can't cope and you just get completely overwhelmed. So by knowing who's coming, you've got the best chance of preserving a really fantastic visitor experience.Geoff Spooner: It means that you can design your attraction to a maximum. So you know that you can operate it at that maximum, and actually the maximum is designed to work as a visitor experience. So rather than there not being an infinite capacity, but, you know, where everything's creaking and it's difficult and there's loads and loads of queuing, and all those sorts of things. You can avoid that if you design the attraction to cope with it. And particularly again, if you have the timed element, you can stagger people through the day. That really helps. It just makes sure that the attraction doesn't get overwhelmed. You've got an opportunity to manage yields really well.Geoff Spooner: Also, I think when you have limited capacity and you have to pre-book, I think by managing that, you can actually create demand in the quieter periods. So in the non-school, non-weekend periods, I mean, you have to do that. You have to ensure that what you're doing is good and people want to come on the really high-demand days, but then if it then starts to become quite tricky to book a ticket, then people will generally... Suddenly people want to come to you on what would traditionally be a quieter day, which is really helpful, and that's a great balance, I think.Geoff Spooner: Then I think if you could combine pre-booking with timed entry, you can really create a really fantastic experience, because it's much more sustainable to deliver, and you can deliver it probably more efficiently than if everyone just rocks up on the day. Because if you allow people to choose when they come to you, okay, you've made them pre-book and you know that sort of, let's say, 10,000 people are going to come to you. If you say, "You can come whenever you want," they're all going to pretty much come within the same three- or four-hour window. They'll come between 10:00 and 1:00. So you then have to gear up your admissions area to deal with all processing all those people at the same time, or in that really short period, and you have to process everybody through your rides, or your experience, or your interactives, or your show, or your restaurants. We have toilets. All those things have to be scaled up so much more to be able to cope with that peak demand that actually, if you can phase it all so that there's a constant number through the day, you don't have that, so you don't need to have 27 restaurants and 4,000 different toilets, you know? It's much more manageable.Geoff Spooner: So we have two big restaurants, a cafe and toilets dotted about, but all of that is able to make sure that none of that ever gets overwhelmed. You're not queuing for ages anywhere. If you look at our reviews online, that's not what people say about our experience. So it just makes it feel, I suppose, smooth, slick, all the things that you would want the attraction to be. So definitely pre-booking, and particularly combining that, if you can, with a timed element, it helps you to avoid that. Helps you to know who's coming and manage a sort of constant demand through the day.Kelly Molson: It's really nice that you mention the two different sides of that, because obviously, it is a real benefit to the attraction itself, in terms of operational processes. But visitor experience ultimately is improved because of it, because nobody's having to queue. Like you said, there's not an over-demand for toilets, or they can't get seated in the cafeteria or the restaurant that they want to eat in. So it just has a huge, hugely positive effect on the visitor as well as the attraction itself. What about downsides? Can you see any downsides, or are there any downsides that you've come across?Geoff Spooner: Yeah. I mean, normally when people say, "What are the downsides?" There's if you're sold out three months in advance, there's not massive, massive downsides there. But you have to have, obviously, the product's got to be right, and it's got to be compelling, and all those things. But certainly, the downside of being sold out three months in advance comes along when you have a lockdown, and you have to refund all those people.Kelly Molson: Of course.Geoff Spooner: That can be quite eventful. But we managed to do that really well. And the team, particularly, obviously, the service team, did a fabulous job of getting all those refunds processed really quickly and doing it in a way that's automated, so no one had to call us to get the refund, which was great, and we did be very clear that we would do that. So that's worked very well. So there's that element to it, I suppose. I mean, hopefully, we won't have lots of COVID-related things going forwards, but it's something to bear in mind, I suppose.Geoff Spooner: I think if you're highly weather-dependent, I think it's always going to be a challenge to compel people to come out when it's wet or freezing, so you know. But then I think maybe some of your experience is as a seasonal experience, then maybe you don't open at those times anyway.Geoff Spooner: I think probably the challenge that we found the most is when you design an attraction to a maximum of X, and then you see that actually the demand is there so that you could actually do probably a bit more, or that you want to expand it, well. How are you going to do that? When you want to move it to Y, there's quite a lot of things you need to tweak all around the place to make sure that it still works as you originally intended it to. So you know, routes. Maybe you have to move something. Maybe you have to put some extra toilets in. We've just built an expansion on our cafe to help in the back lot there. So that can be a challenge, mainly because you might be quite space-constrained, so sometimes you have got to put an expansion on a building, and maybe you can't do that. So those are the sorts of things I think are the biggest downsides to it. But for us, it works extremely well.Kelly Molson: Do you ever get people turn up? Do you ever have instances where people turn up where they haven't known it's pre-book, or they've just decided to take a chance anyway?Geoff Spooner: We don't really. I mean, it amazes me, if you think how many people come to us, we have hardly anybody. If we do get people coming, they'd normally come to Watford Junction and spoken to our security team, who are helping people onto the shuttle buses there to come to the tour, they'll have told them, and then they'll probably have got a cab anyway, up to the tour, and then we'll tell them the same thing. So we get hardly anyone. We try to make sure no one leaves crying, particularly if they're children, but really, I mean, it is a handful of people that come a week, so it's not a big problem. Particularly during this lockdown period, it's not really been a problem at all.Geoff Spooner: But our marketing is very clear, and I think that's what helps us to ram that message home, really, is that we say everywhere, advance book only, and that's what everyone will tell you. So people know that it's difficult. So much so that I saw a BBC article, and the headline was "Getting a COVID test is harder than getting tickets for Harry Potter," or something like that. So I don't know if that's a positive or not, but it did make me chuckle, so.Kelly Molson: It's probably true. So this is quite a big question, and obviously, pre-booking is something that's been kind of forced on attractions at the moment. My personal opinion is, I have no idea why an attraction would want to go back to not having pre-booking. I think people's behavior has changed. It's an accepted part of the process now. I've always found it quite unusual that attractions don't need you to do that. It's not a requirement. Do you think that UK attractions should continue to offer pre-booking post-COVID, once we are back to a form of normality?Geoff Spooner: I think it depends on their model, and certainly if you are something which is a... Let's say you're limited capacity, but you're high membership. People will be able to think of the different organizations that fit into that category. That can be a challenge for them, because unless you... It's very easy to go, "Well, I'm going to come every day in the summer," and I'll actually only turn up when it's sunny. I think definitely, people with memberships have found that quite challenging to overcome, and you do need people to commit to come. So that's the sort of area where I think it can be a little bit tricky.Geoff Spooner: But I think it's a very positive thing to do. I can't see why people would completely come away from it. I think there maybe will be a bit of flexibility. I think certainly for the really peak times, it's a great way to... If you know that there's not going to be huge demand in your park, and your attraction is not going to be at capacity, then on certain days, maybe you could turn it off. But for the days when you know you're going to be busy, you want it to be there. And also there's an element of, might what if people, that helps to drive demand. It helps to make you this hot ticket that people want, feel they need to book months in advance. I spoke to somebody in the tour yesterday, and it was their daughter's birthday. I said, "Oh, when did you get the tickets?" And she said, "February."Kelly Molson: Oh, gosh. Wow.Geoff Spooner: So if that's what you want to achieve, if you can... I think people have learned a lot from it. One-way flows and things like that. But I think if they're thinking about it now, they also need to think about, what is the visitor flow, and how you manage that as well. Theme parks are like a big ecosystem. There's lots of little things. Anyone little tweak in one area can have quite a big effect on something else.Geoff Spooner: So yeah. I think many of them will continue, and some will probably change a bit, but people seem to talk very positively about it when you're on attraction calls at the moment, and people seem to have found this, like, "Oh my gosh, if you, if you just make people one-way through the experience, they see everything, and the experience is so much better." You know, if you walk through some of these cavernous places that are like mazes and you feel, "Did we see everything? I don't know."Geoff Spooner: It's been a really interesting time, and I think that lockdown and COVID has really forced attractions to really think about their experience and how they deliver that. I think a lot of attractions got into thinking, "Well, gosh. This is going to be really challenging. It's not going to be as good." But actually, if you're doing it right, the end result seems to be, the visitor experience is better at the moment. Even better in our case. We were really clear we didn't want to open if the experience wasn't going to be as good as it was normally, and we've been really pleased with the feedback that we've got from that. So I think there's lots of learnings that attractions will take, and lots of different variables that need to be considered, and each attraction will think of what its makeup on who's coming is, and that will influence their decisions a lot, I think.Kelly Molson: Yeah, absolutely.Geoff Spooner: We'll still be pre-book, definitely.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I can't see that changing any time soon.Geoff Spooner: No.Kelly Molson: And so as we start to enter this exciting new year of 2021, which I think everyone just can't wait for, do you have any advice that you could share with the sector? Any pearls of wisdom as we start this new year?Geoff Spooner: Well, hopefully, 2021 has to be better than 2020. It'd be pretty impressive if it was worse, but... Zombie mutant bees or something next year, but...Kelly Molson: It could happen. Don't even say it, Geoff.Geoff Spooner: It's a good opportunity to reflect, and to really look at what's worked well, what hasn't worked well. I think if you've been a popular attraction pre-COVID, you'll still be a popular attraction post-COVID, and you just need to look at what you're carrying through from the learnings that you've made. I do definitely feel that the industry will come back, that demand will come back. People want escapism and they want different experiences a huge amount at the moment because they're missing that. Not to interact with other people, but just to get away from everything that we've had this year. You see that talking to people in the tour, and from the comments that they leave, it was just fantastic to be somewhere magical for three hours, and not talk about COVID. I think that that applies to lots of attractions across the country.Geoff Spooner: So it has definitely been very difficult and challenging, and attractions have had to think on their feet, and it's been a bit of a battle. I think most attractions have come through that battle, and that's a real positive, and they'll learn a lot from it. I think organizationally, they'll be a lot stronger from that going forward. So yeah. I think we just need to see the demand starts to increase. Maybe capacity will increase. I think some of the limits in demand that we have at the moment are slightly offset by the fact that you've got lower capacity. Not completely. And we'll just have to see really.Geoff Spooner: I think it's a case of keeping calm. Everybody knows what business they're in and they know who they're talking to and who wants to come to them, and those people, I think, will still be there. I think the one thing that maybe it will change from a business's point of view is visitor's perception of what is an acceptable level of busy. Whilst I think there's a proportion of people who are quite sort of COVID cavalier and don't mind sitting on your shoulder kind of thing, at the minute. But there will be people who just think, actually, if your attendance was 10,000 before, say, and all those people were in the attraction, nobody would have minded that before. But perhaps there'll be more people now who, if you ask questions in your exit surveys about, "Was the attraction crowded?" Going back to normal, I think I would probably expect that percentage who thought it was crowded to be a bit higher. Maybe not massively, but I think that that is something that everyone's got to really think about, and we won't suddenly all just throw our masks away and go back to normal. I think it's going to be quite gradual.Kelly Molson: Yeah, I completely agree. It's interesting what you say. I mean, this is not an attraction, but we have a Saturday market in our local town, and even at the moment, that feels busy, because you're not used to that many people being around you. So I can completely understand how people would feel about coming to a really busy attraction, and suddenly feeling quite overwhelmed by it, actually. It's a really good point.Kelly Molson: I think that the demand will definitely be there as well. I agree with you. As a consumer, we've missed out on a whole year of making memories, and I think that that's what we want to get back to doing. It's fun experiences and doing things, like you said, you know? Doing things that are magical experiences and remembering them. Thank you, Geoff.Kelly Molson: I have one last question for you that I ask all of our guests that come on and it's if you have a book that you'd recommend. So a book that you either really love, or something that's helped shape your career in some way over the years that you could recommend to our listeners.Geoff Spooner: I don't. I mean, it's shocking, really. I really like reading, but I don't get much time to read generally. So probably the last book I read was about the Battle of Waterloo. I've read a couple of a couple of books on that, and that is a really interesting book to read from a point of view of clutching victory from the jaws of defeat, and also the importance of really clear communication and trust. I think it's a really, really interesting book to read because it's sort of, you know, the allied forces probably shouldn't have won that battle. But it's a very interesting book to read, but not everyone's into military history, I'm sure.Geoff Spooner: So I mean, the one thing that I am able to do at the minute is read to my kids, and my youngest daughter is very keen on Harry Potter, and I think really, it is a great book to read. We're kind of... Where are we on? We're doing Goblet of Fire at the minute, and it's been nice to read them all. Just what impresses me the most, knowing, having seen everything in the films... And I came to Harry Potter, my experience of Harry Potter originally was not reading the books. It was seeing all the films in the cinema. So I was literally the only person who wasn't expecting what had just happened on the screen to happen. And I think what's really clever about that, it is just all the backstories in there that you don't necessarily see the films, and it is really great. But also you just see how clever Jo was, planting all the things early in the books that are then really important later in the [inaudible 00:41:48]. To have thought that through and planned that through at the very beginning, I just think is really, really clever. I think they're equally enjoyable books to read as an adult and as a child. So it's maybe a bit obvious that I'd say Harry Potter, but I think that's the ones that I'm reading at the minute.Kelly Molson: I mean, maybe it is, but I'm really glad that you did, because I think they're wonderful books, and I love them dearly. So listeners, as ever, if you want to win a copy of... I think we'll give away a copy of the first Harry Potter book, where the journey started. So if you do want to win that book, then if you head over to our Twitter account and you retweet this episode announcement with the words, "I want Geoff's book..."Geoff Spooner: Don't call it Geoff's book.Kelly Molson: I mean, JK Rowling might have something to say about that. However, if you-Geoff Spooner: Her lawyers will go mad.Kelly Molson: For the purpose of this, if you want Geoff's book, then just retweet it, and then you'll be in with a chance of winning. Geoff, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. I really appreciate it. I think that the pre-booking saga and topic is something that's going to continue long into 2021, and maybe we'll get you back on at the end of 2021 and see how that's all gone, and see what exciting plans that you've got for the tour.Geoff Spooner: Great. Really nice to speak to you. Thank you for having me.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five-star review. It really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

Jack Brabant is the founder of Digbeth Dining Club, a multi award-winning street food event that has transformed the city's food landscape by turning some of the Midlands most unique venues into vibrant, street food destinations. Even when abbreviated, when someone mentions “DDC” in Birmingham or further afield, it's become one of the main brands that people associate with Digbeth. DDC is a brand that has become synonymous with this cultural hotspot & it embodies everything the district is about. Digbeth Dining Club isn't your usual dining experience, they strip back the frills and fanciness of fine-dining and offer an authentic, unique experience where they let the food do the talking. In this episode, we discuss the pilot of the free school meals and the other amazing pieces of charity work they've been doing since last October to ensure all children are fed, Jack's upbringing & organic path into street food, the inspiration behind bringing the DDC vision to life, the realities of the struggles in the first few years when developing the business, the exponential growth in recent years, the ambitious calculated risks that paid off when they worked with the likes of Warwick Castle, and overall how DDC has stayed true to its roots by retaining the core family values that's in turn taken the brand to where it is today. Whilst there are no definitive ingredients to success in business, Jack shares inspiring wise words on the importance of giving it a go, taking risks, treating people right & knowing your worth. Website: https://www.digbethdiningclub.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigbethDiningClub Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digbethdiningclub/

Stuart Goldsmith of the Comedian’s Comedian Podcast (https://www.comedianscomedian.com/) joins the Lorebois for some spooky tales from Stu’s old stomping ground of Warwick Castle* where he used to be the jester**. Plus! One tale from Royal Leamington Spa, in which the veteran podcaster delves into a particular… area he has never touched upon before. *An actual castle, not a pub with an overly ambitious name. **An actual jester, not a buffoon with an overly ambitious name. Patreon subscribers can enjoy some supernatural bonus chat with Deputy Stu. Loreboys nether say die! Support the Loremen here (and get stuff): http://www.patreon.com/loremenpod ko-fi.com/loremen (http://Www.Ko-fi.com/Loremen) @loremenpod (https://twitter.com/loremenpod) http://www.twitch.tv/loremenpod www.instagram.com/loremenpod (https://www.instagram.com/loremenpod/) www.facebook.com/loremenpod (https://www.facebook.com/LoremenPod/) @JamesShakeshaft (https://twitter.com/JamesShakeshaft) | @MisterABK (http://www.twitter.com/misterabk)

Welcome to Episode 2 of Unknown International. This week we are discussing Warwick Castle in the UK and Georgetown Seattle, Social Media Ghosts and Pareidolia. GeorgetownPossibly the oldest settled neighborhood of Seattle, Georgetown has many a story of murder and paranormal activity.              Warwick CastleWarwick Castle is one of the UKs largest and most complete castles and with over 950 years of history, you know there is going to be some unusual happenings here. In this podcast we will dive into some of the history and some of the ghostly happenings at this ancient castle.    Social Media GhostsLoey Lane's episode: Nick https://youtu.be/x_shbWE4Vs0Dear David:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znb7aV-jelM Caramel Maine - Lamb house:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bKkoeYECM4   

Follow @karludemartinez on Instagram - as well as @knightsofmiddleengland to keep up with today's guest on the show! Bringing over 16 years of jousting experience in live shows and equestrian displays- The Knights of Middle England and KOME Entertainment are a team of professional horsemen, jousters, stunt riders and actors who bring the much fabled sport of jousting full tilt into the 21st Century! They perform in numerous shows around the country and uniquely offer jousting tuition at their specially equipped jousting school. Based in the very heart of the Warwickshire countryside and in the shadows of the finest medieval castle in England, Warwick Castle; The Knights of Middle England provide a perfect setting for the UK's leading jousting school and jousting display team. "The Medieval era with its customs and traditions have been responsible for making the sport of jousting one of the finest and most colourful sports in our history. No where will one see such pageantry, competition and participation in the traditions of a colourful past. Remember these practiced customs and traditions are neither required nor enforced. They are, however, part of the elegance that makes a jousting tournament one of the most unusual equestrian sporting events ever witnessed." -Extract from The National Jousting Association

Join us while we discuss the History and Hauntings of Warwick Castle in England. This episode is paired with a Bloody Oubliette; a twist on a strawberry gin smash made with mead.Find us on Instagram; @KillerSpiritsPodTwitter @killerspiritsYoutube.com/KillerSpiritsPodPatreon.com/KillerSpiritsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/Killerspirits?fan_landing=true)

And we're off! The first county we have set our sites on is Warwickshire, and we are kicking off with the obvious choice… Warwick Castle!

Half term is around the corner and this episode is all about Halloween – it’s also episode 13, to make it extra spooky....  Lots of halloween attractions are open right now and we want to give you as much time as possible to get to them so, in today’s episode…  We’re sending Conor to London’s scariest attraction, London Dungeons, to experience their Halloween event, The Final Straw. Sean’s chatting to Katy from Kew Gardens all about a pop-up event opening this weekend to do with The Gruffalo…  We’re doing a tour of the UK covering some of the scariest and spookiest events near you including events in Muncaster Castle, Warwick Castle and Paultons Park!  And even Anna Louise is getting in on the Halloween themed fun this week with a spooky story of her own...  Tell us what you’re up to at FunKidsLive.com/ActivityQuest and we might use what you send us in a future episode.  Opening times and prices correct as of recording. Check before you travel and follow local government guidance regarding COVID-19. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us as Dr. Andrew Higgins shows us around Warwick and Great Haywood, both of which were early sources of inspiration for the first iteration of the Lord of the Rings legendarium. Come see Warwick Castle, Shugborough Hall, Essex Bridge, and Rock Cottage. After the virtual tour we get a chance to chat a little more with Andy and what he is currently working on (and it is fascinating).    Visit Andy's blog for more information:http://wotanselvishmusings.blogspot.com

It’s a return to the Wars of the Roses this week as we lay sightseeing-siege to Warwick Castle, once home to the warmongering 16th Earl of Warwick, Richard ‘the Kingmaker’ Neville. Expect archery, expect codpieces and expect us to get lost in a maze designed for children. We would love to hear from you so please do get in touch on Twitter or Instagram @TreasuresPod or if you are more traditionally minded when it comes to correspondence you can email us on Nationaltreasurespodcast@gmail.com National Treasures is hosted by Laura Lexx and Will Duggan, and produced by Ben Hillyar and David Mayes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Anne Neville (11 June 1456 – 16 March 1485) was an English queen, the younger of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the "Kingmaker"). She became Princess of Wales as the wife of Edward of Westminster (only son and heir apparent of King Henry VI) and then Queen of England as the wife of King Richard III. As a member of the powerful House of Neville, she played a critical part in the Wars of the Roses fought between the House of York and House of Lancaster for the English crown. Her father Warwick betrothed her as a girl to Edward, Prince of Wales, the son of Henry VI. The marriage was to seal an alliance to the House of Lancaster and halt the civil war between the two houses of Lancaster and York. After the death of Prince Edward, she married Richard, Duke of Gloucester, younger brother of King Edward IV and of George, Duke of Clarence, the husband of Anne's elder sister Isabel Neville. Anne became queen when Richard III ascended the throne in June 1483, following the declaration that Edward IV's children by Elizabeth Woodville were illegitimate. Anne Neville predeceased her husband by five months, dying in March 1485. Her only child was Edward of Middleham, who predeceased her. Anne Neville was born at Warwick Castle, the younger daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, and Anne de Beauchamp. Her father was one of the most powerful noblemen in England and the most important supporter of the House of York. Her grandfather's sister, Cecily Neville, was the wife of Richard, Duke of York, who claimed the crown for the House of York. Much of Anne Neville's childhood was spent at Middleham Castle, one of her father's properties, where she and her elder sister, Isabel, met two younger sons of the Duke of York: Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) and George, Duke of Clarence. Richard especially attended his knighthood training at Middleham since mid-1461 until at least the spring of 1465, or possibly since 1465 until late 1468. It is possible that even at this early stage, a match between the Earl's daughters and the young dukes was being considered. The Duke of York was killed on 30 December 1460 but, with Warwick's help, his eldest son became King Edward IV in March 1461. In July 1469, Lady Isabel married Clarence, while in July 1470, after the Earl of Warwick's flight to France and change of allegiance, Anne Neville was betrothed to Edward of Westminster, the Lancastrian heir to the throne of England, and married to him by the end of the same year. Middleham Castle came into the possession of the Neville family in 1270. The Earl of Warwick had been at odds with Edward IV for some time, resenting the rise in the king's favour of the new queen's family, the Woodvilles. In 1469, the earl tried to put his son-in-law George on the throne, but met resistance from Parliament. After a second rebellion against King Edward failed in early 1470, he was forced to flee to France, where he allied himself with the ousted House of Lancaster in 1470. With King Henry VI imprisoned in the Tower of London, the de facto Lancastrian leader was his consort, Margaret of Anjou, who was suspicious of Warwick's motives. To quell these suspicions, Anne Neville was formally betrothed to the son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou, Edward of Westminster, at the Château d'Amboise in France. They were married in Angers Cathedral, probably on 13 December 1470, to make Anne Neville the Princess of Wales. Warwick restored Henry VI to the throne in October 1470, however Edward IV returned to the country in March 1471 and quickly captured London and the person of Henry VI. The mentally troubled Henry VI was taken by Edward IV as a prisoner to the Battle of Barnet, where Warwick was killed on 14 April 1471. Edward IV then incarcerated Henry VI in the Tower of London. Following the decisive Yorkist victory at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May, --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/allthingsplantagenet/support

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a bend of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th-century military architecture. It was used as a stronghold until the early 17th century, when it was granted to Sir Fulke Greville by James I in 1604. Greville converted it to a country house and it was owned by the Greville family, who became Earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978 when it was bought by the Tussauds Group. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/allthingsplantagenet/support

Warwick Castle is England's most spectacular castle, with a lush, grassy moat and fairy-tale fortifications. This medieval masterpiece, which has been turned into a virtual theme park, is historic and fun, and may well be Britain's most kid-friendly experience. More information about travel to England: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england

Warwick Castle is England’s most spectacular castle, with a lush, grassy moat and fairy-tale fortifications. This medieval masterpiece, which has been turned into a virtual theme park, is historic and fun, and may well be Britain's most kid-friendly experience. More information about travel to England: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england

Listeners paranormal stories from Heather, Scott and 'A', a paranormal pup and an unusual house for sale on the paranormal radar, there's been some more odd goings on at KOFY HQ and we visit Warwick Castle for this months paranormal postcard adventure.

Rex Factor were lucky enough to be invited to spend a weekend at Warwick Castle - unfortunately, Ali was unlucky enough to fall ill, so in this special episode Graham tells an envious Ali everything he missed. Plus, we have our first ever interviews on the main podcast: Kate Davidson, who scripted the jousting extravaganza "Wars of the Roses Live", and Melissa Paniccia, the head of history at Warwick Castle who tells us about her role and the summer spectacular for August 2018, bringing to life the forgotten legend of Guy of Warwick.

Alex is looking for a new office chair now that he’s found a place to live in Sweden. Dani saw the Great American Eclipse (partially), and talks about his visit to one of Amazon’s new physical bookstores. Contact us on twitter! Alex is @ATYPE808, Dani is @danielpwright, or you can get podcast updates @Station13FM. Show Notes Steelcase Gesture review on the Wirecutter The Sweet Home Herman Miller Aeron HÅG Capisco Puls Herman Miller Setu UK Number Plates .WAD file format Warwick Castle trebuchet Trebuchet sets a building on fire PCalc James Thomson Vert XE Currency Great American Eclipse Eclipse path of totality Google Maps traffic overlay during the eclipse @swiftonsecurity on mobile cell tower deployment Smarter Every Day Amazon Books Ἅρειος Ποτῆρ καὶ ἡ τοῦ φιλοσόφου λίθος

Lancelot 'Capability' Brown is heralded as the Shakespeare of gardening who in the eighteen century designed an estimated 170 landscapes including Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle and Highclere Castle. To mark the 300th anniversary of his birth, Helen Mark discovers how his naturalistic landscapes changed the face of the countryside in the eighteenth century and continue to endure today. She visits Wrest Park in Bedfordshire to identify the trademarks of a classic Capability Brown landscape and finds out how these gardens became the height of fashion for the ruling classes, and how Brown turned himself into a brand. Helen also visits Brown's grave in the village of Fenstanton and finds out how they're marking his life through music and literature. Producer: Toby Field.

Capability Brown, born 300 years ago this year, changed the landscape of Georgian England.John Wilson visits Chatsworth House in Derbyshire where the Duke of Devonshire describes what it's like to live in a Brown design and Head Gardener Steve Porter explains how Brown shaped the estate.At the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library Fiona Davison shows John Capability Brown's original accounts book, and Ceryl Evans, Director of the Capability Brown Festival, paints a picture of his background and influences.Garden designer Dan Pearson discusses Capability Brown's influence on him, and his impact on our appreciation of the English landscape.Performance poets Joe Cook and Aliya Denton share their poems inspired by Capability Brown, and Anisa Haghdadi from Beatfreeks explains how she's working with Warwick Castle to engage young people from diverse backgrounds with Brown's work and explore the socio-economic context of it.The Duchess of Rutland and her Estate Manager Phil Burtt describe the work they're been doing at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire to reinstate Capability Brown's long lost plans for the landscape there.

After a long wait here is the second episode of "Big Days Out"! Our host Joseph visits Warwick Castle and gets all emotional about digital mapping projections and witches. Worth listening to the end as it gets progressively worse.

History of the English Castle Many English castles were built of stone during the Medieval era. But the history of the English castle goes back much further! Exploring the History of the English Castle takes us as far back to the Neolithic Period - to Stone Age History! Understanding the History of the word 'castle' The word 'castle' is derived from the Latin words castellum, meaning fortress, and castrum meaning a ortified place. The castle can be defined as the following: "A safe place against intrusion or invasion" Another definition is: "A large fortified (strengthened)building " The history of the English Castle can date back to the time when people started to live in settled communities – which was the Stone Age over 7000 years ago! The History of the English Castle becomes clearer! When looking at the History of the English Castle we need to look for people who worked together to create, or build, a safe place to live against invasion! This would apply to the people living in England during the Neolithic Period, the Stone Age (7000 years ago) then on to the people of the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Romans and finally on to the Medieval era. By the time we reach the history of the Renaissance period (14th to 17th century)the castle was used as a symbol of wealth and power rather than a necessary safe place against invasion! At this point in time and history the castle was replaced with the 'Palace', a large or splendid residence. The History of the English Castle - The Stone Age ( 3000 - 1800 BC ) We can travel back in the History of the English Castle to discover very old buildings like Stonehenge. The History of the English Castle - The Bronze Age ( 1800 - 600 BC ) We look to Bronze Age period of history to discover the Hillforts of England, the biggest being Maiden Castle The History of the English Castle - The Iron Age and the Romans ( 600 BC - 400 AD ) The Hillforts were developed even further during the history of the Iron Age and then the Romans invaded England and made structures such as the massive Hadrian's Wall and the Roman Forts The History of the English Castle The Dark Ages, also know as Anglo-Saxon England ( 400 AD - 1066 AD ) The Fall of the Roman Empire led to a time in the history of England when the Celts of England were invaded by the Scots, the Welsh, the Saxons and the Vikings. A new National Defence system was established by Alfred the Great by the formation of fortified towns called 'Burhs' (later changed to Burghs then Boroughs) The Dark Ages - Alfred the Great - the Burhs. The History of the English Castle The Medieval Period also known as the Middle Ages ( 1066 - 1500 ) The Norman Invasion heralded the Medieval period, or the Middle Ages. The Normans introduced the wooden Motte and Bailey castles which were immediately followed by the construction of stone castles and Keeps such as the Tower of London in the History of the English Castle - . The Medieval Kings of England went on to build the magnificent Windsor Castle and Warwick Castle. The English King Edward I conquered Wales where he constructed massive fortifications called Concentric castles such as Conwy Castle, Harlech Castle and Caernarvon Castle. Here is a website where you can see photos of castles in England http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/list-eng.php http://www.ecastles.co.uk/sitecastle.html