Biggest-of-its-kind new ride to launch at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
A new giant swinging pendulum, double the size of other similar gyro swings, will be added to the park in 2026.
The new pendulum ride, Project MMXXVI, will spin and swing riders as they reach high points of up to 138 feet.
Seating up to 40 thrillseekers at a time, the riders will face outward with their legs dangling, to deliver an 'exhilarating' sensation of flying.
The theme park on the Blackpool coast says that while other swinging pendulum rides exist in the UK, none will come close to its new ride in terms of height.
At Drayton Manor's Maelstrom, its swinging pendulum ride reaches approximately 74 feet – Pleasure Beach Resort's new ride will be almost double that at its highest point.
Amanda Thompson, the CEO of Pleasure Beach Resort, said: 'We're thrilled to confirm the addition of a Gyro Swing at Pleasure Beach Resort, with work already underway.
'We're well known for doing things on a large scale, so becoming home to the largest Gyro Swing in the UK made complete sense.
'The Gyro Swing is one of the most exciting flat rides in existence – it's dynamic, fast, and incredibly high, as well as being completely weightless at the top.
'It will be a fantastic addition to our ride line-up and we can't wait to see people's reactions when they experience it for the first time.
'We'll be announcing more details soon and we're very excited for the future at Pleasure Beach Resort.'
Work has already started in preparation for the new ride earlier this year, including the demolition of the former Bowl-A-Drome.
The resort says the ride will be found in the north of the park close to the perimeter, to give riders the feeling that they are being swung over the sea.
Alongside the announcement, Pleasure Beach Resort said that its Ice Blast ride has been reimagined and updated and will be reintroduced as 'Launch Pad' this spring.
Additionally, new scenes from the latest Wallace & Gromit instalment, Vengeance Most Fowl, will be added to its Thrill-O-Matic ride.
It also announced that its River Caves ride, a family favourite since 1905, will be the next attraction to receive a re-imagining to keep the experience fresh for returning guests.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Amazon Prime Video quietly adds the most hyped movie of 2023
One of the most hyped movies of the last few years has finally landed on Amazon Prime Video after taking in more than $1.44billion at the global box office. Barbie sent us all into a whirlwind when it was released in 2023, and the world hasn't quite managed to recover from the buzz. Margot Robbie led the A-List cast as the titular doll, starring opposite just about anyone in Hollywood, including Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa and Michael Cera. Thankfully, we can relive the magic as Greta Gerwig's masterpiece has arrived on the streaming platform. It currently commands a huge Rotten Tomatoes score of 88%, with critics branding it 'dazzling', a 'love letter to women' and a 'jazzy and infectiously vibrant summer blockbuster'. The hit focused on Barbie and co enjoying their lives 'in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. 'However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.' Barbie broke records when it was released and became the highest-grossing film of 2023 – it also landed a string of Oscar nominations, despite Margot and Greta being snubbed in the best actress and best director categories. It truly took on a life of its own upon release, as cinema-goers enjoyed the opportunity of turning the premiere into an entire event. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video They were also delighted by Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer premiering on the same day, celebrating the phenomenon known as 'Barbenheimer' with a unique double feature. For film fans who want to go that extra step and recreate the summer of 2023, you can turn your movie night into a Barbenheimer double-feature as Oppenheimer was added to Netflix last month. More Trending Christopher Nolan's flick followed the 'father of the atomic bomb' and his torment at creating such a deadly weapon of mass destruction. Spanning several decades, it explored huge events in history, including the Manhattan Project and Hiroshima. Cillian Murphy won an Oscar for his portrayal of Oppenheimer alongside Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jr. Barbie is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Wall-to-wall action' spy thriller shoots up Amazon Prime Video top 10 ranking MORE: Bella Thorne sparks debate after proposing to fiancé one year after their engagement MORE: Hailey Bieber reacts to Justin's controversial picture with Kendall Jenner
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
'I play Wallace and Elon Musk - only one of them actually made it to space'
How do you follow up capturing the hearts of the nation with a new Wallace & Gromit film? For Ben Whitehead, who took over the role of Wallace from late legend Peter Sallis, he's gone in an entirely different direction – playing Elon Musk on stage. The actor can currently be seen in David Morley's Elon Musk: Lost In Space, which runs until Saturday during the Edinburgh Fringe at the Grand Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall. Speaking exclusively to Metro, Ben pointed out while there are some similarities between Wallace and Elon, the beloved inventor has the upper hand. 'He's got much more experience of going to space than Elon Musk, he made it to another planet,' he quipped. 'Come on! He's doing much better.' As well as flying to the Moon in A Grand Day Out, Wallace and Gromit also landed on Mars in 2023 VR game The Grand Getaway – so how can Elon catch up? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video '[Elon] has a dog, but I think he needs a Gromit,' he pondered. 'There's only one, and Wallace isn't gonna let it go!' The similarities largely end at space travel ambitions (Wallace was more focused on literal cheese than money), and Ben admitted he had some reservations about playing the billionaire. 'Musk wasn't even on my radar until about a year ago when he started interfering in European politics,' he pointed out. 'I [didn't] know if I can do it. And I think when you when you sort of say that to yourself, you've got to find out!' The 70-minute show – which also stars Sarah Lawrie as Elon's spaceship AI, M-UTHA – is described as a 'darkly comic sci-fi satire' as the richest man in the world hops aboard one of his own ships. He gets a call from President Donald Trump (also voiced by Ben) which 'sends his mission, as well as his mind, spiralling off-course'. The Wallace & Gromit star admitted he had to create an alternate version of the characters in the show rather than just doing a spot-on impression. 'You can't do that for an hour on stage. The audience will be asleep,' he explained. 'It's a playful version of Elon Musk, who's imagining himself as Captain Kirk, Buzz Lightyear, out in space.' He also had to find the right way to tackle such a divisive and controversial figure. 'There's never been anyone like him, as far as billionaires are concerned, so much in the public eye. But he also does things that, you know, you think, well, that's quite that's altruistic,' he argued. 'You really wanted to build a car that doesn't run on fossil fuels, because we're gonna have to have vehicles that can't run petrol? There's something commendable about that.' When it comes to the controversy around the SpaceX founder – environmentalist groups have been putting stickers on the show's posters at the Fringe – the actor doesn't dwell on it. 'It's a comedy. How are we going to make this funny? That's the priority,' he explained. '[But] there's definitely controversy with a character like this, who courts it so much and makes these bizarre statements and claims, and is unbelievably wealthy. Do we need billionaires in the world? There's a lot of questions to be answered, at least to us.' Ben's thrived in a role allowing him to 'chew the scenery' and deliver an 'over the top', physical performance, having spent a lot of time on his own in a recording booth for 2024's Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. There was also scope for improv in rehearsals for the play, although he was 'positively encouraged' to ad lib during Wallace & Gromit recordings. 'I'm fairly sure none of the ad lib, improvised stuff actually ended up in the film, which is just testament to the great script,' he admitted. 'I'm careful what I say in the booth as well. I'll just always go off on one and see where it heads. But we don't make that public!' There's an elephant in the room, after the huge success of Vengeance Most Fowl and an enduring appetite for all things Wallace and Gromit. 'Have you heard anything? No one's told me anything,' Ben joked about the future of the franchise, while suggesting there's nothing on the immediate horizon. 'It would be fantastic to work on another Wallace and Gromit,' he said. 'The film was so good, so it would be brilliant, but you can't rush these guys to make a film. We'll see what happens.' As the dust settles, Ben has continued to work in theatre and while he's no stranger at the Fringe, Lost In Space marks his first official job at the festival. More Trending '[After Vengeance Most Fowl], I suppose you think, 'Well, maybe someone else will give me a job now doing something. This is my first job at the Edinburgh Fringe. So it has happened,' he chucked. However, he argued that any level of success doesn't guarantee regular work, especially in the arts – and Ben's open to whatever opportunities come his way. 'I don't just expect to get work. Doesn't matter who you are, you know, what you've done, you've still got to keep plugging away,' he said. 'I'd love to maybe come back [to the Fringe] next year, with, with my own show, and see how that goes down.' View More » Elon Musk: Lost In Space is on at Grand Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall at 15:05pm all this week. Head here for tickets. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: BBC bosses 'unable to retrieve Huw Edwards' £200k salary' amid huge job cuts MORE: MasterChef winner claims John Torode was 'hung out to dry' by BBC bosses MORE: James Norton suffers horror injury on set of new BBC series
Metro
6 hours ago
- Metro
MasterChef winner claims John Torode was 'hung out to dry' by BBC bosses
A report by law firm Lewis Silkin found there were 27 substantiated claims against Wallace relating to alleged incidents during this period, most of which related to sexually explicit comments. One allegation of unwanted physical contact during this timeframe was also substantiated. The report found that when concerns were reported to the production company during this period, there was a failure to retain records of any action taken. The report found that 17 upheld allegations relate to this period. In 2015, the production company behind MasterChef investigated an allegation about Wallace's behaviour, but he was not made aware of the complaint. The following year, the production company merged with Endemol, and more formal policies, regular training, and anonymous reporting lines were introduced. The BBC intervened in response to a complaint in 2017, following which Wallace was warned of the need to change his behaviour. One substantiated complaint about an inappropriate comment fell into this period. Wallace faced allegations of inappropriate sexual comments from 13 people across a range of shows over 17 years, BBC News reported. The TV star stepped away from presenting MasterChef while Banijay, the show's production company, announced that it was conducting an external review to 'fully and impartially investigate' the claims. BBC News said allegations include the presenter 'talking openly about his sex life, taking his top off in front of a female worker saying he wanted to "give her a fashion show", and telling a junior female colleague he was not wearing any boxer shorts under his jeans'. The charity Ambitious About Autism said it had dropped Wallace as an ambassador, citing the 'recent allegations'. Banijay UK confirmed it appointed law firm Lewis Silkin to lead the investigation into Wallace's alleged behaviour. Wallace said in a video posted to Instagram that accusations about him making sexual comments towards staff and guests have come from 'middle-class women of a certain age'. Downing Street said Wallace's response to the accusations being made against him was 'inappropriate and misogynistic'. A spokesperson added that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had held talks with BBC bosses in the wake of the Wallace row. Following the backlash, Wallace apologised for any 'offence' or 'upset' he caused with his remarks and said he would 'take some time out'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said politicians should be ready to put in place 'mechanisms' that would instil 'confidence' that women will be taken seriously in reports of inappropriate behaviour after a Labour MP asked him about 'women of a certain age', reflecting comments Wallace apologised for. MasterChef co-presenter John Torode said in a social media post that he 'loves being part of' the programme and 'will continue to be a part of it'. Wallace told the Daily Mail he 'thought about suicide all the time' after allegations of misconduct were made against him. Wallace was sacked as MasterChef presenter following the inquiry into his alleged misconduct by production company Banijay. BBC News said it had not seen the final review from Banijay but understood the presenter had been sacked. In an Instagram post, the former greengrocer claimed he had been cleared of the 'most serious and sensational accusations' ahead of the published review. He also said he recognised that some of his humour and language were inappropriate 'at times' and apologised for this. The report by law firm Lewis Silkin for Banijay is published. It says that a total of 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show were substantiated, including one allegation of 'unwelcome physical contact'. It concludes that the 'majority of the substantiated allegations against Mr Wallace related to inappropriate sexual language and humour', adding that 'a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated'. In the wake of the report's findings, Banijay say that 'Wallace's return to MasterChef (is) untenable'.
