Over 6 million of us enjoy visiting theme parks every year. They promise a fun day out for all the family. With thrills and spills, you can make memories to last a lifetime. But sometimes for all the wrong reasons, as when the smiles turn to tears, it can be all downhill!
Highlights include the magical Disney parade which turned into a nightmare when the famous fire-breathing dragon became an inferno in front of shocked onlookers. A catapult ride fails to get off the ground. Just as two thrill-seekers, a cancer-survivor and a teenager, are waiting in anticipation of the heart-stopping ride, the cord, which should have flung them into high the air, snaps spectacularly before their very eyes. And we hear of one man’s close call on the day tragedy struck the Smiler Ride. Young radio presenter Danny Simm was next-in-line for world’s first 14-loop roller coaster and couldn’t believe his eyes when two carriages crashed, leaving some riders with life-changing injuries.
Other highlights include out-of-control rides, some crazy foreign roller coasters where safety just doesn’t seem to be a thing, and the theme park that looked more like a ghost town as there were no visitors to be seen. Plus, it’s sink or swim – or both – riding the rapids when some boats capsize. Whilst flying through the air in a slingshot, a man loses a tooth. And a little boy goes on a rollercoaster of emotions during his first visit to a theme park.
Contributors in this 2 hour special narrated by Dermot Murnaghan include former theme park workers, the president of the Rollercoaster Club of Great Britain Andy Hine MBE and thrill engineer / TV presenter Professor Brendan Walker.
Rating – 569,000 and a 5.1% share. The 3rd highest rating Channel 5 show of the day, peaking at 798,000 (the 2nd highest Channel 5 peak rating of the day). 51% up on slot average, listed in the Top 5 Improving Terrestrial Shows of the Day.
