The robots are coming - but is it a bad thing? Kip Hakes joins Parkcast  this week as we look at the increasing use of AI in our theme parks - the good the bad and tne downright ugly. But is it all bad news and could AI actually help us have a better day out? 

It’s finally October and this month is all about spooks and scares! As our UK theme parks launch their Halloween offerings - let’s look at if they can really compete with stand alone scare atttactions. I’m joined by enthusiast and self-confessed scare obsessive Darren Judson from Judventures to chat through the events you really shouldn’t miss if you’re looking for a terrifying night out this October.

Despite being under 30, Harry Peek has a huge responsibility on his hands. As General Manager of Clacton Pier he looks after one of the most famous seaside amusement parks in the UK - and it’s so much more than that too. In this episode Harry tells us about his journey from ride sceptic to industry pro and the impact he’s making at Clacton Pier, and it’s really inspiring. Mark our words - we are going to be hearing a lot more about Harry in the future!

In a corner of Texas, a group of dedicated theme park enthusiasts have been quietly collecting a treasure trove of amusement industry history. In this special episode, we’re joined by Mark Rosenzweig and Kris Rowberry, Directors of the National Rollercoaster Museum & Archive, who tell us about this huge project, their hopes for the future, and how we will be able to see inside it ourselves.

A full video tour is available on our YouTube channel!

We might not have the final green light on the Universal project in the UK, but we’ve had some big news dropping over the past week. A name has been trademarked, Harry Potter could be back on the cards and there’s talk of a water supply issue throwing the whole thing off! Lawrence from Universally Bedford is back to chat through all this and more with us.

After a short hiatus, Parkcast is back! And we are joined by Dean Stokes - a guy who sent ripples through the theme park enthusiast world when his mission to ride every rollercoaster in the UK got attention from mainstream tv and radio outlets. In this episode we put some controversies to bed, talk about THAT Guinness World Record, but also find out what Dean thought about parks having visited so many in quick succession. 

The Notable Stranger aka Glenn Robertson is BACK on Parkcast. Having joined us at the start of the year to talk about his work on the Icon and Big One soundtracks, this week we’re talking about Valhalla, Launch Pad AND the huge Aviktas project for 2026. The level of detail that has gone into these scores is outstanding and any theme park fan will be fascinated to hear how Glenn created what we know and love today. 

In this episode we’re back with our friend Mark Rosenzweig from the USA to plan out some more totally doable theme park road trips. This time we’re looking at itineraries in the SE, Central and Texas regions and landing on some truly bucket list parks. 

This is an episode we’ve been wanting to record for a while! Paultons Park has built itself a reputation as THE place to be for theme park enthusiasts. With immaculately kept grounds, fantastic operations and a ride line-up that is perfect for families - it’s so much more than just Peppa Pig World. Lawrence Mancey from the park and the family who still run Paultons joins us to talk about how it manages to keep going from strength to strength. 

Our guest on this week’s episode is the brilliant Benedikt Schikora from BSK Projects. He’s got years of experience in the theme park and themed attractions world, and spent years at Merlin, but you’ve probably never heard his name before. Benedikt is one of those people quietly in the background pulling all the strings to get the attractions we know and love off the ground. A master plan maker and visionary - he’s telling us exactly what goes on behind the scenes.

You can find out more about BSK projects here http://www.bskprojects.com.au/ and Benedikt’s other work here http://www.i-zacs.com/

Or you’ll find him on LinkedIn https://au.linkedin.com/in/benediktschikora/en