Skip the Queue is at the UK Theme Park Awards 2026 in Blackpool for a special look at the future of UK theme parks and attractions. Andy Povey speaks to industry leaders about changing guest expectations, investment, technology and what could shape the next generation of attractions.
This week, we’re bringing you a couple of very special episodes of Skip the Queue. We’re at the UK Theme Park Awards in Blackpool, celebrating some of the very best people, businesses and experiences in the attractions industry.
But before we get to the awards themselves, we wanted to ask a slightly different question:
What happens next?
We’re finding out, straight from some of the best people in the industry, what guests are expecting from theme parks and attractions, where the industry is investing, what role technology will play, and what the people working in attractions think the next big change will be.
Follow along for Part One, and stay tuned for Part Two, dropping Friday 11th September, when we’ll be speaking to the winners, getting their reactions and asking them what they think it takes to create a great attraction.
Show references:
UK Theme Park Awards 2026 - https://www.ukthemeparkawards.com/
Debs Griffin - Sundown Adventureland
Josh Haywood - Crealy Theme Park & Resort
Marcus Gaines - Bold Frame Creative
Laura Baxter - Your CMO / Blackgang Chine
Anya D'Hondt - BoldMove Nation in Belgium
Philip Miller MBE - Adventure Island / Stockvale Group
Oz Austwick - Semantic
Lawrence Roots - UK Theme Park Awards / Theme Park Network
Skip the Queue is brought to you by Merac. We provide attractions with the tools and expertise to create world-class digital interactions. Very simply, we're here to rehumanise commerce. Your host is Andy Povey.
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Andy Povey: We at Skip the Queue are delighted to be the official podcast partner of the UK Theme Park Awards 2026.
Host: Your attention please. For the awards, please give a massive round of applause for Tom.
Tom: Evening everybody. Welcome. For those of you who haven't met yet, I'm Tom from the awards and together with Lawrence we run the whole show tomorrow. You will name the winners and I look forward to seeing many of you coming up on stage, some of you presenting and some of you accepting the awards. It's going to be quite exciting. But tonight, grab a drink, say hello to old friends, make some new friends and I hope you have a good evening. Thank you.
Andy Povey: So, Lawrence, first night nerves. We're going into the UK Theme Park Awards tomorrow. How's it been for you so far?
Lawrence Roots - I'm mainly very excited. The turnout for the event this year is huge. There's so many guests here already tonight having a good time in the hotel. The atmosphere is fantastic. People are really looking forward tomorrow.
Andy Povey: At the event and you managed to lay on some fantastic weather for us as well. In Blackpool in September, we have been.
Lawrence Roots - Very, very fortunate today. The sun has been shining, we've had behind the scenes tours in theme park today and my absolute highlight was standing on top of Revolution, the iconic roller coaster looking across the bay, across the beach, across the sea with the sun setting on Blackpool. It was absolutely stunning.
Andy Povey: It's been absolutely beautiful. I must admit and now I'm with Debs Griffin from Sundown Adventureland. Debs.
Debs Griffin - Hi Andy, how are you?
Andy Povey: I'm having a lovely time. I'm really enjoying theme Park Awards this year. You guys are nominated for five awards.
Debs Griffin - The award I am the most excited about would be Christmas. We are finally up for Christmas and to win that for grandma who's not with us anymore, would just be the cherry on top of the cake.
Andy Povey: Oh man, Deb, you've brought it to my eye. You really have.
Debs Griffin - I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But just to get an award for Christmas would just make everything so perfect for grandma. She had the music from the ride at her funeral. I know it's weird, it's a little bit out there, but that song was written for her. It was her creativity, it was how she envisaged Christmas and fairy tales to be. And she definitely hit the nail on the head because it has worked for us for years and years. My son is 17 in December and he was the photograph for the first marketing campaign that we did. So just, it's a bit of a full circle moment for us.
Andy Povey: I completely get where you're coming from. Yeah. The Christmas experience at sundown is something I've heard about, I've been involved in selling tickets for. But actually you've never been to sea. I'm going to fix that this year. We'll be there.
Debs Griffin - 100%. You are more than welcome anytime. Come and have a go. It is, it is incredible. It is just her vision in true life form. It was what she always wanted to be. We've always been so family orientated. Obviously we're still a family ran park, but just to keep the family together. I mean, we used to get nearly 30 of us in a grotto every year and it was always really snug and it was just one of those traditions that just went through all my child's Christmases and all the other grandchildren that were there and it was, it's always been so magical and we always did it on Christmas Eve. And her coat's still hanging in there now.
Andy Povey: Oh, I'm gonna have to stop now.
Debs Griffin - I know. We're the first ones to ride it every year when it opens. We give a coat a lucky rub and, you know, it's just a happy moment. It's not sad. It is an absolute celebration of everything that she's created for myself, for everybody else in the family. And the fact that we're still here, we're still a family, we're still working together, just means everything to us all.
Andy Povey: This conversation really sums up for me why this industry is so special. So thank you, Debs. You've really brought that home for me. Listeners, if you haven't been to Sundown for Christmas, go and tell them Debs has sent you. We've now got Josh Haywood to sit and talk with us and you've been nominated for Theme Park Personality of the Year Award. Tell me about that. How does it feel?
Josh Haywood - Well, this is a new category this year and I'm absolutely flattered to be nominated. Am I a theme park personality? I'm not sure.
Andy Povey: It's not your choice, mate. It's not your choice.
Josh Haywood - It hasn't been my choice and I am flattered, but when I think about the years that I've been in this business. Now we're here at the Pleasure Beach in Blackpool and this is where it started for me 35 years ago. And I used to work with some huge personalities, you know, Jeffrey Thompson, Jr, Jim Rollins, David Cam, John Butcher, some really, they would be genuine bonafide y Theme park personalities. I know times have changed and I'm up against, say I'm up against. It sounds like I'm taking it really seriously. I'm not. I'm very flattered. And if I was to win this, it would be great. It'd be great for Crealy, but also it'd be good for the people who make me look good.
Josh Haywood - So there's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes when we do all of these personality type videos or the social media content that gets put out there. But it's not me at correct. I front it, but I've got a great team behind me who make me look good. So if I do win this, you know, it's if then it'll be dedicated to all those people who work really hard behind the scenes.
Andy Povey: Well, that's very magnanimous. I mean, I've seen your videos of ROTOR and Rotor Extreme. Does it really go all the way to 11?
Josh Haywood -Yeah. Well, you know that I will take credit for the ROTOR Extreme. That was my idea to turn the dial up for riders at a certain time during the day, which has been received really well. But all of that content we've created around the two new rides, plus all the other stuff, the behind the scenes stuff, which I didn't realise how much people really value seeing what goes on and what the decisions are behind the business. And I think people really value that. So we're going to be doing more of that. In fact, I can tell you right here, right now, we're going to be doing a series one a month called A Walk in the Park and we'll be able to do that in different departments at Crealy. And that'll be our new video series for next year.
Andy Povey: Remember, listeners, where you heard it first. Josh, good luck for tomorrow. It's great to see you here and enjoy the rest of your time at the awards.
Josh Haywood - I'm enjoying Blackpool. Like I said, this is home from home for me. It started here in Blackpool. Hopefully I'll be able to scoop up a few awards and take them back to the people at Crewley who really deserve them.
Andy Povey: I'm now joined by Marcus Gaines from Bold Frame. Marcus, what do you guys do?
Marcus Gaines - So we're a company. We produce marketing videos and photography for theme parks and for ride manufacturers. And we're also involved in creating the content that's used in rides. So maybe it's the pre show videos. We're also doing videos that are being used in like simulators. So the actual footage that you.
Andy Povey: Whilst you're riding, you're the man behind the camera that makes us all look good.
Marcus Gaines - Oh, definitely the man behind the camera. Yeah. I've got a face for radio.
Andy Povey: So we're at the UK Theme Park Awards. What are you most looking forward tomorrow at the awards ceremony itself?
Marcus Gaines - What I love about awards like this is it's really celebrating all the creativity and the ingenuity and the talent that's right across the industry. And I think it can be forgotten what people do behind the scenes. And this is really one of those moments where it is those people like behind the camera that are behind the scenes that are being recognised for all the amazing things they do in entertaining people that visit the parks. And it's a brilliant chance to have them recognised.
Andy Povey: So what's the award you're most looking forward to seeing being presented tomorrow?
Marcus Gaines - I think what I quite like is that there's a diverse range of awards. So the one that we're sponsoring is Best Animal Exhibit in a Park. And that's quite unusual because there's a lot of awards for the amusement industry and that's a category that never gets recognised. So I'm really excited to see who's won that. And just looking at the nominations on that, you can see what brilliant projects they are across the country.
Andy Povey: Superb. And final question, what are you most looking forward to in the next five years in the industry?
Marcus Gaines - Oh, that's a tough one. I think the way finances are affecting everybody means everyone's going to have to be a little bit more creative in their thinking on what they do. And I think we're going to see not the easy solutions to what are the new rides. I think we're going to see things that are really clever and really unique and special and it's just brilliant to see what's coming up.
Andy Povey: Can't wait for those. Marcus. Thank you so much. Enjoy the ceremony.
Marcus Gaines - Thank you.
Andy Povey: So now I'm joined by Laura Baxter from YourCMO. And, Laura, you've been nominated for Theme Park Personality of the Year Award for your work with BlackGang Chine. How's that feel?
Laura Baxter - Absolutely mental. I mean, have you seen that list?
Andy Povey: I have.
Laura Baxter - 09:01 - Like Amanda Thompson OBE, Andy Highgate, Philip Miller, my hero. Because Adventure Island was the park I grew up visiting as an Essex girl when it was Peter Pans and like, Lawrence Fancy Paultons Park. Josh Crealy, Laura Baxter from BlackGang Chine. How on earth has that happened? I mean, I know everyone says it, but what an honour. And I have to say I actually started a mini campaign when it was announced for Vote Mia, because MIA from Wicksteed is possibly the most glorious personality in the industry and. Exactly. And if you don't paint your face gold for the whole of December and put yourself out as a golden star on social media, you don't deserve it. You're not working hard enough. And I've never done that yet. Yet. There's always time. I couldn't possibly plagiarise Mia.
Andy Povey: No, no. So what, you're going to be green, you're going to be red, whichever.
Laura Baxter - Do you know what? I did actually have to step in as Mrs. Claus once in my first year working for BlackGang at Robin Hill when we still owned it, and I had to run the tractor train as Mrs. Claus because last minute an actor fell out. And honestly, it was the best day at work I've ever had.
Andy Povey: I can imagine. I mean, you're a bit of a Christmas holic, aren't you?
Laura Baxter - Absolute Christmas holic.
Laura Baxter - It pains me that BlackGang don't do a Christmas event. I understand why we don't do a Christmas event. BlackGang China in December is brutal. No one would want to be there or come out for that. But if anybody wants to hire me as Mother Christmas or Mrs. Claus, whatever you want to call it, I'm absolutely available.
Andy Povey: And you have a tractor driving license?
Laura Baxter - Absolutely, yeah.
Andy Povey: You live on an island. Doesn't everybody?
Laura Baxter - How do you think we get around all those country lanes? You need to have a tractor.
Andy Povey: Laura, best of luck for tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to the award ceremony and there are so many people I know and love and care about that have been nominated for this award. I can't pick my favourite.
Laura Baxter - It is such a hard category. Like, when you look at that lineup, I don't think you could possibly say there is anyone in there that doesn't deserve to be there. You can't say, oh, that person does so much more than that person, because they don't in all of their own ways, be that on their social media, on their YouTube, or actually just in park with guests. They all tick the box and they all deserve to be there. And I am just buzzing to be amongst them.
Andy Povey: Fantastic. Have a great evening, Laura, and really looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow.
Laura Baxter - Thank you.
Andy Povey: So now I'm joined by Anja D'Hondt from Bold Move, ride manufacturer from Belgium. Anja, what are you hoping to achieve from the UK Theme Park Awards? What are you looking forward to hearing and seeing tomorrow?
Anja D'Hondt - Well, we do believe that the UK is a very interesting market and that there are still a lot of opportunities, especially for indoor attractions like dark rides. So we're actually meeting some people here and talking about potential opportunities to collaborate.
Andy Povey: That's fantastic. And we're talking just before we started recording about the impact of the summer that we've just had and how difficult that's made everything. What's your approach to that? How do you fix it?
Anja D'Hondt - Well, you know, in France, there's been quite a few parks that even had to close down a couple of days because of the heat. And it's indeed something that everybody is confronted with nowadays. So one of the solutions that we have is indoor attractions. So to actually have more indoor attractions that are more suitable for rainy days, hot weather, cold weather with a high capacity. So that's one of our solutions. And then we have also the Spinfinity water coaster, which is also nice, of course, during hot days that you have this water effect that can keep people really cool.
Andy Povey: Actually, a water coaster. I'm sold already. Tell me more about it.
Anja D'Hondt - Well, all of our attractions are family oriented, so the intention is to go from 90 centimetre up to 90 years. So every older ages can do the attractions. But. And the coaster is actually what is special about it is that the vehicle is designed so that people face each other. So it's really a social interaction.
Andy Povey: - I love that already, I'm told. Keep going.
Anja D'Hondt - Normally, people are sitting one behind the other in a coaster, but we really want them to have the experience together. It's also there is a good level of thrill, but it has to be fun for everyone. And I'm a little bit the reference point because I'm a bit afraid of the very scary coasters. So actually I'm the reference point for Spinfinity.
Andy Povey: So if it worked for Anja, then it's going to be a BoldMove project.
Anja D'Hondt - Because it is something that we see in a lot of parks, you know, that often the mom is standing there with the jackets, which I used to be like that.
Andy Povey: The coat hangers.
Anja D'Hondt - Indeed. Yeah, indeed. And it's so much more fun if everybody can enjoy it. You know, the whole family can be there and do it together, actually. But it has to be also has to be some thrilling, you know, it should be a kiddie coaster. It should be really something that, you know, has enough fun and enough power, actually, to make it thrilling enough.
Andy Povey: Something for everyone.
Anja D'Hondt - Yes.
Andy Povey: Anja, thank you so much for your time. Really looking forward to the awards tomorrow and I'll see you there.
Anja D'Hondt - Thank you. Very much, Andy. Look forward to it too. Thanks.
Andy Povey: So I'm joined by Philip Miller, owner of Adventure Island and the Sea Life Adventure down in Southend and nominee for Theme Park Personality of the Year, this year's Theme Park Awards. Philip, what's it feel like to be nominated for this award?
Phillip Miller - Oh, I feel very nervous. I know how these people feel about the Oscars now, you know, what am I going to do?
Andy Povey: Is there a red carpet in the morning?
Phillip Miller - I'm not sure about in the morning. Maybe in the evening if I win.
Andy Povey: So one of the things that theme that we've got in this instance of skip the queue is what's coming next. What are you looking forward to seeing in the industry in the next five years?
Phillip Miller - What I'd really like to see in the industry in the next five years, a bit more sort of government support with taxation or just anything really, because we're all, I think we're all in the same boat. We're under siege by the government one way or the other. They don't seem to like us very much and yet we're the very people that give the fun and pleasure to so many millions of just normal people. And the wealth we create as well, you know, for the supplies we do, you know, all the ice cream, the people that buy all our stuff, all these, you know, and I'm not sure of everybody else, but where we are in Southend, I try and buy everything local as much as I possibly can.
Phillip Miller - And you know, through what we do there, the knock on effect, it creates the wealth in the local economy. I mean, in my part of the world, the council get a spin off from their parking charges, the other businesses get a spin off, the hotels get a spin off, the high street gets a spin off, the railways get a spin off, but they all rely on me or our business to keep reinvesting in that business. If the taxation is all going before you've got a chance to make a profit, what's left to do it? I don't mind being taxed after I made that profit, but they're putting their greedy paws in before you even get a chance to get it.
Andy Povey: You're right. The attractions really drive a huge amount of benefit into the local economy. I was looking at the Eden Project the other day and everything they've done down in Cornwall. I was up at Kinran in Bishop Auckland a few weeks ago and that's all driving, visitation and hotel accommodation, food and beverage consumption, all that kind of stuff in the local environment. So I agree with you completely. You're driving the local economy. Thank you, Philip. Very good luck with your nomination tomorrow. And regardless of the verdict and who wins or who doesn't win, I think it's just great being here, isn't it?
Phillip Miller - Good fun. I mean, Blackpool's a great town, isn't it? There's no doubt about it. You know, I've been here for about 20 odd years and it's just great to be back, isn't it? I mean, Pleasure Beach, what a wonderful park. And you know, it's got a nice vibe here, isn't it?
Andy Povey: Oh, it's wonderful. I've absolutely loved it. I'm not sure that every day in Blackpool is as beautiful and sunny as today has been.
Phillip Miller - That's because I come from Southend, which is the sunniest, driest place in the whole of the uk and I brought it with me.
Andy Povey: So I'm now joined by Oz, one of the few people in the world that is only known by one name. From Semantic. Oz. So at Semantic you're sponsoring one of the awards. Which one's that?
Oz Austwick - Yeah, we're sponsoring Best Theme Park for Thrills. I mean, in all honesty, I'm a bit of a coward. The kind of.
Andy Povey: I think it's an age thing, mate.
Oz Austwick - Yeah, I think you're probably right. The kind of rides that win those awards are the kind of rides that I like to stand and watch rather than get on. But there are so many amazing rides, so many amazing theme parks. I have no idea who's going to win, but I'm sure it'll be terrifying.
Andy Povey: And I'm probably standing there right next to you, watching.
Oz Austwick - Yeah, I mean, I don't know. Tomorrow are you going to go in and get on any of the roads?
Andy Povey: You have to, don't you? I mean, we're here in Blackpool, the home of roller coasters in the UK.
Oz Austwick - Well, absolutely. And I've been coming to Blackpool for far too many decades now. Since I was a kid. I grew up in the North, Blackpool was where went. Never been to the Pleasure Beach. So I think I'm kind of honour bound to go and get on a ride or two.
Andy Povey: - Right, absolutely. You have to, you have to. And I'll get one of the team to hold you to that rather than me to mine.
Oz Austwick - Yeah, you. No, you should come with me.
Andy Povey: No, no, no.
Oz Austwick - In fairness, I don't think we'll both fit on the same row of seats.
Andy Povey: So, Lawrence.
Lawrence Roots - Over the summer, as your listeners will know, I embarked on this ridiculous tour around the whole of the UK visiting parks and there is a lot of excitement from all of the parks about the fact that there is this moment in the industry. There's new theme parks coming to the uk. It's an exciting time. People are looking forward to it, they're supportive of it. It feels like it's given the whole sector a boost.
Andy Povey: The UK really is a place to invest. Just really exciting.
Lawrence Roots - Yeah, absolutely.
Andy Povey: Come back tomorrow morning to hear directly from the people behind the award winning theme parks, attractions, rides and experiences. We'll be bringing you the reactions from the winners and the finalists as they come off stage. Together we'll discover what it means to win a theme park award and get the stories behind the projects voted as best in the industry by UK theme park fans.
Come and find out what the winners are planning next, from new attractions and experiences to upcoming launches. If you want to hear more behind the scenes insight from the attractions industry, then sign up to the Skip the Queue newsletter and get the latest episodes and industry conversations straight to your inbox so you never miss an episode.
Andy Povey: Today's episode has been produced by Emily and Sami from Plaster, edited by Steve Folland with scheduling and socials by Wenalyn back at Merac HQ.
Skip the Queue is brought to you by Merac. We provide attractions with the tools and expertise to create world-class digital interactions. Very simply, we're here to rehumanise commerce. Your host is Andy Povey.
If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.