When details of the Glaswegian Willy Wonka experience first emerged on social media, the chaotic event quickly landed itself in 'Fyre Fest for Kids' territory. Willy’s Chocolate Experience - which promised visitors everything from chocolate fountains and sugary-sweet waterfalls, to colourful lollipop forests - ended with calls to the police, unpaid Oompa Loompas, and children in tears over their two jelly babies. If it sounds like the perfect storm for a Channel 5 documentary, then you're in luck - the investigation into the limited lemonade and low-res posters will air next week.
Channel 5 confirmed that they have commissioned a one-off documentary delving into the details. The 'immersive experience' became a viral event and garnered worldwide attention thanks to some interesting photos shared by angry parents and embarrassed staff. Customers had initially bought tickets for up to £35 a pop, only to find that Box Hub Warehouse had been rather scantily decorated and was a far cry from the AI-generated images used to advertise.
House of Illuminati, who were behind the event, had marketed the event as 'a place where chocolate dreams become reality', but as more details surfaced it appears that customers felt it was more of a nightmare. One mother, Aileen Butcher, told the Daily Record: "We went inside and there were some posters, a visual display including a rainbow, toadstool and a gobstopper. There also appeared to be a table strewn with jelly beans and a bouncy castle at the back. It took us a minute to walk through. Some families were very, very angry and had little children who were crying. It was a tense atmosphere and new families were arriving looking bewildered."
Actor Kirsty Paterson, who was hired as a science lab Oompa Loompa, even appeared on Good Morning Britain when a photo of her unhappily 'conducting an experiment' went viral. She told hosts Kate Garraway and Robert Rinder: "I got given the £1 Poundland inappropriate Oompa Loompa outfit and then I tried it on and we were all just laughing. Then I was contemplating, do I just walk out? This is just too much I can't deal with this.
"The other actors were amazing and I didn't want to let them down and then I starting seeing the kids coming in and they were all dressed up and all cute and I just didn't want to let them down. It was just such a shame."
A spokesperson for House of Illuminati has since apologised, stating that they were 'truly sorry' and that 'at the last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through'.
It is yet to be confirmed exactly what the Channel 5 documentary will cover, but given the interest in the Willy Wonka experience so far it's likely to pull in viewers.
Willy Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain is due to air on Channel 5 on Saturday 16th March.
