UK Theme Park Alton Towers Permanently Closes David Walliams Attraction

The World of David Walliams, an attraction at British theme park Alton Towers, is shutting up shop.

The Merlin Entertainments-owned park said it would permanently close the Walliams-themed attraction after it opened in 2021, bringing to life characters from his books, such as Gangsta Granny.

A Merlin Entertainments spokesperson told Deadline: “As the 2026 peak season at Alton Towers Resort comes to an end and following our regular review of rides and attractions across the resort, we have taken the decision to permanently close the World of David Walliams.”

Merlin Entertainments did not elaborate, but it is understood that the company took a range of operational and guest experience factors into consideration. Walliams’ literary agent at Independent Talent has been approached for comment.

The closure follows Walliams’ publisher, HarperCollins, dropping the author and halting the publication of his back catalog following misconduct allegations. Walliams strongly denied wrongdoing after accusations about his behavior were published in The Daily Telegraph last year.

Separately, Deadline revealed in September that YMU is no longer actively representing the comedian and his profile has been removed from the agency’s website. A source said Walliams “is not currently in a commercial relationship with YMU” following amicable talks in early 2026.

Walliams is an established presence on British television and beyond, having created and co-starred in Little Britain with Matt Lucas in the noughties. They have made attempts to revive the BBC comedy and even spoke to Netflix about a new series in 2020.

Walliams has appeared in series, including Doctor Who and Agatha Christie adaptation Partners in Crime, and had roles in movies, including Murder Mystery and Stardust.

He served as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for a decade alongside Simon Cowell, but left the show under a cloud after comments he made about contestants were leaked to The Guardian in 2022. In one example, he called someone a “c***.” Walliams later apologized for his comments.