Willy Wonka Experience organiser says his life has been “ruined”

The organiser of the Willy Wonka Experience has spoken for the first time about how the viral reaction to the event has “ruined his life”. 

• READ MORE: ‘Wonka’ review: Timothée Chalamet twinkles in a fun-filled festive treat 

A one-off documentary, Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain, aired on Channel 5 last night (March 16), chronicling the disastrous event in Glasgow last month that went viral on social media. 

Advertised as “a celebration of sweetness and imagination” that was inspired by the hit movie Wonka and the Roald Dahl book behind it, outraged parents began demanding a refund shortly after it opened, describing it as a “farce” run by “cowboys”.  

And now, Billy Coull, the director of House of Illuminati, who organised the event, has given his side of the story. 

It was the sweet event that left families with a bitter taste

Hear from the Organiser in an exclusive interview. Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain, Saturday 7.35pm on Channel 5 & My5 pic.twitter.com/0xxD5iQ6I1

— Channel 5 (@channel5_tv) March 12, 2024

Appearing in the documentary, Coull said: “My life has been turned around. My life is ruined. I was hoping for an event that would be joyful and happy. I wanted people to experience happiness.” 

Coull also said that he has cancelled his destination wedding that he had intended to fund with ticket sales. 

He continued that he has received hundreds of messages online accusing him of being a “terrible father”, a “villain” and “the devil”, while others have told him he should kill himself. 

At £35 a ticket, attendees were promised audio and visual effects, chocolate fountains and a totally interactive experience, but were instead presented with low-budget props, limited refreshments and an AI-generated script, all carried out in an abandoned warehouse. House of Illuminati decided to pull the plug just hours into its opening day. 

One of the actors at the event, Kirsty Paterson, previously spoke out about the disastrous experience, revealing she had not yet been paid the £500 she’d been offered for the gig. 

Later, Paul Connell, one of the actors hired to impersonate Willy Wonka, revealed more about how the disastrous event unfolded. “The script was 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish of me just monologuing these mad things,” he told The Independent. 

Sydney Sweeney also poked fun at the event during a skit on her recent Saturday Night Live appearance. 

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