'Inside Legoland: A World Of Wonder'

[Jamberoo Fan]

First, Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire & now another theme park documentary series on Australian free-to-air television!

...and a much happier documentary series too...

INSIDE LEGOLAND: A WORLD OF WONDER

The 1st episode goes for 2 hours (including ad breaks, of course) and I anticipate it will be either two 2 hour episodes over 2 weeks or two 1-hour episodes plus the 2-hour 1st episode over 3 weeks:

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Documentary series going behind the scenes at the Legoland theme park in Windsor, England, meeting the staff who keep the park running smoothly for the millions who visit each year.

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Hope that has built some anticipation...one piece at a time (Disclaimer: I have no more information on the show's upcoming telecast to provide). Previews of Episode 1 is provided below (Note: As stated above, I expected Australia's Episode 1 to be a double episode in a maximum 3 part series unlike the UK which was a 4 part series hence Episode 1 & 2 previews below):

Below is information about the show from a press release on Legoland Windsor's website (I've put it in a spoiler box as it is targeted to UK viewers last year rather than Australian viewers next week):

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Inside LEGOLAND® To Air This August On Channel 5

Friday July 31^st 2020 | Press Office

Inside LEGOLAND

For the first time ever, cameras have been given exclusive access to the people and day-to-day running of the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort in a four-part documentary to be broadcast on Channel 5 this August.

Titled Inside LEGOLAND: A World of Wonder, the first one-hour programme will go out at 8pm on Sunday 9^th August with the other three episodes set to be shown in the same weekly Sunday slot throughout August.

Filmed over five months during summer 2019 and the start of this year, viewers will be given unrivalled access into what it takes to keep one of the UK’s favourite family theme parks running and be introduced to some of the 1,800-strong workforce who work tirelessly to create childhood memories that last a lifetime.

In episode one next Sunday, viewers will meet LEGOLAND Windsor’s expert team of Model Makers who between them are responsible for building, refining and updating the thousands of LEGO® models across the Park. Made up of over 90 million LEGO bricks, there’s always a job to be done from replacing the fences at Buckingham Palace in Miniland to overseeing the new hippos – made from 5,000 LEGO bricks each – be transported to their new home by the lake. Viewers will also follow the newest member of the Model Maker team, Will, as he embarks on his first day in one of the most sought-after roles at the Park.

On one of the hottest days of last summer, cameras were there as families flocked in their hundreds to earn their driving licence at the much-loved LEGOLAND Driving School before cooling down on the water slides and dodging the fountains at Drench Towers. But behind the scenes viewers will see just what it takes to keep the rides running as temperatures rise under the watchful eye of the Park’s Technical Services team. 

Inside LEGOLAND: A World of Wonder will also take viewers on the journey of designing, building and launching a brand-new rollercoaster as the Park prepares to reveal the world’s first ever DUPLO rollercoaster – the hotly anticipated DUPLO Dino Coaster. With over 100 hours of footage captured, no stone is left unturned as cameras follow the Animation team perform a sky-high six monthly dentist check-up on the technic dinosaur made from over one million LEGO bricks, the Ride Services team diagnose what’s troubling the Jolly Rocker pirate ship and the Events team race against the clock to display 3,000 pumpkins across the Park in time for Halloween. Viewers will also find out which household item Housekeeper Michelle can’t live without for cleaning the 2,000 LEGO models found in the Hotel’s 209 rooms.

Marianne McGoldrick, Marketing Director at the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, said: “We’ve been welcoming families to LEGOLAND Windsor for over two decades and we thought it was about time we let the nation go behind the scenes to see what’s involved, and the secret tricks and tips, in keeping a 150 acre theme park and two hotels running around the clock.

“Having reopened at the start of July, we’ve already helped thousands of families have some much-needed fun after a difficult few months and we hope that Inside LEGOLAND: A World of Wonder will inspire plans for a Great British day out or staycation this summer.”

For more details on LEGOLAND Windsor’s hygiene and safety measures visit www.legoland.co.uk/reopening

About LEGOLAND Windsor

• LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations, and LEGOLAND are trademarks of the LEGO Group. © 2019 The LEGO Group.
• The LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is a unique family theme park where children aged 2 -12 can take to the road, soar through the skies and sail the seas in complete safety.  It has over 55 interactive rides, attractions, live shows, building workshops and driving schools, not to mention a staggering 80 million LEGO®bricks, all set in 150 acres of beautiful parkland. 
• There are seven other LEGOLAND® parks in the world – LEGOLAND® Billund in Denmark, LEGOLAND® California in the U.S.A, LEGOLAND® Florida, LEGOLAND® Deutschland in Germany, LEGOLAND® Dubai and LEGOLAND® Malaysia and LEGOLAND Japan

About Merlin Entertainments

• Merlin Entertainments Limited is a global leader in location-based, family entertainment. As Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates over 130 attractions, 19 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 25 countries and across 4 continents. Merlin’s purpose is to deliver memorable experiences to its 67 million guests around the world, through its iconic brands and multiple attraction formats, and the commitment and passion of its c.28,000 employees (peak season).
• See www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information and follow on Twitter @MerlinEntsNews.

It begins Tuesday 20 April 8:50pm to 10:50pm on Channel 9, immediately after Lego Masters - Episode 2.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Jamberoo Fan

[Jamberoo Fan]

  On 13/04/2021 at 9:25 AM, Jamberoo Fan said:

...I anticipate it will be either two 2 hour episodes over 2 weeks or two 1-hour episodes plus the 2-hour 1st episode over 3 weeks

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It seems Channel 9 decided to have only the sole 2-hour episode, which was screened last Tuesday night.

A little review below:

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Even though it focused a lot on the construction & maintenance of the Lego models around the park (particularly Miniland) & their adjacent accommodation, there were very interesting parts for the generic Australian theme park enthusiast like seeing them conduct repairs on Jolly Rocker, a pirate ship ride which seems to be the same model of pirate ship ride used formerly at Sea World Australia (just a bit more extra theming seems to be the only difference). It also shows repairs on other rides (& customer points of sale) as well as their customer service tactics (such as their VIP program).

A good show for theme park enthusiasts but a great show for Lego or Legoland enthusiasts.

[Jamberoo Fan]

  On 27/04/2021 at 9:38 AM, Jamberoo Fan said:

It seems Channel 9 decided to have only the sole 2-hour episode, which was screened last Tuesday night.

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Just found out that 9Now has all 4 episodes of the series. They all 45 minutes approximately in duration. Episodes 1 & 2 was the double episode screened last Tuesday night on television.

I now expect again that Channel 9 will screen either two 2 hour episodes over 2 weeks or two 1-hour episodes plus the 2-hour 1st episode over 3 weeks.

What week(s) these other episode(s) is/are to be screened during I don't know but I assume it will be before Lego Masters finish it's latest season.

This is unless the 1st double episode on television rated poorly and Channel 9 decided to just let people watch it on 9Now if they wish instead.

[ChrisPoole]

They never even bothered broadcasting the remaining episodes; and they aren’t on 9Now anymore. Also after the ads were taken out that episode channel 9 broadcast  was only 1 hr 10min, so they edited down the double episode

[Ogre]

  On 27/05/2021 at 7:05 AM, ChrisPoole said:

They never even bothered broadcasting the remaining episodes; and they aren’t on 9Now anymore. Also after the ads were taken out that episode channel 9 broadcast  was only 1 hr 10min, so they edited down the double episode

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Were there meant to be more episodes? I was under the impression that was it, as the last episode was filmed shortly before Covid closed the UK parks.

[Jamberoo Fan]

  On 27/05/2021 at 1:53 PM, OgreMagic said:

Were there meant to be more episodes? I was under the impression that was it, as the last episode was filmed shortly before Covid closed the UK parks.

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There were more episodes on 9Now, which have since been removed but they were all filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 3rd episode was focused on their Halloween celebrations while the 4th episode was about preparing for a new season.

  On 27/05/2021 at 7:05 AM, ChrisPoole said:

...after the ads were taken out that episode channel 9 broadcast  was only 1 hr 10min, so they edited down the double episode

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I watched all episodes on 9Now after watching the free-to-air broadcast and yes, they did edit down the double episode, which full length should have went 2 hours with ads (1 hour & 30 minutes without ads).

But that wasn't the most surprising thing.

What was more surprising was they edited out 2 segments about the park's Vikings' River Splash, a river rapids ride.

The first segment was about a e-stop of the ride caused by a guest going into the ride's restricted area.

The second segment was about the park replacing one of the ride's rafts' inflatable tyres.

I wonder why they edited these 2 segments out for the free to air broadcast but not the 9Now stream? 🤔

The answer is featured in tonight's earlier aired program '7News Spotlight: Ride Of Your Life' on Channel 7 & 7Plus.