NOT SO COULL NOW
Who is Billy Coull, creator of the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience?
Find out about the petition to reopen the calamitous 'immersive chocolate experience'
BILLY Coull became a household name for all the wrong reasons when his Willy Wonka experience went viral for making the children in attendance burst into tears.
Things turned sour after police were called to the infamous Glasgow event, which was forced to shut down at the end of February 2024.
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Who is Billy Coull?
Businessman Billy Coull is the director of House of Illuminati, which put on the ill-fated Willy Wonka experience in February 2024.
According to the company's website, it is "a realm where fantasy and reality converge to create unparalleled immersive experiences".
Coull is also the director of Billy De Savage and Nexuma Holdings, with all three businesses registered to the same address in London.
According to the MailOnline, Coull deleted his LinkedIn after his Willy Wonka experience hit the headlines.
The publication reports that before the page was taken down, Coull described himself as someone with "a wealth of experience in crafting marketing campaigns and events".
They add that he was criticised in 2021 for cancelling a Santa's grotto event "after toys and gifts had been donated".
Coull's team were said to be "distraught" after having to cancel the Christmas event due to Omicron variant of coronavirus that was spreading at the time.
Aside from putting on events, Coull has also written a number of books and described himself as an "enigmatic wordsmith" and "rising star in the literary world" on his Amazon author page.
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But according to reports, his 17 works of fiction — most of which focus on conspiracy theories — appear to have been generated by AI.
Aside from the question surrounding authorship, his books have predominantly been given one-star reviews from readers.
Moment Wonka experience boss is confronted by furious parents at door as they brand Glasgow event a 'scam'
He also allegedly gave the performers and staff at his immersive chocolate experience a 15-page AI generated script the evening before it opened, which they were expected to learn by heart.
What is the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience?
The Glasgow Willy Wonka experience was supposed to be a fun day out for parents and children — but was shut down halfway through its very first day.
Willy's Chocolate Experience, which was held at a warehouse in Whiteinch, was cancelled and police were called after complaints flooded in from customers about the quality of the event.
Furious parents took to social media to reveal that they had paid £35 for a ticket and waited for 45 minutes in a queue — only to have completed the entire event in seven minutes.
Children were reportedly left in tears and staff were allegedly forced to ration jelly beans and drinks to customers.
The ordeal has since gone viral online, with social media users making hilarious memes, posts and videos about the doomed event.
We planned a fabulous event and it just did not take shape as planned and for that we are truly sorry
House of Illuminati statement
Actors hired for the experience have since spoken out saying they were left "embarrassed" by the events that unfolded.
Some are even considering taking legal action over unpaid wages.
House of Illuminati, the company running the event, released a statement on its Facebook page after the experience was shut down.
They said: "It has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry.
"Unfortunately last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realise we probably should have cancelled first thing this morning instead.
"We fully apologise for what has happened and will be giving full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets.
"We planned a fabulous event and it just did not take shape as planned and for that we are truly sorry we are devastated at how this has turned out and understand people's anger and frustration that everyone has had, refunds have already started being issued and the rest should be over the coming days, again we are truely [sic] sorry to everyone."
Refunds would take around 10 working days to reach customers, the statement added.
The tear-inducing Willy's Chocolate Experience and the events surrounding its closure are the subject of a new Channel 5 documentary — Willy Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain — which airs on Saturday March 16, 2024 at 7.35pm.
Will the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience reopen?
A change.org petition has been launched to reopen the Glasgow Willy Wonka experience.
A statement on the petition's page reads: "I, along with countless others, have been deeply affected by the closure of the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience.
"This unique attraction has brought joy and wonder to thousands of visitors since its opening. It is more than just a tourist spot; it's a place where dreams come alive and imaginations run wild."
The statement adds that public demand for the reopening is "overwhelming" and that its closure has "not only disappointed its fans but also impacted local businesses that thrived on the influx of tourists it attracted."
At the time of writing the petition has over 7,200 signatures.
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Neither Coull or House of Illuminati have responded to the appeal.
The Sun has tried to contact House of Illuminati but has not yet received a response.