The man of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Experience shares his painful story. Director of the House of Illuminati, the organization behind Glasgow, Scotland’s Willy Wonka-themed event, Billy Coull, claims he has received “hundreds and hundreds” of hate mails since the disaster. “My life is ruined,” he declared on March 16 during the Channel 5 show Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain.
“My friends have moved on.” The love of my life has left me. I was portrayed as the epitome of all evil. And it’s not at all the case, to be really honest.” Billy went on to list the mistakes that were made, like booking a too large venue and ordering projection equipment that was never delivered, that led to the disaster of the event. “It was absolutely devastating,” he said. “But I believed that we could push on.”
And Billy, referring to his reactions to the early event closure—during which he lost his temper with angry customers—as the “worst versions” of himself. He went added, “The last thing I wanted to see was children to be upset.” In late February, Glasgow’s Willy Wonka: The Chocolate Factory experience became viral because of its deceptive advertising, which ended differently from the event itself. “Enchanting environments,” “interactive adventures,” and “sweet delights and confections” were all promised on the House of Illuminati website as part of the £35 (about $44) admission price.
The participants were unhappy to find a poorly furnished warehouse, few candies for the kids, and actors who sounded like they were reading lines manufactured by artificial intelligence (AI), even though Billy later confirmed that he did run his scripts through AI to check spelling and continuity of the lines. Furthermore, even though the event was supposed to run the entire weekend of February 24–25, participants demanded their money back, so as soon as it opened, the police were notified.
The House of Illuminati issued a written apology and swiftly ended the event. Billy described the state of affairs as “I was sick to the pit of my tummy.” “I wanted the event to be joyful and cheery. I wanted happiness for everyone.”
