Willy Wonka's Oompa Loompas speak: Forlorn actress reveals she wanted to WALK OUT of disastrous event after being given 'Poundland outfit'- and says actors went to the pub when it was shut down as furious parents called police

• READ MORE: Is this the world’s worst Willy Wonka experience?
• Did YOU attend the event? Email: [email protected] 

An actress who played an Oompa Loompa at a disastrous event Willy Wonka event has revealed she wanted to walk out – and revealed staff went to the pub when it was shut down.

Parents were left furious when the ‘immersive’ Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow closed down early and left children in tears when they were given a lollipop instead of a chocolate river.

Kirsty Patterson, who played the famous orange character, went viral after a picture of her dressed in the cheap-looking costume circulated online.

She spoke to Kate and Richard on Good Morning Britain today and said the only thing that stopped her leaving was seeing how excited the children were, adding that she did not want to let them down.

Ms Patterson said: ‘I got given the £1, Poundland inappropriate Oompa Loompa outfit and then I tried it on and we were all just laughing. Then I was contemplating, do I just walk out? This is just too much I can’t deal with this.

Did YOU attend the event? Email: [email protected]

Kirsty Patterson spoke to Kate and Richard on Good Morning Britain today and said she was thinking of leaving the event

Kirsty Patterson, who played the popular orange character, went viral after a picture of her dressed in the cheap looking outfit circulated online

‘The other actors were amazing and I didn’t want to let them down and then I starting seeing the kids coming in and they were all dressed up and all cute and I just didn’t want to let them down.

‘It was just such a shame.’

The actress also revealed that the staff were given their scripts the night before the start of the event.

‘They told us this was going to be a pantomime style and that we were going to perform,’ Ms Patterson said.

‘They gave us the scripts the night before and I remember on the Friday when I went it looked like that… [an empty rubbish warehouse with nothing in it]. And I kind of thought to myself, surely they must have people working throughout the night for this to be better with lights and everything like that.

‘It was tablecloths and a bunch of Ikea mirrors.’

Jenny Fogarty, another actress hired to be an Oompa Loompa said: ‘When we were asked about makeup, we were told to improvise, just to do our makeup as crazy as we wanted. There was no direction.’

The event was cancelled halfway through on Saturday as angered mothers, fathers and grandparents demanded refunds. Organisers have promised to give people their money back.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said officers were called to the cancelled event and ‘advice was given’.

Jenny Fogarty, another actress hired to be an Oompa Loompa said they were told to improvise when it came to makeup

The Oompa Loompa outfits were branded cheap online

The two Oompa Loompas actresses went on Good Morning Britain today to speak about their experiences

‘We walked out to the pub, all actors, went to the pub and when we came back there were four police vans. It was just wild.’ Ms Patterson added.

Ms Fogarty added: ‘I don’t think we got the brunt of the abuse, I think we got mostly confusion from the parents.’

Event organisers House of Illuminati have been contacted for comment.

Irate parents slammed the £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow as ‘an absolute shambles’ after being promised ‘a universe where your dreams come true’ and would ‘make memories that will last a lifetime’.

READ MORE: Awkward moment children groan as masked character called ‘the Unknown’ sheepishly appears from behind a mirror at Glasgow’s disastrous Willy Wonka experience 

Speaking to MailOnline on Tuesday, Ms Fogarty claimed her and the other actors have not been paid for the event, even though she was quoted £400 for the weekend. None of the actors have been paid as of yet,’ she said.

‘I actually feel really really bad because they’ve not had any refunds either especially in a cost of living crisis, it’s a lot of money to people these days,’ Ms Patterson said on GMB.

Richard Madley: ‘The good news is, I think, you’ve had half of your money, hopefully [you’re] going to get the other half.’

Attendees have formed a Facebook group to exchange information on the refund process.

The lead actor at the catastrophic experience has also spoken out about the event’s ‘red flags’ such as a lack of professionalism and low-rent budget.

Paul Connell said that he felt sorry for the customers who spent £35 to attend the ‘fiasco’ and added that playing Willy Wonka there was ‘one of the most embarrassing things that’s ever happened to me’.

Mr Connell said: ‘ We were told to hand out one jelly bean per child, and a quarter of a cup of Tesco own-brand lemonade. That was what the children got – no chocolate!

Paul Connell (pictured) said that he felt sorry for the customers who spent £35 to attend the ‘fiasco’ at the Boxhub on Saturday and added that playing Willy Wonka there was ‘one of the most embarrassing things that’s ever happened to me’

The event was cancelled halfway through on Saturday as angered mothers, fathers and grandparents demanded refunds

Families were left stunned when they arrived and were greeted with a near-empty factory with a few Wonka-themed props and a small bouncy castle

‘I really think they missed a trick, because if there’s ever an event to sell chocolate, I’d say it was this one.’

The actor, who is also a stand-up comedian, took to his TikTok page to express his regret.

Mr Connell said: ‘I feel for anyone who bought tickets to this event and people who were expecting a magical chocolate experience and got me in a top hat in a dirty warehouse in Glasgow.

‘People wanted Timothee Chalamet and got Timothee Charlatan.’

He also spoke about his experience of the lack of professionalism both before and on the day of its launch, beginning with how he was given just one day to learn a 15-page monologue of ‘AI generated gibberish’ after he was cast as the famous chocolatier.

He proceeded to read some of the bizarre lines which deviated from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory plot, perhaps one unfamiliar to AI, such as: ‘There is a man who lives here. His name is not known, so we call him the unknown. The unknown is an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls.’

The Unknown is an evil chocolatier ‘cloaked in mystery and malice’.

But the sound of the audience at their unveiling suggests neither mystery nor malice came across quite as intended.

In a viral clip, shared across Facebook and X since the event’s untimely end was caused by customers demanding their money back, the titular chocolatier reveals ‘the Unknown’ from behind a mirror.

According to the script, the Unknown’s reveal is supposed to be met by ‘gasps’ from the audience, with ‘some shifting nervously’ as the villain speaks ‘with a voice both smooth and sinister’.

Parents who attended with their children were clearly not satisfied by the overall display though, as children can be heard groaning on the clip.

Children in a viral clip groaned as ‘the Unknown’ emerged from behind a mirror in the disappointing ‘Willy’s Chocolate Experience’

Actors have spoken of their embarrassment at being involved in the event

This comes as thousands of people have signed a petition to reopen the failed experience.

A petition has emerged calling for the event to reopen – calling it ‘beloved’.

Organiser Dylan Roberts said: ‘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.

READ MORE: Karen Gillan begs to be cast in movie on the Willy Wonka Experience fiasco while social media users urge Netflix to create a ‘Fyre Festival style’ doc

‘The public demand for its reopening is overwhelming.’

The petition, signed by 3,048 people at the time of writing, is being hosted on Change.org.

It calls for action by Glasgow City Council.

House of Illuminat vowed to give people their money back and posted an image on its Facebook page suggesting 850 people had been refunded.

In a statement on its Facebook page, they said: ‘Today 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 had 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.’

They said refunds would take about 10 working days.

The face behind Willy Wonka ‘scam’: How Billy Coull ‘conned’ kids by using AI generated images to sell ‘immersive’ experience, sold Chat-GPT authored novels on Amazon, and faced backlash for cancelling Santa grotto

By John James

The man behind the Glasgow ‘Willy Wonka scam’ which saw customers shelling out £35 a-head for a ‘shambolic’ chocolate free, AI-generated event has been revealed as a Glaswegian ‘author’ who once cancelled Santa’s Grotto.

Billy Coull, who self-published 17 Chat-GPT written novels on Amazon last year, is the director of the House of Illumanati, a company that claims to ‘transform ordinary venues into immersive environments that transport guests into a realm of wonder.’

On Saturday, Coull’s latest venture the ‘Willy’s Chocolate Experience’ had perhaps the worst opening day ever after furious parents called the police on him due to the quality of his event, with the entrepreneur being forced to admit he had used AI to sell it.

Clarifying his intentions and fighting off allegations of dishonest marketing from the mob, Mr Coull said: ‘We guarantee a full refund from Monday. We used artificial intelligence to create some images for the event.’

However on closer inspection, there are many more examples of Coull relying on AI in his career, including on his company website.

Flanked by two bouncers, Billy Coull (left), the event companies director, was recorded attempting to control the furious crowd

On Saturday, Coull’s latest venture the ‘Willy’s Chocolate Experience’ had perhaps the worst opening day ever after furious parents called the police’

Angry families gathered outside and demanded refunds after the event was prematurely shut down

In 2021, Mr Coull was criticised for cancelling a Santa’s grotto event at a community hub after toys had been donated

Mr Coull has published 17 novels on Amazon which appear to have been AI generated

The website, which vaguely hints at a variety of unique experiences House of Illumanati can provide (without ever actually specifying how), consists of convoluted AI-generated writing married to AI-generated images.

READ MORE: Moment furious parents confront organiser of ‘immersive’ £35-a-ticket Willy Wonka event 

Beneath one image of a computer generated ballroom showing a lightscape of the solar system, Coull has generated the following sentence:

‘Avant-Garde Art Installations, Explore the boundaries of art and perception with our Avant-Garde Art Installations.

‘These interactive exhibitions blend cutting-edge technology with provocative art, creating multisensory experiences that challenge and captivate.

‘From digital landscapes to immersive light shows, each installation is a journey through the unexplored territories of creativity.’

For the cursed Wonka event, Coull once again turned to AI generated text to conjure up an idyllic image of the event that failed to materialise.

The website vaguely hints at a variety of unique experiences House of Illumanti can provide

One image shows  of a computer generated ballroom showing a lightscape of the solar system

On his Amazon author page, the ever humble Coull describes himself as an ‘enigmatic wordsmith’

Currently none of Mr Coull’s 17 works of fiction, including the tome ‘Crimson Eclipse: Chronicles of the Last Dawn’ are available to purchase

He writes: ‘Delectable Chocolate Fountains.

‘Picture yourself standing before cascading chocolate fountains, each velvety stream inviting you to dip, indulge, and savor the richness of Willy Wonka’s world.

‘These delectable fountains are not just a treat for the taste buds; they’re a visual spectacle, creating an atmosphere of chocolatey bliss that permeates the air.

‘As we countdown to the day when Willy Wonka’s world comes to life, imagine a day filled with laughter, joy, and the irresistible allure of chocolate.

‘The immersive delights of this event are poised to create lasting memories and redefine what it means to step into a world of pure imagination.’

On his Amazon author page, Coull describes himself as an ‘enigmatic wordsmith hailing from the bustling streets of Glasgow’ as well as a ‘rising star in the literary world.’

Currently none of Mr Coull’s 17 works of fiction, including the tome ‘Crimson Eclipse: Chronicles of the Last Dawn’ are available to purchase.

For his Wonka event, Coull also allegedly handed staff a 15-page AI generated script on the eve of the performance which they were expected to learn.

Take a look at the Wonkidoodles at McDuff’s Chocolate Factory script below.

Jenny said the £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow was ‘horrendously embarrassing’

Jenny Fogarty, 25, said the £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow was ‘horrendously embarrassing’ as parents arrived with their children to find a tiny bouncy castle and almost no sweets.

Ms Fogarty claimed the strangely written script had to be learned in just 12 hours and didn’t add up with the set of the event, promising features that didn’t exist.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, she said: ‘It was horrendously embarrassing. We didn’t want to walk out just because I feel like that would make it even worse. ‘When we arrived we were handed a script to learn in 12 hours or something like that.

‘We arrived for a dress rehearsal on the Friday evening, and were handed a script for the Saturday and Sunday – it wasn’t planned out at all.

‘There was meant to be a live performance of Willy Wonka taking the children through the factory. The script – I showed it to my partner – and we think it was AI generated.

‘There were parts in the script where we thought oh that sounds really good, because there were supposed to be interactive elements. There was a bit in the script where it was like if you touch the grass it will start laughing, and you thought oh so it’s got sensors in it, that will be really cool.

‘There were supposed to be bubble machines, there were supposed to be projectors, there was supposed to be so much more that was promised.’

According to Companies House, Mr Coull is a director of two other companies as well as House of Illuminati: Billy De Savage and Nexuma Holdings.

All three companies are registered to the same address in London and all three were formed last year.

Before he deleted his LinkedIn account following Saturday’s debacle, Mr Coull described himself as someone with ‘a wealth of experience in crafting marketing campaigns and events.’

Mr Coull has a chequered history in the event industry and was previously criticised for cancelling a Santa’s grotto event in 2021 after toys and gifts had been donated.

His Gowanbank Hub cancelled the scheduled event due to concerns over the Omicron virus and claims he and his team were ‘distraught.’

Pictures posted on Facebook by irate families showed a few posters pinned to a wall with tables lined up resembling a school dinner hall

One parent wrote on social media: ‘What an absolute shambles of an event. Took two minutes to get through to then see a queue of people surrounding the guy running it complaining’

The company said it had been ‘let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue’

MailOnline has approached House of Illuminati for more information.

In a statement on its Facebook page, they said: ‘Today 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 havd 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.’

They said refunds would take about 10 working days.

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