Is David Walliams World at Alton Towers set to close for good? 'Creepy' theme park area is shut for 'most of the week' - after children's author was dropped for 'inappropriate' behaviour

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 08:38 EDT, 17 September 2026 | Updated: 09:12 EDT, 17 September 2026 Could the World of David Walliams at Alton Towers be set to close its doors for good - months after the former Little Britain star was dropped by his publisher over allegations of inappropriate behaviour? The attraction opened to great fanfare just five years ago in May 2021 but the land dedicated to the children's author appears to be quietly disappearing. Visitors to the UK's biggest theme park in recent days have reported that the attraction is now closed for much of the week, with many of the rides looking decidedly unloved.Inspired by Mr Walliams's most popular books, its flagship ride is Gangsta Granny, an £18million interactive attraction about a mischievous pensioner trying to steal the Crown Jewels.It's also home to a gift retailer, Raj's Shop, and two other rides; Flavio's Fabulous Fandango and Royal Carousel, all of which are also based on the Gangsta Granny book. Mr Walliams, who remains one of the UK's most successful children's authors, was dropped by his publisher HarperCollins in December 2025, after the allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women came to light. Alton Towers opened The World of David Walliams, inspired by his children's books, in 2021 - but the area is now only currently open at weekendsThe comedian and author, who strongly denied the allegations, has largely been absent from public life since, with his last post to his two million Instagram followers in March this year. Those currently visiting Alton Towers on weekdays aren't able to access the World of David Walliams at all, with barriers preventing riders from entering.It's thought the intellectual property agreement for using Walliams' work came to an end at the end of 2026.One theme park fan, who has the Coaster Wave page on Facebook, posted earlier this week: 'World Of David Walliams is now closed during the week for the remainder of the year here at Alton Towers, but despite this, the area music is still blaring out, creating a slightly creepy environment.'Pictured in 2021, shortly after opening: The World of David Walliams is also home to Raj's Shop, a gift retailer which is named after a character who appears in many of his books Gangsta Granny The Ride, named after Walliams' fourth children's book, is currently only open at weekends. The attraction cost £18million to build Another account, Theme Park Obsessed, wrote: 'The area is rarely busy, the theming isn’t looking great due to damage and now the rides aren’t even going to be open for 4 days of the week. This isn’t me being negative, this is how most Merlin areas look when they are about to be removed/rethemed.'What to do with the sizeable portion of the park is likely proving a headache for owner Merlin Entertainments, which also counts Chessington World of Adventures, Thorpe Park and Legoland Windsor amongst its theme park brands. The brand also owns the London Eye, Sea Life and Madame Tussauds - and attracts more than 60million guests every year. A spokesperson for Alton Towers told the Daily Mail: 'As we move into our autumn event season, The World of David Walliams will operate on selected dates – including weekends and throughout our Scarefest and fireworks events. The rest of the Resort will remain open as normal for all guests to enjoy.'