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The smash-hit immersive exhibition depicting Tutankhamun's journey into the afterlife arrives in the UK for a 14-week run at Immerse LDN. Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition This review is from the London run of Tutankhamum: The Immersive Exhibition In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. That discovery - which is regarded as one of the 20th century's most significant archaeological finds - quickly turned the little-known pharaoh  into one of the most famous people in the world some 3,000 years after his death and sparked an interest in Ancient Egypt previously not seen by the general public - a phenomenon dubbed 'Tutmania'. Now, a little over 100 years on from Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition has arrived in London for a 14-week run at Immerse LDN below the Excel Centre. The exhibition has been on a world tour over the last few years and has already surpassed over 1.8 million visitors - a staggering number that shows the public's interest in Tutankhamun is as strong as ever. A mix of 360-degree immersive projections, virtual reality, and holograms alongside more traditional displays of replicas, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition promises to transport visitors back to Ancient Egypt in a way those who have attended previous exhibitions on King Tut could only have dreamed of. Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition The opening rooms of Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition looks a lot like any other museum exhibition. Large wall-mounted panels provide information and context about Tutankhamun, their place in Egyptian civilisation, and their lineage; glass cabinets house numerous objects, and in the centre of the room is a golden funerary mask and sarcophagus. While nearly all of the items on display at this exhibition are, in fact, replicas (the originals are now part of a permanent collection at the Great Egyptian Museum in Giza), they give you an appreciation for the care and detail put into all the objects left to help the pharaoh on his journey into the afterlife. Further into the exhibition, the focus shifts to Howard Carter and explores his life leading up to and following the discovery of the tomb. Most of his excavations were funded by English aristocrat George Herbert, who had provided Carter with one final season's worth of funding just prior to the tomb's uncovering. Replicas of Carter's meticulous notes and sketches from that time are on display, which demonstrates just how methodically they worked after their discovery. Every item was catalogued, and blueprints of the tomb's layout and contents were documented with care and precision - something that was often far from the norm at the time. Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition The exhibition's main space, which offers 360-degree projections, lies behind a curtain at the far end of the traditional exhibition space. In stark contrast to some of the small trinkets and sheets of paper in the previous rooms, everything in this space is writ large. Standing 8 metres tall, the four walls of the space display an ever-changing series of bright, colourful, Instagrammable animations on a 30-minute loop. It's by far the most impressive part of Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, and will be the space visitors will likely spend most of their visit in, but it's worth noting that once visitors enter this room, the vast majority of the exhibition's educational information is now behind them. Broken up into eight chapters, covering everything from the origins of Egypt, the discovery of the tomb and the Egyptians' beliefs in life after death, the visuals constantly shift and evolve as they progress through each chapter. Nearly all of the content on offer in this room is abstract, and there's no storyline or dialogue to follow besides a brief chapter made up of footage from archival British Pathé newsreels . While the highlight of this section is Tutankhamun's journey into the realm of Osiris, in which the camera rapidly flies along the River Nile as the pharaoh journeys into the afterlife, we'd recommend staying in the space for the full 30-minute loop to get the most out of it. The room's size is quite stunning and truly engulfs your vision, absorbing you into the experience. Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition Later in the exhibition is the first of two virtual reality scenes. With visitors wearing their own headsets and seated on a swivel chair, they're free to look around as they again follow Tutankhamun's journey into the afterlife. Anyone familiar with the VR sections of Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience will notice some similarities, with constantly shifting vantage points and scenes on offer as you soar through the sky. After narrowly avoiding rivers of molten lava, the climax of this scene has Tutankhamun having his soul weighed against a feather - a judgement that will decide his fate in the afterlife. VR headsets later return for another scene, which allows visitors to step into the Metaverse and explore a virtual space on foot. Starting in Howard Carter's excavation camp, they're soon transported into the tombs below. This scene works in the same way as Horizon of Khufu, a VR experience that allows visitors to explore virtual renderings of the Giza Plateau and the Great Pyramid of Giza. Walking around this space alongside a dozen or more Howard Carter avatars, all gliding around without an expression adds some light-hearted humour to this portion of the exhibition, even if it's unintentional. Photo: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition For many years now, London hasn't been short of immersive experiences that use projections. Long before the likes of Lightroom and Frameless opened, Immersive Van Gogh showed that there's a continued appetite for these kinds of experiences. In recent years, there's been a notable shift towards more educational immersive projections, with the likes of The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks at Lightroom and the BBC Earth Experience in Earl's Court leading the way. This exhibition feels like the next step in that journey, with history being presented on a scale not often seen. While there's constant debate around just how 'immersive' these kinds of experiences really are, they undoubtedly offer a modern, engaging way to learn about the world around us that's not always possible in traditional museum spaces. T utankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition manages to strike a balance between being both educational and entertaining and is an enjoyable couple of hours for families and groups looking to learn (a bit) more about Ancient Egypt, their views on eternal life, and the legacy of the boy king. ★★★ ½ Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition runs from 28th March to 29th June 2025 at Immersive LDN, Excel London, and will be at SEC Glasgow between 24th July and 26th October 2025. To find out more and book tickets, visit feverup.com For more coverage and reviews of experiences like Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, check out our recent Reviews .

This London-based experience, based on the hit BBC series, has racers set off on a city-wide foot adventure against the clock to uncover some of the city's best hidden spots. Image: Race Across The World - The Experience Race Across The World: The Experience, based on the hit BBC series, is the latest city-wide treasure hunt experience from CityDays . While the TV series this experience is based on has competitors racing for 50-plus days across multiple countries with little more than a map, a GPS tracker, and several thousand pounds to pay for travel, lodging, and food, this new London-based race runs anywhere from 2 to 4 hours and sees those taking part cover roughly 5km on foot through Central London. Staples of the BBC series - including budget management and navigating without a map - have been carried over and make up the core experience, which feels like the closest adaptation of the TV series possible without requiring a passport or more than an afternoon of your time. For us, our team of two began racing on a sunny Saturday afternoon outside of Liverpool Street station. The race kicked off with a dash to a nearby business (for us, a quiet pub about 10 minutes away from the main line station) to collect a black Race Across The World: The Experience branded envelope from behind the bar. Within it, eight banknotes and four see-through sheets with markings. The experience's instructions, which are all delivered via WhatsApp, told us to inspect the banknotes closely, as they were key to discovering the first pit stop location, whilst the see-through sheets would be needed to solve a physical puzzle later in the first leg. Photo: Immersive Rumours With a destination for the first leg figured out, one of Race Across The World's most important components - our team's budget - came into play. Just like in the show, each team is provided with a travel budget to spend on their race, totalling £30 (roughly the price of a black cab from Liverpool Street to the experience's final location). In each of the experience's three legs, you're presented with two options for directions, each with differing prices. Those with the cash to spare can pay over the odds for clear and concise directions, while those looking to be more frugal can pay less for more obtuse directions that require some lateral thinking to decode. While some set points throughout the race are the same for all teams, your chosen character's directions can lead you down very different paths from those who pick the alternative, making every choice you make matter all the more. With prices ranging from £10 to £25 for directions each leg, teams also need to pick up 'work' that comes in the form of riddles and puzzles that can be done on the move to top up their budget. If the price of directions isn't already high enough to make a team's wallet cry, there are time penalties for incorrect answers and monetary charges for those who require hints or directions if properly lost to also think about. Keen to get moving as soon as possible, but with one eye on each navigator's prices, we opt for The Tourist, who was the cheaper of our two options. While their instructions weren't always the easiest to follow, we were able to make good time and were well on our way to our first pit stop, until we hit an unexpected roadblock... Photo: Andreas Karamalikis A key part of Race Across The World: The Experience is that racers interact with and explore the real world. By using publicly accessible parts of the city, there is no doubt going to be situations that arise which are outside of the creator's control. We ran into one such situation after turning a corner on the outskirts of the Liverpool Street area, when we were met with a large cordon around the sculpture we needed to reach, thanks to a film crew setting up to shoot. With police guarding the closed area and a large group of protestors nearby, we had a brief, albeit tense, conversation with a police officer in which they told us to turn around. They were predictably unsympathetic to us, saying we were just trying to do a treasure hunt, so we had no choice but to spend more of our rapidly dwindling budget on hints in order to progress. Thankfully, this unplanned detour didn't detract from the experience and, in our case, actually added to it by forcing us to quickly improvise and work out alternative routes to get back on track with the clock still ticking away, though we'd be lying if we said we weren't still bitter about the hit to our in-game budget. Photo: Race Across The World - The Experience While several of the locations we ended up visiting throughout the afternoon were familiar to us from our collective 20-plus years of living in the city, being a local didn't give us any inherent advantage over those less familiar with the geography of London. The experience relies heavily on smaller back streets away from the hustle and bustle, so even the most knowledgeable Londoners will likely end up somewhere they've never been before. Each of the race's pit stops gives you a breather in some of the city's most photogenic urban areas, and with the clock paused, teams are free to take as long or short a break as they like before resuming the race. During each of these rest periods, an update as to your team's total time so far compared to other races is delivered via WhatsApp, allowing you to see how efficiently you've made it through each of the legs. While those with a competitive side will find themselves obsessing over how much time they've gained or lost in each leg and cursing every red pedestrian traffic light, we suspect even the most casual of players will enjoy seeing how they're stacking up against other racers. Outside of navigating the capital without a map, one of Race Across The World: The Experience's biggest strengths is that it forces you to engage and look at the city around you differently. Racers will spend a lot of time searching for small details on buildings, interrogating the text on memorials and statues, and searching for monuments to the past that you'd otherwise walk past without a second thought. Much like in the show, the most rewarding moments of this London-based experience come when you're exploring the road less travelled. Photo: Robert Bye A couple of hours into our race, and with the clock still ticking, we approached the final destination in our city-wide race - a waterfront pub to the east of the city. Uttering a code phrase to the bar staff secured us our final puzzle of the day - a padlocked bag containing the guestbook - and after working out the correct combination thanks to a collection of postcards from various globetrotters, all that was left to do was add our names to the guestbook, collect our Race Across The World keepsakes, and have a well-earned drink as the sun began to set. While London has no shortage of scavenger hunt experiences (CityDays has 11 other experiences available , with other companies offering similar themed experiences across all four corners of the city), Race Across The World: The Experience's combination of exploration, budget management and puzzling makes it a great family-friendly activity for those looking to get out and experience the city. For us, Race Across The World: The Experience more than lived up to the promise of delivering on the show's best bits, and stands out as one of the city's best treasure hunt experiences. This is a race we'd happily run again. ★★★★ Race Across The World: The Experience runs across Central London until 31st December 2025. Tickets are priced from £25.00 per person. For more info and to book tickets, visit feverup.com For more reviews of immersive experiences like Race Across The World: The Experience, check out our recent Reviews .

Image: CityDays/Race Across The World: The Experience Race Across The World: The Experience (West End) is the latest city-wide scavenger hunt experience from CityDays . Following hot on the heels of the original race, which launched back in May and had racers covering a route that took in the Barbican, the City and Tower Hill, this new West End edition runs for a limited time over the festive period and covers Mayfair, Soho and Covent Garden. Taking participants through winding backstreets, past Christmas markets and down glistening thoroughfares, it's a race against not only the clock but also other teams, thanks to a digital leaderboard. While the TV series this experience is based on has competitors racing for 50-plus days across multiple countries with little more than a map, a GPS tracker, and a bumbag full of local currency, the festive edition of the London-based race runs anywhere from 2 to 4 hours and sees those taking part cover roughly 5km on foot through Central London. Staples of the BBC series - including budget management and navigating without a map - have been carried over and make up the core of the race's experience. For our team of three, our race began outside Green Park station. After some limbering up and motivational words, we were off into Mayfair to a local business (in our case, a quiet pub about 5 minutes from the tube station) to collect a black Race Across The World: The Experience branded envelope from behind the bar. Within it are six festive postcards from around the globe, a card recounting a trip through a Christmas market, and a sheet of printed A5 paper. The experience's instructions, which are all delivered via WhatsApp, told us to inspect the postcards closely, as they were key to discovering the first pit stop location, whilst the Christmas card and A5 sheet would be needed to solve physical puzzles later in the race. Photo: Jamie Davies With a destination for the first leg soon figured out, one of Race Across The World's most important components - our team's budget - came into play. Just like in the show, each team is provided with a travel budget to spend on their race, totalling £30 of in-game currency. In each of the experience's three legs, teams are presented with two options for directions, each with differing prices. Those with the cash to spare can pay over the odds for clear and concise directions, while those looking to be more frugal can pay less for more obtuse directions that require some lateral thinking to decode. While some points throughout the race are the same for all teams, your initial selection can lead you down a very different path from those who pick the alternative, making every decision you make matter all the more. With in-game currency prices ranging from £15 to £25 for each leg's directions, teams will also need to pick up 'work' along the way, which comes in the form of riddles and puzzles that can be done on the move to top up their budget. If the price of directions isn't already high enough to make a team's wallet cry, there are time penalties for incorrect answers and financial penalties for those who require hints or directions. Photo: Daria Glakteeva At the end of each leg, there's a pit stop which provides teams a chance to catch their breath, and with the clock paused, teams are free to take as long or short a break as they like before resuming the race. During each of these rest periods, an update as to your team's total time so far compared to other racers is delivered via WhatsApp, allowing you to see how efficiently you've made it through each of the legs. Given the time of year, racing in the dark is going to be the reality for a lot of teams. Doing so presents some fun challenges when it comes to navigation and locating the necessary plaques, monuments and sculptures around town, and ups the race's difficulty in comparison to the original version. During one of the race's legs, we were tasked with reading the names attached to several busts, high above street level. Relying on the surrounding ambient light made it far harder to do than it would have been during the day, and spotting far-off street signs and landmarks is equally challenging. On the flip side, racing during daylight hours would rob teams of seeing a lot of the city's best Christmas lights, which is one of this race's biggest selling points, so choose your start time wisely. Photo: Marc Kleen Moving through the affluent streets of Mayfair, the backstreets of Theatreland and the less-trodden passageways of Covent Garden over the next few hours, our team made good time. Of course, there was the occasional wrong turn, but our game plan of paying the higher price for clearer directions, with additional work completed along the way to top up our budget, was paying off. Entering the final leg, we had risen up the leaderboard from third place to first, but with only a 14-second lead, the pressure was on. After navigating around a final horde of tourists, we entered our final pit stop. All that stood between us and immortalising our names in the padlocked check-in book was one final puzzle involving the greeting card we'd been carrying with us for most of the evening. A tense few minutes followed, as we scrambled to complete our last task, and before we knew it, we were done. With our commemorative keepsakes collected from behind the bar, there was nothing left to do but celebrate our success over a drink and reflect on a job well done. Photo: Hert Niks While several of the locations we ended up visiting throughout the race were familiar to us from our collective years of living in London, being a local doesn't give any inherent advantage over those less familiar with the geography of London. The experience often relies on smaller back streets away from the hustle and bustle, so even the most knowledgeable Londoners (black cab drivers excluded) will likely end up somewhere they've never been before. Although those with a competitive side will find themselves obsessing over how much time they've gained or lost in each leg and cursing every red pedestrian traffic light, we suspect even the most casual of players will enjoy seeing how they're stacking up against other racers. Photo: Toa Heftiba Outside of navigating the capital without a map, one of the race's biggest strengths is that it forces you to engage and look at the city around you differently. Racers will spend a lot of time searching for small details on buildings, interrogating the text on memorials and statues, and searching for blue plaques that you'd otherwise walk past without a second thought. Much like for those in the BBC series, the most rewarding moments of the experience come when you're exploring the road less travelled. While London has no shortage of scavenger hunt experiences (CityDays has at least 12 other experiences available , with other companies offering similar themed experiences across all four corners of the city), this West End edition of Race Across The World: The Experience's combination of exploration, budget management and puzzling makes it a great family-friendly activity for those looking to get out of the house, marvel at the Christmas lights and experience the city this festive season. ★★★★ Final race time: 02:40:09 Race Across The World: The Experience (West End) runs until 30th December 2025. Tickets are priced from £25.00 per person and can be booked via feverup.com For more reviews of immersive experiences like Race Across The World: The Experience (West End), check out our recent Reviews .

Secret Cinema has announced its long-awaited return today, with a new production based on the 1978 film 'Grease'. The show will run at Evolution London in Battersea Park from 1st August until 7th September 2025. It's the company's first London production adapting a film since 2022's Guardians of the Galaxy in Wembley Park. The two-and-a-half-hour experience will have over 30 performers amidst giant multi-screen platforms in an immersive theatrical setting, and will be directed by Olivier Award-winning actor, Aerialist and Creative Director Matt Costain, whose previous productions for Secret Cinema include Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Dirty Dancing. Director Matt Costain said: Secret Cinema returns bigger and better than ever, offering an experience like never before. We’ve always pioneered spectacular immersive worlds that culminated in an epic film screening. Now, in this new production of Grease, you’ll live the film from start to finish, fully absorbed in its heart. With the movie playing all around you and performances at every turn, you’ll really become part of the action. Secret Cinema Producer, Merritt Baer, said in a statement: I am thrilled that Secret Cinema is returning home to London for the first time since 2022, and what could be more electrifying than spending those summer nights with Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical. The move to Evolution London in Battersea Park marks both Secret Cinema’s most central location yet and the start of a three-year partnership that will see our world-class creative team present an iconic production each summer. Prepare to step back into your favourite movies with a dose of cinematic immersive flair that only Secret Cinema can deliver. The show is the first in a multi-year deal with Evolution London, which will also host Secret Cinema experiences in the summer of 2026 and 2027. Secret Cinema last staged an immersive version of Grease in Summer 2023 at Birmingham NEC with Grease: The Live Experience. Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical will run from 1st August to 7th September 2025 at Evolution London in Battersea Park. For more info and to sign up for pre-sale access, visit greasetheimmersivemoviemusical.com

Image: Peppa Pig: Surprise Party PEPPA PIG: Surprise Party, a groundbreaking immersive experience for preschool-aged children presented by Immersive Everywhere, and developed in collaboration with Hasbro, the leading games, IP and toy company, will open at Metrocentre Gateshead in spring 2026,   Promising an oink-tastic adventure, PEPPA PIG: Surprise Party invites little ones and their families to step inside the beloved animated series where they’ll explore Peppatown, meet Peppa’s friends and help plan the ultimate surprise celebration for Peppa herself. Blending live puppetry and theatrical performance with digital storytelling and sensory play, visitors are invited to explore at their own pace and engage with the experience however they like, meaning no two visits will ever be the same.   Hopping aboard ‘The Big Train’ to enter the experience, guests will meet plenty of Peppa’s friends along the way while helping with everything from choosing the perfect gift with Miss Rabbit and, of course, making sure the party cake is ready on time! Families can freely explore recognisable locations from the globally successful animated television series – including Peppa’s House and The Aquarium - each packed with exciting hands-on activities before ending with a very special surprise party. The 115-minute-long adventure will culminate in a showstopping celebration with Peppa’s family at Peppa’s House, complete with party hats, giggles and maybe even a few muddy puddles.    Adding to the fun, PEPPA PIG: Surprise Party will also be home to Party Rooms for private birthday celebrations, set to open shortly after launch. PEPPA PIG: Surprise Party brings Peppa’s world to life in a way families have never seen before - giving children the opportunity to interact directly with their favourite characters. Filled with playful hands-on activities that spark imagination, creativity and joyful learning, the experience is set to create lasting memories - and take its place as a much-loved addition to Newcastle’s family entertainment space.  Ahead of the full attraction launch next spring, on 28th November 2025, ‘PEPPA PIG Market’ will open at Metrocentre, offering families an early glimpse into the experience. Drawing inspiration from Peppa’s ‘Shopping’ episode, the interactive retail space combines exclusive merchandise with playful experiences, inviting young visitors to grab a trolley, explore the aisles, and head to the checkout just like Peppa and her family. Image: Peppa Pig: Surprise Party Tickets to PEPPA PIG: Surprise Party will be priced from £15.00 per adult and £20.00 per child. To find out more and sign up for the exclusive pre-sale from 18th November 2025, visit peppapigsurpriseparty.co.uk Tickets will go on general sale on 20th November and will be available to purchase online and in PEPPA PIG Market when it opens its doors on 28th November.

Photo: Angelina Cage If you survived the end of the world, what would you be willing to do to stay alive? What would you hold sacred? Would you be able to live with the decisions you had to make? Those are the questions posed in What We Must, an interactive storytelling experience from theatre maker Aaron James Oliver that draws inspiration from tabletop roleplaying games. Taking place within one of COLAB Towers' atmospheric tunnels, What We Must asks the audience to imagine that they're part of a burgeoning post-apocalyptic settlement somewhere in a ruined London and must traverse the city against the clock to not only return to safety but also warn their community of an impending threat. The exact details of who, when and why are left up to the audience, who collectively decide on the finer details of the apocalypse together at the start of the show. On the night we attended, the group decided that for us, the end of the world had been caused by a household AI that gained sentience and set off the world's nuclear arsenal while trying to make some toast, but the potential options for how the world ended are endless and left to those in attendance to decide, with everything from zombies to pandemics and climate change all on the table. Regardless of what is chosen, the world has ended, and we, as a group, are doing what we must to survive. Once the world has been sketched out, the show narrows its focus from collective invention to personal introspection, with each audience member asked to note down on small wooden tokens something their post-apocalyptic character treasures, someone they care about within the larger group, and their feelings towards their present position in the world. Although these notes don't tie directly into the show's story until its final moments, they serve as a grounding exercise to get those in attendance thinking about the toll of existing in the world they've just created and influence their thinking as the story plays out, encouraging them to remain true to the persona they've privately created. Photo: Angelina Cage In the centre of the tunnel, surrounded by the audience, sits a board that depicts the five steps the audience needs to advance through to make it home safely, as well as five lights - one of which is extinguished with each passing day. On each of the five days, a problem stands between the group and progress, and their decision on how to tackle it dictates whether they move forward, stay where they are, or are knocked back. During our playthrough, we came up against a bridge close to collapsing, injured strangers in desperate need of help, rival gangs, and the opportunity to do some much-needed looting for supplies. While they're all fairly well-trodden tropes of post-apocalyptic stories, the conversations and debates they spark force the audience to think about how they'd respond in those situations and state that choice for all to hear. Thankfully, there's nothing within What We Must that would cause raised voices and proper disagreements between the group, but as anyone who's ever played a TTRPG game or taken part in an experience that relies heavily on audience discussions will tell you, the loudest voices often win out and hold the greatest influence. While the group votes on all final decisions, the show's story is set in a world that's unfair and unforgiving. To that effect, everyone can choose to act ruthlessly and in their own best interests by overriding the group's decision and forcing their choice through, thanks to a skull token given to each audience member that can only be played once. If one of these tokens is played, their decision wins out, even if only a single player decided to do so. This selfishness has a cost, though - a die is added to the next day's roll, increasing the chances of rolling a six and lowering the group's chance of future success, potentially derailing their journey home. Depending on your personal feelings towards each of the problems posed throughout What We Must, the idea of being ruthless will land differently. During our playthrough, the group largely leaned towards being selfless and attempting to leave our ruined world slightly better than we found it. On the occasions that some disagreed with that idea, the idea of using a skull token quickly became the focus of the limited time given to talk through each scenario. Those who have a more pessimistic view will likely find themselves trying to gauge where the rest of the group stands and weigh up if others agree to potentially hold off using their skull token until later on, while those in favour of being altruistic will be trying to keep others on side. Photo: Angelina Cage Acting as a gamesmaster throughout, Aaron presents each scenario with fittingly evocative and powerful storytelling. Environmental details, characters and situations are all described in detail, creating a vivid picture in the audience's mind, and with each new day, the intensity increases. By the final days, the decisions got harder, the consequences greater, and the odds of survival slimmer. Alongside communicating the show's world to the group, Aaron deftly responds to every decision and question throughout, adapting and reshaping the story on the fly, meaning every show is unique. Adding to this, there's a live score by Viola Pippin Wood that soundtracks the show. Made up of sustained, minimalist drones, the score works overtime to underpin the story's bleak setting and add weight to every debate and story beat. Come the show's conclusion (which incorporates all of the group's personal notes from the show's opening), it ramps up to an emotive crescendo that complements Aaron's parting words perfectly and gives the final act of What We Must some real emotional heft. Photo: Angelina Cage In recent years, TTRPGs have seen a huge surge in popularity. While admittedly, it's not a world we're well-versed in, their influence and impact on popular culture (driven largely by Dungeons & Dragons) are still clear. The success of venues like RPG Taverns near Borough and The Archanist's Tavern in Hoxton, which both focus on creating spaces for people to engage with TTRPG games outside of their homes, shows that there's a huge number of people looking for meaningful experiences that revolve around communal storytelling, and the use of TTRPG mechanics in live experiences is giving creators new ways in which to create worlds and audiences new ways to experience them. With What We Must, Aaron Oliver has created an engaging and memorable piece of interactive storytelling that's as powerful as it is bleak. It's ideal for those looking to dip their toe into TTRPGs and see what all the fuss is about, fans of post-apocalyptic stories like The Last of Us and The Walking Dead, and those curious to see if their moral compass aligns with others. ★★★★ What We Must ran at COLAB Tower from 30th October to 1st November 2025. To stay up to date on future performances, follow Aaron James Oliver on Instagram at @aaron_oliver_storytelling .

Photo: Alex Brenner The Paddington Bear Experience at County Hall on London’s South Bank is to get a festive makeover ahead of the Christmas season.  With decorations including a 5.5 metre centrepiece Christmas tree, and festive treats including gingerbread paws, mince pies and orange hot chocolate, guests can celebrate Christmas within Paddington’s world from Saturday 16th November 2024 until Sunday 5th January 2025. Visitors are invited to step into Paddington’s world and embark on an exciting immersive adventure through some of the most memorable locations from the Paddington stories. Starting with the hustle and bustle of Paddington Station, guests are greeted by a friendly Station Master and taken on a lively train journey through London’s most famous landmarks all the way to the Browns’ charming house at No. 32 Windsor Gardens.  Photos: Alex Brenner Once inside the famous tree-adorned hallway, the Brown family whisk guests into a whirlwind of multi-sensory activities as they need to help Paddington and his family prepare for a very special occasion – The Marmalade Day Festival. With numerous themed rooms to explore, interactive games, character interactions, and lots of surprises along the way, the adventure culminates in a very special Windsor Garden Street party where visitors have the chance to enjoy the Marmalade Day festival. A range of food (including Paddington’s famous marmalade sandwich) and beverages are available to all, as well as an opportunity to enjoy fun and games with the Brown family. Photo: Alex Brenner The Paddington Bear Experience’s festive offering launches ahead of the bear’s latest cinematic outing, Paddington In Peru, which opens in UK cinemas on 8th November. The new film will see Paddington return home to the Peruvian jungle to visit his Aunt Lucy, now a resident at the Home for Retired Bears. With The Brown Family and Mrs Bird in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mysterious disappearance plunges them into an unexpected journey from the Amazon rainforest to the mountain peaks of Peru. Photos: Alex Brenner The Paddington Bear Experience is currently running at County Hall on South Bank. To find out more and book tickets, visit paddingtonbearexperience.com

The Annwn Prize – the first global award that celebrates excellence in immersive storytelling – has announced the four works shortlisted for its inaugural edition: Colored / Noire (Novaya) , Consensus Gentium (Karen Palmer) , Constantinopoliad (Sister Sylvester) and NOWISWHENWEARE (the stars) (Andrew Schneider) . An exhibition of the shortlisted works will open at Wales Millennium Centre in May 2026, giving audiences the opportunity to experience the very best work from across the world in the UK. The winner will be announced on Sunday, 14th June 2026, at an awards ceremony in Cardiff. The four shortlisted works, arranged alphabetically by title, are: Colored / Noire – France, Novaya Visitors equipped with augmented reality headsets and bone-conduction audio systems are transported to 1950s Alabama, at the heart of the civil rights struggle. The experience allows participants to relive, as if they were there, the courageous act of Claudette Colvin - a 15-year-old girl who, nine months before Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat on a bus. The selection committee commended its exceptional theatrical quality, essential and skilful writing and directing, as well as its groundbreaking use of Extended Reality (XR) to evoke deep emotional connection. Consensus Gentium – UK, Karen Palmer An innovative app immerses audiences in a near-future society where freedoms erode under biased AI and surveillance. As the protagonist, you navigate a government Global Citizen App to visit your sick Nana - subjected to tests that measure your compliance or dissent. Using facial detection and AI, the film reads your expressions and decisions in real time, creating a unique, personalised journey. The selection committee praised its emotionally charged, participant-driven narrative that powerfully explores digital citizenship, agency and surveillance - where the participants every choice reflects urgent questions of our connected future. Constantinopoliad – UK/Greece, Sister Sylvester An expanded cinema work that gathers its audience for an act of collective reading. A response to the archive of the poet Constantine Cavafy, the work is inspired by the blank and torn-out pages in “Constantinopoliad, an epic”, the journal the teenage Cavafy began when he and his family fled Alexandria. By Lost and missing archives through time, and by the ghosts, both erotic and historical, that visit the older Cavafy in his poems. The selection committee commended its use of touch, imagery, sound, and words to create a vivid experience for audiences - inviting you to embark on a journey into the imagination of a young Cavafy as he explores his creative potential and sexuality. NOWISWHENWEARE (the stars) – USA, Andrew Schneider An interactive theatrical installation where the audience steps into total darkness and becomes the centre of a shifting constellation. Guided by an unseen narrator, participants journey from complete sensory deprivation into a precisely programmed matrix of nearly 4,000 reactive LED lights and a 496-channel soundscape. Part meditation, part exploration, the work draws visitors into a hyper-focus of the present, tracing every decision they have made leading to that precise moment. The selection committee praised its highly original approach to spatial storytelling, precise technical virtuosity and masterful pacing that invites audiences to reflect on how we spend our time and the meaning we discover in everyday acts. The shortlist spans geographical representation and medium, with artists from four different countries exploring the possibilities of augmented reality, branching film, expanded cinema and interactive theatrical installation. The shortlisted works demonstrate excellence in compelling storytelling; make audiences an active and integral part of the piece; and utilise technologies to enhance, augment or impact our sense of reality. They must have been exhibited in a festival, tour or venue programme between January 2024 – July 2025 to be eligible. The Annwn Prize’s inaugural shortlist has been chosen by a selection committee, comprising six of a wider nominating panel of international curators and commentators: Mark Atkin , director, Crossover Labs; Ana Brzezinska , immersive curator, Barbican/Moment Factory; Samantha King , head of programme, VIVE Arts; Ellen Kuo , head of XR market, Newimages Festival; David Massey , senior producer for creative technology and storytelling, Wales Millennium Centre; Tom Millen , director, Crossover Labs. The Prize, launched in 2025 by Wales Millennium Centre and produced with Crossover Labs, marks a major new moment in the global arts calendar. Supported by Peter and Janet Swinburn , the winning artist or studio will be awarded £20,000 along with a bespoke residency to support the development of new work. Graeme Farrow, chief creative and content officer at Wales Millennium Centre, said: Our inaugural shortlist represents exactly what the Annwn Prize was established to celebrate: the pioneering nature of immersive storytelling to resonate with us in new and unique ways. The four shortlisted works are at the forefront of this rapidly evolving art form, the possibilities of which are matched only by the boundless creativity of the artists working within it. Huge congratulations to the shortlisted artists, and we look forward to bringing their extraordinary works to audiences at the Wales Millennium Centre next Spring. The shortlist selection committee, said: The Annwn Prize selection committee is excited to announce four works, celebrating excellence, storytelling and artistry. Together, we have compiled a selection that pushes the boundaries of storytelling and entertainment whilst maintaining high standards of technical proficiency and staging. The shortlist examines poignant and urgent themes such as social injustice, truth, love, and the very nature of existence. As a committee, we have enjoyed the opportunity to come together to hold honest and critical conversations about the extraordinary immersive work being created by artists around the world. The collection of finalists embodies what the Annwn Prize sets out to celebrate and demonstrates the vast possibilities of the art form itself. The Annwn Prize’s mission is to provide a global platform to elevate immersive storytelling as a vital pillar of cultural expression, celebrate pioneering artists and drive critical discussion of this art form, bringing exceptional and compelling work to UK audiences. Wales Millennium Centre is dedicated to exploring new ways of telling stories using immersive technology and celebrates creators working at the intersection of art and technology. In 2022, the centre launched Bocs, a dedicated space for immersive experiences and extended reality (XR), and in 2024, unveiled plans for a forthcoming, cutting-edge and digital-first performance creativity in Wales. To find out more about The Annwn Prize and the shortlist, visit annwnprize.com

Image: Punchdrunk UPDATE: Punchdrunk's LANDER 23 has now been delayed to November 2025 Groundbreaking immersive theatre company Punchdrunk have today announced its new project, LANDER 23, will premiere at its home in Woolwich, London, from 17 September 2025. A live action video game, LANDER 23 sees the immersive theatre pioneers collide with the world of gaming as never before, as audiences become players in a multiplayer stealth game. With genuine agency and true video game mechanics, LANDER 23 promises to become the 'next generation of immersive experience' according to the company. LANDER 23 splits players into two squads - Command (Drivers) and Ground Team (Fields). As the Fields navigate the alien landscape, they’ll rely solely on the voice and guidance of their Drivers, stationed aboard the ship. All players will wear a vest and headphones throughout the experience, which will feature pre-recorded performances and no live actors. A radical new format for Punchdrunk, LANDER 23 runs full pelt into the wilds of uncharted territory for them, and will undergo rigorous testing and iteration with live players. To recognise the early access nature of the first weeks of performances, all tickets (which must be purchased in multiples of two) are priced at £23, and those attending previews will be invited to play, provide feedback, and influence the future of the game. Players attending during previews may not experience the fully realised game, but will play a work-in-progress with full gaming and theatrical mechanics. From 7 October, standard pricing will apply. Felix Barrett Photo: Stephen Dobbie Felix Barrett, Artistic Director of Punchdrunk said: To make a video game live - and specifically a AAA adventure game - is the holy grail for me; to take the complete submersion in a world and the endless choice of where you go, who you talk to, how you choose to play the game, and to make that real. The future is inevitably tech-driven - how can we, as a company that is built on the magic of live experiences, create something that is not just as compelling as an evening on Fortnite or Zelda, but that elevates that experience to something more engrossing. Something which fires up both hemispheres of the brain, removes the passivity of sitting in a chair, and has a far longer-lasting impact. That’s our ambition for LANDER 23 - create the ultimate antidote to screens: instead of sitting on the sofa in front of your TV, what would happen if you threw away your controller, stepped inside the game and became your own avatar - relying on your ingenuity, dexterity and courage to survive. In real time. In real life. LANDER 23 will be a genuine live video game with integrated technology that brings video game mechanics to life. All the tropes that players know and love - maps guiding you to your goal, lives that can be lost and regenerated - will exist in   LANDER 23.  In the spirit of sustainability and accountability, the company will be repurposing the extraordinary world of Troy from The Burnt City - reimagined for a new narrative. LANDER 23's full description is as follows: The Lander Division of the Centre for Astrobiology is responsible for exploring the outer realms of the galaxy. No division goes further or deeper into the unknown. Tasked with discovering uncharted territories, exploring the outermost reaches and bringing back valuable data to the mothership. A week ago, the crew of Lander 23 vanished while harvesting a new and valuable energy source. A distress signal, then silence. You are the next crew in. Your mission is clear – continue their job without the same happening to you.  Time is not on your side. The environment is treacherous. There are hidden dangers lurking in the shadows. Do not deviate from the mission. The experience has been conceived, directed & designed by Felix Barrett, with Kath Duggan and Joel Scott co-directing. LANDER 23's game systems have been created by Meaning Machine , who create 'premium, author-driven AI characters that can play meaningful roles in the stories and objectives of their human creators'. LANDER 23 will begin previews on 5th November 2025, and will run until 30th March 2026 at One Cartridge Place, Woolwich. Tickets are priced from £23.00 for preview performances, from £41 for non-preview dates, and can be purchased via punchdrunk.com

This November, get ready for cosmic adventure and unexpected surprise as Riverside Studios plays host to The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Live Show. From 15th November 2025 to 15th February 2026, join Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Fenchurch and the most unlikely crew in the history of galactic adventure as they escape the destruction of Earth and set out on a quest to uncover the mysteries of Life, the Universe and Everything, armed with little more than a towel and one VERY depressed robot. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Live Show features a mix of pre-recorded celebrity voices and live performers , including well-loved British talent actor and comedian  Sanjeev Bhaskar  as the voice of  Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz , the infamous alien bureaucrat with a mission to destroy the Earth.  Lenora Crichlow  will voice  Tricia McMillian , also known as  Trillian , while journalist  Samira Ahmed  will appear as a newsreader reporting on the planet’s impending doom. BAFTA nominee  Tamsin Greig  will be the voice of  The Guide , the ever-present source of wisdom and guidance throughout the story.   Photos: Tamsin Greig, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Samira Ahmed Accompanying the line-up of celebrity voices in The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy Live Show is a stellar cast of live actors including  Benjamin Durham  ( 101 Dalmatians , UK Tour) and  Robert Thompson  ( Unforgivable , ITV) as Arthur Dent,  Oliver Britten  ( Down Cemetery Road , Apple TV+) and  Matt Colyer  ( Phantom Peak ) as Ford Prefect,  Kat Johns-Burke  ( Peaky Blinders: The Rise ) as Fenchurch,  Andrew Evans  ( The Polar Express ) as Marvin the Paranoid Android,  Lee VG  ( Only Fools and Horses: The Musical , Theatre Royal Haymarket) as Zaphod Beeblebrox,  Richard Costello  ( Death of England , National Theatre) as Slartibartfast,  Angelis Hunt  ( TINA: The Tina Turner Musical,  Aldwych )  and  Aya Elmansouri  ( Cinderella , Gatehouse) as Humma Kavula,  Briony Scarlett  as Eccentrica Gallumbits and  Tom Bowen  as Wowbagger, with  Alex Anthony Fevrier ( Jesus Christ Superstar , Watermill) and  Tamara Saffir  ( Grease,  Secret Cinema). Co-Created by Arvind Ethan David, protégé of Douglas Adams, this immersive experience invites audiences into a brilliantly imaginative universe unfolding across a series of interconnected spaces.  Moving from pub to spaceships to alien planets across the whole of Riverside Studios, room to room, participants encounter paranoid androids, all-knowing AIs, exotic aliens and are offered the chance to find their own ultimate meaning (which may or may not be 42..). Image: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy A story infused with Adams’ razor-sharp wit and surprising emotional depth, paired with music and dance, the experience delivers laughter, connection and an unforgettable adventure for longtime admirers of Douglas Adams and newcomers alike.   The evening begins in a rather unusual pub, where guests can settle in with a drink before being swept into a story filled with spectacle and cosmic mischief. From there, the adventure takes flight as participants hitch a ride on a passing spaceship, encounter interdimensional mice, and uncover the secrets of the universe in the most absurd and entertaining ways imaginable.   Speaking ahead of the show's opening, co-creator Arvind Ethan David commented: I first met Douglas when I was 18 years old, and he changed my life by inviting me into his orbit. 30 years later, it’s a singular honour to bring his masterwork, absurd and profound in equal measure, to new audiences, in a partnership with a world-class group of artists   With its combination of sharp comedy, big ideas and immersive storytelling, this is a production that will appeal to long-time fans of Adams’ work as well as those discovering its joyful madness for the very first time. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Live Show will run from 15th November 2025 to 15th February 2026 at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Standard tickets are priced from £42.00, and VIP tickets are priced from £72.00. For more information and to book tickets, visit hitchhikerslive.com Warning: Side effects may include sudden existential dread, unexpected hyperspatial detours and a burning desire for a really good cup of tea.

Image: Inventive Productions This September, London opens the iron gates to Hexmoor, an immersive cocktail adventure like no other - where dark magic runs deep, potions flow freely, and you become part of the story. From the minds behind viral sensations Alcotraz, Moonshine Saloon, and Avora, comes a thrilling new theatrical experience set inside a wizarding prison and cell block for sorcerers, where potions are your only way out. Alongside our world exists an unknown and unseen magic world. Those who commit crimes of dark arts within this world get sentenced to Hexmoor, a hidden penitentiary for rogue sorcerers. You will start your experience by being pulled out of the ordinary world into a secret passageway that leads to the large iron gates of Hexmoor. You will be met by Cordelia Constance-Xanthe, a powerful sorceress and the Head of Hexmoor Penitentiary, who will introduce the inmates to their new life behind bars - a life complete with the consumption of ‘potions’ that work to dampen the magical abilities of the prisoners. Image: Inventive Productions The day that you are convicted is of great importance, as it is the day on which a prophecy talks of the rise of an evil dark wizard and a team of prisoners who will defeat them. During your time at the ‘magical bar behind bars’, you can expect to cross paths and collude with the wizard prisoners of Hexmoor and the guards who contain them, discover secret areas and even travel through an ethereal portal, hidden within a fireplace in Hexmoor, to a real working Wand Shop.  Visiting inmates will don their official jumpsuits and rub shoulders with the notorious dark arts wizards who call Hexmoor home. Combining immersive theatre, film-like set design, magical special effects and world-class cocktails, Hexmoor will transport you to a world you can only imagine. Whilst the immersive experience unfolds, guests will enjoy three magical cocktails crafted by a team of mixologists, or more appropriately, hexologists. Intended to dampen abilities, with the right hex, these potions will enhance your time behind bars.  Image: Inventive Productions Created by Inventive Productions, the team behind the world-famous prison cocktail experience Alcotraz , the Wild-West world of Moonshine Saloon and the out-of-this-world Avora , Hexmoor is the world’s first immersive, wizarding prison experience and promises guests the experience of mysticism and alchemy.  Sam Shearman, creator of Hexmoor and founder of Inventive Productions, comments: Having successfully launched various experiences that cross multiple genres and themes, we can’t wait to take the best bits of them all and combine them into the hugely exciting wizarding world of Hexmoor. Our hope is to bring something entirely new to the interactive and immersive space, offering a little bit of escapism and fun to our audience. Hexmoor runs from 19th September 2025 near Hoxton station. Tickets are priced from £44.50 per person, and include three cocktails. For more information, and to book tickets, visit hexmoor.co.uk

Photo: Inventive Productions Hexmoor: Wizarding Prison is the latest show from Inventive Productions, the company behind Alcotraz, Avora and Moonshine Saloon - three of London's best-known immersive cocktail experiences . Based within the same venue as Alcotraz (a short walk from Hoxton Overground station), Hexmoor invites guests to serve their time behind bars under the watchful eye of Cordelia Constance-Xanthe, a sorceress who's said to dabble in the dark arts. Over 105 minutes, Hexmoor combines immersive performance, pyrotechnics and interactive sets to deliver a story which centres around an ancient prophecy that threatens the lives of everyone within its walls. Much like Inventive's other shows and Secret Cinema productions of years gone by, the experience begins before arriving at the venue with an online form. Sent on behalf of the Bureau of Arcane Order, the form is designed to determine guests' crimes and flesh out their own backstories, giving them a jumping-off point for conversations with the cast during their visit and easing them into the show's world. Depending on each guest's chosen magical discipline, many potential crimes are offered up, ranging from Grand Theft Brooms and reckless creature conjuring to trading cursed artefacts. Photo: Inventive Productions Once at the venue, guests receive an in-world health and safety briefing before being escorted to the iron gates of Hexmoor and placed under the supervision of Jamie, a human guard from Indianapolis who's ended up at Hexmoor as part of an exchange programme. While he's enthusiastic and keen to make a good impression on his superiors, Jamie is fairly clueless about the inner workings of Hexmoor's magical world. Working alongside them is tiefling guard Aephon, who's much more clued up on Hexmoor and makes a menacing first impression, sprinting full speed down a torchlit corridor towards the freshly imprisoned audience. After a warm welcome from Hexmoor's head, Cordelia, in their office, convicts are ushered into their cells and told to put on their green and white Hexmoor jumpsuits (a more fashion-forward colour scheme than Alcotraz's mandatory bright orange attire). Each of Hexmoor's cells holds up to six people, with smaller parties being grouped together in the same cell if necessary. Soon after settling into their cells, guests are told about the ongoing disappearances of Hexmoor's prisoner population by fellow inmate Sidwell, who claims a prisoner has vanished from Hexmoor every night for the last two months. Cordelia, ever keen to keep their prison in good standing, denies any nefarious goings-on, but in the next breath, a prophecy echoes throughout the prison, speaking of the evil Hollow King's return and the need for those within Hexmoor to find the fabled Cardinal Wand and get it into the hands of the 'chosen one' before the clock strikes midnight, lending credence to Sidwell's theory. Photo: Inventive Productions Much of Hexmoor's storyline comes via scenes performed by the cast in the centre of Hexmoor's main space. They're a notable step up in terms of production value from Inventive's other shows and feature pyrotechnics, dramatic lighting changes, choreographed fights and wand duels. Those in the farthest corners of the space may struggle to get a good sightline for some of these scenes, but the intimacy of the venue means that the key plot points still come across, even if prison bars obscure your view. Alongside the plot delivered through these key scenes, several curious tidbits are dropped by the show's cast during in-cell interactions, which happen sporadically throughout the show. They're a great opportunity to get answers to any burning questions, and as is the case with most immersive shows, the more guests put into these interactions, the more they'll get back. Across the board, Hexmoor's cast are happy to improv with prisoners, and deftly balance expanding the show's world and colouring in details of its overarching storyline with light-hearted moments of humour. Despite warnings of smoking and vaping (including Invisarettes) being banned within Hexmoor, tiefling guard Aephon can at one point be seen dealing invisible smokes to prisoners, offering freebies to those bold enough to ask, and interactions with Jamie and Sidwell concerning the crimes that saw guests end up behind bars often descend into banterous back and forths, as long as the show's rules, which prohibit crude and overly-friendly interactions with the cast, are respected. Photo: Inventive Productions While guests are confined to their cells for a lot of the show, there are several excursions that each group are taken on throughout the experience. The most substantial has guests casting a portal inside Cordelia's office to visit a wand shop in search of the Cardinal Wand. With a plume of green smoke and some magical words (improvised by a guest from each group), the office's fireplace gives way to a small corridor, teleporting guests directly outside the store. Inside, dusty boxes of wands are stacked up floor to ceiling, and further audience interactions with the eccentric Camomile (played by the same cast member as Cordelia) await. Later in the experience, small groups of guests are snuck out of their cells by Sidwell, who's keen to find out who they suspect of colluding with the Hollow King after revealing a hidden evidence board, complete with crude drawings of Hexmoor's staff and prisoners, all linked together with string and scribbled notes. Both of these scenes do a good job of involving the show's audience in the storyline, and their smaller capacity means that everyone has a chance to contribute, and much like in other Inventive Productions shows, it gives audiences some guaranteed face time with the show's cast outside of their cells. Photo: Inventive Productions Given the show's magical setting, it'll come as little surprise that several of Hexmoor's three included cocktails have flourishes that are in keeping with the world. Prisoners can expect to be served both a luminous green gin and elderflower cocktail that billows smoke and bubbles away, as well as a rum-based drink that changes colour with each additional ingredient throughout the experience, in addition to a third, slightly less visually impressive cocktail. Regardless of how Instagrammable each one is, they're also some of the best-tasting options on offer across all of Inventive Production's shows - likely helped by not requiring guests to provide their own spirits, unlike in Alcotraz and Moonshine Saloon. Those trying to apply logic and work out why prisoners would be served drinks while behind bars will be relieved to hear that these three cocktails are referred to in-world as potions, and are designed to dampen the magical abilities of the prison population. Photo: Inventive Productions Although it doesn't veer too far from Alcotraz's tried-and-tested structure, Hexmoor goes some way to building upon Inventive's original prison-based show and represents another ambitious step forward for the company, which has continually outdone itself with each new production. With a talented and committed cast, some great choreographed scenes and of course, three cocktails included as standard, it's hard not to fall under Hexmoor's spell. ★★★★ Hexmoor: Wizarding Prison is currently booking until 30th December 2026 on Hackney Road near Hoxton station. Tickets are priced from £53.95 per person and can be booked via hexmoor.co.uk For more reviews of immersive experiences like Hexmoor: Wizarding Prison, check out our recent Reviews .