Take a tour of the Crown Jewels aboard a Royal Carriage, but guests may just find themselves caught up in the audacious adventure of Ben and Granny as they attempt the greatest heist in history!

Need2Know

  • Min. Rider Height: 0.9m
  • Unaccompanied Height: 1.2m
  • Ride Photography: Yes
  • Fastrack: No

Tech Specs

  • Manufacturer: Garmendale Engineering
  • Ride Type: Spin Master 4D Dark Ride
  • Opened: 17th May 2021
  • Number of Cars: 4
  • Passengers per Car: 8

Situated in the Royal Alton Hall, the Crown Jewels Tour will take guests on an extended tour of the Queen’s most prized possessions. After the initial external queue line, guests eventually move to queue inside where the hallways are lined with a number of quirky portraits, some of which are accompanied by audio. There is also a group photo opportunity in a section of the interior queue.

Upon arriving in the loading station, guests are shown into a carriage which can seat up to 8 persons. Once safely seated, the tour commences, voiced by David Walliams himself, however guests soon encounter Granny and Ben and find themselves enlisted in the greatest jewel heist in history! Through a combination of themed sets, integrated video screens, 4D effects and some other surprises along the way, the adventure is magically brought to life.

The first step is to descend down into the sewers in order to gain entry to the vaults. Whilst seeking to evade the security system, Granny and Ben prime the door to the vault with dynamite before triggering an explosion. Inside awaits the orb (although not the crown itself) which Granny seeks to remove by replacing it with a tin of cabbage soup, so as not to set-off the pressure pad. However, in her excitement, Granny knocks the can off, alerting the guards and Beefeaters to theirs and guests’ presence!

With panic ensuing and the gate about to close, the carriage carrying guests momentarily loses power, although it recovers in time to reach the River Thames. Guests join Granny and Ben underwater, where they evade the police peering out from H.M.S Belfast. Back on the streets of London, Granny and Ben manage to locate the former’s mobility scooter with a high speed chase ensuing with ‘the fuzz’, ending with everyone crashing into Buckingham Palace!

Inside Granny and Ben spot the crown, however the Queen herself is keeping watch. Seeing an opportunity, Ben pulls out a plug, plunging the room into darkness… When the lights turn back on, the crown is gone, along with Granny and Ben, leaving guests with what is now a very angry Queen who assumes it was them responsible for the theft! The Queen summons the guards to use her cannon, ‘Big Betty’, as well as setting her corgi, Monty, on the guests.

Guests disembark from the ride in a separate unload station, emerging into a crime scene where police are on the lookout for suspects in the theft of the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately, guests may just find it is their mug shots which are on display!

Rumours of a Gangsta Granny attraction coming to Alton Towers first emerged in April 2019, when David Walliams made reference to a “Gangsta Granny ride at Alton Towers” in an interview for Britain’s Got Talent.

In August 2019, themed construction fencing was erected around the building formerly home to Wobble World and, more recently, House of Monsters during Scarefest, teasing the arrival of a new attraction in 2020.

In October 2019, Alton Towers officially confirmed that The World of David Walliams was due to open at the Resort in Spring 2020, with an unnamed headline attraction.

On 8th January 2020, David Walliams revealed on his personal twitter account that Gangsta Granny: The Ride would be coming to Alton Towers, with the Resort making a full announcement early the following day.

Unfortunately, due to the COVID pandemic, the opening of the attraction was postponed until Spring 2021. The ride eventually opened on 17th May 2021, the day that indoor attractions were permitted to re-open following the easing of lockdown restrictions.