GET HCM
magazine
Sign up for the FREE digital edition of HCM magazine and also get the HCM ezine and breaking news email alerts.
Not right now, thanksclose this window I've already subscribed!
Follow Health Club Management on Twitter Like Health Club Management on Facebook Join the discussion with Health Club Management on LinkedIn
FITNESS, HEALTH, WELLNESS

Latest news

Crowdfunding campaign launched to revive classic British kids show Fun House as a visitor attraction

Nostalgia is likely to play a key role in determining whether or not hit 90s kids show Fun House will be resurrected as a visitor attraction, after a team including former show host Pat Sharp launched an IndieGoGo campaign to revive the show in London.

Mark Wells and Glen Middleham – who have more than 45 years of television production experience between them – are behind the project, as well as Sharp and original show producer Scott Stone.

The team are seeking £650,000 (US$825,000, €739,000) to bring a Fun House attraction to life, with fans able to pre purchase tickets as part of the fundraising effort.

Wells, who executive produced, produced and directed some of the biggest titles on British television such as Top of the Pops, The BRIT Awards and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, alongside Middleham said the initial reaction “has been very strong”.

“There’s a big amount of social media activity running alongside it. Fun House just seems to be one of those shows that people have this incredible affection for,” he told Attractions Management.

Bring Back Fun House! from [email protected] on Vimeo.

Wells and the rest of the team are hoping that fond childhood memories of the show will encourage pledges in a similar style to the Crystal Maze live experience, another cult hit , which was turned into a visitor attraction last year following a successful crowdfunding campaign.

“There’s obviously a set demographic,” said Wells. “If you’re in your 30s then you’re likely to have watched the show at some point in your childhood. We felt from a demographic point of view it was an incredibly attractive proposition.

“It reminds people of a time in their lives where they didn’t have a care in the world. They would come home and they would turn on the TV at 4:45pm to enjoy this fantastic colorful, bright, lively, noisy show for half-an-hour. That’s what we’re tapping into – the feeling of that experience.”

Ahead of creating the fundraising campaign, Wells contacted Pat Sharp, who he had worked with earlier in his career.

“Pat was incredibly supportive from the get go,” he said. “He says there isn’t a day that goes by where somebody doesn’t come up to him on the street and talk about Fun House so he was instantly interested in what we might be able to achieve. We were absolutely sure that if we wanted to do this we had to have Pat’s support from the outset.”

If crowdfunding is successful, a senior management team will be brought in to bridge the gap between attractions and entertainment production. A couple of sites within Greater London are currently being discussed for the Fun House attraction, though those have not yet been revealed.

The experience, which will last around two hours, has been pencilled in for a launch date of early 2018.

Fun House aired on CITV from 1989 to 1999, having been adapted from a US show of the same name. On the show, two teams each consisting of a boy and girl representing schools from around the UK would compete over three rounds. Round one would typically use gunge in some form, with round two being a go-kart race. The show would culminate with a race into the Fun House, where contestants would have to race around to win prizes.

For more on the fundraising campaign, click here.

Related news

Stephen Merchant to host Crystal Maze celebrity special at London attraction

05 Sep 2016
Following huge success as a visitor attraction, the recreation of beloved British game show The ...

Exclusive: Crystal Maze creator reveals new details about upcoming project

18 Jan 2016
Tom Lionetti-Maguire, co-creator of the upcoming Crystal Maze Experience, has revealed to Attractions Management exclusive ...

Crystal Maze experience coming to London in March

01 Dec 2015
Crowdfunded plans to revive hit UK 90s game show The Crystal Maze as a visitor ...
Nostalgia is likely to play a key role in determining whether or not hit 90s kids show Fun House will be resurrected as a visitor attraction, after a team including former show host Pat Sharp launched an IndieGoGo campaign to revive the show in London.
VAT
THUMB19770_942828.jpg
Latest News
Les Mills has launched a reformer Pilates workout. The 45-minute workout blends traditional reformer movements ...
Latest News
The inaugural HCM Invest event has opened applications for pitching slots ahead of its launch ...
Latest News
Girls in the UK are missing out on 280 million hours of sport every year ...
Latest News
According to research which tracked more than 147,000 people for 30 years, 90-120 minutes of ...
Latest News
Everlast Gyms expands its footprint outside of the UK this month with the imminent launch ...
Latest News
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of  Physical activity guidelines: ...
Latest News
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and wellness ...
Latest News
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international portfolio, with ...
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Social fitness the missing link to member engagement, according to a new Myzone report
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Starpool supports Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, says Riccardo Turri
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Find out how your gym can tap into the corporate wellness boom
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Greg Bradley looks at the shift towards strength training in gyms and advises on how operators can create the ultimate training environment
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
David Lloyd is stepping up its commitment to women’s health as it continues to explore what fit-for-purpose looks like for the female population
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
SnowDome Fitness has added 50 per cent more space with cutting-edge Technogym solutions
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Third Space partnered with IndigoFitness to deliver a bespoke training space for its new club at The Whiteley
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
EGYM has opened a new HQ in Paternoster Square, London and revealed a range of new launches
HCM promotional features
HCM magazine
Would you stop selling memberships to prevent your club getting overcrowded? How do you strike the balance between maximising profits and prioritising the member experience? Kath Hudson talks to the experts
HCM magazine
Shaping the future of the sector with a clear mission, unified voice and open channels of communication. This is the ambition of UK Active’s new chair
HCM magazine
HCM People

Shaun Grove

Owner, Stride Fitness
My goal was to invest in where fitness is going, not where it’s already been
HCM magazine
People on weight loss drugs reduce their activity levels, according to a team at St John’s Hospital Illinois
HCM magazine
As the 20th State of the Industry Report is released, LeisureDB has rebranded to Evolve, as Kath Hudson reports
Opinion
promotion
Strength training has moved from the margins to the mainstream.
Opinion: Building smarter strength spaces for today’s operators
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Legends never die: four legends, four philosophies of life
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Introducing a new era of Nautilus Leverage
Strength training has never been more important for member retention, facility differentiation and long-term commercial success.
Company profiles
Company profile: Gharieni Group
With a presence in 140+ countries, Gharieni is trusted by the world’s most prestigious professional ...
Company profiles
Company profile: Everyone Active
Everyone Active's aim is to get communities active, engaged and entertained through our wide-ranging activities ...
Supplier Showcases
Supplier Showcase - Future-proofing
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
Speedflex (UK press release: Inclusive Fitness in action: The Speedflex Blade at Gym Possible
Following the successful installation of the Speedflex Blade at Gym Possible, the UK based charity gym dedicated to making exercise accessible for people with physical disabilities, the innovative training solution has quickly become one of the facility’s
Featured press releases
BLK BOX press release: Inside the Player Gym at The Open, equipped by BLK BOX
The performance facility at Royal Birkdale gives the world’s leading golfers access to strength, conditioning, mobility and recovery equipment throughout Championship week.
Directory
Spa and beauty equipment
Oakworks Inc: Spa and beauty equipment
Fitness tracking platform
SpiviTech: Fitness tracking platform
Industrial washing machines
Miele Company Limited: Industrial washing machines
Lockers
Crown Sports Lockers: Lockers
Hot tubs
MSpa International Ltd: Hot tubs
Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Aquaform s.r.l.: Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Property & Tenders
Stratford, East London.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Property & Tenders
Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Newmark
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
Diary dates
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
22-22 Oct 2026
QEII Conference Centre, London,
Diary dates
26-29 Oct 2027
Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany
Diary dates

Latest news

Crowdfunding campaign launched to revive classic British kids show Fun House as a visitor attraction

Nostalgia is likely to play a key role in determining whether or not hit 90s kids show Fun House will be resurrected as a visitor attraction, after a team including former show host Pat Sharp launched an IndieGoGo campaign to revive the show in London.

Mark Wells and Glen Middleham – who have more than 45 years of television production experience between them – are behind the project, as well as Sharp and original show producer Scott Stone.

The team are seeking £650,000 (US$825,000, €739,000) to bring a Fun House attraction to life, with fans able to pre purchase tickets as part of the fundraising effort.

Wells, who executive produced, produced and directed some of the biggest titles on British television such as Top of the Pops, The BRIT Awards and Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, alongside Middleham said the initial reaction “has been very strong”.

“There’s a big amount of social media activity running alongside it. Fun House just seems to be one of those shows that people have this incredible affection for,” he told Attractions Management.

Bring Back Fun House! from [email protected] on Vimeo.

Wells and the rest of the team are hoping that fond childhood memories of the show will encourage pledges in a similar style to the Crystal Maze live experience, another cult hit , which was turned into a visitor attraction last year following a successful crowdfunding campaign.

“There’s obviously a set demographic,” said Wells. “If you’re in your 30s then you’re likely to have watched the show at some point in your childhood. We felt from a demographic point of view it was an incredibly attractive proposition.

“It reminds people of a time in their lives where they didn’t have a care in the world. They would come home and they would turn on the TV at 4:45pm to enjoy this fantastic colorful, bright, lively, noisy show for half-an-hour. That’s what we’re tapping into – the feeling of that experience.”

Ahead of creating the fundraising campaign, Wells contacted Pat Sharp, who he had worked with earlier in his career.

“Pat was incredibly supportive from the get go,” he said. “He says there isn’t a day that goes by where somebody doesn’t come up to him on the street and talk about Fun House so he was instantly interested in what we might be able to achieve. We were absolutely sure that if we wanted to do this we had to have Pat’s support from the outset.”

If crowdfunding is successful, a senior management team will be brought in to bridge the gap between attractions and entertainment production. A couple of sites within Greater London are currently being discussed for the Fun House attraction, though those have not yet been revealed.

The experience, which will last around two hours, has been pencilled in for a launch date of early 2018.

Fun House aired on CITV from 1989 to 1999, having been adapted from a US show of the same name. On the show, two teams each consisting of a boy and girl representing schools from around the UK would compete over three rounds. Round one would typically use gunge in some form, with round two being a go-kart race. The show would culminate with a race into the Fun House, where contestants would have to race around to win prizes.

For more on the fundraising campaign, click here.

Related news

Stephen Merchant to host Crystal Maze celebrity special at London attraction

05 Sep 2016
Following huge success as a visitor attraction, the recreation of beloved British game show The ...

Exclusive: Crystal Maze creator reveals new details about upcoming project

18 Jan 2016
Tom Lionetti-Maguire, co-creator of the upcoming Crystal Maze Experience, has revealed to Attractions Management exclusive ...

Crystal Maze experience coming to London in March

01 Dec 2015
Crowdfunded plans to revive hit UK 90s game show The Crystal Maze as a visitor ...
Nostalgia is likely to play a key role in determining whether or not hit 90s kids show Fun House will be resurrected as a visitor attraction, after a team including former show host Pat Sharp launched an IndieGoGo campaign to revive the show in London.
VAT
THUMB19770_942828.jpg

Latest news

Les Mills has launched a reformer Pilates workout. The 45-minute workout blends traditional reformer movements
The inaugural HCM Invest event has opened applications for pitching slots ahead of its launch
Girls in the UK are missing out on 280 million hours of sport every year
According to research which tracked more than 147,000 people for 30 years, 90-120 minutes of
Everlast Gyms expands its footprint outside of the UK this month with the imminent launch
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of  Physical activity guidelines:
Strength training has never been more important for member retention, facility  differentiation and long-term commercial
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and wellness
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international portfolio, with
Sophie Lawler, CEO of Total Fitness, has launched a leadership coaching business aimed at helping
Anytime Fitness reaches a milestone this week with the launch of its 6000th site. The
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK, creating
YogaSix, the yoga brand owned by Xponential Fitness, has launched a heated, Pilates-inspired class called
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the stage
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following a
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued through the
Hyrox has announced it will be working with a second charity in the upcoming season
US low-cost operator, Amped Fitness, has launched a flagship location in Texas, debuting its multi-sensory
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a 4,000sq ft flagship at Marylebone
The LifeFit Group continues its buy and build strategy with the acquisition of the Fitness
An ambitious women’s only strength and lifting studio concept is set to launch in Dallas this
Finnish outdoor fitness equipment specialist, Omnigym, has partnered with charity, Emmaüs Solidarité, to launch an
1 - 20 of 12,300
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Social fitness the missing link to member engagement, according to a new Myzone report
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Starpool supports Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs, says Riccardo Turri
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Find out how your gym can tap into the corporate wellness boom
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Greg Bradley looks at the shift towards strength training in gyms and advises on how operators can create the ultimate training environment
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
David Lloyd is stepping up its commitment to women’s health as it continues to explore what fit-for-purpose looks like for the female population
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
SnowDome Fitness has added 50 per cent more space with cutting-edge Technogym solutions
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
Third Space partnered with IndigoFitness to deliver a bespoke training space for its new club at The Whiteley
HCM promotional features
Sponsored
EGYM has opened a new HQ in Paternoster Square, London and revealed a range of new launches
HCM promotional features
HCM magazine
Would you stop selling memberships to prevent your club getting overcrowded? How do you strike the balance between maximising profits and prioritising the member experience? Kath Hudson talks to the experts
HCM magazine
Shaping the future of the sector with a clear mission, unified voice and open channels of communication. This is the ambition of UK Active’s new chair
HCM magazine
HCM People

Shaun Grove

Owner, Stride Fitness
My goal was to invest in where fitness is going, not where it’s already been
HCM magazine
People on weight loss drugs reduce their activity levels, according to a team at St John’s Hospital Illinois
HCM magazine
As the 20th State of the Industry Report is released, LeisureDB has rebranded to Evolve, as Kath Hudson reports
HCM magazine
Fuel the debate about issues and opportunities across the industry. We’d love to hear from you. Write to [email protected]
HCM magazine
A new report puts physical activity at the heart of healthcare, says Muir Gray
HCM magazine
Software suppliers explain how AI, automation and connected digital experiences can work for the good of operators and consumers
HCM magazine
The new CEO of UK Active talks to HCM about the gym-curious and why he believes the sector can double in size by the end of the next decade
HCM magazine
We’ve reduced the level of council investment over the last three years by 40 per cent and increased our turnover by 9 per cent
HCM magazine
After decades of focusing on adult audiences, operators are starting to engage young people – unlocking growth opportunities while supporting the health and wellbeing of future generations
HCM magazine
Opinion
promotion
Strength training has moved from the margins to the mainstream.
Opinion: Building smarter strength spaces for today’s operators
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Legends never die: four legends, four philosophies of life
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Introducing a new era of Nautilus Leverage
Strength training has never been more important for member retention, facility differentiation and long-term commercial success.
Company profiles
Company profile: Gharieni Group
With a presence in 140+ countries, Gharieni is trusted by the world’s most prestigious professional ...
Company profiles
Company profile: Everyone Active
Everyone Active's aim is to get communities active, engaged and entertained through our wide-ranging activities ...
Supplier Showcases
Supplier Showcase - Future-proofing
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
Speedflex (UK press release: Inclusive Fitness in action: The Speedflex Blade at Gym Possible
Following the successful installation of the Speedflex Blade at Gym Possible, the UK based charity gym dedicated to making exercise accessible for people with physical disabilities, the innovative training solution has quickly become one of the facility’s
Featured press releases
BLK BOX press release: Inside the Player Gym at The Open, equipped by BLK BOX
The performance facility at Royal Birkdale gives the world’s leading golfers access to strength, conditioning, mobility and recovery equipment throughout Championship week.
Directory
Spa and beauty equipment
Oakworks Inc: Spa and beauty equipment
Fitness tracking platform
SpiviTech: Fitness tracking platform
Industrial washing machines
Miele Company Limited: Industrial washing machines
Lockers
Crown Sports Lockers: Lockers
Hot tubs
MSpa International Ltd: Hot tubs
Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Aquaform s.r.l.: Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Property & Tenders
Stratford, East London.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Property & Tenders
Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Newmark
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
Diary dates
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
22-22 Oct 2026
QEII Conference Centre, London,
Diary dates
26-29 Oct 2027
Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany
Diary dates
Search news, features & products:
Find a supplier:
Partner sites