Madame Tussauds Blackpool (From Keighley News)

Madame Tussauds Blackpool

9:00am Tuesday 18th October 2011 in Leisure By David Knights

You can't hold a candle to Madame Tussauds as a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

Visiting this Blackpool waxworks was a lot more enjoyable than I expected.

What I expected were unrealistic-looking dummies of once-famous people in tacky tableaux.

But this is a really classy attraction where imaginative settings highlight the skilled work of the sculptors.

The five floors contain dozens of figures, in imaginative settings, with enough to fascinate all ages. Although our children hadn't heard of many of the subjects they were still enthralled for the entire visit.

When we last visited a couple of years ago we were very impressed, even if some of the figures were past their sell by date.

But now, thanks to a major revamp, everyone is either an up-to-date celeb or truly deserves their place in the all-time Hall of Fame.

There are brand new icons like Lady Gaga, Ben Fogle and Alan Carr, joining the likes of Ant and Dec, Alan Titchmarsh, Russell Brown and Gary Lineker.

Some of the settings have been inventively updated: the Jurassic Park dinosaurs are now documentary stars, while the Indiana Jones jungle has become the setting for I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

Several other galleries have been completely updated, with new interactive displays and imaginative ways of putting the figures in context.

That said, many people's ideas of interaction is simply to get photographed alongside the celebs!

The journey begins in with a welcome from the famous TV presenters including Cheryl Cole, Bruce Forsyth, Gok Wan and Jamie Oliver.

There's a visit to the cop shop to meet fictional crime busters, to the football locker room for sporting heroes, to the TV studio with Jeremy Kyle, and of course to an authentically-recreated Rovers Return.

A walk through the music Hall of Fame brings you face-to-face with rock and pop icons past and present.

Blackpool Pier features stars of variety including Benny Hill, Morecambe and Wise, the Two Ronnies and Barbara Windsor.

The campaign's home to one of the most interesting displays, a behind-the scenes visit with chatty man Alan Carr taking us through the painstaking process of turning him into a dummy. In short: a fun way to make new friends!

Duration: about two hours.

Age suitability: enough to keep all ages interested.

Access: wheelchair access to all floors by lift.

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Open: daily all year round.

Prices: on the door, adults £14.40, children £11.40, concession £12.20, family £42.60; several pounds cheaper online; packages for people visiting other Blackpool attractions like the Tower, Dungeons and Sea Life.

Getting there: on Blackpool seafront, near the Tower and next to the Sea Life Centre.

Parking: several town centre car parks.

Website: www.madametussauds.co.uk.

Phone: 0871 282 9200