Immerse LDN Archives

May 16, 2025May 16, 2025

Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition review – a sight to see

It might be more Hollywood than British Museum, but this ancient Egyptian showcase delivers on spectacle, scarabs and VR baubles

This isn't Indiana Jones, it's King Tut, but not as you know him - image by Jon Massey — This isn’t Indiana Jones, it’s King Tut, but not as you know him – image by Jon Massey

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First off, the important thing to know about Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition is what it is and what it isn’t.

Madrid Artes Digitales’ extensive installation at Excel’s Immerse LDN isn’t a serious showcase of archaeological artefacts.

If you want to see the genuine stuff, pop over to the British Museum where they have a vast array of real things dating back 3,000 years.

The Russell Square institution has more than 100 mummies alone and they’ll let you look at them for free.

Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition has perhaps a dozen, somewhat sorry-looking historic objects, plus a bunch of replicas in varying degrees of quality.

Somebody didn’t want to pay the extra cash for the King Tut mask with the inlays, so the colours are just painted on.

But this is because Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition is really all about spectacle.

The visuals are stunning, even if the narrative arc is far from clear - image by Jon Massey — The visuals are stunning, even if the narrative arc is far from clear – image by Jon Massey

a flurry of facts

Visitors are initially introduced to a series of museum-like displays offering info on the Boy King and the discovery of his barely-touched tomb in the 1920s.

These are pretty informative, presenting a drip-feed of knowledge.

There are teasing mysteries too such as the questions over Tutankhamum’s parentage – was his mum actually the famous Nefertiti, for example?

There’s quite a bit on archaeologist Howard Carter, his partnership with Lord Carnarvon and how their blockbuster discovery took the world by storm.

There’s some depth – just enough to get the neurons firing as we wander into a space grandly titled “The Treasure Room”.

But this is not a touring museum, it’s an entertainment.

The replicas that lie within – including a full-size mummy, the ersatz death mask plus the odds-and-ends collection of bits from ancient Egypt – are only an aperitif.

What this “exhibition’s” creators are really all about is digital.

Replicas in the exhibitions' 'Treasure Room' - image by Jon Massey — Replicas in the exhibitions’ ‘Treasure Room’ – image by Jon Massey

Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, a digital spectacle

First we enter a room with projections on all four walls and the floor. Here, a 30-minute looped video presents a visually arresting vision of – what exactly?

Golden geckos run around the floor, sandstorms act as screen wipes, followed by infestations of scarabs, scorpions and, at one point, an unstoppable cascade of golden jewellery.

Lightning flashes, deep voiceovers intone important-sounding words. If there is a narrative at all, presumably it’s the life of King Tut, but to be honest, that’s not the point.

It’s a surprisingly fun and engaging watch.

Imaginative in the extreme (Gods come to life, temple pillars telescopically retract for unclear reasons), it’s like an ancient Egyptian acid trip made flesh for our amusement.

This is equally true of the not one, but two VR experiences that follow.

The first takes place in a swivel chair and starts off as a tour of the tomb.

Reality is quickly left behind, however as we ascend to the afterlife, complete with lava, giant God statues and a heart weighing ceremony with Anubis.

The graphics aren’t amazing and the content is balderdash – Nefertiti is now definitely Tut’s mum, for example – but it’s diverting for seven minutes or so.

In the second one, we don headsets and wander around a room.

One minute we’re in the tomb, the next we’re on the dig site.

Then we’re half trapped under some poorly rendered sand.

Other guests are represented as the top third of a greyscale Howard Carter, which adds an extra level of silliness to proceedings.

Maybe there’s a plot but who knows? And frankly, who cares?

At about £25 a go the ride is amusing.

There’s a light shower of facts, followed by at least 90 minutes of solid nonsense that’s worth a watch purely because nobody seems at any point to have queried whether it’s a good idea to flood the screen with golden rings, just because you can.

Even what purports to be a serious holographic presentation of the mummification process features sky water, or something.

You have to see it to believe it.

4/5 ****

Columns are brightly coloured and sometimes bounce up and down like telescopes - image by Jon Massey — Columns are brightly coloured and sometimes bounce up and down like telescopes – image by Jon Massey

key details: Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition

Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition is booking until June 29, 2025, at Excel London’s Immerse LDN in Royal Victoria Dock.

Tickets start at £22 plus booking fees and can be purchased via Eventim or Fever.

The exhibition is located about five minutes from Custom House station offering DLR and Elizabeth Line services.

Find out more about the experience here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

August 22, 2024August 22, 2024

Friends The Experience: The One In London opens at Excel

Exhibition and conference centre’s kilometre-long waterside entertainment district, Immerse LDN, welcomes its first attraction

Three people sit on the orange Friends sofa in front of a fountain at Friends The Experience: The One In London — Friends The Experience: The One In London has opened its doors in east London

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“It’s comforting, welcoming and inviting – many people watch Friends again and again and have told us it’s the last thing they see before going to bed,” said Kathleen Wallis, vice president of global themed entertainment at Warner Bros. Discovery and one of two people heading up the creation of a new attraction in east London.

Together with Stacy Moscatelli, CEO of OGX Productions, the pair have taken a space at Excel’s newly minted Immerse LDN waterfront strip and conjured forth a little bit of sitcom magic.

The Friends Experience: The One In London opened its doors this month (August, 2024), offering visitors the chance to pose and snap away in a series of painstakingly recreated sets from the show.

Not only that, there’s a chance to enjoy themed refreshments in a New York-style space after exploring the attraction and a gift shop.

That this experience should be launching some two decades after the final episode aired, is testament to the comedy’s enduring popularity – the fact it has found fresh fans as younger audiences fall for the trials and tribulations of Rachel, Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler and Joey.

Image shows three people posing at a table in Monica's apartment at The Friends Experience — A series of Friends sets have been painstakingly recreated at Immerse LDN

the mass appeal of Friends

“It’s got universal themes and many people use the show to learn how to speak English,” said Stacy.

“Everyone growing up experiences first love, room mates, navigating apartments, jobs, choosing careers, falling out – it’s just very relatable.

“The show was really well done and has held up – it’s still very enjoyable to watch.”

The attraction at Immerse LDN – which will house a number of visitor experiences as well as a food hall at the east London conference and exhibition centre – has its roots in a New York pop-up.

“We were talking around the studio about the 25th anniversary of Friends, so we decided to do something like a pop-up in New York City for 30 days in Soho,” said Kathleen.

“That was in 2019 and it was massively successful. I think everyone is a Friends fan on some level.

“We’ve been creating these live experiences in different locations for a few years now, so we see the emotional reaction people have when they come into the spaces.

“The novelty of that never wears off – watching people being in the space, their reactions and where they take their pictures.

“With this one, we started off by thinking about what a fan would be disappointed by if we didn’t have it in a location like this – what should be in London?”

Image shows three people posing with mugs on the Friends sofa at Central Perk — Visitors can relax on the sofa at Central Perk

£20 entry to Friends The Experience

Visitors who pay the £20 ticket price will find a selection of sets such as the fountain from the title sequence, the characters’ apartments and a faithful recreation of coffee shop and sometime gig venue, Central Perk.

What’s fresh for this edition of the experience, however, are some significant nods to London including a tribute to Joey getting lost with his camcorder and Emily and Ross’ wedding.

“This is more than a pop-up, it’s a flagship creation here in London, where we bring to life all of the iconic sets and some of the fun from some of the episodes that people loved the most,” said Stacy.

“They get to immerse themselves in those places and relive what they loved about the show.”

Kathleen added: “While it’s a show that everyone has watched at some point, people haven’t stepped inside the physical spaces before.

“We start with the opening credits, the fountain, the music and then all the things you would expect.

“But we also fly visitors to London and we’ve got the interior of the chapel where visitors can recreate Ross’ wedding.”

While the altar isn’t real – you have to hop on the DLR to Shadwell to visit St John’s Church in Wapping, which was used for the location shoots in the series, for that – the romance certainly is.

“My favourite thing about these experiences we’ve created is the proposals,” said Kathleen. “We’ve had 270 across all our locations so far, which is amazing.

“I think it shows the emotional connection people have with the series, that it makes sense for them to do that in our sets.”

Image shows two people posing at an altar in a church from Friends — Locations from scenes in London have also been recreated

emotional scenes

Stacy added: “I’ve seen the doors open and people just break down crying because it’s so emotional for them to be here on a set.

“We really hope that people have a joyful experience.

“As you walk through, we have a lot of episodes playing and you can’t help watching, laughing and smiling.

“We’ve been around the world, and we still stop and laugh.

“We’re both Friends fans – my favourite episode is when Ross has trouble with his leather pants.

“We know we can’t disappoint people who love the show, so we created the sets with a forensic level of detail – we have to get it right, because the fans know – and we’ve worked really closely with Warner to make that happen.”

All this means that when you open the fridge in Monica’s apartment, Rachel’s traditional English trifle is right there lurking.

Jam, good. Custard, good. Beef, gooooood…

Image shows two women stood in Central Park at Friends The Experience at Excel London — Kathleen Wallis, left, and Stacy Moscatelli of Warner and OGX

key details: Friends The Experience: The One In London

The Friends Experience: The One In London is now open, with bookings for dates all the way into February, 2025, available.

Tickets start at £20. VIP packages (including professional photography, which is typically extra) cost £65.

Find out more about the attraction here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com

July 26, 2024July 31, 2024

Immerse LDN gears up for launches at Excel with Friends and F1

Royal Docks conference and exhibition centre diversifies its offering with immersive experiences along a kilometre of waterfront

A computer generated image of brick archways along the side of Excel in east London that will form Immerse LDN — An artist’s impression of Immerse LDN at Excel in Royal Docks

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Something momentous is underway at Excel London.

Despite a footfall of more than 4million visitors each year, the Royal Docks exhibition and conference centre has historically been somewhat inward-looking.

As a venue, it was built to contain and host temporary gatherings, often appealing to a very specific audience, rather than being a perennial attraction.

If you’re on the DLR or Liz Line, MCM Comic Con’s cosplayers are easy to spot when the show comes to town.

A gathering of property professionals or cardiovascular surgeons, not so much.

But all this is set to change, with Excel gearing up to attract an additional 2.5million people to east London with a significant change in strategy.

Along a kilometre of waterfront, the venue has created Immerse LDN, a new entertainment district with purpose-built spaces to host both attractions and hospitality offerings.

It’s set to open in August 2024.

Image shows Excel's director if immersive entertainment and events, Damian Norman – a man with curly brown hair in a jacket and white shirt — Excel’s director of immersive entertainment and events, Damian Norman

evolving Excel

“Excel can be very busy, whether it’s Comic Con or the World Travel Market, but then we have quiet periods when exhibitions are being put up or broken down,” said Damian Norman, director of immersive entertainment and events at the venue.

“That doesn’t work well for attracting quality hospitality businesses, because they need consistency of footfall.

“I joined Excel about five and a half years ago, with a background in consumer events, to look at capitalising on the arrival of the Elizabeth Line – the big transport game-changer for us.

“There are things that are done exceptionally well in London – theatre in the West End, Westfield’s shopping centres and live music at The O2, for example.

“So what is Excel’s niche? What do we want to be?

“I’d been thinking about an always-on entertainment offering and there are trends so I went to see an immersive Van Gogh art exhibition in Hyde Park.

“It was very impressive, with pictures projected on the walls.

“But there was also a light-bulb moment for me when I was watching a lady in her 70s and a child of about five – and I saw their interaction with the images and with the music that went with them.

“It clearly had universal appeal for different demographics.

“Something cool that was different to looking at a static painting with various elements blended together to make it immersive.”

Image shows an animatronic T-Rex dinosaur at Excel's Jurassic World: The Exhibition in 2022 — Excel hosted Jurassic World: The Exhibition in 2022

testing the water

In 2022, Excel tested the theory, hosting Jurassic World: The Exhibition, which broke European records for ticket sales.

This was followed by Disney 100: The Exhibition – a celebration of a century of creativity featuring 250 objects from the Walt Disney Archives – which was a similar commercial success.

“These gave us the impetus to approach our owners with a strategic development opportunity to redevelop the waterfront,” said Damian.

“Previously it was an area that had been under-used, with little investment made in it. Instead we wanted to create spaces – we refer to them as chapters – that are blank pages for great storytellers to come and do their thing.

“We’ve found best-in-class operators who have committed to those spaces and that’s how we will set a new benchmark for immersive entertainment as a destination in the capital.”

Image shows a CGI of Immerse LDN with places to heat and street food vendors — The new district will feature immersive attractions themed around sitcom Friends and F1

the very first attractions

Initially Immerse LDN will launch with two experiences, one inspired by evergreen sitcom Friends and the other a collaboration with Formula 1, featuring rare cars and a plethora of singular exhibits from the history of the global motorsport brand.

“Friends has now become a multi-generational sitcom – not many have stood the test of time, but this one has,” said Damian.

“A similar immersive experience has been running in New York for four years with a consistent annual audience of about 230,000 people.

“The London one will be 40% bigger with a number of new sets for visitors to explore.

“It’s about going and being in that thing that you loved, grew up with and watched your children grow up with.

“It’s an experience that encourages visitors to open the fridge in the apartment, to buy a coffee in Central Perk or sit on the sofa.

“F1: The Exhibition was a long time in the making, with hugely successful runs in Madrid and Vienna.

“It has simulators for people to drive the tracks and unique cars for people to see. Going to a Grand Prix can be expensive – not accessible for a lot of families and enthusiasts.

“People might have a Sky subscription to watch the races, but not a physical connection to them.

“I think this brings that accessibility – something they can touch and feel – at a price point that will be really welcome.”

Image shows Excel London's main entrance at Custom House — Immerse LDN is based down a one-kilometre length of Excel in Royal Victoria Dock

Immerse LDN: more than the experiences themselves

As welcome for local residents, visitors to Excel and those working in Royal Docks will be Waterfront Street Kitchen And Bar.

Curated by Kerb, this market hall will feature the likes of Duck Shed, Masa Taqueria, Nazari and coffee from Hej to help keep people refreshed.

Ambitions for the future include making use of floating amenities on Royal Victoria Dock to complement the brick arch frontage, inspired by the epic regeneration of Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross.

Damian said: “We don’t take this development lightly. We want to create jobs and boost tourism locally, which is very important.”

Further attraction announcements are expected in September and November, 2024.

Watch these spaces…

key details: Immerse LDN

Immerse LDN is located on the Excel London Waterfront, overlooking Royal Victoria Dock. It’s most easily accessed via the Elizabeth Line or DLR to Custom House.

The Friends Experience: The One In London opens on August 12, 2024.

The first five days are sold out with tickets available from August 17 costing £32. Tickets start at £20 for other dates.

F1 The Exhibition opens on August 23, 2024. Tickets start at £25 with prices dependent on date.

Find out more about what’s coming here

Read Wharf Life’s e-edition here

Subscribe to our free Wharf Whispers newsletter here

- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com