The theme park frenzy which began as a true local newspaper scoop
An editor whose website originally broke the story that Universial Studios wanted to build a theme park in the UK has described covering the long-running story as going from ‘exclusive to extraordinary.’
Rumours of a new theme park for the UK have long swirled in the local Press — with Kent seemingly likely to get some sort of major attraction for many years, until that plan collapsed.
Then, in December 2023, the Bedford Independent published a worldwide exclusive, that Universal Studios was eyeing Bedfordshire for its first-ever UK theme park.
Editor of Paul Hutchinson said: “Now, more than a year later, we’ve reported on a deal being done, and confirmed that Bedford will be home to Europe’s only Universal theme park, set to open in 2031.
“This isn’t just a story we’ve covered. It’s one we’ve led.”
The UK’s media descended on Bedford this week for the deal to be announced by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. But for the Independent, this week’s story was just the latest step in covering a story likely to have many more twists and turns before the Minions and Shrek arrive in Bedford.
Paul said: “We’ve built strong relationships with Universal’s leadership, ensuring our readers get accurate, verified updates straight from the source.
“We’ve met with local politicians to help them better understand what this means for Bedford — and how they can best represent the community as the plans take shape.
“We’ve also made new friends in local residents and dedicated theme park fans, who’ve set up Facebook groups and forums to share speculation, theories, and support.
“None of this would be possible without the phenomenal team behind the Bedford Independent: Erica Roffe, Julia Course Crofts and Tom Carr.
“Together, we’ve stayed at the forefront of this story with accuracy, ethics, and curiosity — the foundation of everything we do.
“We asked questions from day one, and we’ll keep asking them. We’ll also take our readers on this ride from rumour to ribbon cutting — because that’s what local newspapers do — we live and breathe the areas we cover.”
