Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain - Channel 5 Documentary

[@RoryKid2011]

I'm surprised they made quite a well-made documentary about a huge scandal in less than a month.

[@guidadiehl9176]

This documentary was actually made using AI.

[@RoryKid2011]

@@guidadiehl9176 no it wasn’t

[@shay585]

I thought maybe it happened in '23, but apparently, it happened this year. That's extremely fast.

[@EddieGaster]

Even Billy himself was made using AI.

[@RoryKid2011]

@@EddieGasterlol, since just about everything he's made is ai generated, he might as well be ai (well all of us have the same capabilities of ai, we just can’t actually show what we generate because we're humans, not computers or robots)

[@judesagad4161]

Can’t believe they had a documentary of the event nearly a month after it happened this is how the Willy wonka experience took the internet by storm thanks for the upload

[@dylanbruhhh4208]

It’s 2024 everyone is jumping at their chance to get paid on be on this documentary…. It should have taken less than a month all they did was gather the actors in a room for an interview and used an editor to cut it together… really not hard work at all definitely not long work

[@TimJapan]

@@dylanbruhhh4208Agreed.. and probably easier than putting on an event pretty much by yourself from what could see.

[@JThePlante]

the actors ended up being the winners of this situation

[@ananasparachute]

His half-baked excuses made no sense. Even if the electronics etc didn't show up, what about all the candy, the tunnel., chocolate fountain, interactive events? The actors said the night before it was a bare warehouse. Surely he would have known then that it was a disaster. Yes, the AI is bad, but his description also promised tons of things they didn't get. The excuse to "check with your bank" for a refund is one of the oldest lines in the book; they want to pass the buck to make it the bank's fault the refund wasn't processed, whereas it is highly likely the refund was never issued in the first place. If he is dyslexic and has issues with writing, wouldn't he have asked a human to proof read it? The script is obviously AI when you read it. (there's a copy online). Why weren't the actors paid? Why did the get the script the day before, and not have to be auditioned? You could drive a van through the holes in his story. I don't think people should be threatening the guy, but he definitely should have to (literally) pay for what he's done and be put out of the business so it doesn't happen again. He says he lost his friends and his love: if he truly was telling the truth and was falsely accused, wouldn't those closest to him believe him? He's not sorry, except for being sorry he got caught.

[@Guy-ov4fv]

This dude hiding behind dyslexic makes me sick as a dyslexic

[@rodian_skypyratz6181]

I'm not even sure what to think of him. You'd think he wouldn't show up to his own scam and he'd be running off to a bordering country within the UK.

[@roywilliams6355]

@@rodian_skypyratz6181 Easier and safer to claim incompetence than outright fraud. Elizabeth Holmes and Sam Bankman-Fried especially, two of the biggest fraudsters of the 21st century tried exactly that tactic.

[@SoggyNachos-wb4yh]

He was even scamming during the interview

[@MrJemoederopeenstokj]

Not surprising, with his track record. Who tf publishes AI generated books 😆

[@douglassun8456]

@@MrJemoederopeenstokj Lazy, no-talent people have been doing it since Chat GPT debuted. That's why Amazon finally banned the practice.

[@LunarFlareStudios]

@@MrJemoederopeenstokj I'm writing a book and I promise you, I'd never use AI to write it. I saw a video reviewing one of Billy Coull's books, and it didn't even have formatting. In fact, the plot ended not even halfway through, and the rest of the book was just the protagonist growing old and becoming a respected member of the community. It even repeated itself a lot and there were tons of overused cliches that were reused several times in the same chapter. Like, did he even read what the AI was giving him? The creator of the video actually says that the "books" that Billy published were more like data outputs. And he proceeded to shoot it with an arrow after reviewing it. It has to be pretty bad if a book enthusiast defaces it, right?

[@jkrfan7]

i love that everyone's calling this guy "Willy Wanker"

[@spoonyhitman1053]

this man also made a Toy Donation charatiry thing for Christmas and cancelled it after getting all the toys and faced backlash, This man has also made 16 ai books on amazon. dude reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly needs to get a real job or goto jail.

[@JThePlante]

what an enigma

[@stoovan3867]

Was literally about to post about the amazon book ordeal. Man's a walking legend in all the wrong ways!

[@jasonbentley5045]

As an American, I have to say the Scottish accents are the finest possible sauce for this goose.

[@wanwan2180]

The fact he exploited the excitement kids had for wonka is what makes this scam especially distasteful. It's not just about the money they spent, they were looking forward to that day so much just to be hugely disappointed bc this guy had no shame

[@MrJemoederopeenstokj]

I like how the tunnel wasn't even really a tunnel

[@YamiNoSensei13]

I feel bad for these people, but for real, how was anyone taken in by that website? I would've been instantly suspicious that the only images were AI generated. Not to mention all the bizarre spelling and grammar errors.

[@MrJemoederopeenstokj]

Nah bruv, they came for the sweet teats. Doesn't that sound appetizing?

[@J-Rad-]

Ikr?

[@ramenheadmedia]

Michael Archibald did an AMA on Reddit a while back and he mentioned a few more things about Billy Coull. One, he refused to give the actors their promised breaks. Two, he violated child labor laws with Felicia as he made her work more than the time allowed. Three, he was trying to blend in with the crowd and Archibald guessed he would’ve snuck out if not for him being identified. Make me feel even worse for the actors and makes me have zero sympathy for Billy Coull.

[@mikesantillanmx5530]

It was an unforgettable experience, no question about it! I like Michael "Willy Mc Duff" and Felicia "The Unknown", both appear to be funny and well intentioned people who went trapped in the middle of that wacky trainwreck. Billy Coull should bring back "Willy's Chocolate Experience", but now marketed as an adult experience to have delirious fun. As one of the comments on the petition says, it would be a good way to get money to refund the families who were scammed the first time, and it would be "the Troll 2 of immersive experiences".

[@douglassun8456]

Michael seems like he has potential. I've seen another interview with him, he seems like a bright young man. Apparently, Felicia landed another gig at a high-profile tourist attraction - one that, I presume, treats her fairly and actually pays her. I wish them both well. Also, you hit upon how that Fyre Festival guy set about paying his debts after he got out of prison.

[@snakes3425]

"How could you Billy? You promised those kids Willy Wonka, but all I saw out there was Scamy the Scam Artist."

[@juliav.mcclelland2415]

So he had no license or permission from the actual Wonka brand to put this on? How has he not been charged with a crime for that, regardless of the quality of the event? That alone also confirms his insincerity -- from the beginning, he didn't do things the right or legal way! "First couple of run throughs, there had been no complaints." First thing out of his mouth is a 100% total lie. They had no run throughs, and if they had and the actors interviewed were somehow uninvolved and unaware of them, NOBODY WOULD HAVE CONVEYED ENJOYMENT! So his goal is to convince people this was an accident and he actually thought this was an acceptable event? Lie #2: You don't use AI for spell and grammar checking! We've done that for years without ChatGPT! Okay, maybe you can inefficiently, unnecessarily use it for that. It wouldn't completely rewrite what you wrote unless you told it to! But I guess if he wants to take credit for personally writing garbage scripts, fair enough. He ran for office! Well, the jokes about that write themselves even without AI. So what's is his response to people who haven't gotten their refund yet? Contact your bank?! How the Hell does he think anyone is gonna believe that?! Even without all the other obvious lies, he's doomed any hope of convincing people this was a HUGE accident and he was an innocent failure but not a con artist by not refunding everyone! It's been months! He's nothing but a con artist and liar. I highly doubt he made enough money off these marks to urn off to Bermuda lol, so, no, him still living in Glasgow is no surprise and no indication of innocence. Sorry, Billy, but none of your excuses are believable. Even ignoring ALL of the above false and illogical statements, assuming everything you say is true, you didn't have the equipment necessary to run your event, and instead of cancelling it and giving refunds, you held it and lied about giving refunds. I hope they win their lawsuit against him and get more information in discovery. Ask him to produce the orders for this alleged equipment that would have apparently made all the difference.

[@Badzeep]

Well, he never specify that it was Willy Wonka. He changed the name to Willy McDuff who just so happens to have a magic factory that produced chocolate and sweets.

[@CatrionaBell123]

No he didn't have the branding. I'm sure that was mentioned in the documentary. Also to your other comment. The ads were AI Generated.

[@MrJemoederopeenstokj]

Naaaah no way, whatever gave you that idea@@CatrionaBell123

[@douglassun8456]

Copyright and trademark are civil matters, not criminal. It's up to the owners of the intellectual property rights to start the legal process and go through the civil courts. However, Mr. Coull might be charged with criminal fraud, if anyone cared to press charges. The Fyre Festival guy did prison time for fraud.

[@Goose21995]

That clap at 9:14 was so unbelievably personal

[@JonathanBresnihan77]

IKR

[@brandonogden2210]

Lets hope Warner Bros. listen to this and takes legal action against the House of Illuminati.

[@rodian_skypyratz6181]

I don’t think they can. They gave the characters copyright friendly names. In the script Coull generated with AI, Willy Wonka was called Willy McDuff, and the Oompa-Loompas were referred to as ‘wonkidoodles’.

[@douglassun8456]

Mr. Coull playing the disability card (dyslexia) and wallowing in self-pity leave me cold. This whole thing was bound to be shambolic from the start, did he really think he could blast through all of the logistical and technical issues and his own lack of experience, and that no one would get mad at him afterward and demand a refund? He seemed genuinely surprised that people were so mad at him afterward. But it was entirely predictable. Did we just see the Dunning-Kruger Effect ruin someone's life?

[@dbs2796]

Unicorn magic land or something of the sort is also a scam that I saw here in the US. With cheap props and plastic christmas trees that was making events moving from city to city, charging outrageous fees for a load of garbage and cheap animatronics. I got excited until I did a research on them and then told my children it was a scam and never bought tickets.

[@CSemperFi135]

This is one of the most hilarious events in human history. Actual scripted, curated comedy could never even hope to create such a perfect disaster.

[@Voyager_2]

Thank you for posting!

[@drosera88]

Oh the guy used the AI for "spell check" but the ads and promo are riddled with misspelled and non-existent words. Right.....

[@bleuefish]

Crocodile tears while still nearly no one's been refunded a month later

[@juliav.mcclelland2415]

P.S. Were your chocolate fountains and tons of candy and everything else you included in the ad just not delivered, too?

[@crashlanding_music]

i pray that the actors and families get their money.

[@MNMC-fs8tx]

In my opinion, after watching several videos around this event, the organiser seems like a sad young man who has been trying to "get rich quick" in different ways, but without the experience or guidance he needs. He should never have attempted to proceed without the proper lighting and technical support. He should have preemptively closed the event and refunded all the money from the start. I don't blame people for being upset and ready to sue. Several years ago, I was involved with a group of people who attempted to put together a fan convention for a TV show, and it failed miserably. I completely understand his upsettedness. We only had a handful of people show up, and it was an embarrassing disaster. We thought it was a good idea, but implementing it was something else altogether.

[@Mrvideosandgames]

I'm in two minds about him. Seems like he may be missing someone in his life to be able to discuss these things with. Family, friends, whatever. AI-written books you can get away with, worst-case scenario they suspend your Amazon KDP account. But once you enter "the real world" it's a dangerous game! He's only digging himself a deeper hole with claims of only using AI to proofread due to dyslexia when it's clear as day he unwisely got it to do just about everything, which makes me feel less sympathy towards him.

[@piadarragh123]

Thanks for uploading 😊

[@amberford5658]

This hurts my heart... These people deserved a wonderful time..what they got was horrible

[@angrynoodletwentyfive6463]

This is a weird one because on the one hand its hilarious but on the other hand it really isn't. This was marketed towards children and was supposedly advertised particularly towards developmentally disabled children. who often don't handle dissapointment well. It is extremely scummy to be scamming children as a grown adult.

[@cooldude333]

Fyre Fest 4 Kidz!

[@nickyb7266]

The actors are all cute and hope they do well in their careers! ❤

[@RavenStarMedia]

Felicia actually got hired by London Dungeon (a popular haunted house attraction in the UK) reprising her role as the Unknown.

[@nickyb7266]

Once a scammer always a scammer! Are we supposed to feel bad for this guy now?

[@TimJapan]

The whole idea is a non starter unless thousands of workers are involved and big investment is made.

[@vinzoner9061]

The way the organiser acts 😂😂😂

[@DeepDeepSpace]

I'm guessing he has autism.

[@Joegacyfan]

Is it just me or does he sound genuinely terrified?

[@fisher3317]

@@Joegacyfan Sounds more like he's playing up for the camera in order to get sympathy. The man has a history of being a serial scammer, his interview is the absolute definition of crocodile tears.

[@nickyb7266]

I think they should turn it into an indoor dog park and make some money! 😂. Would be awesome for them!

[@raheenb]

If nothing else, this would make a great live action sitcom or movie 😅

[@rodian_skypyratz6181]

Well, it is getting a horror movie called The Unknown at some point soon.

[@Charlizzie]

6:32 Her name really fits The Unknown. Hi Felicia to the Illuminati, when the scandal rock...Bye Felicia!

[@Aurrah]

16:31 oompa loompa mæth lob took me clean out

[@ThatCleanMT]

This was hysterical! 😂😂

[@MattSuguisAsFondAsEverrr]

aint no fucking way channel 5 picked this up

[@mikejorsch304]

They didn't cover the Willy actor who was exposed as a Groomer

[@rodian_skypyratz6181]

Probably because Connell deleted all his social media after that started going around. They probably couldn’t get in contact with him for an interview.

[@joshsingleton576]

The candy part is indefensable a giant bag of jelly beans ~$50 run to the store and buy more candy and juice. Kids getting enough candy would have changed the mood

[@minhtrinh4501]

Billy Bulls*** with Wonka Wanker and Crackedhead Experience

[@Sleepingsparklegirl]

I’m surprised anyone looking at the pictures would think it wasn’t just a drawing or computer generated. Not one looks real.

[@Paul77ozee]

This is the D-Generations Piss Week fun park come to life.

[@MilhouseDaunt]

This gave me a good laugh.

[@DolceFarnienteABC123]

They paid for *Disneyland* 🙂 but they got *Disneybland* 😐

[@Lunarapparition88]

scamming usually ends up a life long thing. Stop using dyslexia as a crutch.....all the excuses in the world wont save you from law suits 😅😅

[@jjwoelkers7954]

He can’t even look at the camera, that speaks volumes to me!

[@juliav.mcclelland2415]

His excuses make no sense, but his fear and tears look real. The refusal to look at the camera at some points, the difficulty getting words out, makes me wonder... is somebody threatening him to say this?

[@guidadiehl9176]

He'a worried about getting sued. That's it. He organised a scam event, and it spiralled out of control and exploded into an international disaster. He's absolutely lying when he says he ordered special projecting machinery which never arrived, and that his scripts and books weren't written by AI. Classic buck-chasing, get-rich-quick conman.

[@ElGibby]

I get the feeling he’s a very introverted person, so all this anger and attention and morons sending death threats will no doubt mean he is living in his own nightmare. I’d I shindig the death threats are particularly terrifying, so him being really awkward and uncomfortable is not really surprising. I don’t think he set out to scam people, I think he bit off waaaay more than he could chew. As for that woman: ‘yeeze urrr scammin’ chuldrin’. No. No he did not. The children are not paying for tickets, hotels etc. Yes, he *disappointed * children. But to claim he is somehow scamming children doesn’t sit well with me.

[@juliav.mcclelland2415]

@@ElGibby He claims it failed because visual projection equipment wasn't delivered. If that's true, I guess a ton of candy and chocolate fountains weren't delivered, too, unless the chocolate fountains were just supposed to be projections, too, and he thought 1 jelly bean and 1/8 cup limeade per kid were really enough. I don't see how he could have actually been sincere about putting on what was advertised.

[@MrJemoederopeenstokj]

Nice try Stan@@ElGibby

[@MrJemoederopeenstokj]

Yeah the fear is real cuz it's terrifying when your shit catches up to you. Especially when it's viral.

[@melbal2]

19:20 I’m so relieved they said Willy Wanka didn’t get paid for this interview.

[@harryhluong833]

Billy seemed to refused to use AI to generate an apology. So lucky he lives in the modern day should have gotten tar and feathered.

[@mathiasbartl903]

No attempt at lighting, or sounddesign.

[@kristinazubic9669]

Maybe those “weren’t delivered” either 😂😂

[@stereohype1]

In many of the clips shared online you can see opened Amazon boxes on the floor. These boxes likely previously contained some of the smaller props and dodgy backdrops etc. So its probably highly likely this so called "projection kit" Coull refers to was some cheap ass Amazon order that didnt get delivered in time. Even if it did arrive it'd likely only be able to project light effects in one tiny area of that large warehouse. Coupled with the large building skylights flooding the space, would any light projections even be visible? If this kit had arrived in time I suspect it would have been just another ridiculous installation to mock.

[@KatieMooo905]

So nobody was triggered by the incorrect spelling of ‘imagination’? How big of a red flag do people need?

[@LazarusWilhelm]

What's with both the Scottish Willy Wonka actor and the kids having Americanised accents

[@douglassun8456]

Apparently, Michael's story is that he has been estranged from his family and is living purely on his own at 18. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he just decided to wander and somehow washed up in Glasgow.

[@DeepDeepSpace]

I assumed the Willy McDuff actor was American or Canadian and just living in Scotland. As far as the kids go, I guess Scottish accents become more pronounced with age.

[@jjwoelkers7954]

What’s wrong with that?

[@emoneybags8445]

Michael archibald kinda sounds like an American 🇺🇸

[@asimler45]

What a dumpster fire! This guy was a total con artist. I can’t believe his chutzpah foisting this fiasco on those poor kids, their parents and those actors. At least this provided some hilarity. I mean the name of the company…what did they expect?😂

[@ShadowTreasurer]

Took me on seeing Karen Gillan's comment on this.

[@ShamanAthleticTraining]

A.I. is cursed. Duh.

[@emitizmo7456]

This was hilarious and I laughed through the whole thing.

[@crimsonstormsurge]

How’d you not get copyrighted lol. No but genuinely why was this actually interesting and well put together and why did I watch it

[@Mrvideosandgames]

It's blocked in the UK, where it aired, under copyright grounds. Seems they don't care about other territories.

[@clownfromclowntown]

@@Mrvideosandgames A lot of channel 4/5 stuff is on youtube for that same reason, they're fiercely protective of copyright within the UK but since they're distributed to a uk only audience, they really don't have any policing for external stuff

[@maxhay9911]

LMAO wtf is the clap at 9:12??

[@DeepDeepSpace]

I guess they didn't have a clapper board so someone used their hands instead.

[@maxhay9911]

@@DeepDeepSpace so close to his face that he flinched?

[@theneounknown1343]

39:24 You get what you deserve, pal/mate.

[@suvariboy]

More than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed by the far-right Israeli government. But…the Willy Wonka experience is the worst thing to EVER HAPPEN! 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@Olgrug]

Nobody cares billy.... you shouldn't be a terrible person. And then try and lie your way out.