Is Britain ready for a patriotic theme park?

It is the early 9th century. Peace reigns in a small French village as they prepare for a wedding. Garlands are being hung, sheep are being shepherded, all is sunshine and smiles. Then, in a snap, this bucolic bliss bursts as Viking warriors invade the scene and unleash hell.

A longboat splashes down a chute into the river, another spectacularly emerges from beneath the lake; swords clash, fires erupt, women are carried off and treasures seized. The villagers need a miracle, and it comes with the sudden appearance of a bishop, the blessed St Philibert. Just as the mere invocation of Queen Victoria’s name is enough to make the pirates of Penzance yield, so this sanctus ex machina quells the hairy hordes at the end of a half-hour show. Christianity wins again and so does France.

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This is the recurring message of Puy du Fou, a hugely popular historic theme park just south of Cholet in the Vendée that could be coming to Oxfordshire. It is unashamedly pro-God, pro-monarchy and Vive la France. Its biggest spectacle, in a Roman amphitheatre, features chariot-racing, gladiatorial games and the eventual victory of the Christians. A walk-through attraction on the Merovingians ends with the baptism of King Clovis. Another tour through the trenches of Verdun goes heavy on the crosses and carols. A giant rotating stage show focuses on a counter-revolutionary local hero post-Bastille. It is the antithesis of last year’s Olympic opening ceremony in Paris.

This nostalgic patriotism and spiritual devotion may prove to be a bigger stumbling block for those hoping to bring Puy du Fou across the Channel than the usual objections of Nimbys.