Adam Thomas and son with a full-scale dakotaraptor. Photo by David Parry/PA Wire

Celebrities Helen Flanagan, Catherine Tyldesley, Brooke Vincent, Nikki Sanderson, Adam Thomas, Ashley Taylor-Dawson, John Thomson and Chelsee Healey walked with Dinosaurs in the Wild – before the official opening at Manchester’s EventCity this weekend.

They were joined by Hollyoaks stars Kirsty Lee Porter, Krupa Pattani, Ruby O’Donnell and Emmerdale child stars Amelia Flanagan and Alfie Clarke.

All were whisked by time machine to join scientists at an extraordinary research station, TimeBase 67, which has been built on the Late Cretaceous plains 67 million years ago.

On their amazing voyage of discovery, celebs such as Ashley Taylor-Dawson and Adam Thomas and their children were dazzled by an array of vials and jars of eyeballs, brains and teeth from the creatures that lived at that time in the Pathology Lab.

Meanwhile Catherine Tyldesley and Nikki Sanderson took the children to get their hands dirty and dive into piles of dinosaur poo to discover the difference between carnivore and herbivore droppings.

Guests were then able to see scientists conduct a live autopsy on a five-metre long crested Pachycephalosaurus, where the animal was suspended across an operating table lit by surgical lights, revealing some of its fascinating internal parts.

Chelsee Healey was seen exploring The Hatchery, as she got up close and personal with the three incubators which hold dinosaur eggs.

Cold Feet star John Thomson was found in the Animal Laboratory, which is divided into nocturnal and daytime areas with juveniles from species such as Leptoceratops, Acheroraptor and Ankylosaurus.

The creative director of Dinosaurs in the Wild is Tim Haines, the award-winning producer of the TV series Walking with Dinosaurs.

Tim said: “After attracting huge crowds for Dinosaurs in the Wild in Birmingham, we look forward to taking Manchester time-travellers back to the Late Cretaceous Period 67 million years ago. This is a completely new kind of immersive experience, using the latest technology to make it feel like you really are there, with dinosaurs all around you, in their world.”

Producer Jill Bryant added: “We’re confident that it really will amaze people! The time machine is fired up and ready to go – we want to share the adventure with as many families as possible in Manchester before we head off to the Greenwich Peninsula in London early next year.”

Tickets for Dinosaurs in the Wild, Saturday 7 October – Tuesday 2 January 2018, at EventCity, Phoenix Way, off Barton Dock Road, TraffordCity, Manchester M41 7TB, can be pre-booked at www.dinosaursinthewild.com

They start from £25 for Advanced Off-Peak adult tickets and £85 for Advanced Off-Peak family tickets (two adults and two children).

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