Why Over a Million People Paid to Walk Through a Muddy Tunnel

The other night I was watching a documentary on Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Yes, I know how that sounds. But look, it was either that or scroll aimlessly on my phone for an hour while trying to avoid buying another guitar. So, documentary it was.

And then this amazing fact popped out.

Brunel, the legendary Victorian engineer and top hat enthusiast, used to let people visit his tunnel while it was still under construction. I’m talking about the Thames Tunnel, the first one ever successfully built under a major river. A terrifying, muddy, gas-lit wormhole dug with 1800s technology and a lot of optimism.

Brunel didn’t keep it locked away until the ribbon-cutting. He invited the public down. For a fee.

And people loved it. Over a million of them paid for the privilege. Imagine that. You get dressed up in your finest soot-resistant waistcoat, descend into a cold, slightly terrifying tunnel beneath the Thames, and then go home and tell your friends, “You simply must see the dripping.”

That’s because Brunel wasn’t just a builder. He was a storyteller. He knew that people didn’t just want to see the finished product. They wanted to feel part of something daring. Something new. Something that might collapse on them, but would make a great story if it didn’t.

Here’s how Brunel told the story of his tunnel:

• Invited daily visitors to descend into the half-built tunnel and watch the work in progress, charging a shilling and drawing hundreds each day.
• Hosted a lavish banquet inside the tunnel in November 1827. Tables were lit with portable gas candelabra, crimson drapery hung from arches, and a Coldstream Guards’ band played to impress investors and the press.
• Held public-facing spectacles later on, including fancy fairs with entertainers, to maintain buzz and attract a broader audience.

Why did this work? Because it wasn’t just engineering. It was theatre. Brunel understood that when you’re building something bold and new, people want to see the magic, even if it’s covered in mud and still held together with hope and scaffolding.

Now flash forward to today. A lot of tech companies are building amazing things, especially in AI. But they keep everything under wraps until it’s had twelve rounds of branding and a launch video with soothing voiceover and suspiciously attractive office workers pretending to collaborate.

But what if your audience actually wants to see the messy bits?

If you’re building something complicated and cool, and AI definitely qualifies, show your work. Let people in early. Share your process. Talk about what’s breaking and what you’re learning. Make it interesting. Make it human.

Brunel didn’t just build tunnels. He built stories. And he made people care long before the final brick was laid.

He even nearly died down there. A wall collapsed and flooded the tunnel, sweeping him away and seriously injuring him. But still, the public kept coming. Because when people feel connected to the journey, the danger, the ambition, the mud, they stick with you.

You can do the same. Just remember to bring a torch. And maybe charge admission.