A 4-digit number. Four digits, no hyphen. The mechanic.
BATTLE ROYALE is a fortnightly Thursday on ZODIAC's top floor, 150 in. Eileen Eifel is the House Queen — Ian out of drag — defending a crown against a challenger drawn from the deck each episode. Five rounds, scored 60% by a three-judge panel and 40% by the room's live tap-in. Winner takes the fee and the belt. Loser takes the heat into the next fortnight. Repeat. Fourteen times a year.
The point of building it as a sub-brand — not a gimmick night — is permanence. Fight-card posters. A deck of pins. Jingles that ZODIAC owns. A Season I arc with a finale. That's what gets filed under "must see," not "free entry Thursday."
(1) The House Queen defends. (2) The deck decides the challenger. (3) The room plays the hand. (4) The crown moves only when the room says it moves. (5) Every pin is a vote, a souvenir, and a receipt. (6) The house is LGBTQ+-first, trans & non-binary affirming, and will not be otherwise.
At the door, a QR offers Hearts (Eileen) or Spades (Challenger). You pick. You're handed your pin. You wear it. The room is visibly split — and that's half the fun.
Opener · Prompt · Collaboration · Audience · Closer. Judges score silently. Audience taps live. Sudden Death from Ep 7. Every round has a card that reveals it.
A physical, absurd, slightly too-heavy crown. Defended or lost on stage. Photographed everywhere. Next episode's poster features the current holder. Always.
Every episode ships two hand-faced pins — Hearts for Eileen, Spades for the Challenger — priced £5 at the door, £8 online after the night. Attach rate is the fight we have to win: aim for 95% on Ep 1, 100% by Ep 3. The pin is the ticket stub that isn't a ticket stub.
Across Season I that's 26 base pins (Hearts/Spades × 13 episodes). Add Diamonds for sponsor-tied variants, Clubs for judge cameos, Jokers for the mid-season Betrayal (Ep 7), and Aces reserved for the finale. A full Season I deck is 52 collectible cards. Miss a night and you miss a card. Collect them all and trade for a limited Royal Flush pin set at the finale after-party.
If the queen you picked wins, queue the House Cut counter post-reveal to get a gold W stamp applied to the back of your pin — numbered, episode-dated, irreversible. The queue is the afterparty. That's the moment that fills the reel.
Each episode is drawn as a playing card. Tap one to open the detail. Every episode adds one new mechanic — because a format doesn't stay interesting if it doesn't escalate.
| Stream | Where | From | Mature ep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door · tiered tickets | Venue | Ep 1 | £2,550 |
| Bar · £25 avg/head | Venue | Ep 1 | £3,750 |
| Pins @ door (£5) | Venue | Ep 1 | £750 |
| Merch top-ups | Venue/Online | Ep 3 | £300 |
| Pin aftermarket (£8) | Online | Ep 3 | £320 |
| The Battle Pass (£6/mo) | Online | Ep 4 | £180 |
| Sponsor · drink partner | Venue/Online | Ep 7 | £500 |
| Finale PPV (avg'd) | Online | Ep 13 | £1,000* |
| Mature episode gross | £9,350 | ||
* PPV is a finale-only line; averaged for model. "Mature" = Ep 6+ at ~95% sell-through.
| Eileen · headliner | £600 |
| Challenger | £400 |
| Judges × 3 | £300 |
| DJ | £250 |
| Tech (FOH + LX uplift) | £300 |
| Door / security top-up | £200 |
| Pins · 150 × £1.20 | £180 |
| Creative (Canva + reel edit) | £300 |
| Paid social boost | £150 |
| Total | £2,680 |
LTV assumes a returning fan attends 4 eps, buys 2 pins, holds a 6-month Battle Pass. Pull the sliders — argue with the assumptions now, not at Ep 3.
| Tier | £ | Gets |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird · first 48h · cap 30 | £10 | GA, base pin |
| Standard | £15 | GA, base pin |
| VIP · Front Mezz | £30 | Reserved, Diamond variant pin, £5 bar credit, priority W-stamp |
| Season Pass · 13 eps · cap 30 | £149 | All Standard + full Season I deck + Finale VIP |
Every episode is a content factory. Same cadence fortnight to fortnight, so the team knows what's shooting when. T-14 announce → T+7 tease next. Nine lanes, one voice.
Podiums + judges table from storage. Screen content from ZODIAC TV SCREENS (DAFSguuo7p0). Soundcheck 17:30. Strike 00:30–01:30. Nothing structural. All load in/out.
Cam 1 locked wide. Cam 2 handheld close. From Ep 6 they feed a livestream-ready archive; from Ep 13 they feed the PPV.
Etiquette card (Canva DAFYJD8GnrU) at the door. Welfare marshal SR in plain clothes. Photo-consent signage at pin-up. Zero tolerance for transphobia — posted and enforced.
A 10-piece audio identity, commissioned once, re-usable every episode. Scratch pack from royalty-free beds for Ep 1; bespoke pack commissioned from a local producer, delivered Ep 4. Buyout. No samples. ZODIAC owns the master.
| Workstream | R | A | C | I |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative direction & format | Eileen / Ian | ZODIAC venue lead | Simon · partnerships.community | Bar team |
| Bookings · challengers · judges | ZODIAC venue lead | ZODIAC venue lead | Eileen, DJ | Simon |
| Pin design · manufacture · logistics | Simon · partnerships.community | ZODIAC venue lead | Print vendor | Door team |
| Socials · @zodiacbarlondon | ZODIAC social lead | ZODIAC venue lead | Simon | Eileen |
| Audio · The Bell | Commissioned producer | Eileen / Ian | ZODIAC venue lead | Simon |
| Run-of-show · stage management | ZODIAC venue lead | ZODIAC venue lead | MC · DJ · Tech | Eileen |
| Measurement · P&L · debrief | Simon · partnerships.community | ZODIAC venue lead | Bar manager | Eileen |
| Decision | Why it's blocking | My rec |
|---|---|---|
| Night of week | Saturdays belong to Cabaret; top-floor fortnightly needs a clean slot. | Thursdays — second & fourth of each month. |
| Challenger roster · Eps 1–3 | Announce needs a name by T-14. | Mix: 1 name · 1 rising · 1 wildcard. Shortlist on request. |
| Pin manufacturer | Lead times kill the arrival ritual. | UK enamel house w/ 10-day rush. PO Eps 1–4 up front. |
| Music licensing | Lip sync rights; jingle clearances. | PRS + PPL at venue. Jingles: work-for-hire buyout, no samples. |
| Livestream partner | PPV finale needs a platform by Ep 6. | Veeps, or Stripe-gated Cloudflare Stream. £5 PPV. |
| Sponsor posture | Must not compromise trans/NB-affirming stance. | Approved list: bar-spirits + queer-media. Hard no on gambling/tobacco/anti-LGBTQ+ lobbying ties. |
| Data & CRM pipe | Ticket email → Klaviyo → Battle Pass loop. | Dice primary · Klaviyo lifecycle · Stripe for Pass + aftermarket. partnerships.community to spec. |