The National Science and Media Museum unveils a surprise new star object as part of its reopening celebrations. The object, a 2m tall replica of the Techno Trousers first seen in Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993), will take centre stage in the museum’s reopening celebration A Grand Day Out, on Saturday 11 January.
The one-of-a-kind model, crafted by Aardman exclusively for the museum, will create a wow and selfie moment for new and returning visitors alike as they’re welcomed into the museum’s new foyer space. The object sees the trousers, accompanied by beloved penguin super-villain Feathers McGraw, climbing the museum’s wall above the welcome desk. As well as creating a striking moment in the museum’s revamped foyer, the model makes a playful reference to the plot of The Wrong Trousers, where Feathers McGraw uses the Techno Trousers to dupe Wallace into stealing a diamond from the city museum, which makes a comeback in their latest adventure too...
During A Grand Day Out on 11 January, visitors can enjoy hands-on model making workshops with Aardman, as well as live science shows from the museum’s team of Explainers. Wallace & Gromit will also be taking over Pictureville Cinema, offering the chance to catch five of their most loved titles on the big screen for free – including Feathers McGraw’s most recent adventure; Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) which premiered on the BBC One on Christmas Day, with the museum’s cinema being one of the only cinemas in the UK screening the hit new film. The redesigned Media Café will also feature a new menu inspired by Wallace’s favourite snack, Wensleydale cheese, in a nod to his Yorkshire heritage.
The partnership comes as part of a long-standing relationship between the National Science and Media Museum and Aardman, with the museum showcasing animation technology as part of its core collection. The museum has previously featured Aardman’s pioneering work, including their first creation, Morph, and props from classic Wallace & Gromit films, in both temporary exhibitions and permanent displays.
Visitors eager for more Aardman magic can look forward to the museum’s brand-new Sound and Vision galleries, launching in summer 2025. The new permanent displays will take visitors on a journey through the explosion of media technologies and their impact on our lives, including additional Aardman treasures and a broader celebration of animation.
Commenting on the new star object, Ngaio Harding-Hill, Head of Attractions & Live Experiences at Aardman, said: “We are delighted to build on Aardman’s longstanding relationship with the National Science and Media Museum with these infamous trousers and our favourite penguin mastermind forming part of their grand reopening and exciting future in such an impactful way for visitors to enjoy, at a time where Wallace & Gromit themselves are also making such a grand comeback!”
Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl is available on the UK on BBC iPlayer and globally on Netflix.
The National Science and Media Museum reopens to the public on 8 January.
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For more information, images or interviews, please contact: Brittany Noppe, Communications Manager Brittany.noppe@scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/Alice Browne, Senior Press Officer Alice.browne@scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk / 01274 203 355
A media pack of images is available to download.
Film listings for Saturday 11 January:
- Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out, 10.20
- Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, 11.00
- Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave, 12.00
- Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death, 13.00
- Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, 14.00
The Sound and Vision Project is generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (Associate Funder), DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund (Associate Funder), Art Fund (Supported By) Sovereign Health Care (Supported By), David Family Foundation (Supported By) and Spectacle Makers Charity (Supported By).
About the National Science and Media Museum
The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, opened in 1983, and has since become one of the most visited UK museums outside London. It draws on more than three million objects from its national collection to explore the science and culture of image and sound technologies, and their impact on our lives.
The museum creates special exhibitions, interactive galleries and activities for families and adults, and is home to Pictureville, Yorkshire’s biggest independent cinema with three screens including Europe’s first IMAX and the only public Cinerama venue in the world.
About the National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.
Over the next ten years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.
We help protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.
We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
About the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund
The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund provides capital funding for museums and galleries across England to improve displays, protect collections and make exhibitions more accessible to visitors. In 2022-24, DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation each contributed £2 million to the Fund, which has benefitted more than 300 projects in its 20-year history.
About Aardman
Aardman is an employee-owned company, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. An independent, multi-Academy Award® and BAFTA® award winning studio, it produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment. Current animated productions include a brand-new Wallace & Gromit film which is set for release in 2024, the studio’s first in-house game Chicken Run: Eggstraction, series 7 of Shaun the Sheep and a third series of The Very Small Creatures.
Its productions are global in appeal, novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm reflecting the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the Aardman team. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters including Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time and Morph – is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning, comedic content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world. Recent celebrated projects include the BAFTA® nominated feature film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Academy Award® nominated short film Robin Robin, International Emmy® award winning Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas, BAFTA® nominated preschool series The Very Small Creatures and the recent CGI comedy series for kids Lloyd of the Flies.
The studio runs the Aardman Academy, its world-class training facility delivering excellence in film and animation training and mentoring for students around the world. The Aardman Academy offers a variety of courses from intensive one-day workshops, to its flagship seven-month In-Studio Stop Motion course. All courses are delivered by industry-leading tutors and mentors with decades of experience. The Aardman Academy is an integral part of the business, representing the studio’s inclusive ethos and commitment to nurturing the animation talent of the future.
In November 2018 it became an Employee-Owned Organisation, to ensure Aardman remains independent and to secure the creative legacy and culture of the company for many decades to come.
About Wallace & Gromit
Wallace and Gromit, Aardman’s most loved and iconic duo have been delighting family audiences around the world for 30 years. First hitting our screens in Nick Park’s Academy Award®-winning Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1989) the pair went on to star in three further half hour specials (Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993), Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995) and Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf or Death (2009)) and a feature length film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and are internationally celebrated winning over 100 awards at festivals - including 3 Academy Awards® and 5 BAFTA® Awards.
A regular highlight of the primetime BBC schedules, especially during the festive season, they have become British national treasures and pop culture icons in their own right. Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf or Death still remains the most watched Christmas Day programme since 2008 when it premiered on BBC One. The duo featured in their first augmented reality story The Big Fix Up, followed by the Emmy®-nominated VR experience, The Grand Getaway. A new feature length film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl will premiere this winter, directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham.
With a permanent attraction at Blackpool Pleasure Beach with over 500,000 riders every year, over 1 million fans on Facebook and over 15million views on YouTube, these perennial characters continue to grow audiences across multiple platforms.
Wallace & Gromit's Children's Charity is a national charity raising funds to improve the lives of sick children in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK, raising over £50million since 1995.
