The Museum of Curiosity
Encyclopedia
The Museum of Curiosity, formerly titled The Professor of Curiosity, is a comedy
panel game
on BBC Radio 4
that was first broadcast on 20 February 2008. It stars John Lloyd
as "The Professor of Ignorance at the University of Buckingham
" and owner of the fictional "Museum of Curiosity". In the show a panel comprising three guests - typically a comedian, an author and an academic - attempt to donate a range of objects that they personally find curious to the museum.
Bill Bailey
acted as co-host of the programme in the first series, under the title of curator
of the museum. Bailey left the show after he initially decided to "retire" from panel games, and was replaced by Sean Lock
in the second series. Each subsequent series has seen a different comedian take over as the sidekick-curator, with Jon Richardson
and Dave Gorman
assuming the role in the third and fourth series respectively. (Gorman also stood in for Richardson for one edition of the third series after the latter was left stranded due to the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull
.)
The departures of previous curators are explained with bizarre claims. It was said that Bailey had been headhunted by the Cumberland Pencil Museum
, while Lock was apparently attempting to locate and remove a mustard seed
that had been accidentally placed in the room intended to contain nothing
(submitted by Frank Close
in series 1).
The programme has often been compared to the television panel game QI
. Both were co-created by Lloyd, several of the Museum's 'curators' and comic guests have appeared regularly on QI and the QI Elves receive a credit for providing some of the research. As a result, some critics consider the radio show to be a spin-off
of the TV programme. Some have ventured that The Museum of Curiosity is not as good as its forerunner. However, most reviewers are positive about the show.
.
Afterwards, each member of the committee attempts to donate something to the museum. The donation can be anything, no matter how large, expensive, intangible, or possibly nonexistent. Examples of donations include a yeti
, the Battle of Waterloo
, and absolutely nothing
. Lloyd and the curator decide whether it is worthy to enter the museum. In series one, the programme ended with Lloyd and Bailey looking through the audience's suggestions for things the museum could exhibit or asking the audience curious questions. Bailey then finished by giving a humorous comment on a Bertrand Russell
quote. Both of these ideas were dropped in series two.
, Victoria Finlay
and Simon Munnery
. This pilot, recorded at the Rutherford Room at the institute of Physics, has yet to be broadcast. The first series was recorded at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington
and the second at the BBC Radio Theatre. The series was co-created by Lloyd, Richard Turner
and Dan Schreiber. Turner and Schreiber are the producers of the show. The show's researchers are James Harkin, Xander Cansell (for series one) and Molly Oldfield (from series two onwards).
described the show as being "unusual" and "eclectic". Chris Campling, who wrote a preview of the first episode, highlighted it in his "Radio Choice" column for The Times
. Gillian Reynolds highlighted the programme as one of her radio choices in the Daily Telegraph. Rosanna Chianta in Scotland on Sunday
compared the show positively to QI
, also created by Lloyd, while Frances Lass from the Radio Times
said it was better than it claiming it was, "QI with even more jokes. Made me bark with laughter", that, "Lord Reith
would be so proud" and the programme was, "Pornography for the brain!"
Miranda Sawyer
of The Observer
criticised the show, saying that, "it's no QI, because the joy of that programme rests almost entirely in the host, Stephen Fry
, and his subversion of the prissy, clever character we're familiar with (in QI, Fry is clever, but relaxed). The Museum of Curiosity is presented partly by Bill Bailey and mostly by John Lloyd, producer of QI (are you getting a theme?). Lloyd may well be a nice chap, but we haven't a clue who he is, and, on the evidence of this, he isn't a big or witty enough character for us to feel desperate to get to know him."
Nicholas Lezard
in The Independent on Sunday was lukewarm about the show, saying it "more or less worked." He wrote:
Kate Chisholm in The Spectator
commented positively: "I've at last found myself laughing at a Radio Four comedy programme, transforming that 6.30 graveyard slot, which in recent years has become synonymous with smutty jokes and banal innuendo
, into something a little different. The Museum of Curiosity (Wednesdays) is a bit like Paul Merton's
Room 101
, but without the ego."
Elisabeth Mahoney in The Guardian
was critical of the second series. While praising the discussion between the guests as, "funny and flowing, and quite endearingly quirky", she also said: "But, peculiarly, the programme fizzled away when it reached what ought to have been its crux: the donation of kooky items to the imaginary museum. Instead, we had a reminder of what they were, and then a sudden ending that was both limp and abrupt."
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
panel game
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
that was first broadcast on 20 February 2008. It stars John Lloyd
John Lloyd (writer)
John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd CBE is a British comedy writer and television producer. He is the great nephew of John Hardress Lloyd.-Early life and career:...
as "The Professor of Ignorance at the University of Buckingham
University of Buckingham
The University of Buckingham is an independent, non-sectarian, research and teaching university located in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Great Ouse. It was originally founded as Buckingham University College in the 1970s and received its Royal Charter from the...
" and owner of the fictional "Museum of Curiosity". In the show a panel comprising three guests - typically a comedian, an author and an academic - attempt to donate a range of objects that they personally find curious to the museum.
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
acted as co-host of the programme in the first series, under the title of curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the museum. Bailey left the show after he initially decided to "retire" from panel games, and was replaced by Sean Lock
Sean Lock
Sean Lock is an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian. He won the British Comedy Award in 2000 in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award. He is also well known for his appearances on television and radio...
in the second series. Each subsequent series has seen a different comedian take over as the sidekick-curator, with Jon Richardson
Jon Richardson (entertainer)
Jon Joel Richardson is a British comedian.Jon co-hosted a Sunday morning radio show on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian and friend Russell Howard, and continued to present the show himself after Howard left, until 7 March 2010...
and Dave Gorman
Dave Gorman
David James Gorman is an English author, stand-up comedian and presenter. He has performed comedy shows on stage in which he tells stories of extreme adventures and presents the evidence to the audience in order to prove to them that they are true stories...
assuming the role in the third and fourth series respectively. (Gorman also stood in for Richardson for one edition of the third series after the latter was left stranded due to the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull
Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption
In response to concerns that volcanic ash ejected during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland would damage aircraft engines, the controlled airspace of many European countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II...
.)
The departures of previous curators are explained with bizarre claims. It was said that Bailey had been headhunted by the Cumberland Pencil Museum
Cumberland Pencil Museum
The Cumberland Pencil Museum is home to the biggest colouring pencil in the world, the idea of technical manager Barbara Murray. It was completed on 28 May 2001, is long, and weighs ....
, while Lock was apparently attempting to locate and remove a mustard seed
Mustard seed
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional foods. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown...
that had been accidentally placed in the room intended to contain nothing
Nothing
Nothing is no thing, denoting the absence of something. Nothing is a pronoun associated with nothingness, is also an adjective, and an object as a concept in the Frege-Church ontology....
(submitted by Frank Close
Frank Close
Francis Edwin Close OBE is a noted particle physicist who is currently Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.-Early life:...
in series 1).
The programme has often been compared to the television panel game QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
. Both were co-created by Lloyd, several of the Museum's 'curators' and comic guests have appeared regularly on QI and the QI Elves receive a credit for providing some of the research. As a result, some critics consider the radio show to be a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of the TV programme. Some have ventured that The Museum of Curiosity is not as good as its forerunner. However, most reviewers are positive about the show.
Format
In series one, the programme began with Bailey introducing the show, playing the theme tune to the programme in a slightly different way in each episode. Subsequent series have the theme tune played normally. The host/professor and the curator/sidekick introduce themselves. They then give a short guide to the museum, before introducing the "advisory committee", a guest panel made up of a mixture of celebrities and academic experts, with Lloyd reading out their CVsRésumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
.
Afterwards, each member of the committee attempts to donate something to the museum. The donation can be anything, no matter how large, expensive, intangible, or possibly nonexistent. Examples of donations include a yeti
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
, the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, and absolutely nothing
Nothing
Nothing is no thing, denoting the absence of something. Nothing is a pronoun associated with nothingness, is also an adjective, and an object as a concept in the Frege-Church ontology....
. Lloyd and the curator decide whether it is worthy to enter the museum. In series one, the programme ended with Lloyd and Bailey looking through the audience's suggestions for things the museum could exhibit or asking the audience curious questions. Bailey then finished by giving a humorous comment on a Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
quote. Both of these ideas were dropped in series two.
Production
The series was first recorded as a pilot in 16 April 2007 called The Professor of Curiosity, in which the guests were Alastair FothergillAlastair Fothergill
Alastair Fothergill is a producer of nature documentaries for television and cinema. He is the executive producer of the multi-award winning series The Blue Planet and Planet Earth and the co-director of the associated feature films Deep Blue and Earth.Fothergill attended Harrow...
, Victoria Finlay
Victoria Finlay
Victoria Finlay is a writer and journalist, known for her books on colour and jewels. Her most famous book is Colour: Travels Through The Paint Box.-Career:...
and Simon Munnery
Simon Munnery
Simon Munnery, also known by his stagenames of Alan Parker: Urban Warrior and The League Against Tedium, is an English comedy writer and experimental standup comedian...
. This pilot, recorded at the Rutherford Room at the institute of Physics, has yet to be broadcast. The first series was recorded at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
and the second at the BBC Radio Theatre. The series was co-created by Lloyd, Richard Turner
Richard Turner (producer)
Richard Turner is a radio producer for the BBC. He is one of the co-creators of the BBC Radio 4 panel show The Museum of Curiosity, along with John Lloyd, who also presents the series, and Dan Schreiber, who co-produces the series with Turner. He also worked as script editor for the BBC Radio 7...
and Dan Schreiber. Turner and Schreiber are the producers of the show. The show's researchers are James Harkin, Xander Cansell (for series one) and Molly Oldfield (from series two onwards).
Episodes
Series 1
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 February 2008 |
|
Asian giant hornet The Asian giant hornet , including the subspecies Japanese giant hornet , colloquially known as the yak-killer hornet, is the world's largest hornet, native to temperate and tropical Eastern Asia... of Chang Jiang. (Fortey) Natural History Museum The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road... . (Fortey) Yeti The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology... or Sasquatch. (Blessed) Half hitch The half hitch is a simple overhand knot, where the working end of a line is brought over and under the standing part. Insecure on its own, it is a valuable component of a wide variety of useful and reliable hitches, bends, and knots.... , or the "Sean Lock neck knot". (Lock) |
| 2 | 27 February 2008 |
Fran Beauman Francesca Beauman, also known as Fran Beauman is a historian and television presenter, living in both London, United Kingdom and Los Angeles, California, United States. She is the writer of two books, The Pineapple: King of Fruits and The Woman's Book: Everything but the Kitchen Sink... Gary Sheffield (historian) Professor Gary Sheffield is an English academic at the University of Birmingham and a military historian. He has published widely, especially on the First World War, and contributes to many newspapers, journals and magazines. He frequently broadcasts on television and radio.Sheffield studied... Ben Elton Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV.... |
Pineapple Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae... (Beauman) Privacy Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively... (Elton) |
| 3 | 5 March 2008 |
Arthur Smith (comedian) Brian Arthur John Smith is an English alternative comedian and writer. He was born in Bermondsey, South London, brother to Richard Smith... Frank Close Francis Edwin Close OBE is a noted particle physicist who is currently Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.-Early life:... Ronald Hutton Ronald Hutton is an English historian who specializes in the study of Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and contemporary Paganism. A reader in the subject at the University of Bristol, Hutton has published fourteen books and has appeared on British television and radio... |
Arthur Cravan Arthur Cravan was known as a pugilist, a poet, a larger-than-life character, and an idol of the Dada and Surrealism movements. He was the second son of Otho Holland Lloyd and Hélène Clara St. Clair of Armenian desent. His brother, Otho, was born in 1885... (Smith) Nothing Nothing is no thing, denoting the absence of something. Nothing is a pronoun associated with nothingness, is also an adjective, and an object as a concept in the Frege-Church ontology.... (Close) Father Christmas Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India... (Hutton) |
| 4 | 12 March 2008 |
Victoria Finlay Victoria Finlay is a writer and journalist, known for her books on colour and jewels. Her most famous book is Colour: Travels Through The Paint Box.-Career:... Kevin Day Kevin Day is a British stand up comedian, comedy writer and sports presenter, born in London.He came to prominence in the British alternative comedy stand up scene of the late eighties and early nineties, playing clubs like The Comedy Store... Alastair Fothergill Alastair Fothergill is a producer of nature documentaries for television and cinema. He is the executive producer of the multi-award winning series The Blue Planet and Planet Earth and the co-director of the associated feature films Deep Blue and Earth.Fothergill attended Harrow... |
Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian... (Finlay) Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands... (Day) Hairy angler The Hairy angler is a deep sea fish.The female is about the size of a football and its body is covered in long antennae, used to detect the movements of any prey nearby. The male is about a tenth her size - the size of a ping pong ball... (Fothergill) |
| 5 | 19 March 2008 |
Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE is a British theatre and opera director, author, physician, television presenter, humorist and sculptor. Trained as a physician in the late 1950s, he first came to prominence in the 1960s with his role in the comedy revue Beyond the Fringe with fellow writers and... Philip Ball Philip Ball is an English science writer. He holds a degree in chemistry from Oxford and a doctorate in physics from Bristol University. He was an editor for the journal Nature for over 10 years. He now writes a regular column in Chemistry World... Marcus du Sautoy Marcus Peter Francis du Sautoy OBE is the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. Formerly a Fellow of All Souls College, and Wadham College, he is now a Fellow of New College... |
Nottingham Alabaster Nottingham alabaster is a term used to refer to the English sculpture industry, mostly of relatively small religious carvings, which flourished from the fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century... s (Miller) Phlogiston theory The phlogiston theory , first stated in 1667 by Johann Joachim Becher, is an obsolete scientific theory that postulated the existence of a fire-like element called "phlogiston", which was contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion... (Ball) Monster group In the mathematical field of group theory, the Monster group M or F1 is a group of finite order:... (du Sautoy) |
| 6 | 26 March 2008 |
John Gribbin John R. Gribbin is a British science writer and a visiting Fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex.- Biography :John Gribbin graduated with his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Sussex in 1966. Gribbin then earned his master of science degree in astronomy in 1967, also... Alan Davies Alan Davies is an English comedian, writer and actor best known for starring in the TV mystery series Jonathan Creek and as the permanent panellist on the TV panel show QI.- Early life :... Martha Reeves (Anchorite) Martha Reeves is an Anglican solitary . A graduate of the Madeira School, Class of 1959, she is also a Stanford educated professor of theology and a mystic under vows to the Archbishop of Canterbury... |
Big Bang The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in... (Gribbin) Epping Forest Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation.... (Davies) Silence Silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. By analogy, the word silence may also refer to any absence of communication, even in media other than speech.... (Reeves) |
Series 2
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 May 2009 |
|
Grímsvötn The Grímsvötn sub-glacial lakes and the volcano of the same name are in South-East Iceland. They are in the highlands of Iceland at the northwestern side of the Vatnajökull ice-cap. The lakes are at , at an elevation of... (Eno) Big red button A big red button , sometimes called a big red switch , is a real or fictional button with various functions. The purpose of being big and red is for its quick identification and actuation... that you know you shouldn't press (Gorman) |
| 2 | 11 May 2009 |
Gavin Pretor-Pinney Gavin Edmund Pretor-Pinney is a British designer and author of the best-selling The Cloudspotter's Guide .Pretor-Pinney attended Westminster School, the University of Oxford, and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design... Simon Singh Simon Lehna Singh, MBE is a British author who has specialised in writing about mathematical and scientific topics in an accessible manner.... Tim FitzHigham Tim FitzHigham FRSA FRGS is an award winning British comedian, author, and world record holder. The feats he has performed include paddling a paper boat down 160 miles of the River Thames, rowing a bathtub across the English Channel, and inflating the world's largest balloon.-Career:FitzHigham... |
|
| 3 | 18 May 2009 |
Bettany Hughes Bettany Hughes is an English academic historian, author and broadcaster.Hughes' father is the actor Peter Hughes and her brother is the cricketer and journalist Simon Hughes... Chris Addison Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4... Rupert Sheldrake Rupert Sheldrake is an English scientist. He is known for having proposed an unorthodox account of morphogenesis and for his research into parapsychology. His books and papers stem from his theory of morphic resonance, and cover topics such as animal and plant development and behaviour, memory,... |
Alan Shepard Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit... six iron Iron (golf) An iron is a type of club used in the sport of golf to propel the ball towards the hole. They are so-called because historically the clubhead was generally made from iron. Whilst the vast majority of modern irons are still made from iron, it is almost always its stronger and more durable alloy,... (Addison) |
| 4 | 25 May 2009 |
Charlotte Uhlenbroek Charlotte Jane Uhlenbroek is a British zoologist and BBC television presenter.-Early life:Her Dutch father was an agricultural specialist with the United Nations who took his English wife and their family round the world with him. Uhlenbroek was born in London, but her parents moved to Ghana when... John Hodgman John Kellogg Hodgman is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All, he is known for his personification of a PC in contrast to Justin Long's personification of a Mac in... Oliver James Oliver James is a clinical psychologist, journalist, bestselling book author, and television documentary producer. and presenter He also frequently broadcasts on radio and acts as a pundit on television... |
Chimpanzee Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:... rain dance Rain dancing Rainmaking is an ethnographic term for rituals intended to invoke rain.Among the most well known examples of rainmaking rituals are North American rain dances, historically performed by many Native American tribes, particularly in the Southwestern United States. Some of these traditions have... (Uhlenbroek) Knowledge Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject... (Hodgman) Matt Ridley Matthew White Ridley, FRSL, FMedSci is an English journalist, writer, biologist, and businessman.-Career:... nameplate Nameplate A nameplate identifies and displays a person or product's name. Name plates are usually shaped as rectangles but are also seen in other shapes, sometimes taking on the shape of someone’s name... from his office door at Northern Rock Northern Rock Northern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007. Having failed to find a commercial buyer for... (James) |
| 5 | 1 June 2009 |
Kate Adie Kathryn "Kate" Adie , OBE , is a British journalist. Her most high-profile role was that of chief news correspondent for BBC News, during which time she became well known for reporting from war zones around the world... Jon Richardson (entertainer) Jon Joel Richardson is a British comedian.Jon co-hosted a Sunday morning radio show on BBC 6 Music with fellow comedian and friend Russell Howard, and continued to present the show himself after Howard left, until 7 March 2010... Roger Law Roger Law is a caricaturist and one half of Fluck & Law , creators of the satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image.-Early life:... |
Holy Grail The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers... (Adie) Hannah Hauxwell Hannah Hauxwell is a retired English farmer who has been the subject of several television documentaries on Yorkshire Television.... (Richardson) English Spot The English Spot is a breed of domestic rabbit that was developed in England in the 19th century through selective breeding. Averaging 5 to 8 pounds in weight, the English Spot is a medium-sized breed that is most noted by the distinctive colored markings on its body, including the butterfly, eye... rabbit Rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world... (Law) |
| 6 | 8 June 2009 |
Clive James Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism... Tim Minchin Timothy David "Tim" Minchin is a British-Australian comedian, actor, and musician.Tim Minchin is best known for his musical comedy, which has featured in six CDs, three DVDs and a number of live comedy shows which he has performed internationally. He has also appeared on television in Australia,... Philip Pullman Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ... |
P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts... (James) Invention An invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social... s being used for things they were not designed for. (Pullman) |
Series 3
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 May 2010 |
|
Omega point Omega Point is a term coined by the French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to describe a maximum level of complexity and consciousness towards which he believed the universe was evolving.... (Chown) Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I... (Khorsandi) |
| 2 | 17 May 2010 |
Suggs (singer) Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:... Ruth Padel Ruth Sophia Padel is a British poet, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Zoological Society of London. She also writes non-fiction and more recently fiction, broadcasts on wildlife, poetry and literature for BBC Radio 3 and 4, and is Writer in Residence at The Environment Institute,... Leigh Francis Leigh Szaak Francis is an English impressionist born in Leeds. He is best known for his work as the creator of Channel 4's Bo' Selecta!, and for his portrayal of Keith Lemon for several ITV programmes. Francis lives in Camden Town, London, and on October 31, 2003, at Allerton Castle, North... |
The Great Exhibition The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October... (Suggs) Tiger The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts... s (Padel) Spider-Man Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15... (Francis) |
| 3 | 24 May 2010 |
Richard Wiseman Richard Wiseman is Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.Wiseman started his professional life as a magician, before graduating in Psychology from University College London and obtaining a Ph.D... Jon Ronson Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine... |
Milgram experiment The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures was a series of notable social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram, which measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that... (Wiseman) Ten spiritual realms The ten spiritual realms are part of the belief of some forms of Buddhism that there are ten conditions of life which sentient beings are subject to, and which they experience from moment to moment.... (Eldon) Gay bomb The "halitosis bomb" and "gay bomb" are informal names for two theoretical non-lethal chemical weapons, which a United States Air Force research laboratory speculated about producing, which involved discharging female sex pheromones over enemy forces in order to make them sexually attracted to each... (Ronson) |
| 4 | 31 May 2010 |
Simon Evans Simon Evans , is an English comedian, born in Luton and currently living in Hove.-Early life:Simon Evans attended Verulam School in St Albans and then studied law at Southampton University, graduating in 1986.-Stand-up comedy:... |
Singing sand Singing sand, whistling sand or barking sand is sand that produces sound. The sound emission may be caused by wind passing over dunes or by walking on the sand.Certain conditions have to come together to create singing sand:... dunes (Welland) Michel de Montaigne Lord Michel Eyquem de Montaigne , February 28, 1533 – September 13, 1592, was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance, known for popularising the essay as a literary genre and is popularly thought of as the father of Modern Skepticism... 's medallion (Bakewell) Total Eclipse A total eclipse is an eclipse where either the Sun is entirely covered by the Moon, or the Earth's shadow entirely covers the Moon.Total Eclipse may also refer to:-Music:* Total Eclipse , a Goa trance music group... (Evans) |
| 5 | 7 June 2010 |
Ronni Ancona Ronni Ancona is a Scottish actress, impressionist and author. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression.- Career :... Daniel Tammet Daniel Tammet is a British writer. His best selling 2006 memoir, Born On A Blue Day, about his life with high-functioning autism and savant syndrome, was named a "Best Book for Young Adults" in 2008 by the American Library Association.Tammet's second book, Embracing the Wide Sky, was named one of... |
Barry Marshall Barry James Marshall, AC, FRS, FAA is an Australian physician, Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Western Australia. Marshall is well-known for proving that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori Barry James Marshall, AC, FRS, FAA... (Ancona) Saul Bellow Saul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts... (Tammet) |
| 6 | 14 June 2010 |
Sarah Millican Sarah Millican is an English stand-up comedian. Millican won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.-Career:... David Eagleman David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. He is best known for his work on time perception, synesthesia, and neurolaw... Neil Gaiman Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book... |
Jack Benny Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film... 's vault The Jack Benny Program The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself... (Gaiman) |
Series 4
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 October 2011 |
|
God God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism.... (Stavrakopoulou) Curta calculator The Curta is a small, hand-cranked mechanical calculator introduced in 1948. It has an extremely compact design: a small cylinder that fits in the palm of the hand. It can be used to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and — with more difficulty — square roots and other... (Bellos) |
| 2 | 10 October 2011 |
Graham Linehan Graham Linehan is an Irish television writer, actor, comedian and director who, often in partnership with Arthur Mathews, has written or co-written a number of popular television comedies... |
Compact Cassette The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel... (Linehan) Seahorse Seahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse... s (Scales) Shreddies Shreddies is a breakfast cereal sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Germany produced by Post Cereals and General Mills, consisting of malted squares of inter-woven whole grain wheat.Shreddies has been made in the UK since 1955... shown from angle of 45° (Sutherland) |
| 3 | 17 October 2011 |
Robin Ince Robin Ince is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage .-Stand-up comedy:... Gareth Edwards (director) Gareth Edwards is a British film director. He is best known for directing the 2010 independent film Monsters, his first feature film. He also wrote, filmed, and did the visual effects for the film. He is currently attached to direct the upcoming Godzilla reboot from Legendary Pictures.- Biography... |
Cloak of invisibility A cloak of invisibility is a theme that has occurred in fiction, and is a device which is under some scientific inquiry.-Cloaks of invisibility in fiction:... (Highfield) Trifle Trifle is a dessert dish made from thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, fruit juice or gelatin, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers with fruit and sponge on the bottom, and custard and cream on top.... (Ince) Storytelling Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values... ever told (Edwards) |
| 4 | 24 October 2011 |
Natalie Haynes Natalie Haynes is a British comedian and writer. She has been performing stand-up comedy since 1994 and was a member of Footlights at Cambridge University where she read Classics at Christ's College... David Crystal David Crystal OBE FLSW FBA is a linguist, academic and author.-Background and career:Crystal was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He grew up in Holyhead, North Wales, and Liverpool, England where he attended St Mary's College from 1951.... |
Detective fiction Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:... (Haynes) Cliché A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,... (Crystal) |
| 5 | 31 October 2011 |
Alain de Botton Alain de Botton is a Swiss writer, television presenter, and entrepreneur, resident in the UK.His books and television programs discuss various contemporary subjects and themes in a philosophical style, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. In August 2008, he was a founding member... Alex Horne Alex Horne is a British comedian.He was educated at Lancing College and the University of Cambridge, where he was a member of Footlights.-Career:... |
High Street High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing... psychotherapist Psychotherapy Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group... (Botton) Walrus The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic... baculum Baculum The baculum is a bone found in the penis of most mammals. It is absent in humans, but present in other primates, such as the gorilla and chimpanzee.The bone aids in sexual intercourse.-Purpose:... (Wheeler) Dord Dord is a notable error in lexicography, an accidental creation, or ghost word, of the G. and C. Merriam Company's staff included in the second edition of its New International Dictionary, in which the term is defined as "density".... " (Horne) |
| 6 | 7 November 2011 |
Lucie Green Dr. Lucie Green is a British solar researcher based at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of University College London. She is a science writer and TV and radio presenter.... Harry Enfield Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.-Early life:... Alan West, Baron West of Spithead Admiral Alan William John West, Baron West of Spithead GCB DSC PC was, from June 2007 to May 2010, a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the British Home Office with responsibility for Security and a Security Advisor to Prime Minister Gordon Brown... |
Coronal mass ejection A coronal mass ejection is a massive burst of solar wind, other light isotope plasma, and magnetic fields rising above the solar corona or being released into space.... (Green) Stupidity Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or sense. It may be innate, assumed, or reactive - 'being "stupid with grief" as a defence against trauma', a state marked with 'grief and despair...making even simple daily tasks a hardship'.... German Germans The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages.... (Enfield) Grog The word grog refers to a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to a drink made with water or "small beer" and rum, which British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon introduced into the Royal Navy on 21 August 1740. Vernon wore a coat of grogram cloth and was nicknamed Old Grogram or... (West) |
Reception
Reaction to the series was mixed. Phil Daoust in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described the show as being "unusual" and "eclectic". Chris Campling, who wrote a preview of the first episode, highlighted it in his "Radio Choice" column for The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. Gillian Reynolds highlighted the programme as one of her radio choices in the Daily Telegraph. Rosanna Chianta in Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
compared the show positively to QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
, also created by Lloyd, while Frances Lass from the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
said it was better than it claiming it was, "QI with even more jokes. Made me bark with laughter", that, "Lord Reith
John Reith, 1st Baron Reith
John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom...
would be so proud" and the programme was, "Pornography for the brain!"
Miranda Sawyer
Miranda Sawyer
Miranda Sawyer is an English journalist and broadcaster.She grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor. She has a degree in Jurisprudence from Pembroke College, Oxford...
of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
criticised the show, saying that, "it's no QI, because the joy of that programme rests almost entirely in the host, Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, and his subversion of the prissy, clever character we're familiar with (in QI, Fry is clever, but relaxed). The Museum of Curiosity is presented partly by Bill Bailey and mostly by John Lloyd, producer of QI (are you getting a theme?). Lloyd may well be a nice chap, but we haven't a clue who he is, and, on the evidence of this, he isn't a big or witty enough character for us to feel desperate to get to know him."
Nicholas Lezard
Nicholas Lezard
Nicholas Lezard is an English journalist and literary critic.Lezard has a weekly column, 'Nicholas Lezard's choice', reviewing paperback books for the Guardian. He also writes for the Independent, and writes the 'Down and Out in London' column for the New Statesman.-External links:* at journalisted...
in The Independent on Sunday was lukewarm about the show, saying it "more or less worked." He wrote:
I try to envisage the pitch. Imagine if you or I went up to the Head of What Goes Out at 6.30 on Radio 4 and said: "It's a show where we ask guests to bring along an item of interest for us to put in an imaginary museum. They get to tell us some anecdotes, and we make the odd quip." The Head of What Goes Out at 6.30 on Radio 4 puts the tips of his fingers together and says: "Is that it?" "Well, basically, yes." "And will your guests be famous?" "Well, we thought for the first show we'd have Brian Blessed, who is an enormous pain in the arse but undoubtedly very well known; a comedian not too many people have heard of like, say, Sean Lock, and then we'd have a completely off-beam choice, perhaps Richard Fortey, who is a world expert on trilobites and a member of the Royal Society." This sounds a bit mad, no? As I said, if you or I pitched this idea we'd hardly have time to eat our free BBC biscuit before being shown the door. But as the hosts are Bill Bailey and John Lloyd (who had the idea for, among many other things, QI), then they get the green light. Good for them.
Kate Chisholm in The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
commented positively: "I've at last found myself laughing at a Radio Four comedy programme, transforming that 6.30 graveyard slot, which in recent years has become synonymous with smutty jokes and banal innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
, into something a little different. The Museum of Curiosity (Wednesdays) is a bit like Paul Merton's
Paul Merton
Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...
Room 101
Room 101 (TV series)
Room 101 is a BBC comedy television series based on the radio series of the same name, in which celebrities were invited to discuss their pet hates and persuade the host to consign them to a fate worse than death in Room 101, named after the torture room in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is...
, but without the ego."
Elisabeth Mahoney in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was critical of the second series. While praising the discussion between the guests as, "funny and flowing, and quite endearingly quirky", she also said: "But, peculiarly, the programme fizzled away when it reached what ought to have been its crux: the donation of kooky items to the imaginary museum. Instead, we had a reminder of what they were, and then a sudden ending that was both limp and abrupt."