I’m delighted to let you know that Secrets of the Museum – BBC Two’s six-part documentary tracing life behind the scenes at the V&A – is returning to our TV and digital screens for a second series this Spring.
Part of BBC’s Culture in Quarantine initiative bringing arts and culture into the homes of the nation during lockdown, the series follows our world-class teams as they care for the V&A’s collection of art, design and performance.
Spanning fashion to photography, sculpture to ceramics, and architecture to theatre and performance, each programme follows the V&A’s experts as they reveal the hidden history behind each object, including how it was made and why it matters. Many objects are fragile, and extremely rare, presenting new conservation challenges and display opportunities across the V&A’s family of museums.
The series promises an eclectic and exciting dive into the V&A’s historic and contemporary collections. From a delicate Michelangelo wax sculpture to etchings by Lucian Freud and iconic designs by contemporary fashion designers Molly Goddard and JW Anderson, the series will also trace the stories behind stage costumes worn by Shirley Bassey, Slade’s Jim Lea and the cast of National Theatre’s 2019 production of Follies, as well as objects previously owned by Winston Churchill and Vivien Leigh.
At a time when the V&A sadly remains closed due the global pandemic, we’re delighted to be able to invite you back to the V&A, and into our galleries, exhibitions, conservation labs and archives in for another behind-the-scenes visit through Secrets of the Museum. We’ll have more information to follow in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, for those who can’t wait until later this spring, series 1 of Secrets of Museum is also airing on BBC Four and iPlayer from 18 January 2020. I do hope you’ll join us on air and online.