The Museum of Curiosity
The Museum of Curiosity is a comedy talk show on BBC Radio 4 that was first broadcast on 20 February 2008. It is hosted by John Lloyd. He acts as the head of the fictional titular museum, while a panel of three guests – typically a comedian, an author and an academic – each donate to the museum an 'object' that fascinates them. The radio medium ensures that the suggested exhibits can be absolutely anything, limited only by the guests' imaginations.
Each series has had a different co-host, under the title of curator of the museum. Bill Bailey acted as co-host of the programme in the first series, whilst Sean Lock, Jon Richardson, Dave Gorman, Jimmy Carr, Humphrey Ker, Phill Jupitus, Sarah Millican, Noel Fielding, Jo Brand, Romesh Ranganathan, Sally Phillips, Lee Mack, Bridget Christie, Alice Levine, Holly Walsh and Anna Ptaszynski have all assumed the role in later series. Gorman also stood in for Richardson for one episode of the third series, after Richardson was stranded due to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. Ker also functioned as a stand-in, this time for Jimmy Carr, when Carr was unable to attend one episode in series 5.
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 provide the research. As a result, some critics consider the radio show to be a spin-off of the TV programme, and some have further ventured that The Museum of Curiosity is not as good as its forerunner. Most reviews of The Museum of Curiosity, however, are positive.
Format
In series one, the programme began with Bailey introducing the show and playing its theme tune, which he performed in a slightly different way in each episode. In subsequent series, the theme tune was, instead, performed by House of Strange Studios of East London. The host/professor and the curator/sidekick introduce themselves. They then give a short guide to the museum, followed by the introduction of the "advisory committee", a guest panel made up of celebrities and academic experts, during which Lloyd reads their CVs aloud.This introductory section takes up about half the programme.
Then, each member of the "committee" donates something to the museum. The donation can be anything, regardless of its size, cost, tangibility, or even existence. Examples of donations include a yeti, the Battle of Waterloo, and absolutely nothing. Lloyd and the curator then decide what form the exhibit could take and where in the museum it could be displayed. In series one, the programme ended either with Lloyd and Bailey reading audience suggestions for additional exhibits or asking the audience curious questions. Bailey ended the show by giving a humorous comment on a Bertrand Russell quote. Both of these ideas were dropped in series two.
From series two onward, the show has maintained a standard format. It is presented in two halves; in the first half, Lloyd and the curator introduce the three guests, provide an explanation of who they are, and the five engage in a general discussion. In the second half, the curator declares the Museum open for donations, and each guest explains what they wish to "donate" to the museum. Questioning of all three guests ensures that everyone says something about each donation.
Production
The programme's pilot episode was recorded on 16 April 2007 and was entitled The Professor of Curiosity. The guests for this episode were Alastair Fothergill, Victoria Finlay and Simon Munnery. This pilot, recorded at the Rutherford Room at the institute of Physics, has not been broadcast. The first series was recorded at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington and, since then, the show has been recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre, with occasional recordings at other venues, such as the Shaw Theatre and RADA Studios, all in London. The series was created by Lloyd, Richard Turner and Dan Schreiber. The show is produced by Anne Miller. The show's researchers are Mike Turner, Lydia Mizon and Emily Jupitus of QI.A live version of the show was staged at the Natural History Museum, London on 9 November 2012 for charity. The guests for this edition were Terry Pratchett, Dave Gorman, Alan West, Baron West of Spithead, Helen Keen, Richard Fortey and Erica McAlister. The show was hosted by John Lloyd, with Producer Dan Schreiber taking the role of curator.
Further live shows were staged at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe featuring a number of top comedians and other guests.
Series 15 and Series 16 were recorded remotely during 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Episodes
Series 1
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
| 1 | 20 February 2008 |
| |
| 2 | 27 February 2008 | ||
| 3 | 5 March 2008 | ||
| 4 | 12 March 2008 | ||
| 5 | 19 March 2008 | ||
| 6 | 26 March 2008 |
Series 2
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
| 1 | 4 May 2009 |
| |
| 2 | 11 May 2009 | ||
| 3 | 18 May 2009 | ||
| 4 | 25 May 2009 | ||
| 5 | 1 June 2009 | ||
| 6 | 8 June 2009 |
Series 3
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
| 1 | 10 May 2010 |
| |
| 2 | 17 May 2010 | ||
| 3 | 24 May 2010 | ||
| 4 | 31 May 2010 | ||
| 5 | 7 June 2010 | ||
| 6 | 14 June 2010 |
Series 4
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
| 1 | 3 October 2011 |
| |
| 2 | 10 October 2011 | ||
| 3 | 17 October 2011 | ||
| 4 | 24 October 2011 | ||
| 5 | 31 October 2011 | ||
| 6 | 7 November 2011 |
Series 5
| Episode | Air date | Advisory committee | Exhibits donated |
| 1 | 1 October 2012 |
| |
| 2 | 8 October 2012 | ||
| 3 | 15 October 2012 | ||
| 4 | 22 October 2012 | ||
| 5 | 29 October 2012 | ||
| 6 | 5 November 2012 |