Feathers McGraw helps relaunch media museum

A giant model of Wallace and Gromit super-villain Feathers McGraw has been created to welcome visitors back to the newly reopened Bradford's National Science and Media Museum.

Situated in the main foyer, the fibreglass replica has been made by the Oscar-winning Aardman Animations and is thought to be the largest ever model of the duo's feathered foe.

The museum, which has been closed since 2023, has reopened following a £6m redesign and refurbishment ahead of the city's role as UK City of Culture 2025.

Rebecca Land, the museum's head of communications, said they had enjoyed a long relationship with Aardman and were "thrilled" to have been able to work with them for the relaunch.

The giant model features McGraw in his first outing in the 1993 short-film The Wrong Trousers, operating a pair of giant "techno trousers" in order to pull off a daring jewellery heist.

Ms Land said: "Aardman have created their biggest ever model of a replica of the Wrong Trousers, or Techno Trousers as they're known.

"We've had a long relationship with Aardman. People might remember seeing Morph and other Aardman characters in our Experience TV galleries.

"We're just continuing to work with them and are thrilled to have Yorkshire-born legends helping us to reopen the museum."

Ngaio Harding-Hill, Head of Attractions & Live Experiences at Aardman, said they were "delighted" to create the 2m tall (6ft) model of "these infamous trousers and our favourite penguin mastermind" for the museum.

Bradford Science and Media museum closed to the public in June 2023 to allow work to take place to create two new galleries, remodel the entrance area and install a lift.

The project, which was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, had been due to be completed last summer, but "unforeseen delays" in constructing the lift led to the reopening being put back.

Speaking in September, Museum director Jo Quinton-Tulloch said despite the setbacks the venue would "shine the spotlight" on creativity in Bradford.

"The two new galleries will be ready in June but before that we have a fantastic programme of temporary exhibitions," she said.

Ms Land added: "We still have some spaces on Levels 3 and 5 under development creating new, permanent displays.

"Next week we're going to be launching a new temporary exhibition, a David Hockney exhibition, which we're very excited about.

"So there's going to be more and more to see as the year unfolds."

While Wallace and Gromit's fictional home at 62 West Wallaby Street may be in Wigan, creator Nick Park studied at Sheffield City Polytechnic - now known as Sheffield Hallam University.

And, to bolster his connections to Yorkshire, Wallace's accent comes from the Holme Valley in West Yorkshire and he has a fondness for North Yorkshire's Wensleydale Cheese.

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