A Channel 4 documentary featuring the history and lives in an ordinary Bristol street will be in a ‘revolutionary new format’ according to the channel.
More details have been released about the programme, which Bristol Live revealed in February would feature a terraced street in Bedminster, as well as other streets in three other places around the country.
The programme will be called Museum Of Us and be presented by Sir Tony Robinson.
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The programme will be a cross between a detective story and a design challenge - like A House Through Time or Time Team crossed with Grand Designs - with residents of each of the four streets having a week to investigate a curate a museum about the history of their ‘ordinary’ residential road.
The programme will feature streets in Norwich, Aberystwyth, Birmingham and Bristol, and Bristol Live revealed in February that the street featured here will be Hebron Road, a street in Bedminster that runs between North Street and West Street.
The programme is being made by Uplands TV, the production company run by Bristol-based historian Prof David Olusoga.
Channel 4 described the programme as creating a ‘revolutionary new history format’ for its More4 channel. “Forget the image of museums as lofty and remote, Museum of Us brings communities together to celebrate their stories in new and immersive ways, bringing history right to their doorsteps,” a Channel 4 spokesperson said.
“Each week, Tony Robinson leads a team made up of a historian, a designer and a curator to a different street in the UK where the residents are challenged to create their very own pop-up museum. Guided by Tony and the team, the local residents uncover, piece by piece, the story of their street. As they begin with their own personal connections, they then gather evidence that tells the story of their street through time and learn how it fits into Britain’s national history,” they added.
Sir Tony Robinson, who presented Time Team for decades, has strong links with Bristol and is a staunch Bristol City fan, said: “Museum of Us will be celebrating the lives, the histories and the ingenuity of ordinary people, and bringing communities together to make something wonderful. I'm thrilled to be involved.”
And Prof Olusoga, who is the executive producer for Uplands TV, added: “Tens of thousands of streets across the UK have fascinating histories hidden behind their front doors.
“We are delighted to be working with local residents and local museums to bring their untold stories to More4,” he added.
Despite being a relatively short late Victorian terraced street, it is packed with history for the residents to get stuck in to. The street contains an old graveyard that is the last resting place of Mary Baker - who as a young woman convinced local aristocracy she was a shipwrecked Indonesian princess called Princess Caraboo.
Kate Thomas, commissioning editor for More4, said: “Museum of Us is a fascinating and beautiful series. With the inimitable Tony Robinson at the helm and a brilliant team of experts, I know the individual museums built will capture the imaginations of us all and make us wonder about the history to be found on our own doorsteps.”
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