A brand-new podcast from the British Museum, the Museum podcast is a magazine-style show coming out on the first Wednesday of every month and featuring interviews with people from across the museum. Hear stories about new projects, exhibitions, conservation and much much more. Every month will feature a story from the Museum archives as well as highlighting one of the more disregarded objects from across the galleries.

The first episode is available on the 3rd of April.

At some point during the 1960s, there may have been as many as 100 cats living on the British Museum site. According to some newspapers they were bred to be super intelligent, according to some staff their breeding was out of control. This is the story of how the British Museum became a cat haven, and how they eventually came to be on the Museum payroll, thanks in large part to a British Museum cleaner affectionately referred to as the 'Cat Man’.

Music

‘Can’t Hug Every Cat’ - © The Gregory Brothers

‘Say Goodbye’ - © Adrianna Krikl

‘Marty Gots a Plan’, ‘Carpe Diem’, and ‘Simplex 48000 © Kevin MacLeod 

‘Close my mouth’ - © Silent Partner

‘Tech Toys' –  © Lee Rosevere

All tracks used and adapted under Attribution License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

When war broke out in 1939 many of the British Museum’s most valued objects had already been evacuated to safe locations across the UK. However, as war developed, it became apparent not all of these depositories were as safe as originally thought – and the dangers weren’t always caused by enemy forces. Meanwhile, back in London, the Director presented the ‘Suicide Exhibition’…

Music:

'Tech Toys' – Lee Rosevere: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere

'Under suspicion' – Lee Rosevere: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere

© Lee Rosevere 2016 

'The sun is scheduled to come out tomorrow' – Chris Zabriskie: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/chris_zabriskie

© Chris Zabriskie 2016

All tracks used and adapted under Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

It wasn’t only people that were evacuated from London during the Second World War. Antiquities and works of art were moved outside of the capital in their thousands. Relocated to stately houses, abandoned tube stations and purpose-built, climate-controlled bunkers – this is the story of how the British Museum pulled off ‘the biggest, mass evacuation of objects in any museum’s history.’

Music:

'Flashing Swords' – Cats on the Beach: http://www.catsonthebeach.net/

© Cats on the Beach 2015

'Tech Toys' – Lee Rosevere: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere

© Lee Rosevere 2015

Used and adapted under Attribution License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/