Aardman’s most famous characters, Wallace and Gromit, may be denizens of northern England but the studio’s deep-rooted connection to the south-west of the UK is being celebrated in a new show on Bristol’s harbourside.
The exhibition at the M Shed, just around the corner from the Aardman base on Gas Ferry Road (a name that would not be out of place in a Wallace and Gromit adventure), shines a light on the studio’s 50 years in Bristol.
It maps how Aardman rose from modest beginnings in the city and began to win the nation’s hearts and minds by moulding Morph for the children’s programme Take Hart, before going global with beloved characters such as Shaun the Sheep and the Chicken Run gang.
The show features puppets galore and beautifully crafted sets and describes how Aardman’s creations draw on Bristol’s independent, sometimes rebellious spirit.
“We’ve always had a creative identity that celebrated independence,” said Ngaio Harding-Hill, the director of attractions, live experiences and archive at Aardman. “I think the spirit of Bristol has always permeated our productions.”
As well as entertaining and informing, the exhibition is also designed to inspire young people to consider a career in the industry. “Over the 50 years, we’ve been able to develop a great creative community in the city,” Harding-Hill said. “We hope the exhibition will make people think about a career in the creative industries. If you’ve got a story, got an idea, you can make it happen.”
The Guardian was given a sneak preview as the finishing touches were being made to the show, which highlights how south-west England locations and products – as well as its alternative spirit – are used in Aardman works.
Grimy railways arches that appear in one of the Shaun the Sheep’s tales, for example, are based on Bristol Temple Meads railway station.
Tottington Hall, which features in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, was modelled on Montacute House, a late Elizabethan mansion in Somerset south of Bristol.
Some references are subtle but will delight Bristolians. Tucked away in a Chicken Run set, for example, is a tin of “Fly’s Cocoa”, a nod to Fry’s, the chocolate maker founded in Bristol.
Other highlights of the show include a flying machine built for Chicken Run that escaped the 2005 fire in which much of the studio’s past was destroyed. Someone involved in the production had tucked it away in their garage and handed it back after the blaze.
Another set, never shown in public before, features Wallace and Gromit being held captive by their arch-enemy Feathers McGraw for the 2024 film Vengeance Most Fowl.
Steve Bradley, an exhibitions and displays manager, said caring for so many national treasures was a huge responsibility. He is keen on some of the grubbier sets, such as one that has an overflowing skip as its centrepiece and a barbed wire fence with tiny plastic bags caught in the spikes.
“Even though they are gritty in nature, they’re still beautiful,” Bradley said. “The craftsmanship is extraordinary.”
The exhibition’s first weekend has already sold out. Visitors who want to take home a bit of Aardman will be able to buy limited-edition badges, key rings and jewellery.
And before they leave, they can dine in the cafe on Aardman-themed food including pasta and sandwiches – loaded, of course, with Wallace’s beloved cheese, wensleydale.
Helen McConnell Simpson, a senior curator of history at Bristol Museums, said M Shed often tackled difficult areas. The statue of slave trader Edward Colston, which was thrown into the harbour in 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest, remains tucked away in a quiet corner of the museum.
“But it’s really lovely to welcome families to an exhibition which is focused on joy and celebration,” she said. “The world is a difficult place at the moment and it’s great to have something based on warmth and community and creativity and fun.”
Cracking Exhibition Gromit: 50 Years of Aardman in Bristol runs from 20 June to 13 September.
