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Aardman marks 50 cracking years with Bristol show
The Guardian
|June 19, 2026
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 is being celebrated in a new show on Bristol’s harbourside.
The exhibition at the M Shed museum, just a few metres from the Aardman base at Gas Ferry Road, 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 a large number of puppets 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.
This story is from the June 19, 2026 edition of The Guardian.
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