Museum to feature in BBC One’s Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History with Stephen Fry

The new special, airing 27 February, will see Stephen Fry investigate the stories behind some of the world’s most fantastic beasts. Stephen will travel to Utah, Florida, Loch Ness and even the Museum’s very own tank room as part of his quest to unravel why the world of mythical beasts are more popular than ever before.

The documentary aims to bring our best-known myths and legends to life and examine the connections between the extraordinary animals of planet Earth and the fantastic beasts of mythology and the Wizarding World.

The programme will also feature an interview with J.K. Rowling, who appears in a short conversation with Stephen Fry discussing their shared fascination with fantastic creatures, myths, legends, and beasts.

Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History was commissioned for BBC One and iPlayer, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and Warner Bros., in collaboration with the Natural History Museum and will air Sunday 27 February at 19:00.

Notes to editors

Natural History Media contact: Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5654 / 07799690151 Email: press@nhm.ac.uk

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world.

It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet.

The Museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.

The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year; our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 30 million people in the last 10 years.