Animal, Vegetable, Mineral?
Archaeology panel show that made experts TV stars.
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? was a British television panel show that aired from 23 October 1952 to 18 March 1959. It featured a panel of archaeologists, art historians, and natural history experts identifying objects from museums and university collections. The show was noted for bringing archaeology into the media spotlight.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Panel show
- Creator
- Nora Wood
- Presenter
- Lionel Hale
- Glyn Daniel
- Barry Cunliffe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 7 (BBC-tv), 1 (BBC2)
- Episodes
- 116 (BBC-tv), 14 (BBC2)
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
Facts from the source article.
History
The programme was modelled on the American show What in the World? developed by Froelich Rainey. Its first episode aired on 23 October 1952, hosted by Lionel Hale and produced by Paul Johnstone. Hale stepped down after an early episode where Thomas Bodkin challenged him over an object's age, and was replaced by archaeologist Glyn Daniel, who served as chairman and scorer for seven years. Sir Mortimer Wheeler was the most frequent panelist and was voted TV personality of the year in 1954; Daniel won the award the following year. The original series ended on 18 March 1959, partly due to Daniel's association with Anglia Television. A brief revival titled A.V.M? aired in 1971, directed by Bob Toner with Barry Cunliffe as chairman.
Programme information
Sir David Attenborough chose the artefacts for each episode and also served as camera director. For the 1956 Christmas special, Daniel and Wheeler selected items for Attenborough and production staff. Inauthentic items sometimes appeared, such as a stone axe by forger 'Flint Jack' or fake Crown Derby ware. Sir Julian Huxley failed to identify a modern mock-up of a stuffed great auk as a fake, and once lost a £1 bet after not recognising an African giant snail egg. The presenter occasionally included corroded modern objects like parts of a pram or bicycle. The series' signature music was the prelude to Partita No. 3 in E major by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Controversies
Wheeler would sometimes look up items in catalogues before filming to gain an advantage, but he once walked off the set after a junior producer tried to show him the planned objects ahead of time. In 1957, the panel was asked to identify the ethnic backgrounds of human volunteers. Margaret Mead repeatedly interrupted by saying each group could be found at Grand Central Station in New York, and she was never asked back. A BBC spokesman claimed Glyn Daniel hosted an episode while ill with influenza, during which he remarked about poisoned arrows from the Sarawak State Museum that he would like to kill "a few million people – mostly viewers." Attenborough later said Daniel was drunk. Leigh Ashton, head of the Victoria and Albert Museum, also appeared drunk, fell asleep, and wrongly declared the first three objects fakes. One overseas episode had to move to the Musée de l'Homme in Paris after the National Archaeological Museum denied permission to film.
Legacy
The show was a forerunner of other BBC archaeology programmes such as Buried Treasure and Chronicle, and was credited with increasing the popularity of archaeology in 1950s Britain, leading to higher museum attendance and library use. The programme sometimes caused museums to amend object identifications based on panel or viewer input. Its format was parodied in comedy shows including Not Only...But Also, At Last the 1948 Show, Do Not Adjust Your Set, and The Complete and Utter History of Britain, often with experts misidentifying or destroying mystery objects. In the 21st century, The Armstrong & Miller Show referenced it with a sketch called 'How many hats?'. In September 2011, University College London staged a one-off revival with a panel of experts visiting the UCL museum, hosted by Joe Flatman.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Animal, Vegetable, Mineral??
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? was created by Nora Wood.
Which network aired Animal, Vegetable, Mineral??
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? aired on BBC Television Service.
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