FANTASTIC BEASTS

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature’ at London’s Natural History Museum (NHM) is a tiein with “The Wizarding World” – the franchises of the JK Rowling Harry Potter books and films and the two Fantastic Beasts films (with more in production). It’s a collaboration between NHM, Warner Bros and BBC Natural History Unit – its creators prefer to describe it as a “show” rather than an exhibition – and it cleverly combines the magic of The Wizarding World with the robust hard science of the NHM’s huge collections.

Working out which of the beasts on display or franchises and which are real is a game you can play with the kids, ages eight and up. Just to make it more interesting, there are a couple of “genuine fakes” – like the hideous Buxton Mermaid, on loan from Buxton Museum, and some narwhal tusks passed off as unicorn horns. The atmosphere is helped by the setting – the gallery has been made to resemble an old-school museum corridor, complete with ‘historic showcases’.