Original Mr Benn artwork exhibition opens in Lymington

An exhibition featuring original artwork from the children's television series Mr Benn has opened at the St. Barb Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington. The show includes drawings, paintings and animation cels from the 1971 series, which ran for just 13 episodes. The stories, artwork and animations were all created by David McKee, who died in 2022. His son Brett has loaned the museum a selection of his father's original work.

Brett McKee recalled growing up with the artwork, saying his father was simply 'dad' to him, but friends at school were impressed. 'They would say oh you never guess what his dad does. He does Mr. Benn.' The exhibition also reveals that Festive Road, where Mr Benn lived, was based on the McKee family home in London. Brett pointed out the house in the artwork: 'This is our house here which is number 54. That's my dad up there. That's my mum. That's my sister. That's my brother. And that's me because I'm the youngest and that's our cat Tiddles.'

For visitors, there are Mr Benn costumes to try on, adding an interactive element. The exhibition was curated by Steve Marshall, who said seeing the originals up close is a revelation. 'You see these things reproduced on TV or you see them on in the books and they look wonderful. But when you see the originals, the sharpness, the intensity of the colour and all the detail, it jumps off the page at you.' He added that viewers can find something different every time they look at them.

The show also covers David McKee's later work, including characters such as Elmer the patchwork elephant. For many, Mr Benn remains a cherished childhood memory. As one visitor put it, 'Even though it's 50 years ago, to me it feels like yesterday.' The exhibition offers a chance to reconnect with that formative era of children's television.