0:00:04 > 0:00:06London's Natural History Museum
0:00:06 > 0:00:10is one of the world's most prestigious institutions.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13Since it opened in 1881,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17over 600 million visitors have passed through its doors.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23It's a spectacular monument to Earth's biodiversity.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28And since 1979, a dinosaur, Dippy the diplodocus,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32has welcomed everyone as they enter the main hall.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36He's one of the museum's most adored attractions.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39I'm very closely attached to him.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41But in 2015,
0:00:41 > 0:00:45the museum took the controversial decision to call time on Dippy.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51It announced that the hall was going to be given a new star attraction,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55one that has been here, gathering dust, for over 100 years.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59The skeleton of a huge blue whale.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02- Wow.- I know! It's amazing, isn't it?
0:01:02 > 0:01:03It's remarkable.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06The museum wants to change its image
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and has decided on a very ambitious way of doing so.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- This is basically where the action's going to be.- Yep.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16But getting it there will be a truly extraordinary
0:01:16 > 0:01:20- engineering challenge. - Er... You're tilting now.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And these are the people who have to make it happen.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28- Oops.- That's it.- The skull coming off, that's my worst nightmare.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Horizon has been watching behind-the-scenes
0:01:30 > 0:01:33in the Natural History Museum for over two years...
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The skull is currently 14 centimetres too large
0:01:38 > 0:01:40to fit in this door, as it currently stands.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43..following two giants of natural history,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45a dinosaur and a blue whale...
0:01:47 > 0:01:52And we're on the beach that the blue whale beached on, back in 1891.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56..and one audacious dream.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- Why are we doing this again? - HE LAUGHS
0:02:12 > 0:02:14The Natural History Museum
0:02:14 > 0:02:17is renowned for its scientific research
0:02:17 > 0:02:18and world-class collections.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And for the last 38 years,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Dippy the dinosaur has been standing centre stage.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Lorraine Cornish, the museum's head of conservation,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35has been responsible for looking after him for all that time.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39What we're doing today is cleaning Dippy,
0:02:39 > 0:02:40which is a regular process,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43takes place every six months or so.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Lorraine has been caring for the museum's exhibits for over 30 years.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57I initially started working in a laboratory downstairs,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00but soon I was allowed to come up and work in the galleries,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04on the objects on display, and that was always deeply satisfying,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06because you knew any work that you were going to be doing,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08the public would see.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13And she has a special place in her heart for Dippy.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17I'm very closely attached to him,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21because he was put into this gallery just the year before I joined
0:03:21 > 0:03:24the museum, so we've had a similar amount of time together here.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29What many people don't realise is that Dippy is not a real fossil,
0:03:29 > 0:03:30he's a plaster replica.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34However, this hasn't stopped him
0:03:34 > 0:03:36amazing visitors ever since he arrived.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Let's see if we can find out how long it is.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Look up at its head there.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46John, would you like to take a walk?
0:03:46 > 0:03:48When you come to the end of his tail, you wave to us.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55The plan to move Dippy hasn't gone down well with the public.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58It's just, it's always the first thing you expect to see when you walk in.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00I mean, we'd rather the dinosaur stay there.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04But the museum is hoping that its new major exhibit
0:04:04 > 0:04:07will eventually be as much-loved as Dippy.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Richard Sabin has been the curator of the museum's marine mammal
0:04:17 > 0:04:20collection for the past 24 years
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and is one of the world's experts on whales.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32It was he who championed the idea to have a whale replace Dippy.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36Hintze Hall has always been
0:04:36 > 0:04:40a dynamic space. Over the life of the Natural History Museum,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42from 1881, the central displays have changed.
0:04:42 > 0:04:49When I first visited the museum in 1976, before Dippy was in place,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52there were other specimens in there, elephants...
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Erm, there'd been a sperm whale skeleton in Hintze Hall in the past.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Hintze Hall is the grand entrance of the museum
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and was designed to dazzle the visitor
0:05:02 > 0:05:05with the beauty and complexity of the natural world.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I think with the blue whale, when people see this enormous skeleton
0:05:10 > 0:05:14in that wonderful architectural space,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I think very quickly, any critics that we have will be silenced,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21and, you know, children and their children over the next 20-30 years
0:05:21 > 0:05:24will come to accept the blue whale skeleton
0:05:24 > 0:05:26as the new iconic central specimen for the museum.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33As the skeleton of the world's biggest animal,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and one of its most endangered,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40the museum wants the whale to be a reminder of humanity's delicate
0:05:40 > 0:05:42relationship with the natural world
0:05:42 > 0:05:45and our responsibility to care for all life on Earth.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Jennifer Flippance is the project manager in charge
0:05:55 > 0:05:59of the whale's move into this historic space.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00It looks like a really big hall.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02The entrances are actually very small,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and it's going to be quite tight on the day that we bring it in.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10It's Jen's job to fulfil Richard's ambitious dream
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and hang the whale from the girders in a new, exciting way.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- This is basically where the action's going to be.- Yep.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I mean, the idea is that we give the skeleton a lot more dynamism
0:06:21 > 0:06:24than it has currently, cos at the moment, it's kind of, you know,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26- stamp collector's pose.- Yeah, yeah.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Very horizontal. Very Victorian, actually.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31We need to build in as much kind of movement,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- implied movement as possible.- Yeah.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37I'm just imagining that specimen kind of swimming through the space
0:06:37 > 0:06:41and imagining it diving down towards the visitors as they come in through
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- the entrance.- That will look really dramatic, too.- Exactly.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Mouth wide open, you know?
0:06:45 > 0:06:49People walking in have this great spectacle, oohs and ahs.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Suspending the bones of the whale will be a truly unique challenge.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- It's going to be a feat, I think, of engineering...- Mm.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00..to be given a frame that's going to allow us to do the things
0:07:00 > 0:07:02that we want to do.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04And certainly, if we put the degree of dynamism into the specimen
0:07:04 > 0:07:07that I'm hoping we can, it's going to include things like, you know,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10a lot of curvature in the vertical column,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- the tail sort of flexing up, the flippers out.- OK, so...
0:07:13 > 0:07:15All the things that we don't have currently, basically.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But it's going to be incredible, I think, absolutely incredible.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Inspire a new generation of marine biologists.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Yeah. That's we want.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Yeah, we want the same kind of kick for the new marine biologists
0:07:24 > 0:07:25that I had as a kid.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Jen is in charge of overseeing all the staff
0:07:30 > 0:07:34and ensuring everything is completed in time for the grand opening.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The pressure is certainly on.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40We're doing a lot things we haven't done before, and I'm doing
0:07:40 > 0:07:42a lot of things I haven't done before as a project manager.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45It does give you some nervousness doing things,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and there's a big health and safety element, obviously,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50which is probably my biggest concern overall,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52getting it down safely and putting it back up so it's safe.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56So that's certainly a thing that would keep me awake at night.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The first thing Jen needs to do is to get Richard's skeleton down
0:08:04 > 0:08:06in one piece.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11Not an easy job, considering it hasn't been moved for over 70 years.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Richard and Lorraine are anxious to see what state the whale is in.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21This is the first time they've been able to get an idea
0:08:21 > 0:08:23of the condition of her bones.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Dust.- Wow!- I know!
0:08:27 > 0:08:28It's amazing, isn't it?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30- It's remarkable.- I know.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34You've just got this fantastic, thick carpet going all the way.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Due to the proximity of other exhibits in the hall,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42and the delicate nature of the ever-ageing bones,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45this skeleton will have to be painstakingly dismantled
0:08:45 > 0:08:46piece by piece.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50This is just going to be great.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52The team can't wait to start.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Before it can be brought down...
0:08:55 > 0:08:58That will disappear, that will look so much more beautiful.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59Don't worry.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02..Lorraine has been joined by conservator Ari
0:09:02 > 0:09:03to help with the cleaning and tagging
0:09:03 > 0:09:07of every one of the 220 bones.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09They will then have to reinforce the weaker bones
0:09:09 > 0:09:11before the dismantling can even begin.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15Um, it's very unique,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18so you do want to make sure that you are doing everything properly.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20You want to make sure you catch every single sign of weakness,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22so that you can stabilise it,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24so that it can come down safely and it isn't damaged.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28With the skull now free of dust,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Richard is able to examine it in detail.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35The one thing that you need to remember
0:09:35 > 0:09:37when you look at this lower jawbone
0:09:37 > 0:09:39of this beautiful blue whale specimen
0:09:39 > 0:09:43is that this is the largest single bone to be grown
0:09:43 > 0:09:46by any organism on the planet that we know of.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48I find that quite remarkable.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53This is an incredibly special experience,
0:09:53 > 0:09:54I think for me or anyone,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57because I'm seeing things that I've never seen before.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01The lead members of the team who put this skeleton together
0:10:01 > 0:10:02actually left their signatures.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05When they finished their work in February 1934,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08they decided, like a great work of art, to leave their signatures.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10And they're under...
0:10:11 > 0:10:13..the skull, on the inside, by this metal strap.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18You can see the signatures of four of the men who worked.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19It's quite a nice little dedication, I think.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28It took 20 men six months to hang the whale,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32without today's strict health and safety regulations.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Looking at some of the photographs, those men took incredible chances.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42They were working off long ladders, wooden ladders, using ropes,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44standing on the specimen.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46You know, they didn't have safety gear.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48They wore flat caps and leather aprons.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49They really were different times.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It was sort of before health and safety existed.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55But they did a great job. We can't criticise them for that.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Back in the 1930s, it would have been a huge challenge
0:11:08 > 0:11:12to hang this 4.5-tonne whale in a flat pose.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14But Richard wants something even more difficult.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21He wants the new exhibit to amaze visitors
0:11:21 > 0:11:24by capturing how these animals behave in the wild.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Blue whales can weigh up to 200 tonnes
0:11:30 > 0:11:33and measure up to 30 metres in length.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38They're not only the biggest animal on Earth today,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41they are, as far as we know, the biggest ever to have existed,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43far bigger than any dinosaur.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47They used to be abundant,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49but we hunted them so intensively
0:11:49 > 0:11:51that their numbers dropped dramatically,
0:11:51 > 0:11:56from around 360,000 to an estimated 12,000.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Richard has never seen a blue whale in the wild.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07He's come out to California
0:12:07 > 0:12:11in the hope that he may glimpse one and get some inspiration from it.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18I'm going out for the very first time on a boat
0:12:18 > 0:12:21to see some of the coolest animals on the planet.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I'm incredibly excited.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28He's going to be joining one of the world's foremost blue whale experts,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30John Calambokidis.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33I first saw a blue whale
0:12:33 > 0:12:35over 30 years ago.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37And from the first time I saw it,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39this beautiful, huge,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41shimmering shape under the water,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43I kind of fell in love with it.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47And so right away, I became captivated by the opportunity
0:12:47 > 0:12:49to learn things about blue whales.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51- Hey.- Hi, John.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53- Hey, Richard.- Good to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56ENGINE TURNS OVER
0:12:56 > 0:12:58John works off the coast of California
0:12:58 > 0:13:01in an area where blue whales regularly come to feed.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08But although they're very big, the Pacific is even bigger...
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I'm not picking up anything on my depth sounder.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13They don't seem to sticking in one spot.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18..and blue whales only surface for one to two minutes
0:13:18 > 0:13:23to snatch a breath before diving and disappearing for up to 15,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27so the boat will have to be in the right place at just the right time
0:13:27 > 0:13:32if John is to get a close view of the animal that so fascinates him.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34What is it we're looking out for specifically?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Well, right now, when conditions are good enough,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39we'll actually be looking for the blow.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41We can see a blow of a blue whale from miles away,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43and that'll be this plume of mist
0:13:43 > 0:13:47from its exhalation that can extend up 7-8 metres up into the air
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and will hang there briefly depending on how much wind there is.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55- We might see the back of a blue whale as it surfaces.- Right.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58As fog closes in and the visibility gets less,
0:13:58 > 0:13:59sometimes we'll have to shut down
0:13:59 > 0:14:01and actually just listen for the blows.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Now it's just a waiting game.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Uh, Richard, I think we got one over here off the port bow!
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Wow!
0:14:17 > 0:14:19That's really close.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Look at this! Looks like it's going to fluke up, yeah.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24Down he goes.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29And again, another one.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Oh, fantastic.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Absolutely fantastic.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37I've just got no words to describe it, to be honest with you.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I am genuinely lost for words.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Incredible.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Now they have found the whales, John's work can begin.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55He gains crucial information by attaching harmless tags to them.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00The tags we're attaching have three-dimensional magnetometers,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04gyroscopes, that give us exactly how deep the whale's diving,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07how it's approaching prey, how many times it feeds,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09at what depth does it feed.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13This new technology are opening up the whole underwater world
0:15:13 > 0:15:14of blue whales.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20The world's largest animal feeds on one of the smallest, krill.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Every day, they must eat over four tonnes
0:15:24 > 0:15:26of this small shrimplike crustacean,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28just to fill their gigantic stomachs.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35The whales are able to open their jaws to over 90 degrees,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39engulfing whole shoals in just one mouthful.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43This feeding action is the single biggest bodily movement
0:15:43 > 0:15:45made by any creature in the world.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52It is that feeding action that's really inspiring me.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55It's making me realise just how important it is
0:15:55 > 0:15:58for us to put dynamism into that specimen
0:15:58 > 0:16:00back at the Natural History Museum,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04and that's the kind of thing that will really grab people's attention,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07make the science much more tangible,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and, in the end, that's what we need to do.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13We need to get people to connect with what's going on out here.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18John's research is also helping him to save these extraordinary animals,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20because even though their numbers have risen slightly
0:16:20 > 0:16:24since whaling stopped, they're now facing several new threats.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30We've been able to discover that blue whales don't tend to even avoid
0:16:30 > 0:16:33approaching ships and a lot of my research has focused
0:16:33 > 0:16:35on some of the solutions,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38like we discovered that blue whales spend twice as much time
0:16:38 > 0:16:41at the surface at night than they do in the day,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and that's the period when they're most vulnerable to ship strikes,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48so that identified right there that we need to be most concerned
0:16:48 > 0:16:51about ships that are transiting through blue whale areas at night
0:16:51 > 0:16:52rather than in the day.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02This whole experience today has really helped crystallise in my mind
0:17:02 > 0:17:04exactly what it is we need.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06The broader message is a conservation message.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Our species took blue whales to the edge of extinction,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and through our efforts we've managed to help it recover.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16So it's a model, in terms of the hope that we have got
0:17:16 > 0:17:19for the future, and if we can translate
0:17:19 > 0:17:23what we've seen here today and give some of that feeling,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25some of that experience to people who visit the museum,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27then, for me, it'll be a dream come true.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42After being left in the museum's dusty rafters for decades,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45the time has now come to dismantle the skeleton.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49This feels incredibly momentous,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53because it is the first of the bones to be removed.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55I'm glad to say we all agreed that we should start
0:17:55 > 0:17:57with the small things. Made sense.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Effectively, what we're all doing now
0:18:00 > 0:18:02is reverse engineering
0:18:02 > 0:18:04what was done in 1934.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06Every long journey begins with a small step,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and this is the smallest of the steps.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10CHEERING
0:18:12 > 0:18:14How brilliant was that? Well done, Ari.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Great twisting movement, I think, there.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Richard, what does it feel like?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21It feels...
0:18:21 > 0:18:23momentous.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24It's incredibly significant.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I mean, everything gets bigger and more difficult from here.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31But each surface of the bone has been marked,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34so which is the upper surface, which is the proper left side,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36the proper right side, and which is the underneath,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39to make sure the whale doesn't go on back-to-front
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- when it's remounted.- You wouldn't let that happen, Richard.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44I wouldn't let that happen, no, it would be obvious.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I'm going to hand it over to the conservators now.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49- We'll look after it, don't worry. - We'll take very good care of it.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51You can have visitation rights.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01A week later, and Lorraine is starting to discover
0:19:01 > 0:19:05some of the tricks the team used to hang the whale back in the '30s.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- Hi.- Hello. That's an enormous piece of metal.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11I know. Isn't it?
0:19:11 > 0:19:15It's huge. And what they've done is, they obviously slid
0:19:15 > 0:19:18a vertebra on, and then they've taken some wooden wedges
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and they've just banged them in.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23And so, to try and get those wedges out was really difficult.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24- Started back there.- Right.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26It's worked up.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31Newspaper, wood, wooden pieces nailed in to the wood,
0:19:31 > 0:19:32anything they could think of, really,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34to stuff down into the middle.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- So, quite a crude process they've used.- Very crude.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- Yeah.- Crude but effective.- Yes.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47Each bone successfully removed is another small victory for the team.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Ooh.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50It's like a baby, isn't it?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Do you want to have a hold, Richard?
0:19:55 > 0:19:58The team slowly work their way along the vertebrae,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and the closer to the head they get,
0:20:00 > 0:20:01the more battling they have to do.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Not only do the bits of wood get bigger...
0:20:06 > 0:20:07Joy.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09..so do the bits of newspaper.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11There's lots of it.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13The Kent Messenger.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17December 24th 1932.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18Christmas Eve.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23As more vertebrae are taken off this giant kebab skewer...
0:20:23 > 0:20:25It's off, it's off.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27..the bones get harder to handle.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Each one is becoming more and more difficult
0:20:31 > 0:20:33in terms of manoeuvring and making sure
0:20:33 > 0:20:36that we're not breaking off any of the processes.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- Oops.- That's it, that's it. Down we go.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Oops.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46And a good dollop of elbow grease is required
0:20:46 > 0:20:48to free the whale's rib cage.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Delightful.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55But they're able to detach a whole flipper in one go.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It's an interesting relationship that we're building up
0:20:59 > 0:21:02with this whale. We're getting to know its little tricks now.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11The point we're that with the project now
0:21:11 > 0:21:12is the entire postcranial skeleton,
0:21:12 > 0:21:17that's everything except the skull and lower jaw, has been removed.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19And we're at a really pretty critical point.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Probably the most technically challenging part
0:21:21 > 0:21:23of the deconstruction there,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27because we have the three largest elements of the skeleton left.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30The first of these bones to be freed from their steel cage...
0:21:33 > 0:21:34..are the two mandibles.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40The sound of the chains. Just harmony, isn't it?
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- Blessed relief.- Isn't it lovely to watch, though, eh?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Yeah, you're tilting now.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Before her mandibles can be freed...
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Ah...
0:21:51 > 0:21:54..their dental work needs to be removed.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Careful!
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Extraction...has taken place.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03With the mandibles finally on their way down,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05it's time to tackle the skull.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09We've always known that moving the skull
0:22:09 > 0:22:13would be the most difficult bit, because of its size and its weight
0:22:13 > 0:22:15and its complexity of how it's put together.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Jen has had a specially designed cradle built
0:22:20 > 0:22:25to help them manoeuvre the skull down safely.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30We're just trying to, as we go, eliminate as many risks as possible,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32but it's risky, it is risky.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The skull needs to be turned vertically before it's moved.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47The minute the skull rotates is when we really have to be
0:22:47 > 0:22:50so sure about the fact that it's not going to move
0:22:50 > 0:22:53off of that cradle. That would be so bad.
0:22:54 > 0:23:00The skull being damaged or coming off catastrophically,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02that's my worst nightmare.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05But even in this raised position,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08getting past the cables will be tricky.
0:23:09 > 0:23:10It's these cables.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13- Yeah. - The outrigger legs are adjustable.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Yeah. They can come in...
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Can they come in...?
0:23:17 > 0:23:18Can they come in a bit?
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- We're very good at cutting off things.- Yeah, yeah.- It's our MO.
0:23:22 > 0:23:28- Absolutely.- So you could save 20 centimetres or 15 centimetres.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32But they're going to need more than 15 centimetres
0:23:32 > 0:23:35on the scaffolding platform.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37You ideally want to lose some of this...
0:23:37 > 0:23:39the scaffolding here, then, don't you?
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Jen arranges for the safety rail to be removed,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47ready to lower the skull to the ground.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It's another tense moment for Lorraine.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09If the skull or its frame slips now,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11the consequences could be unthinkable.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Well done! Well done, everyone!
0:24:21 > 0:24:23APPLAUSE
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Brilliant! What a relief.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28What a relief. Getting it off the scaffolding,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30through all those cables,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33around all the specimens and down onto the floor
0:24:33 > 0:24:36is a really...a really brilliant achievement.
0:24:40 > 0:24:46After a painstaking four months and the removal of 220 individual bones,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50the skeleton is down and ready to be moved to the museum's lab,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52so that conservation work can begin.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Richard wants to discover the history of his whale,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09so that he can share it with the museum's visitors.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12His detective work has brought him to Ireland
0:25:12 > 0:25:16where the whale was found more than a century ago.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19We're on the beach, here in Wexford.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Coming here, it's really poignant
0:25:21 > 0:25:24because we can see the natural environment, pretty much,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29that the blue whale beached on back in 1891.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Back then, though there were plenty of blue whales out at sea,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37it would have been rare for them to come so close to the shore,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39to get accidentally beached.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46This boat here, it's actually roughly the same size
0:25:46 > 0:25:48as our blue whale,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51not just the size of the boat in terms of its length,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53but the height, you know.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Our whale would have towered over
0:25:55 > 0:25:58any observers two and a half, three metres tall...
0:25:58 > 0:25:59even on its side.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02And imagine what a spectacle that would have been for people -
0:26:02 > 0:26:07people who were approaching this living wall of matter,
0:26:07 > 0:26:10living, breathing, moving, not knowing what to expect,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12not the what was going to happen next.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Ned Wickham was the first to discover the whale stranded
0:26:18 > 0:26:20all those years ago.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Ned's granddaughter, Mary, and Elizabeth.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26And 126 years later...
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Ned's granddaughter.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32..Richard's come to meet some of his descendants.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Grandson Raymond.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Grandson Brian.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Grandson Fergus.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And Ned's granddaughter Elizabeth has something special
0:26:43 > 0:26:46to show Richard - some of his letters.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51So this is a letter, detailing what grandad encountered at the time,
0:26:51 > 0:26:56saying that he jumped into his boat and examined the commotion from a...
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- Respectful distance. - ..respectful distance.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03For the villagers of Wexford,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07a whale stranded on their shore would have been a stroke of luck,
0:27:07 > 0:27:08a real bonanza.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11Blue whales were very valuable
0:27:11 > 0:27:15because of the great quantity of oil they contained.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17So saving her was probably the last thing
0:27:17 > 0:27:19that Ned Wickham had on his mind.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24By the next day, it had lost so much vitality
0:27:24 > 0:27:27in its effort to leave Ireland
0:27:27 > 0:27:29that Mr Wickham was able to sail up puncture it
0:27:29 > 0:27:32with an improvised harpoon.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34An improvised harpoon.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Once the whale was dead, she was put up for auction
0:27:38 > 0:27:40to the highest bidder.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45It was sold for 111 to Mr William Armstrong of Wexford.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46That's very interesting.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Back in London, Andrea Hart,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58head of the museum's special library collections,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00is working in the archives.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Richard has asked her to see if they contain any information
0:28:04 > 0:28:06about Mr Armstrong.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11So here in front of me I have a letter from Armstrong to Guenther,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14who was the head of the Zoology Department,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17dated April 14, 1891,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and so within this letter he has given details about
0:28:20 > 0:28:23the physical characteristics of this stranded whale.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26So you have here the colour being black,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28the belly a dark slate colour,
0:28:28 > 0:28:32and then also you've also got this rather cute picture of a whale
0:28:32 > 0:28:33on the back,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37so I think this would have helped ascertain that it was a blue whale,
0:28:37 > 0:28:38but as you can see,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41not the most scientifically accurate illustration.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Especially as it looks quite smiley as well.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49The records show that Mr Armstrong wanted to exploit his purchase
0:28:49 > 0:28:50as much as he could.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56So this telegraph, dated the 23rd of April,
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Armstrong asks, "Would you buy the whale bone?
0:28:59 > 0:29:01"If so, make me an offer."
0:29:02 > 0:29:05A blue whale skeleton was clearly something the museum
0:29:05 > 0:29:08was interested in acquiring.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12So we find here this final letter that the museum states that,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16"We will give to you £250 and no more for the skeleton,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19"clean and ready for mounting."
0:29:19 > 0:29:24Armstrong had sold her oil for fuel, her meat to the dog food factory,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28and had now just doubled his money on the bones alone.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46Under the public's gaze in the museum's pop-up studio,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49the conservation team have been inspecting every square inch
0:29:49 > 0:29:51of the skeleton.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55On the whole, it's in actually quite good condition, I would say,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58considering it was up, suspended for 81 years.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02I think there are parts of the whale, however,
0:30:02 > 0:30:03which are a bit more vulnerable.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05There are some very large cracks, for instance,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09going through the mandibles, and so we really need to address that,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12because when we put it back up on display,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14and we've got to the public wandering around underneath,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17looking at it, we really don't want any parts of it
0:30:17 > 0:30:19to drop on top of them.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23Just like a team of skilled decorators,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25they feel they cracks with a special putty.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29And though they were expecting a little damage,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32they didn't realise that some parts would be completely missing.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37So, for instance, the right flipper,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40when the girls were cleaning it and having a look at it,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42it was looking not... A little bit suspicious,
0:30:42 > 0:30:44sort of thinking that it didn't look...
0:30:44 > 0:30:47The surface didn't look quite the same as it should be,
0:30:47 > 0:30:49if it was natural bone.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51So after doing a few tests and things,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54we found out that it was actually mainly plaster,
0:30:54 > 0:30:56and so I think everyone was surprised about that.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Even Richard.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Fortunately, Lorraine has got her team scanning the entire skeleton
0:31:01 > 0:31:06in 3-D, so rather than make the whale a plaster cast
0:31:06 > 0:31:09as the men did back in 1934,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13she is making a brand-new 3-D printed replica in plastic.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25The whale skull is too big to fit in the temporary pop-up studio,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28so it's being kept in the museum's off-site warehouse.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34If you want to feed in, in this area here.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37With the conservation work on the skull finished,
0:31:37 > 0:31:41Richard is going to show it off to the museum's science educators.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43It's pretty overwhelming straightaway.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46So welcome to the collection.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49The big stuff, the large vertebrate collection,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52the taxidermy collection,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55the whale and dolphin research collection, it's all here.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01The museum has over 80 million specimens,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03gathered from every corner of the planet.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07And though the fashion for shooting and then mounting endangered species
0:32:07 > 0:32:10has is largely ceased since Victorian days,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14the fact that people once did so means that today the museum
0:32:14 > 0:32:16is a world-class research facility,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20visited by scientists from around the globe.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23This is a zoologist's gold mine.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32And of course the elephant in the room is not really an elephant,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34it's a whale.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38This is the skull of the fantastic blue whale,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41and the conservators have said that we can take off these wraps,
0:32:41 > 0:32:42so you can take a good look at it.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47So what I need are four people, please, who can give me a hand.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Brilliant. What we're going to do is we're going to grab the sheets,
0:32:50 > 0:32:51so take it away.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Wow.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Yeah.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00The staff's enthusiasm will help them answer the questions
0:33:00 > 0:33:01from the museum's visitors.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08She was recorded at just over 25 metres in length,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10which is a good size, but it's not fully grown.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14You know, we know that North Atlantic blue whale females
0:33:14 > 0:33:17can go larger than that.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Richard has now even been able to estimate the whale's age.
0:33:22 > 0:33:27We used techniques which are similar to what forensic anthropologists use
0:33:27 > 0:33:29when they're examining a human skeleton.
0:33:29 > 0:33:30The current estimate,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32the current sort of working estimate that we've got
0:33:32 > 0:33:35is that she was probably between 10 and 15 years old.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Which isn't that old,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39when you think that these animals can probably live
0:33:39 > 0:33:40to well over 100 years.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50The day has come to say goodbye to Dippy.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56To the right. It's going to be slightly longer exposure.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01There's time for just one last photo.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06We would like for everyone to stand very still as the photo is taken,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09please, so your face is not a blur.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13One of the museum's most familiar characters is leaving,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15and all the staff have come to say goodbye.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:34:21 > 0:34:26And it's not just the staff who want to have one last look.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Dippy has been a fascination for many children.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34It's amazing to think that it lived a long time ago,
0:34:34 > 0:34:35that it was actually walking around.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37A bit sad that he's going.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40But maybe I can see other dinosaurs, maybe.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45However, it's not all bad news for Dippy.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47He's going on new adventure.
0:34:47 > 0:34:52The museum are sending him around the UK as a touring exhibit.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Today, Richard has got some important visitors from Canada
0:35:03 > 0:35:06who were responsible for building the dinosaurs
0:35:06 > 0:35:08in the film Jurassic Park.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12They will be the ones building the new steel frame for the whale.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15But to start with, they've been working on something
0:35:15 > 0:35:16a little smaller.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21- Nice packing.- Oh, man. I see the top of the skull.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Oh, wow.
0:35:24 > 0:35:25Great, isn't it?
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Wow. It is. Fantastic.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31- So cute. - If only they were that easy to move.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34This exact replica in miniature of Richard's blue whale
0:35:34 > 0:35:39has been built using Lorraine's 3-D scans.
0:35:39 > 0:35:40If we bend it over the edge of the table,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43it's got an aluminium armature, so you can actually shape it.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45- OK. OK.- You can't do that with the real thing, can you?
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Matt Fair is leading the project,
0:35:47 > 0:35:51and his team have even built a model of Hintze Hall
0:35:51 > 0:35:53to the same scale as a miniature whale.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55- It's great, isn't it?- It's amazing.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58- To scale.- It is amazing. - It's just amazing.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I had no idea we were getting anything like this,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02but this is superb.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04This is the last chance for Richard
0:36:04 > 0:36:07to get his whale's diving pose just right.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12The overall posture of the specimen
0:36:12 > 0:36:15allows us to address all these different issues about, you know,
0:36:15 > 0:36:18how the animal moves, how it feeds, energy expenditure,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20the acrobatics and he goes through.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Really, these little details, when we put them into the skeleton
0:36:23 > 0:36:25in its final position, it's going to make it exciting,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28it's going to be meaningful to people, we hope,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30and it'll be using data, basically fresh from the field,
0:36:30 > 0:36:33to inform how we position this skeleton.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36That's... That's good. It's a real kind of sweet spot, this,
0:36:36 > 0:36:38cos it has to be high enough to not be an issue
0:36:38 > 0:36:41for anyone using the hall,
0:36:41 > 0:36:42but low enough to be impressive,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45you know, close to our visitors, so they get a real sense
0:36:45 > 0:36:48of the size of the thing, you know.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51It's going to take some time, but I think from this
0:36:51 > 0:36:53we'll get exactly what we need as a blueprint
0:36:53 > 0:36:56for the guys to take away to make the frame.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59Brilliant. Thank you.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09The skull is on the road again.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16It's going to be reunited with the rest of its skeleton
0:37:16 > 0:37:20in this gigantic aeroplane hangar near Oxford.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24It's here Matt will build the steel frame armature
0:37:24 > 0:37:26to hold the whale in a lifelike posture.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Well, we need the armature to hold the skeleton together.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34In nature, it would be held together by the blubber
0:37:34 > 0:37:38and the muscle tissue and all the connective tissues,
0:37:38 > 0:37:40and also the buoyancy in water.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42In this case, when we put it in a museum,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44we can't rely on just the bone itself,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46so we need a steel structure.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51The team are studying Richard's plans for the diving pose
0:37:51 > 0:37:54and will then build the metal work to support it.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58We start building an armature like you can see here
0:37:58 > 0:38:02in the computer which gives us a map or a diagram
0:38:02 > 0:38:04of how we'll make the actual finished product.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08So this is steel armature running through the interior of the centrum,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12and the top one is a pipe going through the neural canal.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16By adding a special steel backbone,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20no more holes need to be drilled into the skeleton.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22It's also an extra safety precaution,
0:38:22 > 0:38:24to keep the skeleton safe,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28and the thousands of visitors who will walk underneath it every day.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34Brett is responsible for turning the computer designs into reality.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38I'm here as one of the lead metalworkers.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41It's my job to piece the steel together,
0:38:41 > 0:38:43to build the structure of these animals
0:38:43 > 0:38:45and actually shape it and give it...
0:38:45 > 0:38:47You know, bring it to life.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51It's a bit of a challenge to get these organic shapes.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54We need to follow the shape of the bone
0:38:54 > 0:38:56and also make the metalwork look seamless.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00We have to fit our steel within what was already made.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Two weeks later, and with half the backbone built,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Richard is starting to get excited.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19I'm completely overwhelmed, to be quite honest with you.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22To start to see it coming together like this, it just feels...
0:39:22 > 0:39:23It feels right.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27I first saw this blue whale skeleton when I was ten years old,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31being told that this was the largest animal on the planet
0:39:31 > 0:39:36and it's all I can remember from that day was this specimen.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Seeing her like this now,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41even in this environment and partially reconstructed,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43placing her into this new posture,
0:39:43 > 0:39:47it's really breathing new life into the specimen.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53But Jen is more interested in the whale's skull.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56She's asked for it to be put back onto its side,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58so she can double-check the measurements.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03This is such a crucial dimension to us,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06so I'm going to measure it again, really carefully.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08It's the width of the skull on its frame
0:40:08 > 0:40:11that she's most concerned about.
0:40:11 > 0:40:12Will it be able to go through
0:40:12 > 0:40:16the Natural History Museum's Grade I listed door?
0:40:23 > 0:40:26So the width of this door is 1.79 metres,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29and the skull on the frame is 1.93,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33so that means that the skull is currently 14 centimetres too large
0:40:33 > 0:40:36to fit in this door as it currently stands.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38The blue whale was originally at our Mammal Hall,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40which is over the other side of the museum,
0:40:40 > 0:40:41and they had a whole separate set of doors
0:40:41 > 0:40:44when they brought that in, in the 1930s.
0:40:44 > 0:40:45To bring it into the hall, this is...
0:40:45 > 0:40:47This front door is the only entrance.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51It's end of January now and the skull comes in in mid-April,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54so we haven't got too long to sort this out.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01With the worry of the doorway hanging over her,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Jen has brought in her team of structural engineers
0:41:04 > 0:41:07to double-check the rest of the measurements.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14The old armature and the skeleton weighed about 4.8 tonnes.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19We think that the weight in its new form
0:41:19 > 0:41:20will be very, very similar.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27But the weight of the skeleton isn't their major concern.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31The biggest problem for us is not the steel that's been put in here,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33it's what's back at the Natural History Museum,
0:41:33 > 0:41:38which is the late Victorian wrought iron girders.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Adrian and his team have assessed the roof in detail
0:41:41 > 0:41:43to identify the girders strong enough
0:41:43 > 0:41:45to carry the weight of the whale.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Collapsing the Natural History Museum's roof
0:41:48 > 0:41:51is not going to look good on anyone's CV.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56It's like a tuning exercise.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59By choosing the position very carefully,
0:41:59 > 0:42:05we found that although we're adding 20% more load to the girder,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09we'll actually only increase the stress by 2 or 3%.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15With the structural engineers satisfied, Jen can start to relax.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19It's looking really great. I just can't wait to see the final, final,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23with the jawbones, with the mouth open and the flippers on.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26So we're all kind of waiting for that moment, the final reveal.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30Two weeks later, the whale is being packed up for her trip
0:42:30 > 0:42:32back to the museum.
0:42:32 > 0:42:33The skull will be travelling
0:42:33 > 0:42:36in this specially designed wooden crate
0:42:36 > 0:42:39that Jen hopes will solve her door problem.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54Back at the museum, the scaffolding is around Dippy,
0:42:54 > 0:42:56ready for him to be taken down.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02Lorraine decides to start with her favourite part, the head.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Oh, good job.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11Because Dippy is plaster and not a real skeleton,
0:43:11 > 0:43:15he's less fragile and easier to manipulate than the whale.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21But when the team reach his tail,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24it seems Dippy doesn't want to leave after all,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27because he starts to resist...
0:43:27 > 0:43:30and Lorraine's trusty saw is required again.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Like a giant Airfix kit,
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Dippy's bones have helpfully already been numbered.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Number five. Brilliant.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46As Lorraine's favourite exhibit,
0:43:46 > 0:43:50she can't help herself from cleaning him one last time.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20Three weeks later, the beloved dinosaur has gone from Hintze Hall.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32After being cleaned, fixed, and with a brand-new steel armature
0:44:32 > 0:44:33to hold her together,
0:44:33 > 0:44:37the whale is finally on her way back to the museum.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42This is Jen's big day,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44and she's counting on her newly designed crate
0:44:44 > 0:44:46to fit through the museum's doors.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52I'm nervous about today, it's fair to say.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54The crate's as small as we can possibly make it,
0:44:54 > 0:44:56so we really maximise our chances
0:44:56 > 0:44:58of getting it back in through the front door.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05But Lorraine isn't in any mood to help Jen put her mind at rest.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Maybe you should come up with another tape measure.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12That's a bit harsh.
0:45:13 > 0:45:18Maybe we should send Richard a message to say it won't fit through.
0:45:18 > 0:45:19Oh, you're funny.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22- It's not happening, Jen. - Shall I send it back?
0:45:23 > 0:45:28I think you need to, you know, come up and reassess the door.
0:45:28 > 0:45:29LORRAINE LAUGHS
0:45:33 > 0:45:37Probably post-whale conservation hysteria, do you think?
0:45:37 > 0:45:38Yeah.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40It's got here later in the day than we'd hoped,
0:45:40 > 0:45:42so it could be a late one tonight.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49It's the moment of truth for Jen.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18It's an incredibly tight fit...
0:46:20 > 0:46:22We need to reverse again.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24..with just a few centimetres to spare.
0:46:26 > 0:46:28It's not that easy, even though it fits.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38It takes two hours to push and pull this two-tonne crate into the hall.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43It's a really big relief to have it in the building.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45It's something we knew was going to be difficult
0:46:45 > 0:46:48from the beginning of the project nearly two years ago,
0:46:48 > 0:46:50and it's been a really long day and everyone's really tired,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53but it's finally in now, as you can see, so it's great.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02The next morning, piece by piece,
0:47:02 > 0:47:05the rest of the giant skeleton arrives at the museum.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09It's just a great feeling to finally get it in the space
0:47:09 > 0:47:11and to start putting it together.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14We've got to be ready for the whale to go up on Wednesday.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17That's D-Day, everyone's booked in.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20We've got quite a lot to do still in the next few days.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23The pressure is on.
0:47:23 > 0:47:24We have whale everywhere.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Yeah.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29The team has just three days to rebuild the whale.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34The biggest challenge is getting the vertebrae back onto the armature.
0:47:38 > 0:47:39But for Lorraine,
0:47:39 > 0:47:41watching these very precious bones
0:47:41 > 0:47:44teetering five metres above the concrete floor
0:47:44 > 0:47:46is getting a little bit too much.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51When they were off-site, they had a lot more equipment
0:47:51 > 0:47:55and so they're adapting to what equipment we've got here,
0:47:55 > 0:47:56which is enough, actually,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59but it just means they're adapting slightly.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07With the last of the vertebrae safely in position,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10there's just one thing left to do before the assembly is complete.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18We've got much better handwriting, actually, than they had in 1934.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21Much better. It's a better pencil.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22I think we've done it proud.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34The move has been a massive engineering challenge
0:48:34 > 0:48:38and today is the day they've all be working towards -
0:48:38 > 0:48:41the hoisting of Richard's whale into her final position.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45Everything rests on it going well.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48Any problem now could prevent the hall being ready
0:48:48 > 0:48:51for the grand opening planned for the summer.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55Our work is kind of over at this stage.
0:48:55 > 0:48:56We've done all we can,
0:48:56 > 0:49:01and so we just need to stand and watch the specimen going up.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03It's a huge day for the whole team.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06A lot of stress, sweat and tears
0:49:06 > 0:49:08have gone towards getting to this moment.
0:49:10 > 0:49:11And tensions are high.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Why are we doing this again?
0:49:15 > 0:49:16THEY CHUCKLE
0:49:18 > 0:49:20Did anyone stop to ask why?
0:49:20 > 0:49:23- We should have asked that question. - Two and a half years ago.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26There's a lot of emotion going on, basically,
0:49:26 > 0:49:30with the whole team because we've been waiting so long for this day
0:49:30 > 0:49:33to happen and now the day has come.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38There's lots of nerves, but good nerves, kind of an excitement.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40Like it's Christmas, or it's your birthday, or something.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42I'm probably going to burst into tears when it goes up.
0:49:42 > 0:49:43I don't know. We'll see.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46It's been a lot of long days in the last few weeks
0:49:46 > 0:49:47getting to this point.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51Jen has hired over 40 experts
0:49:51 > 0:49:54to make sure this day goes as smoothly as possible.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Matt will be on hand to attach the mandibles
0:49:59 > 0:50:02when the rest of the skeleton has been winched high enough
0:50:02 > 0:50:03by the men in the rafters.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08The structural engineers are back too.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10A whale's meant to be in the water
0:50:10 > 0:50:12and not the air.
0:50:12 > 0:50:13What we've got here
0:50:13 > 0:50:14is quite a complex task
0:50:14 > 0:50:17of raising a fairly heavy skeleton
0:50:17 > 0:50:20into a very accurate position.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23So as soon as we identify there's a discrepancy in the tension
0:50:23 > 0:50:25in either of the cables,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28which means that one person's pulling harder than another,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32we can inform that person and they are able to winch up a bit more
0:50:32 > 0:50:34to make sure the load's balanced. That's the key.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Only seven metres stand between the whale
0:50:41 > 0:50:44and what will hopefully be her final position.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50Centimetre by centimetre, she rises towards the roof.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55My butterflies are not...
0:50:55 > 0:50:57My butterflies are not flying in formation today.
0:50:57 > 0:50:58They are all over the place.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03With everything going smoothly,
0:51:03 > 0:51:07Jen's mind wanders to her party dress for the big opening event.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12I've only got one dress, so you're going to have to work around me.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14You're such a diva.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17It's just it. It's just the only dress I have.
0:51:17 > 0:51:18I too only have one dress.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20- What colour's yours?- Blue and white.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22- Mine's blue. Mine's navy. - Hey, mine too!
0:51:22 > 0:51:24- Hey!- Perfect.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26But just when they thought they could relax...
0:51:28 > 0:51:30..the skeleton starts to wobble.
0:51:31 > 0:51:32Oh, dear.
0:51:34 > 0:51:35Everything is moving.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Matt is worried that one of the team in the roof
0:51:40 > 0:51:43might be hoisting too quickly.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45He is doing too much of this.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49What's happening is we're going right then left, right then left.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51And when it swings in the middle, it's causing...
0:51:51 > 0:51:53More rock and roll.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57God, this is testing the armature, at least, isn't it?
0:52:00 > 0:52:02And then...
0:52:02 > 0:52:04BANG! CRACK!
0:52:04 > 0:52:06What was the noise?
0:52:07 > 0:52:09BANG! CRACK!
0:52:12 > 0:52:17No-one is quite sure what that sharp cracking noise was,
0:52:17 > 0:52:20but what they can agree on is that it wasn't good.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24Any serious breakage would mean they'd have to bring
0:52:24 > 0:52:26the whole skeleton all the way down again.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31The team stop the hoisting to investigate what's gone wrong.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41At last, they spot the problem.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45A bolt in the steelwork has sheared
0:52:45 > 0:52:49and two of the vertebrae have slightly separated as a result.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55Fortunately, Matt's reinforcing pipe down the spinal column
0:52:55 > 0:52:57has kept the whale in shape...
0:52:57 > 0:53:01I can't believe that thing was hanging off of one bar before.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04..though the vertebrae have slipped slightly.
0:53:04 > 0:53:09So what we're going to do is create a stronger hinge there
0:53:09 > 0:53:11and then weld in some heavier plate.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16Luckily for Jen, the repairs can be done while it's still suspended.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Sorry, this might be the guy the welding.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21It is. Can I just get this really quickly?
0:53:21 > 0:53:24And she's wasted no time in getting the equipment
0:53:24 > 0:53:25Brett is going to need.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27I'm not sure... What's the kind of...?
0:53:27 > 0:53:28What do you want? Arc?
0:53:28 > 0:53:31- Shielded metal arc welding. - Shielded metal arc welding.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Like most of us, Jen isn't an arc welding expert.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Does it have a canister of...
0:53:41 > 0:53:44- A canister? - Whatever makes the welding go hot.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45- Don't put that in.- Go hot!
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Fortunately, Brett does know all about canistery things that get hot
0:53:53 > 0:53:56and quickly gets to work repairing the hinge.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Hey, Brett. Bretty.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Can you send me a picture of the top and the bottom?
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Do you think you can get a shot of it?
0:54:06 > 0:54:11With both Adrian and Matt happy with the repair, the hoist can continue.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13Well done, Brett.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17This time, Matt is insisting that the team in the roof
0:54:17 > 0:54:19hoist it much more slowly
0:54:19 > 0:54:20to avoid any wobbling.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25- Oh, that was...- A lot. - That was at least a centimetre.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Three metres and six hours later...
0:54:30 > 0:54:34Oh, God, it's a bit like childbirth, isn't it? It goes on for hours.
0:54:34 > 0:54:39..the whale is finally ready to be reunited with its mandibles.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43Once those mandibles are attached,
0:54:43 > 0:54:45it's going to be the thing that people see
0:54:45 > 0:54:47when they come through these doors, they stand here,
0:54:47 > 0:54:49they have this enormous creature diving down towards them
0:54:49 > 0:54:51with that mouth open.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53You know, they are the krill, as far as I'm concerned.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55We're going to see that today for the first time.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57I'm really excited about that.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01That's hugging.
0:55:01 > 0:55:02How to hug a mandible.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- That's a man in love with his job. - I know.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10That's the ICI Christmas card, right there.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15With the mandibles attached,
0:55:15 > 0:55:19the whale can be lifted the last few metres into her final resting place.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31The party is back on schedule.
0:55:32 > 0:55:36It looks like Jen's going to need that dress after all.
0:55:42 > 0:55:43Look at that.
0:55:46 > 0:55:47Isn't she amazing?
0:55:47 > 0:55:49- I don't know...- Look at the shadows.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51..what I was expecting.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54I don't know if I was expecting this. It looks incredible.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56- It's glowing.- Yeah.
0:55:56 > 0:55:57It's amazing, isn't it?
0:55:57 > 0:55:59Absolutely amazing.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01This is just remarkable.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11How do you feel, Richard? This is your pose, your idea.
0:56:13 > 0:56:14- We've nailed it, haven't we?- Yeah.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17I mean, we've really, really nailed it.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20We've got the dynamism, we've got the life, we've got the fluidity.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23Everything that we tried to achieve, I think we've done it.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31Every angle, everywhere you are in the space,
0:56:31 > 0:56:33- she looks slightly different. - Yes.- And you get that pose.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40When you start a project all those years ago
0:56:40 > 0:56:42and then suddenly you get here
0:56:42 > 0:56:44and you've got this beautiful creature
0:56:44 > 0:56:47diving from the ceiling. It's kind of strange to look back.
0:56:54 > 0:56:59I honestly feel that we've created something totally unique here.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03It's something that I'm hoping will make people think
0:57:03 > 0:57:06about what we've achieved as a species
0:57:06 > 0:57:08by saving these animals from extinction,
0:57:08 > 0:57:10and it's a message for the future.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13We need to apply that same level of compassion and cooperation
0:57:13 > 0:57:15to the rest of the planet.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18- We're all in it together, basically, aren't we?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26126 years ago,
0:57:26 > 0:57:31a female blue whale got into trouble off the coast of Ireland and died.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36Before long, only her bones remained.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41They eventually found their way
0:57:41 > 0:57:43to the Natural History Museum in London.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49Now, in the grand entrance hall,
0:57:49 > 0:57:51she finally flies free.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55The day of the dinosaur is over,
0:57:55 > 0:57:57and the whale,
0:57:57 > 0:58:00an animal that symbolises life on our blue planet today,
0:58:00 > 0:58:01takes its place.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07She is free to swim here forever,
0:58:07 > 0:58:12to inspire a new generation about the wonders of the natural world,
0:58:12 > 0:58:15and to remind us just how fragile it really is.