Dippy the dinosaur’s time in Rochdale to be shown in new TV documentary

His arrival made waves in Rochdale, and now Dippy the dinosaur’s adventure in the borough is set to feature in a channel 5 documentary series airing this week.

The Natural Museum’s famous dinosaur opened at Number One Riverside in February last year as part of a nationwide tour, his only stop in the North West.

The experience was closed in March to protect the public amid the coronavirus pandemic, but reopened for a short time later in the year with safety measures in place.

And although Dippy was not able to open for the whole run during his time in Rochdale, the famous cast proved a smash hit in the region.

Over 122,000 people visited Number One Riverside and more than 46,000 went to see the exhibition at Touchstones.

8,000 schoolchildren visited with their classes and hundreds engaged with special zoom sessions organised by the council’s children’s services team to enable children to engage with Dippy during lockdown.

Natural History Museum, World of Wonder is a six part series which focuses on the famous London museum and its many special artefacts, with film crews getting special behind the scenes access to the institution’s treasures.

In episode two, which airs this Thursday 14th, the team will feature Dippy’s visit last year to Number One Riverside as part of a national tour.

The team filmed the 21 metre long dinosaur cast, alongside local visitors, and had a chat with Rochdale councillor Janet Emsley and Lorraine Cornish from the Natural History Museum, as part of their episode about dinosaurs and other prehistoric treasures.

It’s the second time Dippy’s stay in Rochdale has featured on national television, following his appearance on the famous children’s programme, Blue Peter late last year, where viewers tuned in to see young dinosaur fan, Warwick Carter, join presenter Ritchie Driss to place Dippy’s head on at the end of the build.

“I’m not surprised that Dippy’s legacy is continuing, even now that he’s left our borough and I’m looking forward to catching up with my favourite dinosaur once more, albeit through my television,” said councillor Janet Emsley.

“Last year was a very difficult year, but Dippy was unquestionably a rare highlight, and it will be wonderful to be reminded of this wonderful exhibit and what a special time it was for our borough.”

Natural History Museum, World of Wonder will air Thursday 14th January at 8pm on channel 5.