The Telegram
A direct way into the object-led format. Follow how a small piece of communication becomes the title of a crime story.
Listen to this episode ↗Crime & Detective
The Black Museum.
An ordinary object becomes the beginning of a murder story. Orson Welles guides you through The Black Museum, introducing dramatized crimes through the objects left behind: a telegram, a glove, a bag, a piece of iron chain.
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The evidence tells the story.
The framing idea is a visit to Scotland Yard's Crime Museum. Welles introduces an exhibit, then the drama moves into the people and events associated with it. An everyday possession can become the point around which a case turns.
Welles is the host and narrator, not a recurring detective solving every case. The combination of his linking narration and a separate dramatic cast gives the series its measured, unsettling character. It is crime drama with a documentary-style frame, rather than a supernatural anthology.
Choose an object. Follow its story.
The Black Museum · THE COLLECTION
Choose your next episode.
Choose from 52 episodes. Search by title or sort by running time.
Showing 1-20 of 52 recordings.
The Telegram
25:21A Can Of Weed Killer
26:34The Straight Razor
28:59The Brass Button
29:20Four Small Bottles
26:08The Sheath Knife
29:13A Shilling
25:17A Jar Of Acid
26:49The Sash Cord
24:52Two Bullets
25:16The Jack Handle
26:49A Trunk
25:46The Pink Powder Puff
29:34The Shopping Bag
27:06The Door Key
29:06Meat Juice
29:39The Walking Stick
25:11
The directory follows the order of the available collection. Historical dates, where verified, are explained in the episode guides.
Welles at the threshold.
The Black Museum reached Mutual in the United States in 1952 and later Radio Luxembourg. Harry Alan Towers produced it; Ira Marion wrote scripts and Sidney Torch supplied music. Those credits appear in the archive record as well as the series history.
Wellesnet describes a geographically divided production: Welles recorded his introductions in London, while the dramatizations were made in Sydney. That production history is more specific than a generic claim that the programme came from 1940s Hollywood.
Did you know?
The museum is the framing location; the drama does not take place entirely inside it. Welles' description of an exhibit leads into a reconstructed crime and the people around it.
Before you listen.
Does Orson Welles play the detective?
He hosts and narrates. The crimes are dramatized by other performers rather than presented as the investigations of an Orson Welles detective character. [1]
Are these ghost stories?
The programme uses an ominous atmosphere, but its premise is crime associated with exhibits from Scotland Yard's museum. [2]
Is The Black Museum a 1940s series?
The radio series discussed here belongs to 1952 and the early 1950s, not the 1940s period suggested by some generic descriptions. [1]
If you enjoy The Black Museum.
Crime Does Not Pay
For another anthology concerned with criminals, evidence and the consequences of crime.
The Whistler
For a different kind of ominous narrator and fictional stories of wrongdoing.
Dark Fantasy
Choose this when you want the supernatural rather than a crime-museum frame.
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Sources and recording notes.
Programme and historical references
Heritage Radio Vault recordings
Official The Black Museum recordings ↗ supplies the available audio, artwork and modern recording metadata.
Historical programme references are separated from modern recording metadata. A 1970s rebroadcast date in an archive entry is not treated as the original production date. Unverified episode casts remain omitted.
Historical references and modern publication dates describe different events. Sources checked 4 November 2026. Original scripts, recordings, performances and music may carry rights belonging to their respective owners. For corrections or rights enquiries: markwilliams@heritageradiovault.com.