British Museum boss 'sorry' for Bayeux Tapestry visitor issues

The head of the British Museum has apologised for the experience some visitors have had at its blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry exhibition.

The London institution has announced changes to how visitors see the historic work over concerns of overcrowding.

"Anyone that doesn't have a good experience, we're really sorry about that and we want to put it right," Nicholas Cullinan told the BBC's culture and media editor Katie Razzall.

The new plans include longer opening hours, an audio guide, additional seating and clearer signage.

Some people reported waits of up to two hours. Last week, hundreds of ticket holders were reportedly turned away due to backlogs when the museum closed early for a private event.

"You don't want anyone that comes to see it to have a bad experience, so our focus is very much on getting it right and learning lessons," Cullinan said.

"Obviously we want everyone that comes to have a fantastic experience. To put it into context, we're three weeks into the exhibition run. Next week, we'll hit our 100,000th visitor, which is a pretty extraordinary statistic. The vast number of visitors report having a very good experience."

Asked if the museum team had asked the embroidery's home museum in Bayeux for advice on queue management and timings, Cullinan said they had.

He also denied the museum had let too many people book tickets and said that the issues arose because visitors want to spend more time with the work than expected.

The problem "isn't just the interest, it's that people want to spend more time than anticipated. And that's a good thing. We want people to come and enjoy it, but it means we have to adjust accordingly and that's what we're doing," Cullinan said.

Some visitors have been spending longer than their allocated 40-minute slot viewing the tapestry, meaning others have to move through more quickly, he said.

While the museum is reimbursing those who have been turned away, when asked if they might also compensate people for travel costs, Cullinan said it was "a possibility", but added that "obviously this is an incredibly expensive exhibition to mount."

The exhibition has also faced some criticism over accessibility, but Cullinan said they had done "everything they could", given the stipulation that the tapestry had to be laid flat, making it more difficult for wheelchair users to see.

Demand for the exhibition has been high since tickets first went on sale in July, with a record 100,000 sold on the first day.

Members of the public who were not successful in the first ticket release will have two further chances to view the masterpiece when additional tickets go on sale in October and January.

Adult tickets cost £33 during peak times and £27 at off-peak hours, compared to the €12 (£10) fee to see the tapestry in its home in Bayeux, Normandy. Children under 16 can visit the London exhibition for free.

The 70m-long Bayeux Tapestry depicts 58 scenes outlining the extraordinary events surrounding the Norman conquest of England, the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in Britain.

Despite its name, the work is an embroidery rather than a tapestry and contains approximately 626 human figures and 200 horses.

The Bayeux Tapestry is on loan from the French government, having been transported from its home in Normandy - where it has been exhibited since 1983. It will be on display until July 2027.

The loan marks the first time the tapestry has returned to the UK since it was created more than 900 years ago.