Black Country museum is 'bostin' TikTok hit

A UK tourist attraction where actors take visitors back to the industrial revolution has become the most followed museum on TikTok.

The Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) in Dudley has amassed more than 360,000 followers since joining in August.

Its actors created viral video hits featuring advice from a 1920s "yam yam" grandfather and a "bostin" World War Two wench.

The museum made the official UK TikTok 100 list.

Abbey Bird, the museum's communications manager, who runs the account, said she was "over the moon" at their online success.

"Our actors really know how to tell a good story," she said, adding that the open air museum was "the perfect backdrop for TikTok".

Natasha Eden, BCLM's chief operating officer said TikTok had "presented us with an incredible opportunity to meaningfully engage with a younger audience and showcase our wonderful museum and... characters."

The museum's actors play historical characters in the short clips.

John Homer, the actor behind the popular 1920s granddad, said he "had no concept of TikTok" until earlier this year.

"[My character] was used to carrier pigeons as a means of communication," he said.

"[But] it gives us a good name and promotes the Black Country, so on that basis it's a fantastic medium," he added.

The open air museum, set across 26 acres, features shops, houses and industrial areas which represent the Black Country's story at the heart of the Industrial Revolution.

It has gained a fan base in recent years after being used as a filming location for the BBC's Peaky Blinders series, based on Birmingham's gangs in the 1920s.

"As a museum and a charity, our fundamental goal is to tell the Black Country's story in a way that is appealing and accessible," Ms Eden said.

"The pandemic has made this more apparent than ever."

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