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  • Crime
  • Mystery

The Black Museum is a radio crime-drama program inspired by the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard, the oldest museum in the world dedicated to recording crime. The show, narrated and hosted by Orson Welles, draws on true stories from Scotland Yard's files, with each episode centered around an item or items of evidence in the museum. The series features dramatized tales of brutal murders and vicious crimes, as well as Welles' characteristic narration and closing.

The show first aired in the United States on January 1, 1952, with 39 out of the full 52 syndicated episodes broadcast on Mutual stations. It was later broadcast on Radio Luxembourg starting May 7, 1953, where it was sponsored by cleaning products Dreft and Mirro. The series continued to be offered through syndication in the US on NPR stations through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, with some episodes also airing on the BBC in England in 1994. Produced by Harry Alan Towers and based on scripts by Ira Marion, with music by Sidney Torch, the museum remains a part of police training despite not being open to the general public.

Sources: archive.org, wikipedia.org, otrcat.com