On 6 December, the British Museum will unveil the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court. This film profiles the museum, its history and work and the events leading up to the opening of Lord Foster's glass-covered development.

Controversy surrounds the use of the wrong stone in the building work at the British Museum, but this report goes deeper, to survey the overall impact of changes in the week the Queen performs the official opening. Lord Foster talks about the remodelling of the Great Court, which has transformed a hidden courtyard at the centre of the museum into a covered public square the size of a football pitch. Nigel Barley, curator of the new African Galleries, reveals what will be housed there. As well as the new features, the programme celebrates other aspects of the 250-year-old collection with contributions from Sir David Attenborough and curators specialising in areas ranging from Samurai swords to toys and games.