For 150 years, the National Museum of Scotland has been at the heart of Scotland's cultural life. It holds 12 million objects in its collection - everything from whale skeletons to Bonnie Prince Charlie's al fresco picnic set. Some of its objects are billions of years old, and came here from outer space.

Other items - like Dolly the cloned sheep - point to a brave new world. Now, in the midst of a major £80million renovation, the museum has thrown open its doors and allowed the cameras into its darkest storerooms.

Writers Muriel Gray and Alexander McCall Smith, and model Eunice Olumide, explore some of the most outstanding treasures from one of the finest and most diverse collections in the world. Show less