An exhibition co-curated by The National Archives and MI5 has been shortlisted in the category, Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year (Budget more than £80,000) by the Museums + Heritage Awards.
MI5: Official Secrets was a groundbreaking exhibition giving public access to 115 years of MI5 secrets. Visitors experienced once-classified documents, real spy artefacts and verbatim testimony from current Intelligence Officers.
Saul Nassé, Chief Executive of The National Archives said:
"For us, this was a unique opportunity to bring new audiences to our exhibition programme and to tell powerful stories. We took the MI5 registry, containing 115 years of meticulously archived documents, and coupled it objects from MI5’s museum to create a compelling experience.
The combination of unique content with imaginative curation was a hit with audiences, reaching over 55 000 visitors and delivering 94% satisfaction. We’re delighted it was a hit with the Museum + Heritage Awards judges too and are thrilled the exhibition is part of the shortlist. It’s testament to our partnership with MI5."
Speaking at a press preview for the exhibition in April 2025, Sir Ken McCallum said:
"I'd like to thank the National Archives for their partnership in bringing this exhibition into being, giving the public the opportunity to delve into MI5's story. MI5 life is about ordinary human beings together doing extraordinary things to keep our country safe. Some of their stories and their perspective comes through this exhibition"
The plain, manila covers of the files that make up the MI5 archive hide the dramatic, fascinating stories they contain of what ordinary people do to keep the country safe. The exhibition opened these files to the public in an unprecedented way, creating an experience inspired by research into how the original MI5 registry was constructed, giving a sense of being led down corridors, through locked doors, and stepping back in time.
Immersive elements conjured up scenes from MI5’s history, such as the interior of Anthony Blunt’s flat where he was interviewed multiple times in the Cold War. Filmed interviews with current and former Directors General allowed us to discuss more recent episodes of MI5’s history (where records have not yet been transferred) with insight and authority. This was amplified by various anonymised quotes from current Intelligence Officers through the exhibition, providing an up-to-date counterpoint to the historic documents.
The exhibition — the first of its kind between the two organisations — attracted almost 2.5 times more visitors than any previous TNA exhibition with 11% of the visitors coming from overseas.
