Peek Behind the Pages at the Terrific Tricks in our Archive

Diverse Drafts and Forgotten Schemes

An earlier short story which later re-surfaced

Roald's own pet tortoise

The heartwarming tale of Matilda didn’t start out as the story of a sweet genius outsmarting nasty adults. In Roald’s very first draft, Matilda was a little more sinister! On display this Autumn are a host of handwritten draft pages revealing cheeky pranks that never made it into the final book – including a breakfast mix-up that went terribly wrong for her brother. Other early manuscript pages from The Enormous Crocodile reveal that his “secret plans and clever tricks” were originally far more successful than in the final book.

These archive cases also highlight Roald’s unrivalled ability to recycle and refine his ideas over years. For instance, 35 years before The Twits was published, Roald wrote a short story titled Smoked Cheese that involved a rather similar prank!

Tricks Motivated By Love

It’s easy to forget not every trick in Roald Dahl’s universe is totally sinister! In Esio Trot, Mr Hoppy’s trick of enlarging Alfie the Tortoise is motivated entirely by his affection for Mrs Silver. This heartwarming tale was inspired in part by Roald Dahl’s lifelong love of animals, including his very own pet tortoises.

Alongside these hidden gems, you can also enjoy props featured in the 2014 adaptation of Esio Trot, including Mrs Silver’s Sparkly Dress worn by Dame Judi Dench. The crew took nearly 20 hours adding over 2000 Swarovski crystals to Mrs Silver’s iconic sparkly outfit for the wedding scene!

And if you’re extra observant, you might also be able to spot a few stunt doubles… 🐢

Mrs Silver's iconic dress

A stunt double!

A behind-the-scenes look at the tortoises

From forgotten plots to secret edits, Terrific Tricks is packed with hidden pranks waiting to be uncovered. Which unused trick will be your favourite? Come and visit the Museum this Autumn to find out!

See What's On

As well as the fascinating forgotten tricks on display, we also have a golden opportunity this half-term. Our Head of Collections, Will, is opening up the archive for one day only on Tuesday 27 October!

Join him for a deeper dive behind the scenes at the Museum and a rare, up-close look at real archive treasures. During this 30 minute tour, you’ll uncover the scrumdiddlyumptious secrets behind iconic Roald Dahl tales including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, and come face-to-face with Oompa-Loompas and the BFG’s sandals. This is a rare chance to see pieces of Hollywood magic, as well as ask our Head of Collections all of your burning Roald Dahl questions!