The Science and Industry Museum unveils highlights of its packed 2023 programme

Opening Fri 21 Jul in the Special Exhibitions Gallery, the ‘world premiere blockbuster exhibition’ based on the CBBC series Operation Ouch! invites guests to dive headfirst into the digestive system for a remarkable journey through super-sized science. Featuring interactive experiences, a variety of astounding artefacts from the Science Museum Group’s collection and even appearances from world-renowned doctors, the exhibition explores a unique internal journey through the digestive system. Visitors will ‘travel like a poo’ in a discovery of food as fuel and a celebration of our funniest bodily functions and the ‘glorious grossness’ inside our bodies.

Opening in May, Stephen Hawking at Work offers a peek inside the office of Britain’s most celebrated physicist. This intimate display provides insight into his life as a scientist, science communicator and public figure while living with motor neurone disease through authentic items from his original study including his PhD thesis, his wheelchair and the wager he signed when challenging his peers to the Black Hole Information Paradox bet.

Running until Sun 21 May, world-first multisensory exhibition Turn It Up: The power of music continues to examine the relationship between sound and creativity. Alongside a history of musical instruments – from the pyrophone to the inconceivable technological advancements of tomorrow – the exhibition showcases cutting-edge research, art installations, first-hand accounts from renowned musicians, MiMu gloves – gesture-based electronic music-making software invented by Imogen Heap – and, on display for the first time, AI music robot Haile demonstrating its ability to improvise alongside human musicians.

Open weekends and school holidays throughout 2023, hands-on gaming exhibition Power UP welcomes players to ‘revel in the very best video games’ with over 160 consoles and hundreds of classic titles from the past five decades. From endlessly nostalgic favourites like Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario, Pac Man and Pong to critically acclaimed blockbusters on the PS5 and latest-gen virtual reality systems, Power UP promises an unrivalled cross-generational bonding experience during which parents and kids can both discover and rediscover the wonder of gaming. In addition to the interactive area, Power UP features a section dedicated to the Manchester-based developers and companies who have transformed the city into an established nerve centre of the global gaming industry.

As well as ongoing work to restore the historic Grade-II listed Power Hall, the Science and Industry Museum’s Revolution Manchester Gallery is set to undergo a number of updates in early 2023 which will enable visitors to ‘explore the city’s status as an innovator of modern day travel’ as well as its integral, revelatory role in the nation’s creative output. From early innovations like A V Roe’s aircraft manufacturing to the influence of Factory Records and the city’s reputation as a crucible of modern journalism, the expanded displays shed new light on pioneering Mancunians from the Industrial Revolution to the present day.