Local unemployed secretly hired for Banksy exhibition

Banksy’s latest exhibit, daringly launched in the Bristol Museum, has been staffed in part by local jobless sourced through Jobcentre Plus.

The notorious graffiti artist, who worked with the museum curator to set up an exhibition featuring 100 of his works in his home town, ensured many of the staff helping at the show were unemployed Bristol residents.

Tom Scott, a 24-year-old unemployed resident, said he had received a
mysterious email thanking him for his interest in working for the
museum.

“About a week ago I applied for a job [and] they sent me back an email
the same day saying ‘thanks for applying to the museum’ and I said ‘ok
no worries – I didn’t – but that’s ok’,” he said.

At first he had second thoughts (“you can only know so much about
prehistoric legs and fossils from Keynsham”), but he was soon included
in a secret that even many of the long-term staff had been unaware of.

“On my first day I saw all the fossils and minerals and old paintings,
and I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope with the boredom for the next
few months – then all this arrives on the scene. I certainly don’t
think we’ll have time to be bored with all these visitors on their way.”

Suspicions that something big was happening arose after the museum was closed for “filming”, with rumours pointing to Dr Who and the latest Harry Potter movie as the culprits.

Scott is one of several tour guides for the exhibition, which runs until August 31.