THE National Media Museum will be teaming up with stop-motion masters Aardman for its In Your Face exhibition this half-term.

From Saturday, October 22, to Sunday 30, the Aardman Expression Lab will put on a range of family activities, as well as a visit from the co-founder and creative director Peter Lord.

Some of Aardman’s best-known and loved characters including cheese connoisseurs Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and clay creation Morph will be appearing at the Expression Lab, with the event coinciding with the animation studio’s 40th anniversary.

As part of the In Your Face exhibition, visitors can discover how animated creations communicate through facial expressions, and how their faces are made.

Mr Lord, who founded the company in 1972 with David Sproxton, will be making a special appearance on Wednesday, October 26, to share the history of Aardman with young visitors and to reveal the stories behind the studio’s most famous characters and how they were made.

This will be followed by a screening of 2012 hit film The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!, with tickets costing £2 per person from the National Media Museum website.

Mr Lord said: “I’m delighted to be taking part in the In Your Face half-term activities at the National Media Museum and look forward to meeting all the budding animation fans!

“It’s great to be celebrating our 40th anniversary this year with our very own Aardman Expressions Lab, which promises to be an entertaining outing for the whole family.”

Kate Burnett, from the National Media Museum, said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be working with Aardman.”

During the week, visitors can attend free talks and demonstrations by Aardman artists, take a look at how stop-motion animation works, and add their own pictures to the Aardman Portrait Gallery. There will also be free daily screenings of Aardman classics, plus the chance to see the original models used in the studio’s films.

Entry to the museum and the In Your Face exhibition is free.