Mike Laycock meets a three-dimensional Homer Simpson in Bradford.

If it's wet and you're stuck for something to do with the family this autumn, try heading for Bradford. The old textiles city may be a bit archetypally "grim-up-north," but it's certainly got a very child-friendly museum - the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. And - welcome news if your budget's tight - most of it is free.

Having said that, if you can afford it, it's worth buying a ticket to go to the museum's IMAX cinema.

I took my daughter and her friend Josh to the museum last weekend and saw Cyberworld 3D, a series of computer-animated films, linked by a synthetic American hostess called Phig ... and what a hoot it all was.

After donning the special 3D glasses, we entered a bizarre three-dimensional world, and were soon dodging the characters and objects which appeared to leap out of the screen and whiz past our ears.

Some of it was a bit like a 21st century version of Fantasia, accompanied by the music of Pet Shop Boys. There was a funny appearance by characters from Antz, and then, to chuckles of approval from the audience, an episode from the Simpsons which started like the TV cartoon, went into three dimensions and ended with the sad demise of Homer in a kind of black hole.

After IMAX, we headed for the top floor to see how cartoons and animations are made (and to make our own short cartoon) and to see some of our favourite childhood characters, from Bagpuss to Felix The Cat, before entering "TV Heaven." Here, we had a chance to go in our own special booth and watch our choice from a menu of more than 900 classic programmes. Josh voted to see highlights of England's 1966 World Cup triumph, complete with the famous "They think it's all over" phrase.

Leaving the children to play with cameras, mirrors and other interactive equipment, I headed down to one of the galleries to see A Gentle Madness, an exhibition of works by Tony Ray-Jones and other photographers who influenced his work from Bill Brandt to Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Some of Ray-Jones's best photographs are here, capturing with gentle humour the world of Britain's seaside resorts, customs and festivals in the 1960s. Not so much the Swinging Sixties of Chelsea and Carnaby Street that you are always hearing about but of another world...miners' galas, beauty contests and fancy-dressed participants in the Eastbourne Carnival.

Fact file

National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford City Centre, two miles from end of M606 (see brown signposts), five minutes walk from public transport interchange.

Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am-6pm. Admission free.

Admission to IMAX: Standard prices: Adults: £5.95, children: £4.20.

Further information: 0870 7010200.

Updated: 15:53 Friday, October 29, 2004