Stuff The British Stole

Stuff The British Stole

Throughout its reign, the British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Today the Empire's loot sits in museums, galleries, private collections and burial sites with polite plaques. But its history is often messier than the plaques suggest. In each episode of this global smash hit podcast, Walkley award-winning journalist, author and genetic potluck, Marc Fennell, takes you on the wild, evocative, sometimes funny, often tragic adventure of how these stolen treasures got to where they live today. These objects will ultimately help us see the modern world — and ourselves — in a different light. This is a co-production between the ABC and CBC Canada.

Episodes

March 28, 2024 4 mins

Take a listen to the ABC's new podcast Looking For Modi and an update on season 2 of Stuff The British Stole's TV season."

Mark as Played

How do you uncover the true life of a woman whose existence is wrapped in myth, propaganda and a famous animated children’s movie?

This is the true story of Matoaka - a young Powhatan girl who you probably know as Pocahontas. This is the mystery of a child, a hidden history and a stolen story.

Audio courtesy of Missing Matoaka.

This podcast is a co-production of ABC Australia and CBC Podcasts

Mark as Played
July 25, 2023 30 mins

Most heists target gold, jewels or cash. This one targeted illegal seeds.

As the British established their sprawling empire across the subcontinent and beyond, they encountered a formidable adversary — malaria. 

There was a cure — the bark of the Andean cinchona tree. The only problem? The Dutch and the French were also looking to corner the market in cinchona. And the trees themselves were under threat.

Grab a gin a...

Mark as Played
July 18, 2023 35 mins

It’s round. It has a hole in it. It symbolises nothing and yet it is the possibility of something... meet zero.

The zero we know and love today is the foundation of our modern world. And we have India to thank for it; in particular one special Indian birch bark book — the Bakhshali manuscript.

This is the story of how these fragile pages travelled to Oxford University and what their future looks like.

This podcast is...

Mark as Played
July 11, 2023 44 mins

There's a body buried in the grounds of Windsor Castle whose real home is thousands of miles away. Since 2007, there have been calls for Prince Alamayu’s remains to be returned to Ethiopia.

But how exactly did this young royal end up alone in England, and buried at Windsor Castle? To answer that we have to go back to 1868 to hear the message the British wanted to send that still reverberates to this day.

This podcas...

Mark as Played
July 4, 2023 36 mins

Deep in the cellars of one of England’s grandest country homes, covered in dirt and cobwebs, lay dozens of bottles of ancient rum.

Their discovery set off a frenzy among collectors vying to own the oldest rum in the world. 

But where did they come from and who produced them? Sealed inside was the story of an enslaved people in one of the first overseas colonies of the British Empire - Barbados.

This podcast is a co-p...

Mark as Played
June 27, 2023 41 mins

In an old country town high school library there is a glass case that displays something highly unusual and, for some, confronting.

Inside that glass case is a mummified head and according to its plaque, it was donated to Grafton High School in 1915.

Now, over 100 years later, questions are being raised about where it really came from and whether it really belongs there.

This podcast is a co-production of ABC Austral...

Mark as Played

Throughout its reign, the British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Today the Empire's loot sits in museums, galleries, private collections and burial sites with polite plaques. But its history is often messier than the plaques suggest.

In each episode of this global smash hit podcast, Walkley award-winning journalist, author and genetic potluck, Marc Fennell, takes you on the wild, evocative, sometimes funny, often tra...

Mark as Played
November 3, 2022 2 mins

We’re working hard on bringing you more podcast episodes but in the meantime, we have a special announcement…

Mark as Played
November 17, 2021 34 mins

It’s become a symbol for extinction; the dodo is a semi-mythical creature which most of us know only through Alice in Wonderland.

But one particular dodo was the victim of a crime – murder.

Its skull now sits in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. And it holds the clues to a thrilling mystery which illustrates a little-known colonial legacy.

Season Two is co-produced with CBC Podcasts.

Mark as Played
November 10, 2021 35 mins

Sarah 'Saartjie' Baartman was taken to the UK by a British doctor. But did she know what she was signing up for?

Stage-named 'The Hottentot Venus', Sarah was paraded around freak shows in London and Paris.

During her life and even after her death, she was objectified, mistreated and abused.

More than 200 years after her death, her life story reveals confronting truths about the treatment of black female bodies and ho...

Mark as Played
November 3, 2021 38 mins

In County Cork, Ireland, there’s a tree that locals call the Chalice Tree. Local lore says it’s where British Redcoats disrupted a secret Catholic mass, killed two priests and took a sacred chalice.

Now that chalice sits in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.

But what happened in the intervening 200 years is now being pieced together by two Irish families: the O’Keeffes and the McAulliffe’s.

Season Two is co-produ...

Mark as Played
October 27, 2021 36 mins

They’ve seen wars, the bottom of the ocean and even - bizarrely - been part of a boxing match.

The story of how the Parthenon Marbles actually ended up in London’s British Museum is a wild tale featuring bribes, court cases and some extremely dodgy deals.  

There’s been a centuries-long campaign to get them back to their homeland. Now, a team of Greek-Australians have decided that the time for diplomacy is over and ...

Mark as Played
October 20, 2021 35 mins

A war. A ransom. And a stunning recovery mission.

Five elaborately carved panels were buried in a New Zealand swamp to protect it from a war.

Then 150 years later, they’re acquired by a British collector before being sold to a Swiss-Bolivian collector in Geneva.

And their long journey home began when a kidnap ransom payment had to be made.

This is the remarkable story of the Motunui Epa.

Season Two is co-produced with ...

Mark as Played
October 13, 2021 5 mins

Have you ever wandered around a museum and thought “How on Earth did all of this stuff get here?” You’re not alone.

Throughout its reign, the British Empire stole a lot of stuff. Today those objects are housed in genteel institutions across the UK and the world. They usually come with polite plaques.

This podcast tells the stories about the not-so-polite history behind those looted objects.

In Season Two, Walkley awa...

Mark as Played
December 20, 2020 32 mins

The Gweagal shield is just one of the things James Cook and his shipmates took from the local people when they landed in Botany Bay. Why has it become the most contentious?

Mark as Played
December 13, 2020 28 mins

The arrival of Europeans in NZ kicked off a trade in Mokomokai — tattooed heads but these colonial souvenirs have their own complex history.

Mark as Played
December 6, 2020 28 mins

Don’t let their fluffy hair and judging eyes fool you, Pekingese dogs are hiding a secret. Their history encompasses torture, hubris, war, and some very long sleeves. Most importantly these dogs — well, one in particular — may hold the key to understanding the sometimes vexed relationship China has with the West.

Mark as Played
November 29, 2020 30 mins

What if your doorstop was evidence of brutal mass murder and wholesale theft? 

Mark as Played
November 22, 2020 32 mins

How a toy tiger became the symbol of a struggle between India and its former British colonisers

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman

    How do the smartest marketers and business entrepreneurs cut through the noise? And how do they manage to do it again and again? It's a combination of math—the strategy and analytics—and magic, the creative spark. Join iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman as he analyzes the Math and Magic of marketing—sitting down with today's most gifted disruptors and compelling storytellers.

    Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce

    Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce from the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce from the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about their games and share unique perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. Plus, entertaining stories from a combined 21 years in the league, off-field interests, and engaging conversations with special guests. Watch and listen to new episodes every Wednesday during the NFL season & check us out on Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok for all the best moments from the show.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.