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Dec 27, 2025
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.
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Episodes
The Girl Called Pocahontas
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
Aug 01, 2023•34 min•Ep. 20
The Fever Tree Hunt
Explore the harrowing history of cinchona, the Peruvian "fever tree" whose bark yielded life-saving quinine, essential for combating malaria during the peak of European colonialism. The episode details how the British and Dutch empires engaged in a desperate and often unethical race to acquire cinchona seeds, viewing it as both a humanitarian effort and an act of botanical piracy. It also traces the tree's legacy from a crucial medicine to the key ingredient in the iconic gin and tonic, highlighting the overlooked contributions and tragic fates of indigenous knowledge holders.
Jul 25, 2023•30 min•Ep. 19
Zero Marks The Spot
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 a co-production of ABC Australia and CBC Podcasts
Jul 18, 2023•36 min•Ep. 18
The Unfinished Prince
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 podcast is a co-production of ABC Australia and CBC Podcasts If this episode has raised...
Jul 11, 2023•45 min•Ep. 17
Bottles in the Basement
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-production of ABC Australia and CBC Podcasts.
Jul 04, 2023•37 min•Ep. 16
The Head in the Library
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 Australia and CBC Podcasts.
Jun 27, 2023•41 min•Ep. 15
INTRODUCING — Stuff The British Stole | Series 3
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 ob...
Jun 19, 2023•2 min•Ep. 14
Special Announcement
We’re working hard on bringing you more podcast episodes but in the meantime, we have a special announcement…
Nov 03, 2022•2 min•Ep. 13
Strange Fowle
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.
Nov 16, 2021•35 min•Ep. 12
Not Your Venus
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 how much has, and hasn’t, changed. Season Two is co-produced with CBC Podcasts....
Nov 09, 2021•35 min•Ep. 11
Cup Runneth
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-produced with CBC Podcasts.
Nov 02, 2021•39 min•Ep. 10
Losing Your Marbles
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 a new tactic is required. Season Two is co-produced with CBC Podcasts....
Oct 26, 2021•37 min•Ep. 9
The Abductions
This episode tells the remarkable story of the Motunui Epa, ancient Maori carvings at the center of a kidnapping ransom. After George Ortiz was forced to sell his art collection to save his daughter, these smuggled panels ignited a decades-long conflict between New Zealand and Ortiz. The saga culminates in their return home and a landmark legal case that influenced international art recovery laws.
Oct 19, 2021•35 min•Ep. 8
Season Two Coming Soon
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 award-winning host Marc Fennell will take you to a temple, a tree, a lab, a paradis...
Oct 12, 2021•5 min•Ep. 7
Shots Fired
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?
Dec 19, 2020•32 min•Ep. 6
The Headhunters
The arrival of Europeans in NZ kicked off a trade in Mokomokai — tattooed heads but these colonial souvenirs have their own complex history.
Dec 12, 2020•29 min•Ep. 5
Best.Named.Dog.Ever
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.
Dec 05, 2020•29 min•Ep. 4
Blood Art
What if your doorstop was evidence of brutal mass murder and wholesale theft?
Nov 28, 2020•30 min•Ep. 3
A Tiger and a Scream
How a toy tiger became the symbol of a struggle between India and its former British colonisers
Nov 21, 2020•32 min•Ep. 2
INTRODUCING - Stuff The British Stole
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 is a series about the not-so-polite history behind those objects.
Nov 12, 2020•4 min•Ep. 1
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