Stuff the British Stole: June 24

Stuff the British Stole tonight is in Egypt.

Before Australia became Australia, there was the colony of New South Wales, which, from a certain British point of view, had sheep, some nice ocean views, and not much else. An enterprising Englishman named Charles Nicholson decided that it really needed some culture, so he set out to acquire some. Literally.

Charles Nicholson sailed up the Nile in Egypt and acquired the largest collection of ancient antiquities ever to end up in the southern hemisphere. Among them is the mummified remains of a 7-year-old Egyptian child shrouded in mystery. The child has now spent over a century residing in Australia’s oldest university, Sydney University. But was taking a mummified human from Egypt legal?

This wild ride will take you from the sandstone streets of Sydney’s colonial Rocks district to the powerful words and beats of young Egyptian rapper Kid Pharaoh, to mummy-unwrapping parties in London, and then right to the foot of the breathtaking pyramids of Egypt.

8pm tonight on ABC.