Twenty-five years ago, a cargo of millions of pieces of Lego was washed off the ship Tokio during a storm off Land’s End. The cargo was en route from the company’s factory in Billund, Denmark, to North America, where it was to be made-up into sets. To this day, tiny pieces of plastic are still being found on Cornish beaches – and by a strange quirk of fate, much of this Lego is sea-themed.

On this episode of The PastCast, Tracey Williams, whose fascination with collecting the Lego washed up on her local beaches has driven her to publish a book, discusses the story of the lost cargo, the subsequent recovery efforts, and the environmental implications of the phenomenon.

Her book on the Lego lost at sea formed the basis of an article by Joe Flatman in the latest issue of Current Archaeology magazine, which is also available to read in full on The Past website. On this episode, Tracey and Joe spoke with Current Archaeology editor Carly Hilts and regular PastCast presenter Calum Henderson. Carly also explains what readers can look forward to in the latest issue.

The Past brings together the most exciting stories and the very best writing from the realms of history, archaeology, heritage, and the ancient world. You can subscribe to The Past today for just £7.99. If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider liking it, subscribing, and sharing it around.

Tracey's book, Adrift: the curious tale of the Lego lost at sea, is published by Unicorn and is available to buy here. You can follow the project online by searching for @LegoLostAtSea on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. A related paper on drift matter/drift archaeology by Þóra Pétursdóttir is available to read here.