Ancient Egypt or bust

Thomas Mann wrote about her. Hitler considered her to be one of the most beautiful women ever. Sigmund Freud speculated that Moses was a follower of her husband, and her brother-in-law was none other than Tutankhamun himself. Although not of royal blood, her beauty and power have been compared with those of Helen of Troy and Cleopatra, but before the beginning of this century, few had heard of her. Most are familiar with her image but are unable to put a name to it.

Plunder - The Bust of Nefertiti (8pm C4) is not just an art-history lesson, it is more - all you ever wanted to know about Nefertiti but were too afraid to admit that you didn't know who she was. The first of three programmes to investigate plundered art treasures by famous museums highlights the corruption and negotiations that took place between the Egyptians and the Germans over the bust.

Abducted in 1912, she is now housed in the Berlin Egyptian Museum, but tourists in Egypt, where she is the number one trademark, ever realise her absence. Perhaps most famous for becoming queen after marrying the pharaoh Akhenaten, she has been accused of being a ruthlessly intelligent, scene-stealing consort, much like the modern-day Princess of Wales or Hillary Clinton. Although we are talking 1370 BC, it gives yet more weight to the adage: behind every great man there has to be a great woman.