Advertise on podcast: The Town That Knew Too Much

The Doughnut. A giant circular low-rise office block in west Cheltenham; it is, jokingly I'm sure, said to look from above like a giant bullseye. Here, the men and women of GCHQ go to work every day. Here they listen to the world. Here they keep tabs. And here, in 2013, their secrets spilled out to the world. This is the story of Edward Snowden and the GCHQ/NSA leaks, and how the secret world of surveillance was blown wide open almost a decade ago. What happened? And have things really changed? Contributors to this episode: Geoff Dyer, Alan Rusbridger, Ewen MacAskill, James Ball, Michael S. Kinch, Sam Kean. You also heard GCHQ by Markee Ledge, reproduced with permission, and voice acting by Scott Westwood. This is the seventh, and final, episode of The Town That Knew Too Much, written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton. The music is by George Jennings, based on The Planets by Gustav Holst. The entire score for the series is available to stream on Spotify. This is the seventh part of a 7-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information. If you’ve enjoyed the show, please go to your podcast provider and leave a rating and review. The Town That Knew Too Much is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com.

Where do the dead go when they die? Do we file them away in obituaries? Or celebrate them at a memorial service and slowly forget their day-to-day existence? This is a story of death. It is a story of spirits lingering on. It is a story of how lives become stories and how stories define places. From the ghosts of Prestbury to the dead GCHQ mathematician Gareth Williams – via, of course, the singing mice of the Tailor of Gloucester – The Black Abbot is about the imprints we make on the world and how they outlive us. Contributors to this episode: Ian Jelf, Philip Ingram, Catherine Curzon, Colin Towns, Iggy Ostanin. This is the sixth episode of The Town That Knew Too Much, written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton. The music is by George Jennings, based on The Planets by Gustav Holst. The entire score for the series is available to stream on Spotify. This is the sixth part of a 7-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information. If you’ve enjoyed the show, please go to your podcast provider and leave a rating and review. The Town That Knew Too Much is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com.

Geoffrey Prime, Soviet spy at GCHQ, has been arrested on sexual offences against children. But that was just the start of his world unravelling. And as the Prime affair came to a boil, the grubby compromises of espionage would also be aired. This is the story of the Prime trial and the trials that all people must bear as their world disintegrates. From the calm of Cleeve Hill to the Mafia drama of the death of Roberto Calvi, this is a story of how things come to their end. Listener note: This is the second episode of the series dedicated to the story of Geoffrey Prime. The first episode looking at Prime – 'Through The Looking Glass' – is the third episode in the series, and should ideally be listened to before 'Time of Trial' as it provides contextual details that may not be repeated in this episode. Contributors to this episode: Rupert Aker, Dominic Carman, Richard Norton-Taylor, Nick Davies, Peter Picken, Gerald Posner, Jeff Stein, and Ben Meier. This is the fifth episode of The Town That Knew Too Much, written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton. The music is by George Jennings, based on The Planets by Gustav Holst. The entire score for the series is available to stream on Spotify. This is the fifth part of a 7-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information. If you’ve enjoyed the show, please go to your podcast provider and leave a rating and review. The Town That Knew Too Much is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com.

There's a clock in Cheltenham that hangs above a shopping arcade. Below its face a magnificent golden fish rotates and, on the half hour spews bubbles. It is a singular work from a singular mind: that of Kit Williams. Williams is most famous for the Masquerade puzzle hunt in the 1980s. This is the story of the man, the book and the quest he set in motion. And if you keep listening throughout the podcast, you might find yourself off on a hunt of your own... To start your puzzle hunt go to WishingFishClock.com Contributors to this episode: Paul Slade, Dan Amrich, Mariella Cook, Kelvin Horton, Stuart Ashen, Anneka Rice, Karl Coppack. And the team at Dreamcatcher: Sarah Binney, Michael Kearns, Ben Below and Catalin Ursachi. This is the fourth episode of The Town That Knew Too Much, written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton. The music is by George Jennings, based on The Planets by Gustav Holst. The entire score for the series is available to stream on Spotify. This is the fourth part of a 7-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information. If you’ve enjoyed the show, please go to your podcast provider and leave a rating and review. The Town That Knew Too Much is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com.

This is the story of a man who had not one but two double lives. It is the story of the disorientating topsy-turvy world you'll find through the looking glass, where all is not what it seems. This is the story of GCHQ's mole... From Lewis Carroll to Geoffrey Prime, this episode looks at the lies we tell to keep our worst secrets from the outside world. It is an episode that looks at how lies expand to fill the space they're afforded and how once you start living in the shadows, dishonesty and deception becomes easier and easier. Contributors to this episode: Katie Roiphe, Jenny Woolf, Peter Picken, Dominic Carman, Nick Davies, John D’oh, Ian Bailey, Anna Leszkiewicz, and Dallas G. Denery II. Voice acting by Evelyn Lockley and Keif Gwinn. This is the third episode of The Town That Knew Too Much, written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton. The music is by George Jennings, based on The Planets by Gustav Holst. The entire score for the series is available to stream on Spotify. This is the third part of a 7-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information. If you’ve enjoyed the show, please go to your podcast provider and leave a rating and review. The Town That Knew Too Much is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com.

Enigmas. Things that cannot be understood; things that must be unravelled and unriddled. Things that are not what they seem.

Tucked away in a scenic corner of the Cotswolds, you'll find the Regency spa town of Cheltenham. It could be more English: from royal visits to Jane Austen re-enactments, it has everything an outsider would want from a quaint British town. But scratch beneath the surface and you'll find something quite different... In this episode we look at the history of Cheltenham and how burbling subterranean water springs set in motion a trajectory that would lead the town to become the centre of modern espionage. And, along the way, we'll look at Holy Wells, rat catchers, a minotaur's penis, and a protruding limestone outcrop known locally as the Devil's Chimney... Contributors to this episode: Anna Leszkiewicz, Phil Cox, Jill Waller, Geoff Dyer, Dr John Harcup, Catherine Curzon, Sophie Ryder, Richard Aldrich, Sir David Omand. This is the first episode of The Town That Knew Too Much, written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton. The music is by George Jennings, based on The Planets by Gustav Holst. The entire score for the series is available to stream on Spotify. This is the first part of a 7-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information. If you’ve enjoyed the show, please go to your podcast producer and leave a rating and review. The Town That Knew Too Much is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com.

Set in the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, in a part of England known for its beautiful Regency architecture, famous public schools and sky-high house prices, is the idyllic town of Cheltenham. This is a town that was the height of fashion in the time of Jane Austen, and, to this very day, remains a favoured outpost of the rich and famous. But behind that manicured facade lies a secret. This is a town that plays host to most of Britain's spies. And with all that lying and deception, that blurring of right and wrong, comes evil. Evil that seeps through the cracks. Evil that confuses and contrasts the town's self-image. This is a story about people who listen, and the town they live in. This is The Town That Knew Too Much. The Town That Knew Too Much starts July 21st 2021. Episodes weekly. The Town That Knew Too Much is written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton.   Music by George Jennings. Podcast artwork by Tom Humberstone. This is the trailer for a 7-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information.    The Town That Knew Too Much is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com. For sales and advertising, email [email protected]

East Grinstead, the home of Scientologists, Mormons, Rosicrucians and more; a nexus for ley lines, a perfect Prime Meridian settlement and Britain's most haunted town. But why? Why is East Grinstead, this little town in Sussex, so strange? What happened to make East Grinstead this unstaring town? Is this a question that can ever be truly answered? And do we really want to know the answer? The Town That Didn’t Stare is written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton.   Intro and incidental music by George Jennings. End credits music by Matt Payne and Ollie Lloyd at Shipyard Audio. Podcast artwork by Tom Humberstone. The interviewees on this episode were: Ian Sellar, Eileen Barker, Jack Valero, Jon Ronson, Jonathan Parrett, Jack Tindale, Tim Bale and Itiel Dror.  This is the final part of a 6-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information.    The Town That Didn’t Stare is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com. For sales and advertising, email [email protected]

In 1556, three martyrs are burned at the stake. In 1812, the Prime Minister is gunned down in the House of Commons. And in 1996 a businessman is shot returning to his mansion. This is the story of East Grinstead, its violent history and its ghosts. The Town That Didn’t Stare is written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton.   Intro and incidental music by George Jennings. End credits music by Matt Payne and Ollie Lloyd at Shipyard Audio. Podcast artwork by Tom Humberstone. The interviewees on this episode were: Nick Hall, Caroline Metcalf, David and Anne-Noelle Pinnegar, Barry Depp, Christopher French, Jonathan Parrett and Kim Sengupta This is the fifth part of a 6-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information.    The Town That Didn’t Stare is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com. For sales and advertising, email [email protected]

What is the Guinea Pig Club? At the height of the Second World War, the sleepy Sussex town of East Grinstead played host to one of the most remarkable and revolutionary medical facilities of the 20th Century. The town's famous Guinea Pigs were severely burned airmen who had come to the Queen Victoria hospital for treatment under the scalpel of the great Archibald McIndoe. What happened from there has become the stuff of local legend and earned East Grinstead its nickname: the town that didn't stare. The Town That Didn’t Stare is written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton.   Intro and incidental music by George Jennings. End credits music by Matt Payne and Ollie Lloyd at Shipyard Audio. Podcast artwork by Tom Humberstone. The interviewees on this episode were: Emily Mayhew, Gordon Bebb, Jonathan Parrett, Kathryn Ferry, Jonn Elledge and Martin Jennings. This is the third part of a 6-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information.    The Town That Didn’t Stare is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com. For sales and advertising, email [email protected]

There is something that makes East Grinstead special, and has drawn extraordinary people to what looks, on the surface, like a very ordinary town. Amongst those who read the land like a book – like a religious text – there are those who say that the town marks the confluence of ley lines, the invisible underground energy currents that, for millennia, have silently and secretly governed the fate of mankind. Could it be that the town that didn't stare is Britain's most unusual town because of these ancient, mystic powers?  The Town That Didn’t Stare is written, produced and presented by Nick Hilton.   Intro and incidental music by George Jennings. End credits music by Matt Payne and Ollie Lloyd at Shipyard Audio. Podcast artwork by Tom Humberstone. The interviewees on this episode were: Graham Gardner, Professor Elizabeth Loftus, Amelia Tait, Louise Devoy, Richard Creightmore, Marc Heal and Damh the Bard.  This is the third part of a 6-part series available on all good podcast platforms. You can find out more about the show on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook – just go to @thetownpod – or visit www.thetownpod.com for episode notes and more information.    The Town That Didn’t Stare is a Podot podcast, for more information visit podotpods.com. For sales and advertising, email [email protected]