Other Edens

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.

There is a town in southern England, nestled between the ancient Ashdown Forest and the untamed beauty of the High Weald, called East Grinstead. Locals refer to it as "the town that didn't stare"; a place where you are not judged by what you look like or how you live your life. It's no surprise then, perhaps, that it's the the nexus of Britain's alternative religious scene: from the Scientologists to the Mormons, Opus Dei to Paganism, East Grinstead has it all.
The Town That Didn't Stare follows the history of East Grinstead from early humans through to the present day, via the incredible story of Archibald McIndoe in the Second World War. It is a story for the ages.
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. This is the trailer for 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]

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.

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.