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The Town That Knew Too Much

The Town That Knew Too Much

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A proposito di questo titolo

There is a town in the English Cotswolds, sometimes referred to as the most Regency place in the world. But it's not all bonnets and townhouses: this is the story of Cheltenham, the home of British spying. From the madness of King George to the madness of Geoffrey Prime, and the construction of the Donut to the leaking of GCHQ files by Edward Snowden, Cheltenham has been at the centre of global espionage for a century. Does this town know too much?


“Hilton’s script is beautiful... knowingly florid, ironically meandering... one of those rare

moments when a podcast slips the surly bonds of being merely audio entertainment and

approaches the condition of art” – James Marriott, The Times


“Hilton is a terrific narrator and the writing is densely packed... florid descriptions are mixed

with reflective commentary, unexpected pop culture references and the odd brilliantly timed

gag” – Fiona Sturges, Financial Times


“Hilton’s investigative dedication and wry humour make these series utterly gripping” –

Miranda Sawyer, The Observer

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Episodi
  • The Doughnut

    The Doughnut
    Mar 29 2023

    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.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    44 min
  • The Black Abbot

    The Black Abbot
    Mar 29 2023

    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.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    33 min
  • Time of Trial

    Time of Trial
    Mar 29 2023

    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.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 min
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