Forgotten Towns

Series 3 Episode 10 - KIRKINTILLOCH (# 925 Visited 23/10/2024) Dunbartonshire, Scotland : Population 21,380 (Rank # 496) Christmas & New Year Special - A feature-length season-closing edition to take in not just this sizeable Dunbartonshire town but, we hope, the final stretch of our walk to the West coast. MUSIC Troika (from Lieutenant Kijé) - Sergei Prokjofiev Galloping Home (Original Theme...

Series 3 Episode 9 - KILSYTH (# 924 Visited 23/10/2024) Stirlingshire, Scotland : Population 10,080 (Rank # 925) Kilsyth may be the nation's 925th biggest town, but it's only the 924th one your host has visited. Confused? He will probably fail to explain in this week's episode. MUSIC Spaceherosuits - Those Dancing Days Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer...

Series 3 Episode 8 - ALLOA (# 923 Visited 23/10/2024) Clackmannanshire, Scotland : Population 14,420 (Rank # 705) It may necessitate an illogical dead-end train ride, and time is tight, but we're determined to make our only visit to Clackmannanshire count. MUSIC Spaceherosuits - Those Dancing Days Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer - They Might Be Giants We Hav...

Series 3 Episode 7 - LARBERT (# 922 Visited 22/10/2024) Stirlingshire, Scotland : Population 11,050 (Rank # 868) Run down by over-exertion, your host contemplates Larbert from the generic surroundings of his Premier Inn bedroom. MUSIC Spaceherosuits - Those Dancing Days Blinded By The Light - Bruce Springsteen Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer - They Might Be Gian...

Series 3 Episode 6 - STENHOUSEMUIR (# 921 Visited 22/10/2024) Stirlingshire, Scotland : Population 9,740 (Rank # 943) Our trip to Stenhousemuir is dominated by the 'chip shop challenge'; can a man travel quicker than a 'bus whilst buying a haggis supper? MUSIC Late Night Bus - The Longcut Take The Long Way Home - Supertramp THANKS FirstBus The staff of Bruno's Chippy, Stenhousemuir...

Series 3 Episode 5 - BO'NESS (# 920 Visited 22/10/2024) Linlithgowshire, Scotland : Population 14,760 (Rank # 687) From whence comes the mysterious apostrophe, and will it be worth the 'bus ride? Find out in Bo'ness. MUSIC Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - Mr. Bloe Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer - They Might Be Giants We Have A Dream - The Scottish World...

Series 3 Episode 4 - GRANGEMOUTH (# 919 Visited 22/10/2024) Stirlingshire, Scotland : Population 16,650 (Rank # 616) We remain unperturbed when finding central Grangemouth cordoned off by a knotted tape barrier. MUSIC Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - Mr. Bloe Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer - They Might Be Giants We Have A Dream - The Scottish World Cup Squad Dirty...

Series 3 Episode 3 - FALKIRK (# 918 Visited 22/10/2024) Stirlingshire, Scotland : Population 35,850 (Rank # 298) Boats, battles, foundries and one very big wheel: Scotland's 21st biggest town has much to commend it. MUSIC Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - Mr. Bloe Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer - They Might Be Giants We Have A Dream - The Scottish World Cup Squa...

Series 3 Episode 2 - LINLITHGOW (# 917 Visited 21/10/2024) Linlithgowshire, Scotland : Population 13,260 (Rank # 763) History, beer, a much needed rest after a very long walk and, for once, I was not the only visitor in town. MUSIC Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - Mr. Bloe Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer - They Might Be Giants We Have A Dream - The Scottish World Cu...

Series 3 Episode 1 - BROXBURN (# 916 Visited 21/10/2024) Linlithgowshire, Scotland : Population 15,440 (Rank # 660) We embark on a coast-to-coast walk with sights set initally on Broxburn, but will it provide adequate rest for weary limbs and flagging intellect? MUSIC Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - Mr. Bloe Letter From America - The Proclaimers Put Your Hand On The Computer - They Might Be Giants We...

Series 2 Episode 10 - LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY (# 915 Visited 07/10/2024) Hertfordshire, England : Population 34,697 (Rank # 313) Home to the UK's first roundabout, plus first class public & curry house provision; what's not to love about our first and greatest 'Garden City'? MUSIC Soul Coaxing (Âme Câline) - Raymond Lefèvre and His Orchestra I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cas...

Series 2 Episode 9 - BALDOCK (# 914 Visited 07/10/2024) Hertfordshire, England : Population 10,670 (Rank # 890) The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay / The glory that was Rome is of another day / Join me in Baldock for a new exciting episode! MUSIC Soul Coaxing (Âme Câline) - Raymond Lefèvre and His Orchestra I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash It's Grim Up North - The Justified A...

Series 2 Episode 8 - ROYSTON (# 913 Visited 07/10/2024) Hertfordshire, England : Population 16,911 (Rank # 610) Not Royston Vasey; not Royston, Yorks; but Royston, Hertfordshire - where Ermine Street meets the Icknield Way... and King James went to the pub. MUSIC Soul Coaxing (Âme Câline) - Raymond Lefèvre and His Orchestra I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash It's Grim Up North - The Justif...

Series 2 Episode 7 - GAINSBOROUGH (# 912 Visited 24/09/2024) Lincolnshire, England : Population 22,841 (Rank # 471) Gain an irreverent, and to some extent irrelevant, insight into the Lincolnshire town that was (but is no longer) capital of England... and Denmark. MUSIC Soul Coaxing (Âme Câline) - Raymond Lefèvre and His Orchestra I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash It's Grim Up North - The...

Series 2 Episode 6 - NORTH HYKEHAM (# 911 Visited 22/09/2024) Lincolnshire, England : Population 16,895 (Rank # 612) Beating heart of the Boothby Graffoe wapentake, or high class housing estate long since absorbed by Lincoln? We spend 5 minutes making a snap judgement. MUSIC Soul Coaxing (Âme Câline) - Raymond Lefèvre and His Orchestra I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash It's Grim Up North...

Series 2 Episode 5 - MARCH (# 910 Visited 26/08/2024) Cambridgeshire, England : Population 21,669 (Rank # 491) With carefully contrived poor timing, we visit the only town in the list to be named after a month of the year... on August Bank Holiday weekend. MUSIC The Vulture - Ronnie Ray's Playboys This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us - Sparks I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash...

Series 2 Episode 4 - CHATTERIS (# 909 Visited 26/08/2024) Cambridgeshire, England : Population 11,000 (Rank # 872) For what is Chatteris, and does this market town really 'lack quintessence'? Find out as we visit the Fens. MUSIC The Vulture - Ronnie Ray's Playboys For What Is Chatteris... - Half Man Half Biscuit THANKS The organist of St Peter & St Paul's, Chatteris Visit the U...

Series 2 Episode 3 - WARE (# 908 Visited 12/08/2024) Hertfordshire, England : Population 20,004 (Rank # 531) Ware's where it's at, as our perambulations around the Herts / Essex border end in this pleasant riverside town. MUSIC Where Do You Go To My Lovely? - Peter Sarstedt The Vulture - Ronnie Ray's Playboys THANKS The Buildings of England (Hertfordshire) - Pevsner, N. et al The staff...

Series 2 Episode 2 - HODDESDON (# 907 Visited 12/08/2024) Hertfordshire, England : Population 43,823 (Rank # 242) Whither Hoddesdon? Why Hoddesdon? What is Hoddesdon? Your host pays a visit and attempts to explain. MUSIC The Vulture - Ronnie Ray's Playboys I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash It's Grim Up North - The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu THANKS The staff of The Sun, Hoddesdon C D...

Series 2 Episode 1 - HARLOW (# 906 Visited 12/08/2024) Essex, England : Population 86,321 (Rank # 101) Season 2 sees us back in South East England, armed only with an undimmed sense of adventure and a train ticket to one of the UK's largest 'new towns'. MUSIC The Vulture - Ronnie Ray's Playboys Eat My Goal - Collapsed Lung I've Been Everywhere - Johnny Cash It's Grim Up Nor...

Series 1 Episode 5 - CHEADLE (# 905 Visited 03/07/2024) Staffordshire, England : Population 11,223 (Rank # 859) We fail to look around Staffordshire's 'most perfect piece of C19th Gothic Revival' architecture and consume a pizza in the country's 859th largest town. MUSIC The Tomorrow People Theme - Dudley Simpson I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers The Visitors - ABBA Fo...

Series 1 Episode 4 - BIDDULPH (# 904 Visited 03/07/2024) Staffordshire, England : Population 18,198 (Rank # 577) Join me in Biddulph, 'Staffordshire's Garden Town'; #577 by rank of size, and home to a servicable branch of a well known supermarket chain. MUSIC The Tomorrow People Theme - Dudley Simpson I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers The Visitors - ABBA Forgotten Towns -...

Series 1 Episode 3 - WILMSLOW (# 903 Visited 03/07/2024) Cheshire, England : Population 37,400 (Rank # 288) This week we're in Wilmslow, Cheshire; a powerhouse of Britain's industrial revolution ranked #288 in our Top 1,000. MUSIC The Tomorrow People Theme - Dudley Simpson I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers The Visitors - ABBA Forgotten Towns - The Christians For Reasons Unknow...

Series 1 Episode 2 - DENTON (# 902 Visited 03/07/2024) Lancashire, England : Population 36,100 (Rank # 294) Join me for a cheeky pint in Denton; sometime home of hat manufacturing, the UK's 249th most populous town, and my last unvisted one in Lancashire. MUSIC The Tomorrow People Theme - Dudley Simpson I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers The Visitors - ABBA Forgotten Towns - The Ch...

Series 1 Episode 1 - NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS (# 901 Visited 03/07/2024) Lancashire, England : Population 23,822 (Rank # 452) Your host takes a trip to Newton-le-Willows, the UK's 452nd largest settlement. Where is it? And what on earth is he doing there? MUSIC The Tomorrow People Theme - Dudley Simpson I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers The Visitors - ABBA Forgotten Towns - The Christian...