PODCAST · society
Forgotten Towns
by Alexander Rennie
Your host attempts to visit the largest thousand settlements in the United Kingdom - before it flies to pieces
Episodes
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1000 - Largs
Series 12 Episode 11 - LARGS (# 1,000 Visited 25/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 11,260 (Rank # 858) The show that sees us reach the end of the trail: Will your narrator escape with sobriety or dignity? Will he be bludgeoned by his AI sidekick? All will be revealed in this...
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999 - Gourock
Series 12 Episode 10 - GOUROCK (# 999 Visited 25/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 10,350 (Rank # 909) An emergency episode of '999' heralds the 999th town on our list. MUSIC 999 BBC1 Theme Tune - Roger Bolton I Can See For Miles - The Who THANKS Michael Buerk The staff of Cleats Bar,...
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998 - Greenock
Series 12 Episode 9 - GREENOCK (# 998 Visited 25/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 42,680 (Rank # 249) Our antepenultimate excursion takes us 'doon the watter' to Sugaropolis. MUSIC Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills This Town - The Go-Go's The Last Farewell - Roger Whittaker Durham Town...
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997 - Port Glasgow
Series 12 Episode 8 - PORT GLASGOW (# 997 Visited 25/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 14,620 (Rank # 697) Get yourself filled in on Port Glasgow's shipbuilding as we go diving for pearls of wisdom. MUSIC Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills Shipbuilding - Robert Wyatt THANKS The Buildings…
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996 - Barrhead
Series 12 Episode 7 - BARRHEAD (# 996 Visited 25/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 17,610 (Rank # 592) Save your thankses; we're flushing out Shanks's... and other elements of Barrhead's industrial past. MUSIC Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills Carry On At Your Convenience (Opening Theme)…
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995 - Newton Mearns
Series 12 Episode 6 - NEWTON MEARNS (# 995 Visited 25/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 26,600 (Rank # 401) Bagpiping suburban fact into travelogue fiction. MUSIC Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills Scotland The Brave - The Auld Town Band & Pipes THANKS The Buildings of Scotland…
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994 - Bonhill
Series 12 Episode 5 - BONHILL (# 994 Visited 24/08/2025) Dunbartonshire, Scotland : Population 9,050 (Rank # 988) Is the Leven going to get us down, or will we distract ourselves with the not-so-great library of Alexandria? The first half of the final season winds up in Dunbartonshire. MUSIC...
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993 - Erskine
Series 12 Episode 4 - ERSKINE (# 993 Visited 24/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 15,510 (Rank # 658) The one where we pay tribute to the late Anne Gregg, for no obvious reason. MUSIC Heartsong - Gordon Giltrap Get On Up - James Brown The Last Farewell - Roger Whittaker Durham Town…
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992 - Johnstone
Series 12 Episode 3 - JOHNSTONE (# 992 Visited 23/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 16,090 (Rank # 639) What local lad Gordon Ramsay might've made of my black pudding supper is anyone's guess and, as he'd probably have peppered Callum's karaoke with profanity, it's just as well we…
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991 - Giffnock
Series 12 Episode 2 - GIFFNOCK (# 991 Visited 23/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 12,300 (Rank # 802) Don't panic! My AI companion makes an unexpected return to the fray, but Giffnock has coped with worse in the past. MUSIC Heartsong - Gordon Giltrap Panic - The Smiths The Last…
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990 - Clarkston
Series 12 Episode 1 - CLARKSTON (# 990 Visited 23/08/2025) Renfrewshire, Scotland : Population 9,860 (Rank # 939) The final season gets underway in this slice of Scotland's suburbia where things can occasionally get explosive. MUSIC Durham Town (The Leavin') - Roger Whittaker Heartsong - Gordon...
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989 - Teignmouth
Series 11 Episode 9 - TEIGNMOUTH (# 989 Visited 14/04/2025) Devon, England : Population 15,597 (Rank # 652) We pay homage to doomed single-handed sailor Donald Crowhurst as we, like him, wave goodbye to England for the final time. MUSIC Sailing By - Ronald Binge The Deception - iLiKETRAiNS…
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988 - Dawlish
We find simmering local hostility beyond the elegant wildfowl and picture postcard scenery of this Devon seaside resort.
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987 - Kingsteignton
Series 11 Episode 7 - KINGSTEIGNTON (# 987 Visited 14/04/2025) Devon, England : Population 10,857 (Rank # 877) We find out all about the King's Town on the Teign... or Kingsteignton as we like to call it, to save time in another jam-packed 5 minute episode. MUSIC Tubular Bells Part II (Sailor's...
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986 - Newton Abbot
Series 11 Episode 6 - NEWTON ABBOT (# 986 Visited 14/04/2025)Devon, England : Population 26,951 (Rank # 395)What links Charles I, Serge Pizzorno, William III and David Vine? The answer is Newton Abbot, and you may now add me to that list.MUSICTubular Bells Part II (Sailor's Hornpipe) - Mike...
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985 - Brixham
Series 11 Episode 5 - BRIXHAM (# 985 Visited 13/04/2025) Devon, England : Population 16,977 (Rank # 607) Ever confuse Brixham with Brixton? Today's trip to the seaside helps identify some basic differences. MUSIC Tubular Bells Part II (Sailor's Hornpipe) - Mike Oldfield The Guns Of Brixton - The...
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984 - Paignton
Series 11 Episode 4 - PAIGNTON (# 984 Visited 11/04/2025) Devon, England : Population 66,878 (Rank # 142) Amidst beery distractions of the nearby CAMRA AGM and a visit to Paignton's own brewery, we take a stroll around this popular Devon resort. MUSIC Classical Gas - Mason Williams Painter Man -...
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983 - Ivybridge
Series 11 Episode 3 - IVYBRIDGE (# 983 Visited 11/04/2025) Devon, England : Population 11,727 (Rank # 827) Find out whether one hour's parking is enough for us to properly get to grips with the 'Gateway to the Moors'. MUSIC Classical Gas - Mason Williams London Girls - Chas 'n' Dave THANKS The...
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982 - Plymstock
Series 11 Episode 2 - PLYMSTOCK (# 982 Visited 11/04/2025) Devon, England : Population 25,610 (Rank # 419) Do you think you could have bettered our host on the 'Plymstock Charity Shop Challenge'? MUSIC Classical Gas - Mason Williams Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division London Girls - Chas 'n'...
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981 - Tavistock
Series 11 Episode 1 - TAVISTOCK (# 981 Visited 11/04/2025) Devon, England : Population 12,504 (Rank # 795) This sunny season opener sees booksellers battling for my custom as we return to South West England. MUSIC Classical Gas - Mason Williams London Girls - Chas 'n' Dave THANKS The proprietors…
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980 - Cambuslang
Series 10 Episode 10 - CAMBUSLANG (# 980 Visited 24/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 29,100 (Rank # 366) We give the Scottish government a bloody nose but fail to impress Midge Ure during this farewell to Lanarkshire. MUSIC Moscow - Orange Juice Vienna - Ultravox THANKS Scotrail The...
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979 - Blantyre
Series 10 Episode 9 - BLANTYRE (# 979 Visited 24/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 16,900 (Rank # 611) As the rhetorical question has it, who shall explore the birthplace of the explorer himself? The answer: me. MUSIC Moscow - Orange Juice Loaded - Primal Scream A Horse With No Name -...
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978 - East Kilbride
Series 10 Episode 8 - EAST KILBRIDE (# 978 Visited 24/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 75,120 (Rank # 122) We chart the development of our largest previously unvisited town via the music of habitually underappreciated local band, The Jesus & Mary Chain. MUSIC Deep One Perfect Morning -...
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977 - Hamilton
Series 10 Episode 7 - HAMILTON (# 977 Visited 24/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 54,080 (Rank # 179) Forget Lewis or Alexander. This is the original Hamilton. But is it the best? Take five minutes listening to find out. MUSIC Moscow - Orange Juice Tiptoe Through The Tulips - Tiny Tim…
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976 - Larkhall
Series 10 Episode 6 - LARKHALL (# 976 Visited 24/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 14,740 (Rank # 690) We head to the terminus of the Argyle Line to get outside a 'full Scottish' and inspect a tall crumbling viaduct. MUSIC Moscow - Orange Juice A Horse With No Name - America The Quiet…
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975 - Viewpark
Series 10 Episode 5 - VIEWPARK (# 975 Visited 22/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 15,770 (Rank # 648) It may not be one of the smallest towns, but Viewpark is probably one of the more anonymous. We attempt to get an insight... before actually getting a taxi. MUSIC Hit & Miss - The John...
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974 - Bellshill
Series 10 Episode 4 - BELLSHILL (# 973 Visited 22/02/2025)Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 20,290 (Rank # 524)Forget New York and London; this Lanarkshire town punches way above its weight in the music department. Your pop correspondent reports.MUSICIs It Music? - Teenage FanclubU Got The Look…
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973 - Wishaw
Series 10 Episode 3 - WISHAW (# 972 Visited 22/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 30,290 (Rank # 352) Scotland slide towards Calcutta Cup defeat whilst bar room conversation takes a distinctly morbid turn. MUSIC Hit & Miss - The John Barry Seven A Horse With No Name - America The Quiet…
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972 - Carluke
Series 10 Episode 2 - CARLUKE (# 972 Visited 22/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 13,320 (Rank # 758) We map the good and the bad of Carluke via questionable beer choices in the quietest available local bar. MUSIC Hit & Miss - The John Barry Seven A Horse With No Name - America The…
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971 - Lanark
Series 10 Episode 1 - LANARK (# 971 Visited 22/02/2025) Lanarkshire, Scotland : Population 9,050 (Rank # 989) Season 10 eventually gets out of the blocks after a false start with a visit to the ancestral home of the co-operative movement. MUSIC Hit & Miss - The John Barry Seven A Horse With No…
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970 - Ballyclare
Series 9 Episode 8 - BALLYCLARE (# 970 Visited 21/10/2024) County Antrim, Northern Ireland : Population 9,919 (Rank # 934) In between 'bus uncertanties, Ballyclare is our final town on the clockwise circumnavigation of The North. MUSIC Joy - Apollo 100 It's Grim Up North - The Justified Ancients…
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969 - Ballymena
Series 9 Episode 7 - BALLYMENA (# 969 Visited 21/10/2024) County Antrim, Northern Ireland : Population 29,467 (Rank # 362) Centuries of musical conflict culminate in £2 wasted on Charlie's 'Higher / Lower' sweep: just a standard Monday afternoon in this NI market town. MUSIC Joy - Apollo 100...
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968 - Ballymoney
Series 9 Episode 6 - BALLYMONEY (# 968 Visited 21/10/2024) County Antrim, Northern Ireland : Population 10,393 (Rank # 908) This may be a slightly run-down hotbed of disaffection with the mainstream, but it does have its own pop plant. MUSIC Joy - Apollo 100 Strawberry Fields Forever - The…
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967 - Coleraine
Series 9 Episode 5 - COLERAINE (# 967 Visited 21/10/2024) County Londonderry, Northern Ireland : Population 24,630 (Rank # 436) If it was good enough for a Mesolithic hut circle, it's probably a reasonable bet for my Ulster fry. MUSIC Joy - Apollo 100 Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles...
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966 - Limavady
Series 9 Episode 4 - LIMAVADY (# 966 Visited 20/10/2024) County Londonderry, Northern Ireland : Population 12,047 (Rank # 811) Live music ends up dominating our evening, albeit lacking any rendition of 'Danny Boy' nor any obvious plaque commemorating Richard Branson's visit. MUSIC Tell Me When My...
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965 - Strabane
Series 9 Episode 3 - STRABANE (# 965 Visited 20/10/2024) County Tyrone, Northern Ireland : Population 13,147 (Rank # 770) What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than crossing back and forth across the Foyle in the midsts of Storm Aloysius? MUSIC Tell Me When My Light Turns Green - Dexys...
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964 - Omagh
Series 9 Episode 2 - OMAGH (# 964 Visited 19/10/2024) County Tyrone, Northern Ireland : Population 19,682 (Rank # 543) We duck politics in favour of crispy aromatic duck on a Saturday night in Tyrone's friendly county town. MUSIC Tell Me When My Light Turns Green - Dexys Midnight Runners Virginia...
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963 - Dungannon
Series 9 Episode 1 - DUNGANNON (# 963 Visited 19/10/2024) County Tyrone, Northern Ireland : Population 14,332 (Rank # 709) Season 9 slides into gear as our circumnavigation of Northern Ireland resumes in this diverse outpost of Timorean culture, whilst I short-change a barmaid. MUSIC Bagpuss...
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962 - Cookstown
Series 8 Episode 7 - COOKSTOWN (# 962 Visited 19/10/2024) County Tyrone, Northern Ireland : Population 11,620 (Rank # 837) We get harangued by a street preacher then left in stasis waiting for a stout as Season 8 draws to a close. MUSIC I Got Mine - Motörhead Day Trip To Bangor - Fiddler's Dram...
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961 - Craigavon
Series 8 Episode 6 - CRAIGAVON (# 961 Visited 19/10/2024) County Armagh, Northern Ireland : Population 64,193 (Rank # 151) We narrowly avoid getting mown down on the Garvaghy Road and meet an opinionated dog who says 'No!' MUSIC I Got Mine - Motörhead Day Trip To Bangor - Fiddler's Dram THANKS...
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960 - Newry
Series 8 Episode 5 - NEWRY (# 960 Visited 18/10/2024) County Armagh / County Down, Northern Ireland : Population 26,893 (Rank # 397) Will we reach this, our last hitherto unvisited Northern Irish city, before they pull down the blinds for the night? MUSIC I Got Mine - Motörhead Day Trip To Bangor…
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959 - Banbridge
Series 8 Episode 4 - BANBRIDGE (# 959 Visited 18/10/2024) County Down, Northern Ireland : Population 16,653 (Rank # 615) Join us as we ascend Northern Ireland's steepest high street towards one of its more convivial boozers. MUSIC Mandrill - Patrick Colby Day Trip To Bangor - Fiddler's Dram…
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958 - Lisburn
Series 8 Episode 3 - LISBURN (# 958 Visited 18/10/2024) County Down / County Antrim, Northern Ireland : Population 45,410 (Rank # 227) We take a train to Northern Ireland's third largest city; split between two counties, but fairly consistently of one tradition. MUSIC Mandrill - Patrick Colby Day...
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957 - Newtownbreda
Series 8 Episode 2 - NEWTOWNBREDA (# 957 Visited 18/10/2024) County Down, Northern Ireland : Population 15,005 (Rank # 678) Catch up on the latest episode, in which our hero gets corrected over county boundaries by an 8 year old and spends quarter of an hour in a shopping centre. MUSIC Mandrill -...
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956 - Comber
Series 8 Episode 1 - COMBER (# 956 Visited 18/10/2024) County Down, Northern Ireland : Population 9,078 (Rank # 987) We touch down in Northern Ireland with a 'bus pass and every intention to put it through its paces. MUSIC Day Trip To Bangor - Fiddler's Dram Mandrill - Patrick Colby THANKS…
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955 - Bedlington
Series 7 Episode 10 - BEDLINGTON (# 955 Visited 24/08/2024) Northumberland, England : Population 16,987 (Rank # 605) A year after we whizzed past on the 'bus, we finally catch up with Bedlington and its eponymous terrier. MUSIC Down In Albion - Babyshambles Two By Two - Chris THANKS The staff of...
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954 - Saltash
Series 7 Episode 9 - SALTASH (# 954 Visited 17/06/2024) Cornwall, England : Population 15,919 (Rank # 644) Before waving goodbye to Cornwall we pause on the frontier to explore Saltash and gaze upon its famous bridges. MUSIC Floral Dance - Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band The Great Escape - We Are...
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953 - Liskeard
Series 7 Episode 8 - LISKEARD (# 953 Visited 17/06/2024) Cornwall, England : Population 9,453 (Rank # 959) Your host spends his birthday in this ancient stannery town whilst Freddie has a run-in with a gull. MUSIC In Da Club - 50 Cent Happy Birthday - Altered Images Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan...
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952 - Bodmin
Series 7 Episode 7 - BODMIN (# 952 Visited 16/06/2024) Cornwall, England : Population 15,681 (Rank # 649) We visit Cornwall's old county town to learn about manumission in the name of St Petroc and uncompromising justice in the sight of Keith Murray. MUSIC Floral Dance - Brighouse & Rastrick…
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951 - St Blazey
Series 7 Episode 6 - ST BLAZEY (# 951 Visited 16/06/2024) Cornwall, England : Population 10,397 (Rank # 907) With monastic roots, transport links and time-travelling literature, there's more to St Blazey than its proximity to famous bio-domes. MUSIC Floral Dance - Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Forgotten Towns have?
Forgotten Towns currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Forgotten Towns about?
Your host attempts to visit the largest thousand settlements in the United Kingdom - before it flies to pieces
How often does Forgotten Towns release new episodes?
Forgotten Towns has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Forgotten Towns?
You can listen to Forgotten Towns on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Forgotten Towns?
Forgotten Towns is created and hosted by Alexander Rennie.
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