All Episodes

October 23, 2024 68 mins

In this powerful and deeply personal interview, we sit down with Stephen Smith to discuss his harrowing journey chronicled in his gripping memoir, The Boy in the Cellar.

Born in the early 1960s and locked away in a dark, confined cellar for the first thirteen years of his life, Slim's early life was marked by unimaginable cruelty and deprivation.

At 13, he was 'saved'... and placed into the hell that was Aston Hall Hospital. After 2 years, he left that hell and was dropped straight into the pit of fire, which was known as Saint Williams.

Throughout the first 17 years of his life, Stephen has been and witnessed every type of abuse that you'd rather not imagine.

In this candid conversation:
  • We get clear on some details of the book.
  • We discuss the harrowing experiences at Aston Hall Hospital and St. William's Catholic School, two notorious institutions where he faced further abuse.
  • His remarkable resilience and the journey of overcoming his traumatic past.
🔍 Key topics covered:
  • Survival Against All Odds: How Stephen Smith managed to find hope and strength in the darkest of times.
  • Hidden Abuse in Institutions: Insight into the lesser-known abuses at Aston Hall and St. William's.
  • The Healing Journey: Stephen's path to recovery and his message of hope for others.
📚 About The Boy in the Cellar:

This true story is a testament to the human spirit's capacity to endure and thrive despite extreme adversity. Slim's memoir sheds light on a dark chapter of his life and offers a poignant narrative of survival and hope.

👉 Don’t miss out on this eye-opening conversation! Hit the Subscribe button and Ring the Bell for more interviews and stories of resilience.

If you like my content please subscribe. - Click here

📖 FIND THE BOOK 📖

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boy-Cellar-Stephen-Smith/dp/1789461758

🗣️FIND THE AUDIOBOOK🗣️

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Boy-in-the-Cellar-Audiobook/1789462614

All I'm Saying Is, is now in lots of places: Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and wherever you listen to your podcasts. For a full list, please visit my Linktree.

------ CHAPTERS
  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 04:14 - Start of the conversation
  • 06:08 - Earliest Memories
  • 10:00 - Temporary Escapes
  • 10:55 - Getting Free From The Cellar
  • 13:24 - What Happened to His Father?
  • 13:45 - Top Secret
  • 17:06 - Aston Hall Hospital
  • 19:46 - Education & Art in the Cellar
  • 22:10 - Saint Williams
  • 22:24 - Integrating into the world
  • 24:54 - Trauma Response
  • 26:41 - Aston Hall Elm Ward
  • 28:43 - Saint Williams
  • 33:22 - Turning a Blind Eye
  • 34:40 - Finally Free
  • 35:39 - What About you Dad?
  • 36:43 - No Excuses!
  • 41:45 - Have things Changed?
  • 48:00 - Life After Hell
  • 48:57 - Stephen Smith's Invention
  • 50:10 - Later Life Stories
  • 56:42 - Proudest Achievement
  • 58:27 - Approach To Life
  • 01:01:21 - I can't Tell You
  • 01:02:54 - Dr. Milner's Experiments
  • 01:05:36 - Do you actually exist?
  • 01:06:32 - Worst Advice?
  • 01:07:09 - Best Advice?
  • 01:07:48 - Advice to others? - Most Wholesome moment ever!

The reason my True Crime cases go into such detail is because I take them seriously. I see myself as an "Investigative journalist," although I don't like the term when referring to myself; it does very much explain what I do.

However, I only ever use information and images that are already in the public domain. I try my best at all times to be r

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.