After almost 400 episodes, six hosts and many (many) hours of podcast listening, Podcast Playlist's run is coming to an end.  For our final episode we wanted to share one final podcast playlist with you. A playlist to answer the question we are most frequently asked: what is your favourite podcast episode of all time? Today our producers join Leah in studio to share memories and clips from our favourite pods. Featured shows: The Truth, Mystery Show, The Moth and The Nod. Have some parting...

This week we're sharing a repeat of one of our favourite episodes from October. As a foreign correspondent, David Common's reporting has taken him to more than 80 countries, including warzones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine.  But these days he's staying a bit closer to home. David has recently taken over hosting duties on CBC Radio's morning show in Toronto, Metro Morning. He's also the co-host of the consumer watchdog show, Marketplace, on CBC Television. Marketplace now has its very...

This week on Podcast Playlist, we're celebrating Pride month.  In the proverbial starter pack of anti-gay slogans, there's one that has stayed consistent over the years: "It's just not natural!" The only problem with that...is according to science, same-sex relationships are extremely natural, occurring in all kinds of different animal species. We'll learn more about that from A Field Guide To Gay Animals. And we'll meet one very special gay animal: a Seychelles giant tortoise named...

This week we're sharing one of our favourite episodes from this season. Life coaches sell promises of prosperity, health and happiness. But do coaches actually help you achieve your goals? That's the question at the heart of Season 3 of The Dream. Having tackled pyramid schemes and the world of wellness, coaching seemed like an obvious topic to explore next. Host and creator Jane Marie says that in many ways coaching combines tactics used to sell products in both the...

This week, we're sharing new and notable podcasts from June. First, Todd Matthews was one of the first internet sleuths. He made it his life's mission to give unidentified bodies back their names, and helped create two databases as part of that goal. For years, Todd was haunted by a cold case about two missing boys. One day, one of those boys called him.  The new podcast Hello, John Doe has that story. We hear from producer Kate Mishkin about working with Todd, making the show, and how an...

The Moth is one of the oldest shows in podcasting. In fact, it pre-dates the medium by several years, having begun in the founder’s living room in 1997.  Today, The Moth is an internationally touring live storytelling production and a popular podcast and radio show.  This week Leah sits down with The Moth’s senior director Meg Bowles to talk about The Moth’s new book, "A Point of Beauty: True Stories of Holding On and Letting Go," and about 27 years of helping everyday people bring their...

This week on Podcast Playlist: Yo, Is This Racist has hilariously tackled questions about racism since 2011. Creator and host Andrew Ti tells us about the show’s evolution and shares his podcast picks. Plus, every summer, the best and brightest teen girls in the US compete in the lucrative “Distinguished Young Women” competition. We get a direct look into the competition with podcaster and former competitor, Shima Oliaee.  Featuring: The Competition, Forever Is A Long Time, Yo Is This...

This week, we’re asking three podcasters to pitch their show to listeners, and we’ll hear a sample of each one.   We’re starting with George The Poet. His show is called Have You Heard George’s Podcast? It’s won tons of awards, including a Peabody—and if you haven’t heard it, we promise you’ve never heard another show like it.  Then, Leah sits down with Arshy Mann, host of COMMONS, to talk about why the new season of his show is all about work — the jobs we do, the conditions we work in,...

In the early days of the war on terror, the US captured thousands of alleged “enemy combatants” overseas, but they needed somewhere to hold and interrogate them… without worrying about those pesky Geneva Conventions.  Guantánamo Bay was the perfect solution. But not long after it opened, the truth of its makeshift justice system started coming to light.  The new season of Serial offers an unprecedented look behind the scenes at the island prison. Today, Leah sits down with co-hosts Sarah...

This week on Podcast Playlist, Leah is joined by Josh Gwynn, host of the new CBC podcast Split Screen: Kid Nation.  The podcast revisits the 2007 reality TV show Kid Nation, where 40 children were left in the desert to fend for themselves for more than a month. Through interviews with former contestants, producers and parents, Josh tries to piece together how this show actually got made, and what impact it had on those kids now that they’re all grown up.  We’ll hear from Josh about that...

Whether it's in your high school English class or one of the many Shakespeare-inspired 90s rom-coms (10 Things I Hate About You, anybody?), most of us have encountered Shakespeare in some form or another.  Another place you can find the Bard? California's Centinela State Prison. The podcast Where There's a Will: Finding Shakespeare tells us about how performing Shakespeare can be transformative for incarcerated individuals. Also: in 1986, NASA's space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing...

This week on Podcast Playlist, we’re listening to true crime.  During the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, there was a huge amount of online hate directed towards Amber. But what if that was all part of an organized campaign? We’ll find out on Who Trolled Amber.  Plus, even if you’ve never heard of Peter Ivers, you’ve probably heard some of his music without realizing it. He was murdered in 1983, and the case was never solved. Now, a new podcast called Peter And The Acid King is trying to get...

To make this show, our team listens through hours upon hours of audio. But sometimes, a few excellent shows will slip through the cracks. This week, Leah is joined by the Podcast Playlist crew to share some amazing podcasts that you may have missed. Like Once upon a time...at Bennington College. Our senior producer Kate Evans likes it because listening feels like, "a summer page turner, but for a podcast." The show shares the history of the unique Liberal arts college where authors Brett...

You might have heard of a popular conspiracy theory about one of Canada's most famous rock stars. Avril Lavigne died in 2003, and her record label secretly replaced her with a body double who has been living as an impostor ever since.  Could it be true? Probably not, but comedian Joanne McNally helps us find out on the new podcast Who Replaced Avril Lavigne.  Plus, a lot of people think history is boring. Depending on how you were taught, that's pretty understandable. Simply memorizing a...

This week on Podcast Playlist we're listening to stories about late bloomers. The first time Jean Westcott auditioned for Jeopardy, she had to wait 18 months to see if she made it. She never got the call. But instead of giving up, she auditioned again… and again… and again… for 20 years. We’ll hear her story. Plus, what does it take to swim from Cuba to Key West? We’ll hear from record-breaking swimmer Diana Nyad on completing that swim at 64 years old. All that and more this week....

This week on Podcast Playlist, we’re featuring podcasts about rock and roll.  Sister Rosetta Tharpe is often called “The Godmother of Rock and Roll” and inspired artists like Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Aretha Franklin… Yet she’s been largely left out of the history books. The podcast They Did That tells her story. Plus, churches are often the venue for a unique but hugely influential subset of rock music: Christian rock. PRX’s Rock That Doesn’t Roll explores how contemporary Christian music...

One early morning in December 2010, Tony Carleo rolled up to the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Dressed in a full motorcycle jumpsuit, gloves and helmet, he took out a pistol and robbed $1.5 million worth of casino chips.  But that wasn’t all. Soon after he returned, and he used the very money he stole to check into the hotel and live like a king – for free. We’ll hear that story, plus other tales about scammers and thieves, this week on Podcast Playlist. Featuring: The...

When you think of Canadian cultural exports, you probably don’t think of porn. But Montreal is home to a little website you may have heard of: Pornhub.  On The Pornhub Empire: Understood, we’ll hear the little-known story of the company’s history. Plus, Leah sits down with host Samantha Cole to learn more. And: Telling personal stories in the form of podcasts can move us, create empathy, and drive positive change...right? Jess Shane isn't so sure. Listen to Leah's conversation with Jess...

This week, we’re listening to one, two, three, four, five, six different podcasts all about numbers. In the 80s, your favourite celebrities were just one dial away. And about $3 per minute, of course. But what’s a couple extra bucks on the phone bill, if it means chatting with your favourite superstars, psychics, or potential spouses? Twenty Thousand Hertz tells us about the booming, controversial business of 1-900 numbers.  Plus, long-haul truckers spend hours alone on the road. But how do...

This week, Leah sat down with the hosts of three history podcasts to learn about their shows. Martine Powers from The Washington Post's The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop, Tim Harford from Pushkin's Cautionary Tales and Ramtin Arablouei from NPR's Throughline. First, Martine Powers tells us about The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop. In 1979, there was a revolution on the Caribbean island of Grenada. The new prime minister was a young, charismatic, socialist named Maurice Bishop. Bishop...

*This episode was first broadcast June 2023 This week on Podcast Playlist: Gossip. Whether you’ve been a part of spreading it or have been at the centre of it, we’ve all had experience with gossip in one form or another. Some may argue that dishing the dirt can ruin lives, but it also has a unique ability to bring people together. The podcast Normal Gossip has shot to fame within the past year all thanks to the unifying power of gossip. On the show, host Kelsey McKinney shares...

This week on Podcast Playlist we’re sharing some of the best new and notable podcasts. Charlie Chaplin is one of the most important people in the history of cinema. But he wasn’t universally admired in his heyday, and he had some powerful enemies, including J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Hoover became obsessed with Chaplin, and was certain he was a communist. We’ll hear the story of how he drove Chaplin out of the country on a new podcast hosted by Chaplin’s granddaughter, Hollywood...

When former ABC News anchor Dan Harris had a panic attack on live TV, he knew he needed a change. He took up meditation, and wrote a book called Ten Percent Happier. Ten years later, that book is an international bestseller, and has morphed into a popular meditation app and a podcast of the same name. This week on Podcast Playlist, Dan Harris joins Leah to talk about meditation and listen to his favourite shows. Rick Rubin is a legendary music producer, but did you know he’s also a...

This week on Podcast Playlist we're sharing new and notable podcasts for January, along with some interviews from the podcast world. First: In 2016, Soleiman Faqiri was killed by guards at an Ontario jail. An inquest last month determined his death was a homicide, but the podcast Unascertained reached that conclusion more than two years ago. Leah sits down with host Yusuf Zine to talk about the case. Then: Weight For It is a show that unpacks the nuanced thoughts of fat folks, and of...