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...

This week Leah sits down with Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, the co-hosts of the popular pop culture podcast Who? Weekly. It’s a show that, as they put it, tells you everything you need to know about the celebrities you don’t. They chat about modern celebrity culture, rank semi-obscure Canadian stars, and listen to some of their favourite podcasts. Featuring: Who? Weekly, Celebrity Book Club With Steven & Lily, The Secret History Of The Estonia, Pop Pantheon, This Had Oscar Buzz For...

This week on Podcast Playlist we're joined by James Kim. You may know him as the creator behind MOONFACE – a heartfelt fictional series about a Korean American son who wants to come out to his mom, but can't because they don't speak the same language. The show was named a Best of 2019 podcast by various outlets. His latest series, You Feeling This? is billed as a podcast mixtape about love. It's an anthology that centres stories about life and love in Los Angeles, pulling sonic inspiration...

This week we're sharing one of our favourite episodes from May 2023. Gavin Crawford used to talk about his mom a lot. But since she began to lose her memory, he found it harder to tell the old funny stories. But that's changing with his podcast Let's Not Be Kidding. Leah sits down with Gavin to talk about his mom's dementia, and how sometimes, even Alzheimer's can make you laugh.

 Plus, Alaska's Iditarod sled dog race is one of the toughest sporting events in the world. In 2011, for the...

This week we're sharing one of our favourites from the archives: An episode full of stories sure to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside this holiday season. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a holiday staple for many. But when you think about the legacy of Dickens’ it is a bit surprising that we associate him so closely with the holidays. For much of Charles Dickens' writing career, he wrote about the plight of the impoverished and destitute members of British society. On The...

This week on Podcast Playlist, we're revisiting one of our favourite episodes from this past year. We love to tell our kids to follow their dreams. But what do we say to them when that doesn't work out? The hosts of Dear Old Dads wrestle with how to encourage our kids to shoot for the moon, without making them feel like failures when real life butts in. Then: You know what we don't hear enough about? What pregnancy and childbirth actually do to the human body. We'll meet someone trying to...

Our team listened to so many great podcasts this year (a podcasting app told producer Julian Uzielli he listened to 175 different shows and 466 episodes...with a total listening time of 10 days 1 hour. Totally normal, right?). So this week we've rounded up our absolute faves to share with you. From executive producer Cesil Fernandes we have Ghost Story, a podcast that seamlessly integrates family lore with investigative journalism. It's incredibly engaging (and a little spooky, if we're...

This week on Podcast Playlist we’re celebrating indie creators. We’ll meet one woman who turned to the great outdoors to help cure her depression. We’ll follow her from the desert of Utah to the mountains of Colorado to find peace. Plus, can we fall in love with the sound of someone’s voice? We’ll hear from a podcast matchmaker that only lets couples talk through voice memos. That and more, this week on Podcast Playlist. Featuring: Out There, It's Nice To Hear You, Shannon Cason's...

This week our guest is Jane Marie, creator and host of The Dream. Can a life coach really solve your problems, or is it all just a big hustle? That’s the question at the heart of Season 3 of the Dream. Leah and Jane will sit down to talk about the show, plus, we’ll listen to some of her favourite podcasts. Like the story of three friends who took what was supposed to be a 45-minute pleasure cruise, and wound up trapped on a deserted island…all within sight of the Empire State Building....