Podcast Playlist

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. 

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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 o...

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 t...

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...

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.

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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 neve...

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 ...

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 bor...

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 completi...

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. PR...

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 abou...

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...rig...

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. ...

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...