Podcast Playlist

Podcast Playlist

Hosted by Leah-Simone Bowen, Podcast Playlist's podcast obsessed producers help you find the best podcasts out there. Each week we curate fresh, exciting and thoughtful stories to help you unearth new podcasts to add to your rotation. From true crime to comedy, from current affairs to audio fiction and everything in between. Each week we take you on a journey with lots of discoveries along the way. Subscribe to Sounds Good: CBC's Podcasts newsletter for the finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives

Episodes

April 29, 2024 53 mins

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...

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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...

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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 ...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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. ...

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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...

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*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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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 sh...
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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 Histor...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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December 25, 2023 43 mins
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 impoverish...
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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 childbirt...
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