Podcast Playlist

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 Exiles.

Plus, if it feels like the country is going a little nuts, it’s not just you. According to a recent poll, as many as one in four Canadians believe in online conspiracy theories. On the new season of Screen Time, we’ll hear how and why that’s happening, and what we can do about it.

All that and more, this week on Podcast Playlist.

Featuring: Hollywood Exiles, Screen Time, In Her Defence, Canadaland: The Newfoundlander, Murder in Boston, Sports Explains the World

For links and more info, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist

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 lifelong meditator? We’ll hear some of his interview on Dan’s podcast Ten Percent Happier.

Plus, for many of us, Netflix is still the default streaming platform. But how does that affect the wider TV industry? That conversation on The Watch.

All that and more, this week on Podcast Playlist.

Featuring: Ten Percent Happier, Pivot, The Watch

For links and more info, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist.

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 anyone who worries about their weight. Host Ronald Young Jr. joins Leah to talk about body image and how we can challenge weight bias.

Plus: Boston's "Big Dig" was the most expensive highway project ever built in America. Construction lasted nearly two decades and the project ended up going billions of dollars over budget. But was it worth the outcome? Host Ian Coss of The Big Dig weighs in, and shares what this project can teach us about how to build better cities.

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 links and more info, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist.

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 from artists like Kendrick Lamar and the independent creators who helped to shape this show.

This week, James joins Leah to discuss what goes into making a fictional podcast, and share why indie podcasters inspire him. Plus we'll listen to a few of his favourite shows that explore love, friendship and nostalgia.

Featuring: You Feeling This?, Paper Radio, The Truth, UnReality - Projected Reality: The Sound Collector, Threedom.

For links and more info on everything on today's show, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist.

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 first time, a pair of New Zealanders crossed the finish line. They made history, but they left behind a trail of broken promises, burned bridges and unpaid debts. We'll hear their story on Outside/In.



Then we head back to 1968. It was an eventful year, when new ideas were clashing with old traditions. In Toronto, the spirit of the times was brought to life with the opening of an experimental housing project called Rochdale College. Part apartment building, part hippie commune, and part school, Rochdale was a hub for Canada's counterculture movement. The podcast Darts & Letters told the story of the building in an episode called "The Hippie High-Rise."


Those stories, and more, this week.

Featuring: Let's Not Be Kidding, Outside/In, Darts & Letters, PlayMe

For links and more info, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist.

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 Allusionist, host Helen Zaltzman asks the question: how did Charles Dickens name become a synonym for “rosy-cheeked, full-stomached, fattened-goose, hearty, merry, "God bless us every one" Christmas?”

Then: there are a lot of weird jobs out there. Dog food taster. Snake milker. But what about the guy who writes the lyrics to the songs your kids’ toys sing? We hear from the premiere “toy songwriter” on how he comes up with ear worms for kids.

Those festive stories and more, this week on Podcast Playlist.

Featuring: Every Little Thing, The Allusionist, The Secret Life of Canada, The Moth.

For links and more info, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist.

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 change that on Embodied.

Plus: how do you raise confident kids in the age of diet culture? We'll hear a conversation about weight and parenting on What Fresh Hell: Laughing In The Face of Motherhood.

All that and more on the show this week.

Featuring: Death, Sex & Money | Dear Old Dads | Embodied | Mom and Dad are Fighting | Unlocking Bryson's Brain | What Fresh Hell: Laughing in the Face of Motherhood

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 being honest).

Then associate producer Kelsey Cueva explains why she loved The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks. It's a deep dive from Dylan Marron on why Jar Jar was so maligned, while also exploring the early days of internet backlash.

Listen to the episode to hear our thoughts on why we chose the shows we did, and to listen to some sample clips.

Ghost Story: "Their team did a real investigation into the history of the house and the families involved. They sift through documents from the time and really do a thorough — and entertaining — job to recreate the world this murder took place in." – Cesil Fernandes, Executive Producer

The Retrievals: "What makes the story compelling is the women who shared their stories. They showed strength and courage to revisit their experiences so that we could hear and learn from their stories." – Kate Evans, Senior Producer

Bloodlines: "I learned so much listening to this series and about the thousands of children like Salmaan — [children] with roots in Canada, the U.K., the U.S. and beyond — many of whom are still trapped in camps in the Syrian desert and without a way back home." – Leah Simone Bowen, Host

The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks: "The show looks at themes like racism and representation in media, and internet culture. Particularly, dogpiling online and its real life effects on people...I really appreciate the care and nuance [Dylan Marron] brings to his shows." – Kelsey Cueva, Associate Producer

If Books Could Kill: "The hosts have great chemistry. It's really funny and intelligent, and it's easy to dip in and out of. Every episode is self-contained." – Julian Uzielli, Producer

For more, visit cbc.ca/podcastplaylist

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 Homemade Stories, F---ing Sober: The First 90 Days, This Isn't Therapy, Matriarch Movement

For links and more info, head to http://cbc.ca/podcastplaylist.