New and returning CBC original podcasts span true crime, history, politics and more, including new series POP CHAT, RECALL and BRAINWASHED and new seasons of PARTY LINES and SEAT AT THE TABLE

August 13, 2020 – CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster and #1 podcaster today shared details about CBC Podcasts’ extensive roster for Fall 2020. The upcoming collection features 15 podcasts across a range of genres, including: new investigative series BRAINWASHED, exploring secret government mind control experiments; historical series RECALL: HOW TO START A REVOLUTION, shedding light on a tumultuous time in Canadian history; PARTY LINES: PARTY IN THE U.S.A., a weekly examination of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election; POP CHAT, an entertaining and lively roundtable discussion about pop culture; SICKBOY, an honest and humorous take on chronic illness; SEAT AT THE TABLE, an in-depth conversation between friends, with a focus on personal experiences around the Black Lives Matter movement; and TONY HO, a bite-sized sketch series featuring the award-winning eponymous comedy troupe.

“Our goal at CBC Podcasts is to reflect and share the diverse stories of contemporary Canada, but our appeal goes well beyond our borders,” said Arif Noorani, Executive Producer, CBC Podcasts. “We’re pleased to offer up this smart, timely, and relevant mix of podcasts for Fall 2020 that will appeal to audiences of all ages, to appease any mood. Whether you’re interested in getting up to speed on politics, exploring deeply personal approaches to health and equality, learning about the opaque histories of Canada and the U.S., or taking a break from the news cycle altogether with comedy sketches and pop culture conversations, there truly is something for everyone.” 

All of the series premiering as part of CBC Podcasts’ Fall 2020 line-up can be found on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available. Highlights include: 

SEAT AT THE TABLE (6x30)

Launches Thursday, August 27; new episodes released weekly

Returning for a special six-episode limited run, this talk podcast features in-depth conversations with notable guests from media, sports, and pop culture. Hosted by friends Martine St-Victor and Isabelle Racicot, the new season captures personal stories about the power of the Black Lives Matter movement, the urgency of this moment, and what it will take to move forward. Listen here. 

PARTY LINES: PARTY IN THE U.S.A. (weeklyx30)

Launches Tuesday, September 8; new episodes released weekly 

Sometimes a little distance can offer a lot of perspective. Party Lines co-host Elamin Abdelmahmoud knows that the results of the 2020 U.S. election will be felt both inside and outside American borders. Starting September 2020, Abdelmahmoud and his guest co-hosts will use their knack for toggling between national and international news stories to bring you PARTY IN THE U.S.A. – weekly episodes on the election the whole world is watching, from outside the partisan spin and political fray.  

RECALL: HOW TO START A REVOLUTION (7x30)

Launches Tuesday, September 8; new episodes released weekly 

The 1960s saw a wave of radical movements:  The Black Panthers. Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution. Quebec and Canada had the FLQ. By October 1970, Canada was in crisis. Soldiers in the streets, communities on edge, kidnapping and terror in the headlines. But those frightening weeks were just the crescendo of a wave of terror and violence that was nearly a decade in the making. This series will reveal the stories of the October Crisis in Quebec through the voices of those who lived it: the bomb expert plying his nerve-wracking trade, the survivors of terror, the families of the less fortunate, and the radicals themselves. Hosted by Geoff Turner (On Drugs). 

SICKBOY (weeklyx60-90)

Launches Monday, September 14; new episodes released twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays 

Determined to break down the stigma associated with illness and disease, hosts Jeremie Saunders, Brian Stever, and Taylor MacGillivary tackle health taboos with people who have experienced them firsthand. Taking the lead from Jeremie's life-long battle with Cystic Fibrosis, the three best friends help listeners understand that sometimes the best way to deal with illness, disease and life is simply to laugh. 

POP CHAT (weeklyx30)

Launches Thursday, September 17; new episodes released weekly 

Smart Takes On Today’s Culture Stories. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud and the Pop Chat panel invite you in to the group chat to help make sense of the cultural drama blowing up the internet. Bringing their hottest takes to the table every week, the panel will debate, discuss, and work through the pop culture discourse. The Pop Chat panel consists of: Shireen Ahmed, Angelina Chapin, Kevin Fallon, Sarah Hagi, Hussein Kesvani, Stacy Lee Kong, Kathleen Newman-Bremang, and Andrea Warner. 

BRAINWASHED (7x30)

Launches Wednesday, September 23; new episodes released weekly 

A co-production with CBC’s flagship investigative series The Fifth Estate, BRAINWASHED is a multi-part series exposing MKUltra in Montreal and how the CIA and Canadian government funded secret experiments to find out whether people’s brains could be rewired and controlled. Listeners will learn about the psychiatrist who used his patients as human guinea pigs and discover the devastating impacts that the experiments have had on the victims, their families, and on thousands of people around the world. BRAINWASHED examines the fallout of when medicine and the military come together in times of fear, from the Cold War to the ‘War on Terror.’ Hosted by Michelle Shephard (Uncover: Sharmini). 

TONY HO (10x5-15min)

Launches Thursday, October 8; binge release

Award-winning sketch troupe Tony Ho (Miguel Rivas, Roger Bainbridge, and Adam Niebergall) take listeners on a darkly comedic journey with their second installment of "Residuals." Following the success of their first season, the series of bite-sized narrative sketches explores the nature of human relationships, and how careless we can be with each other. The troupe has established a rhythm that is familiar, hilarious, and a little unnerving. Listeners are invited along as they dig into the strangest parts of their psyches.

In addition, other returning/ongoing CBC original podcast series include: FRONT BURNER (new episodes daily); THE QUARANTINE CHRONICLES (new episodes weekly); THE DOSE (new episodes weekly); SECRET LIFE OF CANADA (new episodes twice monthly); MIC DROP (season two, September 24); CHOSEN FAMILY (season three, mid-October); THE STORY STORE (season three, December); and TAI ASKS WHY (season three, December). To learn more about CBC’s upcoming titles as well as its extensive library, audiences are encouraged to check out THE CBC PODCAST SHOWCASE, a weekly radio show hosted by Nana aba Duncan. Click here for more information about CBC Podcasts’ 2020 slate. 

From Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC Podcasts is a richly diverse collection of award-winning podcasts that engage, enlighten and entertain. CBC is the #1 podcaster in Canada, reaching more Canadians than any other podcast publisher with millions of downloads each month and more than 100 series in genres such as true crime, comedy, human interest and audio fiction.

-30-

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world. 

Media Contacts:

Joanna Landsberg, CBC: joanna.landsberg@cbc.ca, 647-628-4788 (Canada)

Meryl Cooper, The COOPERation: meryl@thecooperationinc.com, 917-974-0022 (US/International)