The CBC has unveiled its original podcast slate for fall 2021, with six new titles including a triptych exploring strands of radical extremism across North America and around the world, launching this fall.

In all, the CBC has over 35 podcasts across genres, including true crime, comedy, human interest and audio fiction. The pubcaster’s audio programming has allowed the CBC to connect with younger audiences and more diverse communities, said Barbara Williams, EVP of English Services, at its 2021 upfront.

The CBC has also used its podcasts as a launching pad for TV development, something Arif Noorani, executive producer, CBC Podcasts, tells Playback Daily will continue to be of interest with its new originals for fall 2021.

New fall 2021 originals:  The Red, White and Blue investigative trilogy includes The Flamethrowers (six episodes, launching Wednesday, Sept. 8), The Accelerationists (six episodes, launching Oct. 27) and Boys Like Me (five episodes, launching in November).

The Flamethrowers, hosted by Justin Ling (CBC Podcasts’ The Village), tells the story of how radio energized and radicalized a right-wing base, tracking it from the 1930s to the issues of today.

Part two, The Accelerationists, explores the rise of neo-Nazi accelarationism in North America and globally in a series hosted by Michelle Shephard (CBC Podcasts’ Uncover: Sharmini, Brainwashed). The series follows the case of Canadian armed forces reservist Patrik Matthews, who was trying to form a neo-Nazi extremist cell until he was infiltrated by investigative journalist Ryan Thorpe and the FBI.

Closing the Red, White and Blue trilogy is Boys Like Me, hosted by Ellen Chloe Bateman, who joins Evan Mead, who went to high school with the man who killed 10 and injured 16 when he drove his van down a busy Toronto street in April 2018. The series is a journey into the dark subcultures that young men are increasingly attracted to and the violent misogyny it is leading to.

The mysteries of aging are the focus of the eight-episode Unlocking the Fountain, hosted by Keith McArthur (CBC Podcasts’ Unlocking Bryson’s Brain). McArthur talks to dreamers, skeptics and leading edge scientists about advancements in aging, including the notion that the first human to live to be 150 years old has already been born.

Limited Capacity is a darkly comedic fictional podcast showcasing stories about how humans and their relationships are twisted by imperfect technologies like Zoom and YouTube and our wired world. The six-episode series hosted by Rob Norman and produced by the team behind CBC Podcasts’ Personal Best.

Sorry About the Kid, a four-part memoir, rounds out the new CBC Podcast originals. The emotional series follows deeply personal stories about the accidental death of a teenager, the rookie Montreal police officer that killed him, and how the death is continuing to impact many lives 30 years later. The series is hosted by the victim’s brother, Alex McKinnon.

The new CBC Podcast titles will be joined by returning shows including the daily news breakdown Front Burner, political primer Party Lines, weekly pop culture hot take-filled Pop Chat, illness stigma busting Sickboy, weekly health news breakdown The Dose and sketch comedy-focused Tony Ho.