The list of deaths
This six-part CBC series examines the mysterious death in 2020 of Pakistani dissident and human rights activist Karima Baloch, who was living in exile in Canada.
When Baloch’s body was found near the waterfront of downtown Toronto, local police said they did not consider her death suspicious.
But many who knew Baloch fear she was murdered for her outspoken criticism of the Pakistani state and the human rights violations in her home province of Balochistan.
In the series, host Mary Lynk investigates various stories of kidnappings and murders of Pakistani dissidents, as well as stories of those who fled to the West in search of safety, but were instead followed by the powerful threat of the Pakistani state.
Lynk manages to speak to a number of people who have clearly taken a huge risk in speaking out, and the result is a compelling, high-stakes story that is important to be told.
Delivered
In The Kill List, presenter Mary Lynk investigates various stories about kidnappings and murders of Pakistani dissidents.
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Who killed Daphne?
Investigative reporter Stephen Gray presents this six-part Wondery series about the death of Maltese anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in 2017.
After Galizia’s death, an international team of journalists came together to continue her work, resulting in “The Daphne Project”: a series of stories published in some of the world’s largest news media about corruption and money laundering in Malta and beyond.
Along the way, the journalists discovered information about who could be responsible for the murder of Galizia.
This podcast focuses on chasing down some of those leads and features extraordinary material, including a full confession from one of the men accused of carrying out the murder plot against Galizia.
If you listen closely, you’ll also notice that the first episode features a small clip of RNZ’s Kathryn Ryan, who spoke to Galizia on her 2016 show Nine To Noon.
New episodes are dripping on all major podcasting platforms, but you can now listen to all episodes without ads by subscribing to Amazon Music or Wondery Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Gay Pride and Prejudice
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) and Rosie O’Donnell star in this playful, modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic novel, in which the protagonist, Bennet, is a 30-year-old gay man living in Boston surrounded by a circle of gay friends who all start to mate and settle down.
The story sits between contemporary current affairs, such as the US Supreme Court ruling in 2015 to legalize same-sex marriage, but there are also plenty of more mundane references to modern life in this series – think drug-driven havoc in nightclubs. , emojis, social media influencers and self-help gurus.
The Spotify Original series has been expertly produced by the team at Gimlet, so it’s no surprise that the sound design is super smooth and refined.
The voice acting is excellent too – my highlights were Ronald Peet as Darcy, a somber, washed-up football player, and Rhys Nicholson as a camp stewardess named Luke (based on the character Lydia in Austen’s original story).
You don’t have to be familiar with Jane Austen to enjoy this new series, but it does help a bit to catch specific references.
All episodes are now on Spotify.