Q: The Podcast From Cbc Radio

On his new album Pray for Me, Toronto-based R&B singer RAAHiiM straddles the line between his religious upbringing and a musical style that feels true to who he is. He talks to guest host Garvia Bailey about the breakout year he’s had since being named Apple Music Canada’s Up Next Artist, and how he honours both his family roots and his creative identity through his music.

Last year, a movie called My Father’s Shadow made history when it became the first Nigerian film to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Set over the course of a single day in Lagos in 1993 (a day that happens to be one of the most catastrophic in Nigerian history), the film follows two young boys who join their father on a trip to the city so he can collect his paycheck. The story is semi-autobiographical, based on director Akinola Davies Jr.’s own family experiences. During the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, Akinola sat down with Tom Power to talk about memory, Nigeria’s lesser known history, and the stuff you learn about your parents after they're gone.

Thirty years ago, a modest Canadian documentary called Project Grizzly turned into an unlikely cult classic, winning over high-profile admirers such as Quentin Tarantino. Directed by Peter Lynch, the film follows Troy Hurtubise — an unconventional metalworker and amateur inventor who survived a near-fatal grizzly bear attack as a young man. Determined to face a grizzly again, Troy sets out to build a bear-proof suit of armour from a mix of scrap metal, rubber, hockey equipment and duct tape. But what Peter ultimately captures on film is something more complicated: a portrait of a man whose bold dream slowly becomes an all-consuming obsession. Three decades later, Peter sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger in the Q studio to look back on the film and its enduring legacy.

Award-winning actor Tantoo Cardinal (Dances with Wolves, Killers of the Flower Moon) is returning to the stage in a new theatre production called Witch. It follows a woman named Elizabeth who’s ostracized by her community after being branded a witch. But when the devil comes to town looking for souls, it’s Elizabeth who refuses to be bought while others give in right away. Tantoo sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the play, its theme of resilience, and the connection she feels to her character.

The 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Games start on Friday and Canadian figure skater Elladj Baldé is representing Canada in a new way — as a special contributor on CBC. Elladj started skating at age six and, like many budding athletes, grew up dreaming of Olympic glory. But as a young Black man, he didn’t always see himself reflected in the world of figure skating, and that started to impact how he felt about the sport and even himself. In this conversation with guest host Garvia Bailey, Elladj talks about the crushing disappointment he experienced after he narrowly missed qualifying for the Sochi Olympics, how a trip to Guinea, West Africa changed his relationship with skating, and how he found a new sense of purpose on the ice.

For years, Tanya Tagaq has dazzled the Canadian music scene with a blend of sounds that span throat singing, trip-hop, dance, rock and classical music. But back in 2018, she surprised us with a different type of project: a novel called Split Tooth. Now, Tanya is reimagining parts of that novel in a new stage show called Split Tooth: Saputjiji. Not only that, she’s mashing it up with a new album set to be released in March. Ahead of the world premiere of Split Tooth: Saputjiji in Vancouver, Tanya joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about the production, and what she gets from being on stage and performing. 

Marina Zenovich is a two-time Emmy Award-winning documentarian who’s built a career taking on some of pop culture’s most complex and controversial figures. From Roman Polanski to Lance Armstrong to Robin Williams to Richard Pryor, her specialty is getting past tricky, evasive subjects to uncover something real. Marina joins guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about her latest CNN documentary, I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not, and how she cuts through celebrity myth to find the human underneath. 

In a very short amount of time, Bruce Liu has gone from playing piano just for the joy of it, to winning an international competition and becoming one of Canada’s most acclaimed pianists. He has a unique way of putting music into words, describing classical pieces as if they were desserts. Ahead of concert dates in Toronto, Bruce sits down with guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about his career in music and how he stays grounded. Plus, he tells us which Mozart piece is like a mille-feuille and why.

Last month, one of this country’s greatest sculptors, David Ruben Piqtoukun, died at age 76. For the renowned Inuvialuk artist from Paulatuk, N.W.T., sculpting was a form of storytelling — a way of sharing stories from his community, as well as making sense of his own story as a residential school survivor. In 2022, he won the Governor General's Award in visual and media arts, and the following year, he joined Tom Power to reflect on his 50-year career. Today, we’re revisiting that conversation in his memory.

For nearly 60 years, the Canadian singer, composer and transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland has been on a journey of music, art, community and spirituality. From his iconic work on the CBC Television show Mr. Dressup to his seminal 1986 synth-folk album Keyboard Fantasies, Glenn is now regarded as a Canadian icon — and his wife and creative collaborator, Elizabeth, has been there for much of his journey. Now, Glenn is releasing a new album called Laughter In Summer. Glenn and Elizabeth sit down with guest host Talia Schlanger in the Q studio to talk about creativity and spirituality, Glenn’s 2023 diagnosis of Major Cognitive Disorder, and why they see this new album as a love letter to one another.

Today, we’re remembering Canadian comedy legend Catherine O’Hara, who died last week at 71. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to have had her on the show many times. First, you’ll hear guest host Talia Schlanger’s 2024 interview with Catherine, when the long-awaited sequel to Beetlejuice came out. Then, you’ll hear Tom Power’s 2016 conversation with the Schitt’s Creek star about how coming from a big family helped shape her comedy.

As a founding member of the legendary sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, Bruce McCulloch is widely considered to be one of this country’s most celebrated comedic performers. Though his career has evolved over the years to working more behind the camera as a director, he’s currently preparing to take the stage once again with a new one-man theatre show. It’s called Dark Purple Slice and it uses music, stand-up and storytelling to journey into the darker side of life. Ahead of the show, Bruce drops by the Q studio to tell guest host Talia Schlanger where the title came from, why it’s important to laugh about the darkness, and why he says dark humour is the most human thing you can embrace.

Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn are the twin siblings behind the Juno-nominated shoegaze duo Softcult. While Softcult has been celebrated all over North America, opening for bands like Muse and Incubus, they’re only just releasing their debut album today. It’s called When A Flower Doesn't Grow and it’s a record that’s been years in the making. Phoenix and Mercedes join guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss life outside the major label model, why they decided to call out the abuse they faced in their life and in the music industry, and how they see their role in supporting abused and marginalized people.

James Acaster is one of Britain’s top comedy exports right now. But for many years, he had a problem that just wouldn’t go away — his audience. James would get so frustrated and enraged by some of the people who came to see him, he almost quit comedy (plot spoiler: he didn’t). In the middle of his North American tour, James drops by our studio to tell guest host Talia Schlanger why he used to get so angry with his audience, and the journey he took when he realised maybe they weren’t the problem.

Tania Willard is an artist who wants you to think beyond the white cube — beyond the sterile white walls and polished floors of the typical art gallery space. Last year, she won the Sobey Art Award, one of Canada’s most prestigious contemporary art prizes, and her work is currently on display at the National Gallery of Canada. In this conversation with guest host Talia Schlanger, the artist and curator from Neskonlith First Nation in B.C. reflects on her childhood, ancestry, and the everyday acts that shape Indigenous resurgence — from basket-making to raising her sons on the land.

Years ago, when Rachel Reid finished her first manuscript, she didn’t tell anyone she was submitting it for publication. But that was before the runaway success of her queer hockey romance book, Heated Rivalry. Now, the Nova Scotia author is finding it harder to work quietly. She joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the complex hockey fandom that inspired Heated Rivalry, the TV adaptation that turned into a global phenomenon, and her progress on Unrivaled — the next book in the series. If you like this conversation, check out Tom Power’s interview with Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney on the joy of gay, smutty TV.

Back in 2005, Hubert Davis became the very first Black Canadian to be nominated for an Academy Award. It was for his personal, moving documentary, Hardwood, which tells the story of his relationship with his father, Mel Davis, a former Harlem Globetrotter. Now, more than 20 years into his documentary filmmaking career, Hubert is making his first foray into narrative storytelling with his fictional feature debut, The Well. It’s an eco-thriller that follows a family who are living in isolation and hiding a “secret supply of fresh water.” Their safety and relationships become tested when a wounded man arrives unexpectedly and discovers their resource. Hubert tells guest host Garvia Bailey why he wanted to tell this story. Plus, he reflects on two decades in Canada’s film industry. 

Canadian theatre legend Louise Pitre is back on stage in Canada in the Tony Award-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo. It tells the story of a teenage girl who has a rare genetic condition that ages her four times as fast as her classmates. Recognized as Canada's first lady of musical theatre, Louise has led productions of Les Misérables, Piaf, Sweeney Todd, and she originated the part of Donna in Mamma Mia! on Broadway, but she says Kimberly might be the most perfect part for her right now. She sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to tell us why as she reflects on her acclaimed stage career. 

Last year, Iranian director Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for his extraordinary film It Was Just an Accident, which he shot secretly in Tehran under great risk of serious harm. Jafar has been in prison twice on charges of “anti-government propaganda” and for protesting the imprisonment of other filmmakers. At the Toronto International Film Festival back in September, he joined Tom Power to tell us how It Was Just an Accident was shaped by his two experiences in Tehran’s Evin Prison.

Elle Fanning (A Complete Unknown, The Neon Demon) is an A-list actor who calls herself a "nepo sibling.” When she was just two years old, she played a younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning’s character in I Am Sam. But for someone who’s been famous for nearly her entire life, there’s a bit of mystery surrounding Elle — and that’s intentional. During the Toronto International Film Festival last September, she sat down with Tom Power to talk about her latest film, Sentimental Value, which broke applause records when it premiered in Cannes earlier this year.