Carleton University journalism professor and longtime CBC host Adrian Harewood has launched a new podcast with Ricochet Media, titled ‘In Bed with the Elephant.’
The show, named after a famous metaphor for Canada’s relationship with the United States, will feature in-depth interviews meant to disrupt preconceptions and wrestle with taboos.
Four years after leaving his position at CBC to join the faculty at Carleton’s School of Journalism and Communication, Harewood says he’s back in his comfort zone: in the studio, behind a microphone.
“We want In Bed with the Elephant to disrupt preconceptions, ask big uncomfortable questions, and wrestle with taboos,” Harewood said. “We’re not interested in telling people how to think. But we do want to provide them with good critical information.”
“We believe Adrian is one of the most talented hosts in this country,” said Ricochet senior editor Ethan Cox, “and we’re excited to produce a show that will rival the CBC in terms of high-profile guests and production quality, without the guardrails.”
The new podcast has a number of episodes that have already dropped.
Three episodes are already available:
- Carleton History professor Andrew Johnston on U.S./Canada relations and the increasingly serious threats by president Donald Trump;
- Political journalist Stephen Maher discussing the 2025 federal election;
- Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, talking about the horrors of Gaza and the plight of Palestinians
Listeners can look forward to future interviews with authors Omar El Akkad, John Vaillant, feminist activist and writer Judy Rebick, progressive economist Armine Yalnizyan, and Conservative Party historian Bob Plamondon.
New interviews will be released multiple times a week between now and the federal election on April 28. After that, the plan is to produce one episode per week. You can subscribe, and never miss an interview, on your favourite listening platform or on the show’s podbean page.
“I started doing radio 35 years ago. It’s my first love. I’ve missed it,” said Harewood. “Working on In Bed with the Elephant is a dream. It gives me the freedom to speak to brilliant guests and explore a range of topics.
“We want the show to cover a lot of ground from politics to history to science, cinema to music to sport, climate, economics, technology and the law.”
Harewood is a Canadian Screen Award-winning former CBC journalist who hosted numerous local and national programs during a career with the public broadcaster that spanned two decades. He anchored the CBC Ottawa News for 13 years and the CBC Ottawa drive home show All In A Day for three years before that.
Harewood says he is thrilled to be back doing what he loved best, talking to people and telling stories. And he said the new podcast is filling a gap.
“I think right now people are craving nuanced conversations, informed debates and they want stories to be put into context.”
Harewood is working alongside his Carleton colleague and teaching partner, recording engineer and producer Dave Sarazin.
“Dave is a magician in the studio. He’s an incredible editor, producer and recording engineer. He always makes me sound much better than I am.”
Konnor Killorn, a graphic designer and journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University, worked with the team to create the podcast’s unique logo and visual signature. In Bed with the Elephant is available on numerous platforms including Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Podbean, and RSS.
We want to hear from you! Send us your feedback on the podcast to editor@ricochet.media. Who would you like us to sit down with next?
