The Big Dig
By GBH News
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Category: History
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Subscribers: 531
Reviews: 7
Episodes: 25
2bepainted
Aug 24, 2025
28-3 Never Forget
Apr 1, 2025
Another great deep dive into the MA political machines of yesteryear.
Annie
Mar 6, 2025
I loved the Big Dig! wasn't sure about the lotto story but 3 episodes in, it's fascinating so far.
Jan 29, 2025
Swapped feed to a different podcast because they didn't have confidence in their new podcast. Very disrespectful to both subscribers and staff.
Mar 7, 2024
Mischa
Nov 29, 2023
How is a podcast about infrastructure so gripping? What a wild ride and informative true tale.
Annie
Nov 7, 2023
Description
“This is a town where there are three pastimes: politics, sports and revenge.”
Seemingly dry topics become gripping political dramas in this Peabody Award winning show from creator Ian Coss and GBH News. Each season of “The Big Dig” uncovers a different facet of society – infrastructure, gambling, food, healthcare – together the pieces connect to tell the story of modern America.
Season One: "The Big Dig"
The highway project known as “The Big Dig” is infamous – a shorthand for government failure – but it all started as one engineer’s dream to correct the wrongs of the past, and its legacy is far from simple.
Season Two: "Scratch & Win"
America’s most successful state lottery – and its greatest innovation, the scratch ticket – all starts with mafia bookmakers and state bureaucrats going toe to toe in a battle to own the future of gambling.
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CREDITS
Producer: Isabel Hibbard
Story Editor: Lacy Roberts
Host & Creator: Ian Coss
Executive Producer: Devin Maverick Robins
Contact us as thebigdig@wgbh.org
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
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The Big Dig Returns
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Oct 15, 2025 |
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BONUS: How to sue the government, and win
|
Apr 09, 2025 |
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BONUS: Why do some parts of government work better than others?
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Apr 02, 2025 |
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BONUS: Should we be nostalgic for machine politics?
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Mar 26, 2025 |
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BONUS: Why does sports betting feel different?
|
Mar 19, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 8. The Other Massachusetts Miracle
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Mar 12, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 7. The Dirtiest Race in the Commonwealth
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Mar 05, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 6. The Game Dreams Are Made Of
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Feb 26, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 5. The Cherry Sheets
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Feb 19, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 4. The Last Mafia Boss of Boston
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Feb 12, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 3. Have You Played Your Number?
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Feb 05, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 2. The Lottery Czar
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Jan 29, 2025 |
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Scratch & Win | 1. The Instant Ticket
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Jan 29, 2025 |
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Introducing Season Two: Scratch & Win
|
Jan 22, 2025 |
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BONUS: A note from the team
|
Jun 12, 2024 |
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The Big Dig | 9. Hearts and Minds
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Nov 15, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 8. I Want Justice for What Happened
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Nov 08, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 7. The Turnpike Revolt
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Nov 01, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 6. The Up Down Charts
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Oct 25, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 5. Hatchet Man vs. the 800 Pound Gorilla
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Oct 18, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 4. The Double Cross
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Oct 11, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 3. All Politics is Local
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Oct 04, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 2. Unholy Alliance
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Sep 27, 2023 |
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The Big Dig | 1. We Were Wrong
|
Sep 27, 2023 |
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Introducing Season One: The Big Dig
|
Sep 13, 2023 |