This week's podcast picks: from Alexander McCall Smith to the Gaza chef

Weekly podcast picks

The Guardian’s weekly roundup highlights five new podcasts launching this week. All are widely available and release new episodes weekly.

The Positive Distraction Podcast – Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels, presents a selection of original short stories aimed at improving listeners’ mood. The first episode features a story inspired by a friend’s miniature helicopter landing pad.

Shadow World: Breakin’ the Cycle – Two of London’s most ruthless gangsters from the early 2000s decided to leave crime behind by making a film about their lives. This podcast features one of them and the film’s editor, telling how they got S Club 7’s Bradley involved and how their criminal background led to production chaos.

You’ve Got Braille – A four-part sitcom written by comedy producer Reece Finnegan and writer Jack Bernhardt for Hat Trick and the RNIB. It follows Paddy, a blind twenty-something, blending light humour with the real challenges of disability. Stars include Alison Steadman, Steve Pemberton, and Chloe Petts.

Come Closer – Host Rae Review, who calls herself “Aries goddess extraordinary, keeper of dark stories”, recounts history’s most grim tales. She starts with Lorena Bobbitt, who cut off her husband’s penis.

The Gaza Chef – Yassin Musharbash investigates the death of Mahmud, a Gaza chef who ran a soup kitchen and was killed by an aerial projectile. The podcast asks how to investigate a death when you cannot access the location. It draws on voice messages Mahmud sent describing life in Gaza.