This week's podcast picks range widely, with the standout choice being a new series from Alexander McCall Smith, creator of The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, who is using short fiction to try to make listeners feel better about the state of the world. Alongside it, the Guardian's critics highlight shows covering true crime, disability comedy and life in Gaza, offering a mix of light entertainment and harder-hitting journalism.

The Positive Distraction Podcast opens with a tale inspired by a friend's miniature helicopter landing pad, while Shadow World: Breakin' the Cycle recounts how two former London gangsters made a film about their lives, roping in S Club 7's Bradley along the way. You've Got Braille, a Hat Trick and RNIB co-production starring Alison Steadman and Steve Pemberton, tackles disability through comedy, and Come Closer explores grim historical cases starting with Lorena Bobbitt. The Gaza Chef, from journalist Yassin Musharbash, tells the story of Mahmud, a Gaza soup kitchen chef killed by an airborne projectile, drawing on voice messages he sent describing life there.

– Alexander McCall Smith launches a feel-good short fiction podcast series
– Ex-gangsters' film project features in Shadow World: Breakin' the Cycle
– The Gaza Chef recounts a soup kitchen worker's death via his own voice messages