Maxine Peake scrutinises a baffling law: best podcasts of the week

Pick of the week
In It Together: The Joint Enterprise Podcast

Despite the title, Maxine Peake’s new podcast is not about political solidarity or social unity; instead, it focuses on one of the UK’s most baffling, controversial and destructive laws. Joint enterprise has resulted in many people being imprisoned for serious crimes they didn’t actually commit. Here, Peake speaks to activists, criminal barristers, MPs and those convicted in order to better understand the law’s flaws. Rachel Aroesti
Widely available, all episodes out now

The Mangione Trial

Conspiracy theories … Luigi Mangione appears in court for a hearing in February. Photograph: Steven Hirsch/AP

New episodes of this series are being released in line with developments in the case of the alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione. The story of a six-year-old’s costly medical treatment is sure to shock those who aren’t au fait with the US healthcare system, while a new instalment on Wednesday examines conspiracy theories. Hannah J Davies
BBC Sounds, out now; further episodes on Wednesday 30 April

Uncovering Roots

A new run of Zila Demirjian and Maxim Saakyan’s history show dedicated to untold stories from south-west Asia and north Africa. “It feels like stepping into a memory … or maybe a dream,” says Demirjian of Aleppo’s Baron Hotel, once a cultural and social hub frequented by Agatha Christie, now abandoned and frozen in time. HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly

Studio Radicals

Musical visions … sound engineer Marta Salogni. Photograph: Handout

Marta Salogni has worked with Depeche Mode and FKA twigs, and sees herself as a translator who brings their musical visions to life. In this rich series from journalist Kate Hutchinson and audio company dCS, the record producer and other leading women in the industry dissect their creative processes. HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly

Legacy: Stalin

Another series of the podcast that reappraises the lives of figures from history. Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan turn their attention to Joseph Stalin to ask whether we should consider more than just the bad stuff (and, well, there really is a lot of it isn’t there, from gulags and purges to the millions who died during Stalin’s leadership of the Soviet Union). HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly from Wednesday 30 April