Wholesome animal chat that will melt your cynicism: best podcasts of the week

Pick of the week Matt Baker’s PetcastThis series by Blue Peter and One Show alumnus Matt Baker is a wholesome entry into the well-worn celebrity interview genre. Indeed, it’s hard to be too cynical when you’re listening to Bill Bailey detail his menagerie, which has included everything from parrots and lizards to armadillos and the dog he is ostensibly on the show to talk about, a Japanese chin named Chocho. Other guests for this run include Martin Clunes and Clare Balding. Widely available, episodes weeklyHistory Hit: The Rise of the MayaTwo new episodes make up this special release from Dan Snow’s super-popular pod – one on the rise of the advanced ancient civilisation and another on its fall. Direct from Belize (the series is co-signed by the country’s tourist board), Snow looks at Mayan society and its darker recesses. Widely available, episodes weeklyThe Mangione TrialLuigi Mangione will go on trial in New York in September, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Cue another run of this insightful – if tabloid-flavoured – podcast hosted by Jordan Dunbar. It considers some of the wider themes, beginning with “pretty privilege” and the potential role that Mangione’s looks have played in the public’s treatment of him. Widely available, episodes weeklyWhy Are You Like This?Megan Rapinoe presents Why Are You Like This? Photograph: Steph Chambers/Getty ImagesUS football icon Megan Rapinoe (pictured above right) is dripping with charisma as she pivots to podcasting. Her show doesn’t break the mould, highlighting public figures who “[refuse] to accept the status quo”. But it’s nicely done – the episode with Minnesota WNBA coach Cheryl Reeve delves into activism, sexuality and Reeves’s “unprecedented slogan shirt collection”. Widely available, episodes weeklyskip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionTime Travelling QueersWhile King Edward II’s sexuality remains a question mark, starting a civil war over the fate of a companion was – reckons Drag Race UK’s Tia Kofi – “pretty gay behaviour”. He’s one of the historical figures studied in this fun series by drag king Don One, which will also feature a gender-fluid, 16th-century Congolese queen. Widely available, episodes weekly