Miriam Margolyes meets pensioners in their prime – podcasts of the week

Growing Old Disgracefully sees the actor meet over-70s ripping up the rulebook. Plus: Moya Lothian-McLean investigates how slavery continues to intersect with British society

Growing Old Disgracefully
Sniggering at an older dominatrix or bodybuilder is a popular theme in many a voyeuristic TV show, but Miriam Margolyes is having none of that. As she speaks to over-70s ripping up the rulebook, she handles their stories sensibly and sensitively. First up is Sherry, billed as a dominatrix, but she's so much more - a woman whose career change was fuelled by the end of a marriage blighted by her husband's affairs and financial fraud. These are stories of strength, innovation and the will to enjoy life. Hannah Verdier

Human Resources
Journalist Moya Lothian-McLean has a keen eye for highlighting stories on social injustice and political unrest. This new podcast series, launched in late April, sees her consider her own background as a descendant of both black African slaves and white slave owners or overseers, and investigate how the slave trade interacts with the nation's institutions, law and more besides. She begins her journey in Herefordshire, assessing the links between her sleepy home county and Britain's first trafficker of slaves, John Hawkins.
Hannah J Davies