Dua Lipa launches a book club for your ears: best podcasts of the week

Service95 Book Club With Dua Lipa

Not content with her Service95 newsletter and At Your Service podcast, the star expands her media empire. But don’t expect a vanity project: Lipa’s first guest is Jennifer Clement, author of the haunting Widow Basquiat, on the love affair between artist Jean-Michel and his muse Suzanne Mallouk. Hannah J Davies
Widely available, episodes weekly

The Wargame

Ben Wallace, photographed outside Downing Street in 2023. Photograph: Thomas Krych/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

The current situation of a weak Europe, hyper-aggressive Russia and laissez-faire US is a “perfect storm”, according to Sky’s security and defence editor. So why not play the mother of all war games to prove it? An astonishing cast including ex-defence secretary Ben Wallace, Jack Straw and Amber Rudd role play Cobra meetings as they’re told of a series of increasingly hostile acts by Russia. It’s certainly educational, if less thrilling than you might expect. Alexi Duggins
Episodes weekly, widely available

Away Days

Investigative journalist Jake Hanrahan has probed militant groups, football hooligans and even QAnon in his work. Not one for a quiet life, his new show is about the sorts of gritty stories that can be risky to witness, never mind report – starting with the underground world of “no rules” fight clubs. HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly

Afterlives: Marsha P Johnson

Pioneer … Marsha P Johnson. Photograph: Netflix/PA

The enduring image of trans pioneer Marsha P Johnson is of a resplendent figure in a bright dress and flower crown. Raquel Willis explores who “Saint Marsha” really was in this important series, illuminating her humanity and mental health struggles, and getting lost in some intriguing queer culture rabbit holes along the way. HJD
Widely available, episodes weekly

Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story

Part documentary, part dramatisation, this podcast tells the story of the inventor of a scam that would prove so successful it coined its own term: Ponzi scheme. From interviews with financial experts to descendants of those who knew Ponzi, it shows how a legitimate business plan became a racket. AD
Widely available, episodes available from Monday