Three years ago, BBC radio broadcaster Helena Merriman received a shock diagnosis related to hearing loss after giving birth to her son. This prompted her to explore how people handle life-changing news about their health in a new radio series called Room 5 that airs on Radio 4 this week. Helena joins Emma to discuss the power of resilience. One of the first female bus drivers in the UK says she is fighting to keep her job after a new bus design left her unable to reach the pedals. Emma speaks t...
Jan 10, 2022•58 min
We explore why so many of us want to put our lives on the page. Can writing stand in for therapy? What are the ethical and moral considerations of such sharing. Julia Samuel is a psychotherapist and the author of Grief Works. Dr Lin Berwick MBE has cerebral palsy quadriplegia and became totally blind at the age of 15. She also has partial hearing loss and is a permanent wheelchair user. Now in her seventies, she has been a fierce advocate and ambassador for people with disabilities and their car...
Jan 08, 2022•49 min
British Army officer and physiotherapist Preet Chandi has made history as the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica. 'Polar Preet' trekked 700 miles in 40 days, facing temperatures of -50C, poor visibility and fatigue along the way. She used skis, and dragged a 90kg pulk (a sled) for between 10-12 hours a day. Preet catches up with us from the Union Glacier camp in Antarctica. 'Collector culture' - the swapping, collating and posting of nude images of women without th...
Jan 07, 2022•58 min
Jamie-Lee O’Donnell is best known for playing the wise cracking Michelle in Channel 4’s Derry Girls, the comedy series about a group of teenagers growing up in 1990's Northern Ireland. Jamie-Lee has swapped the school uniform for a prison uniform for new drama Screw on Channel 4, about working in a men’s prison. This time last year shocking footage coming from Washington DC, as supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building, captured the world's attention. Two women, who were part of th...
Jan 06, 2022•57 min
How widely is the Scottish Government consulting on its plans to allow people to legally change sex without a medical diagnosis? Emma Barnett speaks to Lisa Mackenzie from MurrayBlackburnMackenzie, an Edinburgh-based policy analysis collective who say the SNP is breaking a manifesto promise, by only meeting with groups representing trans rights since last May’s Holyrood election. Military mums rally in protest at the decision to award former Prime Minister Tony Blair a knighthood. Hazel Hunt, wh...
Jan 05, 2022•58 min
Many of us will be thinking about making a change for the better now that we're in a new year. Poorna Bell, author and journalist, gives us some inspiration and talks about getting stronger, both emotionally and physically. Poorna took it literally and started weight lifting after illness and bereavement. We hear from Dr Ann Olivarius a lawyer who specialises in sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination. She explains the technicalities of the civil claim against Prince Andrew, the Duke of York...
Jan 04, 2022•57 min
Today, Emma and guests explore why so many of us want to put our lives on the page. What stops us, what gets in the way and is it always a good idea? Is getting published the answer or are there are other ways to tell your stories. How different is writing personal essays or a memoir to creating a fictional world? Can writing stand in for therapy? What are the ethical and moral considerations of such sharing? To discuss these and many other questions Emma is joined by prize-winning author Ann Pa...
Jan 03, 2022•57 min
British woman Sarah Ransome says she wanted to be at Ghislaine Maxwell trial when it started: not to testify but to see justice take its course. Like the four women who gave evidence, she says she's also a victim of Epstein's and Maxwell's. She tells us more about her story and Harriet Wistrich, founder of Centre for Women's Justice discusses the wider impact this case could have. Sheila Watt-Cloutier, is a world renowned human rights and climate change activist, who has made it her life's work ...
Jan 01, 2022•58 min
Today Andrea Catherwood talks to Sarah Ransome. She wanted to be at Ghislaine Maxwell trial when it started: not to testify but to see justice take its course. Like the four women who gave evidence, she says she's also a victim of Epstein's and Maxwell's. She says Ghislaine Maxwell, "starved and berated and swindled me while demanding I be raped daily". This week we've been talking to women about their scars. Today we hear from Emily on the self-harm scars she no longer needs to hide. We speak t...
Dec 31, 2021•57 min
Ghislaine Maxwell is facing the prospect of spending the rest of her life in jail after a jury in New York found her guilty of grooming and sex trafficking teenage girls to be abused by the sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. What impact will this high profile case have on future cases f alleged sexual abuse against women and girls? Andrea talks to Harriet Wistrich, who is the founder and director of the Centre for Women’s Justice and a solicitor. It's now 100 days that teenage girls in Afghanistan h...
Dec 30, 2021•57 min
Australian author Donna Ward’s new book She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster's Meditations on Life explores the meaning and purpose she has fought to find in a life lived entirely accidentally without a partner or children. Donna speaks to Chloe from Melbourne. Over the next few days we're talking to women about their scars. They all talk about physical and emotional pain they've experienced and having to deal with other people’s reactions on a day to day basis. They also explain how they came to ter...
Dec 29, 2021•57 min
Sheila Watt-Cloutier, is a world renowned human rights and climate change activist, who has made it her life's work to protect her Inuit culture and the Arctic regions where Inuit live, in Greenland, Canada and Alaska. Sheila was born in Kuujjuaq in Arctic Canada where she lived traditionally, travelling only by dog team for the first ten years of her life. She was elected as President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1995 and launched the first legal petition linking climate change to human ...
Dec 28, 2021•57 min
Emma Barnett looks back over her first year at Woman’s Hour, from holding those in power to account to hearing from women who found themselves in the most ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Clemency Burton-Hill explains the choice she felt she was presented with after a brain haemorrhage. ‘Annie’ describes how home-schooling three children while trying to work made her feel that she was failing at everything. Lady Lavinia Nourse and Amanda Knox spoke exclusively about the experience of be...
Dec 27, 2021•58 min
The award winning actor Claire Foy tells us about playing the Duchess of Argyll in the BBC One TV series A Very British Scandal on Boxing Day. Margaret Argyll was branded a nymphomaniac by her husband the 11th Duke of Argyll in their explosive 1963 divorce hearing and he was granted a divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery. As schools shut for the Christmas break, the government, head teachers and trade unions are contingency planning for widespread absence due to Omicron in the New Year....
Dec 25, 2021•43 min
The ladies of the Posh Club Dance Club on what it means to them to be able to perform the dance of the flamingos, shimmy to dancehall music and feel like stars. Volunteering reached a record high during the pandemic. According to a government survey, 62% of respondents volunteered last year. Thousands volunteer for Crisis, a national charity for homeless people whose Crisis at Christmas campaign provides accommodation and support for people at Christmas. We hear from Jemma Kelehe, a shift leader...
Dec 24, 2021•55 min
We talk to Dame Joan Collins about her new BBC documentary “This is Joan Collins” which is on air over Christmas. Not shy of voicing her opinions, she reflects on her life, relationships, and seven decades in showbiz. She’s also had a hugely successful literary career but the role which brought her most worldwide fame was playing Alexis in the TV series Dynasty – at the height of its success it was watched by 150 million people a week. Public health expert Professor Sharon Peacock who founded CO...
Dec 23, 2021•58 min
Countdown Star and lexicographer Susie Dent on our favourite festive words, how chocolate, Marzipan, Chipolata, Tinsel and Glögg got their names and some of the festive greetings in different languages. As the jury deliberate over their verdict in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial we talk to the journalist Stephen Wright. Maxwell is the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein and is charged with eight counts of sex trafficking and other crimes. Following the infamous #May2020 Boris Johnson photograph, we...
Dec 22, 2021•58 min
Former poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Mercury-nominated songwriter Kathryn Williams have released new album 'Midnight Chorus'. We ask them about their collaboration and how they avoided the clichés of Christmas. With added pressure from Covid and fewer staff because of Brexit, the demand for care workers has risen. In October this year there were 130,000 vacant care worker posts in England, leaving many people without the care they need. Last week, government advisors said that care worker jo...
Dec 21, 2021•56 min
Emma Barnett talks to the award winning actor Claire Foy about playing the Duchess of Argyll in the BBC One TV series A Very British Sacandal this Christmas. Margaret Argyll was branded a nymphomaniac by her husband the 11th Duke of Argyll in their explosive 1963 divorce hearing and he was granted a divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery. The Scottish comedian Janey Godley tells us about her recent diagnosis of ovarian cancer. The sixty year old is best known for her parody voiceovers of ...
Dec 20, 2021•57 min
Actor Tamsin Greig on starring as the formidable theatrical agent Peggy Ramsay in the revival of ‘Peggy For You’, at the Hampstead Theatre. She also talks about her role in “wild” hospital comedy Green Wing, playing Debbie in The Archers since 1991, and Friday Night Dinner. Journalist Ash Sarkar and Professor Heidi Safia Mirza discuss the legacy and significance of the American feminist author and activist bell hooks, who died this week aged 69. Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth - the national...
Dec 18, 2021•58 min
Ebony Louise Barrett has now become Fridge Girl, after a video she put on TikTok went viral. It was a tall, free-standing fridge falling on top of her as she danced. She's OK, but even Janet Jackson has picked up on it. How has it changed her life? Three young women from Generation Z talk about the big social issues of the year, and why they feel the label 'woke', which is often attached to this age group, is off the mark. We have Maisie Thompson from Manchester, Jessie Stevens from Devon and Mi...
Dec 17, 2021•57 min
During a recent Business Questions in parliament Jacob Rees Mogg took a moment to mark the feast of St Æthelgifu, and called the medieval abbess one of Britain’s leading saints. But was she? What do we really know about Æthelgifu and the other leading medieval women at this time? We talk to Florence Scott, a historian of early medieval England, studying for a PhD at Leeds University, and who runs the blog Aelfgif-who? A new survey shows that for the first time more women than men are sitting as ...
Dec 16, 2021•57 min
There is no doubt that the pandemic is still affecting people's social lives, but perhaps the most affected are teenagers or 'quaranteens'. Many young people have missed out on major social milestones - parties, teen romances and opportunities to be with their mates - which can be so formative. What is the impact of missing out on these experiences? And how can adults best support 'quaranteens'? Emma talks to Laverne Antrobus, a consultant child and educational psychologist. The woman charged wi...
Dec 15, 2021•58 min
Actor Tamsin Greig on her latest role as the legendary agent Peggy Ramsay. The Prime Minister has announced that all over 18s in England are being offered a Covid-19 booster vaccination. But as he sets out this new target has that message reached pregnant women? Emma talks to Dr Viki Male a Reproductive Immunologist based at Imperial College London Tens of thousands of volunteers are needed to come forward to support the NHS booster campaign. Do you plan to volunteer? What are the benefits of vo...
Dec 14, 2021•57 min
The company SAGA has decided to give employees who've just become grandparents some special leave. They say it's about helping new grandparents celebrate but also it's to highlight how important older workers are, not just to the company but to families and wider society. So if you're a grandparent providing childcare for your kids, what's the cost? What does it take out of you, time-wise and energy wise? How much are you saving your kids? And do you see it as a precious thing you’ll never have ...
Dec 13, 2021•57 min
Musician and composer, Zoe Rahman has won a MOBO, a British Jazz Award, and this week Zoe was awarded the ‘Impact Award’ at the 2021 Ivors Composer Awards. Julia Chain the chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, made a plea for the 1990 Act governing fertility clinics and practice in this country to be updated. She argues that after 30 years, the science and culture around IVF has changed so much, and that the law needs to catch up. This week Ministers revealed a 10-year drugs...
Dec 11, 2021•43 min
Catfishing is the practise of using a fake profile to start an online romance. The podcast Sweet Bobby has been shining a light on this issue through the story of Kirat Assi, a 42-year-old radio presenter who started a relationship with a person she thought to be Bobby, a handsome cardiologist, via Facebook. However, when he repeatedly fails to visit her in person, she slowly comes to learn his true identity. She shares her story with Anita, and is joined by investigative journalist Alexi Mostro...
Dec 10, 2021•58 min
Jazz musician Zoe Rahman has been described as one of the brightest stars on the contemporary jazz scene. She takes influence from her English, Irish and Bengali heritage to write music with swing, lyricism and intimacy. She’s a MOBO Award winner, British Jazz Award winner and now an Ivors Composer Award winner. She speaks to Emma - unfortunately we aren't able to include her live music performances in the podcast for copyright reasons. We discuss the resignation of senior government advisor All...
Dec 09, 2021•54 min
Allegra Stratton has found herself at the centre of a political storm. ITV footage shows her rehearsing a TV news conference and dealing with tricky questions about Christmas parties during covid lockdowns. Staff are laughing and joking. We speak to political journalist Pippa Crerar, who broke the original story of the Downing Street party as well as other gatherings. We also get reaction from Jo Lawrence who has a catering company, and whose Mum sadly died of covid last year. We talk about wome...
Dec 08, 2021•58 min
Emma speaks to the Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, about the government’s plans to improve women’s experiences in the armed forces. In particular she asks him to explain why the government has rejected calls for rape or sexual assault committed in the military to be tried in civilian courts, away from military courts. Education activist Vee Kativhu talks to Emma about why she set up her own YouTube channel, Empowered by Vee, shortly after arriving at the University of Oxford. Today,...
Dec 07, 2021•58 min
