Only Fools and Horses stars Tessa Peake-Jones and Gwyneth Strong will perform together in a touring stage adaptation of Ladies of Letters. The pair famously played Raquel and Cassandra - the wives of Del Boy and Rodney. They join Emma to discuss the stage show, working together again, and of course, the iconic sitcom. The Prime Minister has been in touch with the Labour Deputy leader, Angela Rayner -- to make it clear he regards claims about her reported in yesterday's Mail on Sunday as misogyni...
Apr 25, 2022•58 min
A professional woman who was continually called "good girl" by her boss has won an employment tribunal. Frances Fricker was told by her boss which photo to put on her work profile because HE thought it was the most attractive. The judge in the tribunal found that Frances, an accounts executive with a consultancy company called Gartner, had been sexually harassed at work, and because she fought against the harassment by taking a grievance, she was treated even worse. He also described the culture...
Apr 23, 2022•57 min
The indie band Wet Leg went straight to number 1 last week with their debut album. Their songs are witty: all about love, sex, parties and breakups. We speak to one of the band members, Rhian Teasdale. When it comes to losing weight why is the word “diet” used less and less these days? The diet industry is worth billions, but lots of people think the word itself is unhelpful. We talk to Dr Saira Hameed, an NHS Consultant who specialises in obesity medicine at Imperial College London. She's also ...
Apr 22, 2022•58 min
Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Kirsty Starkey Interviewed Guest: Bonnie Langford Interviewed Guest: Frances Fricker Reporter: Henrietta Harrison Interviewed Guest: Sharie Fetzer Bonnie Langford was just seven years old when she performed as Bonnie Butler at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in Gone With The Wind. She has since appeared in everything from Gypsy to Cats and Chicago. In more recent years she has played Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and brought her uni...
Apr 21, 2022•56 min
Stand up Paddleboarding or SUP is fast becoming one of the most popular water-sports in the UK. Jo Moseley was 51 when she started the sport and she tells us why we should all get on a board and start paddling. We’ll be joined by Mary Queen of Shops – that’s Mary Portas – who’s one of the UK's leading voices on retail and brand communication. She is in parliament today calling on the government to amend a law governing how companies are run to better reflect their social and environmental respon...
Apr 20, 2022•58 min
As the Ukraine conflict rages on, questions have arisen over what the endgame is for Russian President Vladimir Putin. There have been continued reports of rape and violence being used against Ukrainian civilians by Russian soldiers. Durham-born Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, has been a foreign policy adviser for three United States Presidents. Seen as one of the foremost experts on Russia, she joins Krupa live in the studio to talk about the invasion and what happens ...
Apr 19, 2022•58 min
Today we're looking at the female con artist. Have you watched Inventing Anna, the series about Anna Sorokin who duped New York's banks, hotels and high society into believing she was a multi-millionaire heiress? Or The Dropout, about Silicon Valley entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes who claimed she had invented a technology that could test for diseases with just a pinprick of blood? Their cases have inspired countless TV series, movies, podcasts, books and even plays. But why are they so popular and...
Apr 18, 2022•57 min
The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police has met and personally apologised to three victims of grooming gangs in Rochdale for failures in the investigation of the sexual exploitation of children. The apology comes exactly a decade after the 2012 trial that resulted in some members of the gangs being convicted for their crimes. We hear from Maggie Oliver, the former detective who blew the whistle on the police’s failure to tackle these crimes. Anya Taylor-Joy's decision to leave school at...
Apr 16, 2022•57 min
The actor, writer and comedian Diane Morgan. She started her career as a stand-up but you may know her best as the ill-informed interviewer Philomena Cunk, or laid back Liz in the parenting sitcom Motherland, or even Kath in Ricky’s Gervais series After Life. She’s also written, directed and starred in her own comedy series Mandy about a woman who's got big dreams but can’t be bothered to do the work to get there, and whose short lived jobs are a disaster. Now she's in Inside Number 9 on BBC 2. ...
Apr 15, 2022•58 min
Described as 'darkly comic feminist fables' ‘Roar’ is a new eight-part drama series adapted from Cecilia Aherne's short story collection. Each episode shines a spotlight on women's experiences and how women navigate through other's perceptions of them as well as their own. Comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actor, Meera Syal, plays ‘The Woman Who Returned her Husband’. She joins Chloe Tilley. A new report highlights the experiences of over 260 Black, Asian, minority ethnic and ...
Apr 14, 2022•58 min
Throughout April the UK holds the presidency of the United Nation’s Security Council as the world focuses its attention on the war in Ukraine. The woman who takes on that role is Dame Barbara Woodward who’s the UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN. She talks to Emma about her priorities and plans for a new global code of conduct to improve the pursuit of justice for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police has met and personally apologise...
Apr 13, 2022•58 min
The debate over sex and gender filters through to many areas of our lives today whether its about women-only spaces, trans athletes competing in sporting events or our use of language to define what a woman is. It’s now being put centre stage of the local elections next month by a new campaign called "Respect my Sex if you want my X”. The campaign run by Women Uniting UK is urging voters – both men and women - to quiz prospective candidates canvassing on the doorstep with questions like “What is...
Apr 12, 2022•58 min
With over 100 million record sales, an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, three Golden Globes and an award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America, very few artists have a catalogue that matches the iconic Cher. A new musical, touring the UK - “The Cher Show” - tells the story of the Goddess of Pop’s meteoric rise to fame. The director and choreographer behind the show are two Strictly Come Dancing legends - Arlene Phillips and Oti Mabuse. They both join Emma to discuss the new show and ...
Apr 11, 2022•57 min
We explore No Fault Divorce. The biggest reform of divorce law for 50 years comes into force- changing a law that dates back to Henry VIII. We hear from listener, Helen, currently going through a divorce. The Paralympic five time gold medallist Ellie Simmonds was born with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. A new drug currently being trialled in the NHS and now approved for use in the USA aims to help children with achondroplasia grow taller. In a new BBC documentary: A World with...
Apr 08, 2022•44 min
The new season of Top Boy currently on Netflix, shines a light on the reality of life for those involved in London drug gangs and the people who live around them. This season covers social issues such as deportation, homophobia and child neglect, with the character Lauryn’s experience of domestic violence being a central storyline. Actor Saffron Hocking, who plays Lauryn on the show joins us to talk about her portrayal of the issue. Sunday 10th April sees the first round of the French Presidenti...
Apr 08, 2022•58 min
Grace Lavery is an Associate Professor of English, Critical Theory, and Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally from the West Midlands, Grace moved to the States in 2008, and transitioned in 2018. She is an activist as well as an academic, and has now written a memoir called Please Miss – A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Penis. This morning 100 individuals and their families have written to the Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, asking him t...
Apr 07, 2022•57 min
The biggest reform of divorce law for 50 years comes into force today. As ‘no-fault divorce' comes into practice Woman's Hour are opening our phone lines to listen to what YOU have to say on the changes. We want to hear your experiences of ending your marriage and what difference you think these new measures will make? Would this change have made your divorce more amicable? Have you postponed getting divorced waiting for this reform to come into force and have already booked an appointment at th...
Apr 06, 2022•58 min
Reports are coming through that Russian soldiers have raped women in Ukraine. There are reports that women have been raped in front of their children, and soldiers have filmed what they're doing. We hear the latest from BBC correspondent Emma Vardy, and discuss why rape in war happens, justice and trauma with Dr Jelke Boesten, Professor of Gender and Development at King's College London. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has now given guidance about single-sex spaces. This is for spaces l...
Apr 05, 2022•57 min
The Paralympic five time gold medallist Ellie Simmonds was born with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. A new drug currently being trialled in the NHS and now approved for use in the USA aims to help children with achondroplasia grow taller. In a new BBC documentary: A World without Dwarfism, Ellie raises the question if cutting edge medicine can stop disability in its tracks, should we use it? More than half a million women across the UK are on gynaecology waiting lists. This spe...
Apr 04, 2022•58 min
Do you have a soundtrack to your life that you return to again and again? Or have music that powers you through? DJ Sister Bliss and Goldsmiths Professor Lauren Stewart, who studies the psychology and neuroscience of music, explore the power of music to affect our mood and well-being. The Ockenden Review was published this week, led by midwife Donna Ockenden, into the maternity care provided to patients by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust over a 20 year period. We hear from Kayleigh...
Apr 02, 2022•56 min
Have you heard of Nubia from the DC comic books? She’s the adopted sister of Wonder Woman and is DC’s first Black superwoman introduced in the 70s before disappearing from comics for decades. Nubia returned last year in the new comic book Nubia: Real One, which is set in modern day America and tells the story of her teenage life. Anita talks to the cartoonist, Robyn Smith who illustrated the book about the importance of representing Black women and their stories in comics. Next week, Justyna Wyd...
Apr 01, 2022•56 min
Today we are dedicating the whole programme to the biggest maternity scandal in the NHS's history - leading to headlines across newspapers today stating childbirth is not safe for women in England. Those are the stark words of the midwife Donna Ockenden - the author of the long awaited Ockenden Review - published yesterday. Her mission? To find out what went on under the care of those working for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust over a 20 year period. She concluded 201 babies and ni...
Mar 31, 2022•59 min
Do you have a soundtrack to your life that you return to again and again? Emma explores the power of music to affect our mood and well being with DJ and song writer and Sister Bliss and Professor Lauren Stewart from Goldsmiths who studies the psychology and neuroscience of music. Whenever there’s a catastrophic event somewhere in the world Lucy Easthope is likely to get a phone call about it. She’s one of the country’s foremost disaster planners and long experience has taught her that the line b...
Mar 30, 2022•58 min
Emma Barnett speaks to Ella Jarmulska a Polish entrepreneur who wants to provide safer car rides to families fleeing the war in Ukraine. Displaced and disoriented, often with no idea where to go next, refugees are forced to put their trust in strangers. Trafficking rings are notoriously active in Ukraine and neighbouring countries in peace time. The fog of war is perfect cover to increase business. Today sees the launch of a new campaign which calls for health professionals, the media, retailers...
Mar 29, 2022•58 min
We speak to 3 MPs who are members of the Women’s Diplomatic Battalion of Ukraine. They are Olena Khomenko, Mariia Mezentseva and Alona Shkrum. They're all about shuttle diplomacy, pressing their case for international help. Coverage of the Oscars has been dominated by Will Smith's punch in defence of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Nimco Ali, Independent Government Adviser on Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls and comedian, Shapi Korsandi give us their reaction, and discuss the messages a p...
Mar 28, 2022•57 min
TV shows go to huge lengths with their sets, costumes and wigs to make you feel like you’re looking back at the past but why – given hair removal is a fairly modern development – is body hair so rarely seen? We hear from historian Dr Marissa C Rhodes. After Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe expressed her opinions at a press conference this week, 'ungrateful' started trending online. Reaction from Gina Miller who took the government to court and won over how it tried to implemented Brexit without approva...
Mar 26, 2022•57 min
Ammu, a term used mostly in South Asian Muslim homes for mother, is the title of Asma Khan’s new book. Part memoir, part cookbook 'Ammu' is a celebration of the food she loves to make but also of the woman who nurtured her and taught her to cook. Drawing on her experiences during the pandemic, the chef and founder of the acclaimed restaurant Darjeeling Express, celebrates the power of home cooking and the link between food and love. How important are your sleeping arrangements in a relationship?...
Mar 25, 2022•58 min
Best known for The Affair and Luther, and more recently playing her own grandmother in a BBC drama, actor Ruth Wilson joins Emma to talk about her two latest roles – on the London stage in The Human Voice and on screen in True Things. Jude Terry is the first female Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy’s history. Since joining the Navy in 1997, she has served aboard HMS Scott, and spent two spells with helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, during operations in the Baltic and the Gulf. Two months into her post,...
Mar 24, 2022•57 min
Ash Barty, the Australian three time grand slam champion is retiring from tennis. Her achievements are matched only by her fellow player, Serena Williams. Andy Murray tweeted "Happy for Ash, gutted for tennis. What a player". We hear from Gigi Salmon, tennis commentator for the BBC who has interviewed Ash Barty many times over the years, and has been at all her three major wins. The concept of shame first named in the bible when Eve plucked the apple from the tree of life is invariably seen as n...
Mar 23, 2022•57 min
Who was Ellen Wilkinson? Poet and playwright Caroline Bird aims to tell us all about her as her new work Red Ellen goes on tour. Yesterday Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe faced a room of journalists and cameras. She knew what she wanted to say, and what she didn't want to say after six years away from home. Despite the trauma she's been through why do some people feel she needs to express more gratitude? What are their reasons? And how surprising is it to see these comments? We hear from Gina Miller w...
Mar 22, 2022•57 min
