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Woman's Hour

BBC Radio 4www.bbc.co.uk

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire. Listen to The Woman's Hour Guide to Life on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4nTa7W8

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Episodes

Charlotte Charles, Ella Robertson McKay, Rainbow Murray, Cerys Hafana, Sejal Majithia and Sejal Sachdev , Girls World series

Anne Sacoolas - a US citizen - has admitted causing the death of 19 year old Harry Dunn, outside an airbase in Northamptonshire in 2019. Yesterday, she appeared at the Old Bailey via video link and pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. She'd been charged with causing death by dangerous driving -- but her guilty plea to the lesser charge was accepted. She will be sentenced next month. Her family and campaigners have worked tirelessly to get justice for Harry. In a radio exclusive, ...

Oct 21, 202254 min

Jayde Adams, Liz Truss' future, Phobias

Comedian Jayde Adams and her Strictly Come Dancing partner Karen Hauer speak to Woman’s Hour about their performance on Saturday’s show which was dedicated to Jayde’s late sister Jenna Adams. They’ll be talking about how their journey dancing as a female sex couple has been, reflecting on the public support and reaction, as well as giving us an insight into what’s in store for their next dance. A recent poll by YouGov found that half of Conservative members now think Liz Truss should resign. Kru...

Oct 20, 202258 min

Sterilisation in the United States, Carmen Callil, Kate Beaton, #StayAtHomeGFs, Helen Gittos & East Kent Maternity Report

An independent review launched after up to 15 babies died at a hospital trust will be published later this morning. The report into maternity services at East Kent Hospitals, which is expected to be "harrowing", examined up to 200 cases involving mothers and babies. The medical experts reviewed an 11-year period from 2009 at two hospitals in Margate and Ashford. Two mothers who lost their babies at a hospital trust at the centre of a maternity scandal say they felt they were blamed for the death...

Oct 19, 202258 min

Actor Geena Davis. Sibling age gaps. Modern slavery and working rights.

In her memoir "Dying of Politeness" the Oscar winning actor Geena_Davis talks about her roles from a housewife-turned-road warrior and an amnesiac assassin to the mother of a rodent, and the president of the United States. Plus she shares with Jessica Ceighton how she could have swapped acting for athletes and her passion for female representation. Many of you got in touch after the journalist Merope Mills voiced her anger at her 13-year-old daughter Martha's preventable death in hospital. Jessi...

Oct 18, 202258 min

Choreographer Jasmin Vardimon, Behind the Rage with Deeyah Khan, Met Police report, Motorcycling

Jasmin Vardimon is one of the UK’s leading choreographers and was awarded an MBE for services to dance in the late Queen’s final birthday honours list in June. This month Jasmin is bringing ALiCE - a new interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland - to the Sadler’s Wells. She is also opening a purpose-built dance centre in Kent where the Jasmin Vardimon Company will be based. She joins Jessica to talk about her work. Deeyah Khan is an Emmy, Bafta and Peabody winning filmmaker. ...

Oct 17, 202258 min

Nicole Hockley, Juliet Stevenson, Women protesting in Iran, Sue Townsend's legacy

Nicole Hockley lost her son Dylan when he was 6 years old, during the Sandy Hook school shooting in Connecticut in 2012. She talks about her son, her feelings of loss, her activism and her reaction to the trial of Alex Jones, where a jury decided he should pay nearly 1 billion dollars in damages. Do you feel comfortable voicing your opinion? Are you afraid of the ‘cancel culture’? Actress Juliet Stevenson is in a new play that address the issue of differing opinions in the modern world – she exp...

Oct 15, 202244 min

The Staves live, Nicole Hockley, Manisha Tailor, Women and body art

This week, in a defamation trial in the US, Alex Jones, founder of the Infowars website, was ordered to pay nearly one billion dollars in damage to eight families and an FBI agent. He had falsely claimed a mass shooting of twenty young children between ages of 6 and 7 and six adults at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut in 2012 was a hoax. Because of his lies grieving families were harassed and threatened by his followers. Nicole Hockley’s six year old son Dylan was killed in the sh...

Oct 14, 202255 min

Actor Juliet Stevenson. 40 years after Adrian Mole the legacy of Sue Townsend. Paralympian now dancer Ellie Simmonds

The Doctor’ first opened at the Almeida in 2019 Juliet Stevenson’s performance was described as ‘one of the peaks of the theatrical year’. Now on stage in London’s West End the play has again been highly applauded by the critics. Juliet joins Emma Barnett to discuss playing Dr Ruth Wolff, medical ethics, identity politics, anti-Semitism, media witch hunts and the way institutions protect themselves against criticism. It’s been 40 years since The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ by Sue Towns...

Oct 13, 202258 min

Erin Doherty in The Crucible, Strip clubs, Brazilian butt lifts, Angela Lansbury

Based on the Salem trials in Massachusetts in 1692, where young girls accused their elders of satanism, a new production of Arthur Miller's modern classic The Crucible has just opened at the National Theatre in London. Actor Erin Doherty, best known for her portrayal of a young Princess Anne in Netflix series The Crown, plays Abigail Williams, the girl whose spurned affections spark the witch hunt. She joins Jessica. Strip clubs in Edinburgh will be banned from April next year, but the venues an...

Oct 12, 202258 min

Helen O'Hara, International Day of the Girl, photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind on Ukraine

The Royal College of Nursing, the world's biggest nurses' union, has a culture of bullying and misogyny, according to an internal report. Jessica Creighton speaks to Pat Cullen, the General Secretary and Chief Executive of the RCN who commissioned the report. Helen O’Hara is a violinist and composer who plays the ear catching violin on the massive No.1 hit Come on Eileen. She joins Jessica to explain why she chose to become a key member of Dexy’s Midnight Runners rather than join a symphony orch...

Oct 11, 202257 min

Countdown to COP27, Amy Loughren, Poet Cecilia Knapp

With this year’s UN Climate Conference – COP27 – just under a month away, political leaders and activists are preparing to visit Egypt which will host the event this year. Climate activist Farwiza Farhan and Patience Nabukalu join Jessica to talk about the power that women hold when it comes to climate conservation. Amy Loughren is the woman who helped to secure the conviction of notorious serial killer Charles Cullen. Cullen was a nurse who administered lethal doses of medication to patients in...

Oct 10, 202258 min

Merope Mills on her daughter Martha, Actor Sheila Atim on Woman King, Women in the armed forces, Truss impersonators

Merope Mills’ 13-year-old daughter Martha died in hospital in August 2021. An inquest concluded that her death had been preventable, and the hospital has apologised. Merope, who is Editor of the Guardian’s Saturday magazine, says her daughter would be alive today if doctors had not kept information from them about her condition, because as her parents they would have demanded a second opinion. The award-winng British-Ugandan actor Sheila Atim on her new film ‘The Woman King’. She plays the warri...

Oct 08, 202256 min

Sheila Atim, Péju Alatise, Amanda Wakeley, Emma Norton

Anita Rani talks to Sheila Atim the award-winning British-Ugandan actor about her new film ‘The Woman King’. She plays the warrior Amenza, part of the Agojie, an all-female army who battle fearlessly against marauding European slavers to protect their empire in 19th century Dahomay, in West Africa. Her role is Lieutenant to Nanisca (AKA Viola Davis), the formidable head of that female military regiment. A year on from the Atherton Review which found women in the armed forces were being let down ...

Oct 07, 202257 min

Merope Mills on her daughter Martha, Rugby World Cup preview, Truss impersonators, Iran update

Merope Mills’ 13-year-old daughter Martha died in hospital in August 2021. She had sustained a rare pancreatic trauma after falling off a bike on a family holiday, and spent weeks in a specialist unit where she developed sepsis. An inquest concluded that her death had been preventable, and the hospital has apologised. Merope, who is Editor of the Guardian’s Saturday magazine, says her daughter would be alive today if doctors had not kept information from them about her condition, because as her ...

Oct 06, 202257 min

Nicola Rollock, Sexsomnia, Liz Truss, Anonymity prior to charge, Nadine Shah

Nicola Rollock, Professor of Social Policy and Race at King's College London and an expert on racial justice, has a book out, The Racial Code: Tales of Resistance and Survival. in which she explores the hidden rules of race and racism, how they maintain the status quo, the pain and cost of navigating everyday racism and how to truly achieve racial justice. The Crown Prosecution Service has apologised unreservedly to a woman whose rape case was dropped after defence lawyers claimed she had an epi...

Oct 05, 202257 min

Alex Scott, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Molly Russell inquest

Alex Scott is one of the most high profile names in women’s sport. The former Lioness started playing football for Arsenal when she was just eight years old, later, as a semi-professional player for the club she washed the men's team kit to earn extra money on the side. Alex went on to play for England 140 times and now presents on the BBC and Sky Sports. She has recently released her memoir entitled ‘How (Not) to Be Strong’ and joins Emma in the studio. Last Friday after two weeks of the inques...

Oct 04, 202257 min

Gentle parenting, Truss and leadership, Indicator offences

What is a gentle parent? Does it really mean never saying ‘no’ to your child? And how did #gentleparenting attract more than 2.6 billion views on TikTok? Emma Barnett talks to TikTok content creator Kelly Medina Enos and psychologist Dr Penelope Leach about the rising popularity of this parenting approach. Only yesterday the Prime Minister Liz Truss said her government would be sticking to the measures announced in the mini budget ten days ago. But this morning the Chancellor of the Exchequer, K...

Oct 03, 202257 min

Weekend Woman's Hour: Hilary Mantel’s writings on endometriosis, women in politics, nursing, family whatsapp, the orgasm gap

Record numbers of nurses are quitting the NHS in England, according to new data analysis by the Nuffield Trust for the BBC. More than 40,000 have left the health service in the past year. Another report published this week from NHS Providers said the squeeze on pay amid rising inflation is forcing nurses and other staff to stop contributions to their pension, skip meals and take on second jobs. Anita Rani speaks to Molly Case, a clinical specialist nurse, working in the community in South London...

Oct 01, 202256 min

Mel Shilling, Meera Narandan, Ella Saltmarshe, Lina Prestwood, Chi-chi Nwanoku, Nadia Gilani

A woman posted a thread on Mumsnet about wanting to take time off work while going through a break up with father or her child, the responses she got were mixed. We want to know whether you would ever consider this but also would you be open about taking time off to help deal with a break up? We speak to relationship expert Mel Schilling and blogger Meera Narandan. We talk to Chi-chi Nwanoku from Chineke! Orchestra – Europe’s first professional majority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra – a...

Sep 30, 202257 min

Oloni, Women in Politics, Forever Friends?

'Ladies shall we have some fun?' Some of you may recognise this catchphrase and be thinking of the sex and relationship expert Oloni, who built an online community by speaking openly about sex and relationships. Her new book – The Big O – is out and goes into detail about how we can close what she calls ‘the orgasm gap’. Oloni joins Emma. The Bank of England’s intervention yesterday to calm financial markets after the government’s mini-budget came hot on the heels of the International Monetary F...

Sep 29, 202258 min

Women and Labour, Zarifa Ghafari, Leicester women united

Sir Keir Starmer delivered his speech to the Labour Party conference yesterday. It comes as YouGov polling shows women would be more likely than men to vote Labour if an election were held now. What's behind this? Former Tony Blair aide for over 10 years Baroness Sally Morgan joins Emma Barnett alongside Anoosh Chakelin Britain Editor at the New Statesman. Actor Gwyneth Paltrow decided to pose naked, mostly covered in gold body powder, and then posted her photos on social media saying she had le...

Sep 28, 202258 min

Author Kamila Shamsie. People smugglers. Family WhatsApp Group.

In her new novel "Best Of Friends" the award winning writer Kamila Shamasie explores the personal and political in Karachi in 1988 and London now. Fourteen year old Maryam and Zahra have been friends for 40 years but can they ever really know each other? Tonight's File on 4 will highlight the shortcomings of the Police and the National Referral Mechanism – the government pathway set up to provide financial, emotional and legal support as well as access to safe accommodation to victims of traffic...

Sep 27, 202258 min

26/09/2022

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

Sep 26, 202257 min

Women gambling, Male friendships, Anna Fedorova, Catherine Mayer, Sheep shearing and Beige flags

The number of women gambling is expected to rise as the cost of living crisis continues. Hear Jo’s story of what happened when she became addicted to gambling, and advice on the warning signs and how to get help from the chief executive of GambleAware Zoe Osmond. When Max Dickins needed to find himself a best man, he realised that he had no male friends. When he discovered that this is something lots of men go through, he decided to write a book with hints and tips for men, as well as what they ...

Sep 24, 202256 min

World record sheep shearer, Cuts to part-time work benefits,Seoul Femicide, Actors:Hayley Mills & Rula Lenska, Author Ira Mathur

Sheep farmer Marie Prebble speaks to Woman’s Hour about how she sheared 370 sheep in eight hours to set a new world record in female sheep shearing. She’ll be giving us an insight into what it takes to prepare for such an event and telling us a bit more about being one of the few female sheep farmers in the UK. More than 100,000 people in part-time work could face a benefit cut if they fail to properly look to do more hours, Kwasi Kwarteng is set to announce in his mini-budget today (Friday). Th...

Sep 23, 202257 min

Anna Fedorova, Women and Gambling, Iran Demonstrations, The End of Covid, Japan's Under-35s Rejecting Marriage

What role does music play in providing hope and solidarity when facing the horrors of war? The concert pianist Anna Fedorova is a member of the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra which performed in concerts around the world over the summer. Ahead of a documentary on BBC 2 this Saturday called Ukraine's Musical Freedom Fighters, she joins Emma to talk about the experience, how she is continuing to support musicians from the Ukraine and why she feels it is imperative she continues to play the work of Rus...

Sep 22, 202257 min

Beige Flags, Prince Andrew, The Waste Land poem

We're all aware of red flags, the indicators that a potential partner may exhibit a lack of respect, or interest in your relationship. But a new flag has emerged on dating apps - the beige flag. These are indicators on dating app profiles which suggest a person has nothing of interest to say, and may well be boring. Emma Barnett is joined by Caitlin MacPhail, who coined the phrase, and comedian Helen Thorn. The period of national mourning following the death of the Queen has ended but will conti...

Sep 21, 202257 min

The Queen's funeral, Male friendships, PM Liz Truss as diplomat, Death of Mahsa Amini in Iran

183 key workers and community volunteers were amongst royals, politicians and world leaders in Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s state funeral on Monday. One woman who was asked to be an eyewitness to this historic day was Lynn McManus, from North Shields, in Tyne and Wear. She's the founder of The Tim Lamb's Children's Centre and Pathways4All, a parent-led charity providing play and leisure for disabled children. She was recognised in the Queen's last Birthday Honours List in June 2022 with an ...

Sep 20, 202257 min

Weekend Woman’s Hour: Julia Gillard, Ophelia Lovibond, Medusa

Julia Gillard, former Australian Prime Minister – and the only woman to have held that role – reflects on the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her status as a global female leader. What will it mean for Australia where King Charles automatically became Head of State last week? Ophelia Lovibond, best known for playing Izzy Gould in the BBC mockumentary series W1A, discusses her new TV series Minx and playing Carrie Johnson. In a bid to close stubborn gender pay gaps, several states in the USA have...

Sep 17, 202257 min

Pregnant women in Pakistan, Salary transparency, Writer Lottie Mills, Clothes and grief

More than 33 million people have been affected by the flooding in Pakistan. How has the flooding impacted the thousannds of pregnant women. who require maternal health services to ensure a safe pregnancy and childbirth? We hear from midwife Neha Mankani and founder of the Mama Baby Fund. In a bid to close stubborn gender pay gaps, several states in the USA have passed laws requiring salary ranges to be clearly stated on all job ads. To discuss the growing trend and whether it is workable in the ...

Sep 16, 202257 min
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