A newborn baby found earlier this year in East London is the third child abandoned by the same parents. That’s the story being reported by the BBC’s Sanchia Berg, who has been given permission to share the details by a judge at East London Family Court. Sanchia joins Nuala McGovern to tell us more about the story, alongside freelance journalist Louise Tickle, who has previously reported from family courts. Following on from our special phone-in on boys last month, author Ruth Whippman speaks to ...
Jun 04, 2024•57 min
Claudia Sheinbaum will become Mexico's first woman president after an historic election win. BBC Journalist Laura Garcia joins Nuala McGovern to discuss what this moment means for the women and girls of Mexico. A new immersive exhibition, Connecting Hearts, by Swansea University, the Human Milk Foundation and artist Leanne Pearce, shows the impact of donating and receiving human milk. One of the paintings is of Claire-Michelle Pearson - a 'snowdrop' donor. She donated over 300 litres of milk aft...
Jun 03, 2024•58 min
Ruth Jones joins Nuala McGovern to talk about playing the Mother Superior in a West End production of Sister Act. She discusses getting out of her comfort zone by appearing on stage for the first time since 2018 and working on her fourth novel. Plus what can fans of Gavin and Stacey expect from the Christmas special? This week, the Netball Super League, the UK's elite level domestic competition, relaunched and embarked on what it calls a "new era of transformational change". Anita Rani speaks to...
Jun 01, 2024•54 min
Donald Trump has been convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his criminal trial in New York. It is the first time a former or serving US president has been convicted of a crime. Anita Rani is joined by New York Times journalist Amanda Taub and political commentator Julie Norman to talk about the woman at the centre of the case, the prosecution's star witness Stormy Daniels. Amanda Ross is one of the most powerful women in publishing who doesn't even work in publishing. She'...
May 31, 2024•56 min
On 28 July last year the British cyclist Lizzy Banks received an email from UK Anti Doping to say she had return two Adverse Analytical Findings. The letter stated she faced the prospect of a two-year ban unless she could establish the source. Thus began a ten-month journey investigating, researching and writing submissions to establish how the contamination event occurred. Absolved of any blame, having proved on the balance of probabilities that her test was contaminated, Lizzy speaks to Nuala ...
May 30, 2024•57 min
As prescriptions for weight loss drugs in the UK increase, Woman’s Hour explores how safe online prescriptions for things like Ozempic and Wegovy are. Fashion stylist Jeannie Annan Lewin tells us how she buys the drugs and how they have helped her. Anita Rani is joined by Alima Batchelor, from the Pharmacists Defence Association, and Professor James Kingsland, Chair of Digital Clinical Excellence. Cassidy Janson won an Olivier Award for her performance as Anne Hathaway in the musical & Julie...
May 30, 2024•53 min
Top perfume brands may have the “worst form of child labour” in their jasmine supply chains, a BBC Eye investigation reveals. Jasmine is considered to be one of the most valuable ingredients in some of the world's most iconic perfumes. Nuala McGovern is joined by BBC Eye correspondent Heba Bitar and producer/director of the documentary: Perfume’s Darkest Secrets, Natasha Cox. Grammy and Tony award-winning songwriter Anaïs Mitchell is the creator of the musical Hadestown – a genre-defying retell...
May 29, 2024•57 min
Ruth Jones is live in the Woman’s Hour studio to talk about playing the Mother Superior in a West End production of Sister Act. She discusses getting out of her comfort zone by appearing on stage for the first time since 2018 and working on her fourth novel. Plus what can fans of Gavin and Stacey expect from the Christmas special? What happens in relationships when one person wants a family and the other definitely doesn’t? Is missing out on the chance to have children a deal-breaker? Or do some...
May 28, 2024•58 min
From the Pre-Raphaelites to Picasso, Vermeer to Freud, some of the most famous Western artwork involves an artist’s muse. So who are the muses who have inspired great art? How do they embody an artist’s vision? And why has the muse artist relationship led to abuse of power? Nuala speaks to art historian and author Ruth Millington and to writer, curator and podcaster Alayo Akinkugbe. Penelope Tree was one of the most famous models of the 1960s and the muse of her then boyfriend, the photographer ...
May 27, 2024•58 min
As India goes to the polls in the penultimate round of voting in their general election, Anita speaks to the BBC’s Divya Arya in Delhi. They discuss what political issues are most important to women in this election, and how the main parties have been wooing them. Valérie Courtois was recently announced as the winner of the 2024 Shackleton medal for her work revolutionizing climate conservation in the Canadian arctic, most notably for her vision connecting Indigenous Guardians as ‘the eyes and e...
May 24, 2024•58 min
There will be a general election on 4 July. Campaigning will start at the end of next week, but already some of the key players are speaking out. What are women's top concerns in this election? What do women want addressed? Anita Rani speaks to Professor Rosie Campbell, professor of politics and director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London, who has been looking at women's voting behaviour for many years. Head teachers who are a part of St Albans Primary School...
May 23, 2024•58 min
The endurance runner Imo Boddy has smashed the 45-year-old world record and become the fastest known woman to complete the UK Three Peaks. She joins Nuala McGovern live on the programme. Do you know what love bombing is? One of our Woman’s Hour listeners Lynn got in touch to say it’s something we should be discussing. She joins Nuala alongside relationship therapist Simone Bose to explain more about what love bombing is, and how we can all look out for the warning signs. Nuala is joined by the a...
May 22, 2024•56 min
A new documentary on BBC Two is looking at how new forensic techniques can help police re-examine old cases involving sexual assault and rape, helping to convict perpetrators from decades ago. Cold Case Investigators: Solving Britain’s Sex Crimes tells the story of three cases that were re-examined. One is that of Karen, who was raped in 1983. She joins Nuala McGovern alongside Detective Constable Hayley Dyas, who helped work on her case and finally get a conviction. On 28 July last year the Bri...
May 21, 2024•55 min
The long awaited final report of the public inquiry into the infected blood scandal is published today, The inquiry was announced in 2017 after years of campaigning by victims. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, approximately 30,000 people were infected with blood contaminated with HIV and Hepatitis C. Over 3,000 have since died, with one person estimated to die every four days in the UK. The affected groups include those who received infected blood via blood transfusions, such as women followin...
May 20, 2024•56 min
A female officer in the military says she was raped by a senior officer who was responsible in the Royal Navy for behaviours and values, including sexual consent. Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Hour, the female officer, who we are calling Joanna, reported the incident and her allegations to the military police who brought charges against the officer. However, the Services Prosecution Authority later said that they wouldn’t be taking the case forward to a military court. The female officer, who ...
May 18, 2024•56 min
After going viral on social media earlier this year, new bar La Camionera is planning to open a permanent inclusive venue for “lesbians and their friends”. Reporter Martha Owen has been following as they prepare to open and hears why these spaces are important from DJ Yvonne Taylor, event organisers Jess Whiting Boult and Tabs Benjamin, and poet Joelle Taylor. And Anita Rani is joined by filmmakers Erica Rose and Elina Street, creators of The Lesbian Bar Project, to discuss their award-winning s...
May 17, 2024•58 min
Schools in England should not teach about gender identity, according to new draft guidance from the government, due to be published in full today. There is also a plan to ban sex education for under-nines. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the new guidance would ensure children were not "exposed to disturbing content". Anita Rani talks to Elaine Dunkley, BBC Education Correspondent to find out the latest. Talking about her new book, 'How To Win A Grand Prix', Formula One expert Bernie Collins ...
May 16, 2024•57 min
Over half of female footballers book pitches, only to find they’ve been reallocated to men. With twice as many women as men considering quitting the sport because of this, Arsenal forward and England Lioness Beth Mead tells Nuala McGovern about her concerns. A BBC investigation published today has highlighted the concerns of parents of vulnerable children sent hours away from home for urgent eating disorder treatment. They say there isn’t enough specialist mental health hospital care available l...
May 15, 2024•57 min
How many women have decided not to have more children after a traumatic birth? The UK’s first inquiry into traumatic childbirth has found that too often poor care is normalised, with devastating effects on women’s mental and physical health. Nuala McGovern talks to one Woman’s Hour listener who decided she couldn’t face having another child after a traumatic birth, and to the author of the report, Dr Kim Thomas, about its recommendations. Journalist Decca Aitkenhead regularly sleepwalks. She tal...
May 14, 2024•57 min
A female officer in the military says she was raped by a senior officer who was responsible in the Royal Navy for behaviours and values, including sexual consent. Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Hour, the female officer, who we are calling Joanna, reported the incident and her allegations to the military police who brought charges against the officer. However, the Services Prosecution Authority later said that they wouldn’t be taking the case forward to a military court. The female officer, who ...
May 13, 2024•55 min
The number of children in care is continuing to rise each year, and thousands of new foster carers are needed. The comedian and writer Kiri Pritchard-McLean has done just that. During lockdown, Kiri and her partner embarked on a journey to become foster carers in north Wales and she’s ‘evangelical’ about the role. It’s the subject of her new seven-month comedy tour, Peacock. The debate on assisted dying is often framed around the issues of choice for the terminally ill, but what about the rights...
May 11, 2024•52 min
Five babies have died from whooping cough this year as cases continue to rise in England. Medical doctor Dr Saleyha Ahsan, who currently has whooping cough herself, joins Clare McDonnell to discuss. Author, journalist and campaigner Dame Shirley Conran has died aged 91, days after receiving her damehood. Journalist Felicia Bromfield joins Clare to discuss her legacy. What would happen if you could only speak the truth – and not even tell white lies? That’s the subject of a new book by Radhika Sa...
May 10, 2024•57 min
The debate on assisted dying is often framed around the issues of choice for the terminally ill, but what about the rights of the disabled ? Actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr has major concerns about potential changes to the law that she believes could leave people with disabilities at risk. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss her documentary “Better Off Dead” which explores the debate from the perspective of disabled people. Singer songwriter Rachel Chinouriri is one of the music...
May 09, 2024•53 min
Now that women’s sport is advancing, we need clear safeguarding rules for women and girls about what is and isn’t okay when it comes to talking about female health outside the realm of medicine. That’s the call from Baz Moffat, one of the co-founders of The Well HQ, which aims to break barriers in women’s sport and champion education about female health. She joins Hayley Hassell to tell us more about their new Safer Sport poster campaign and why it’s needed. Once one of Russia's biggest pop star...
May 08, 2024•56 min
What’s like to start again with nothing? On New Year's Eve of 2018, journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde lost everything she owned in a storage unit fire in Croydon, where she'd stowed all her possessions. She has written about it in the book, Lost & Found - 9 life-changing lessons about stuff from someone who lost everything. She joins Hayley Hassall to describe her experience and explain why we get so emotionally attached to our belongings. The BBC Series I Kissed a Girl started over the weeken...
May 07, 2024•57 min
We are all ageing, if we're lucky, so in this Woman's Hour special programme, we're exploring how women can age well. Anita Rani is joined by a panel of women of different ages to talk about the possibility of re-invention and the wisdom of age, as well as the difficulties and barriers women face as they get older. What we can learn from each other and how can women of different generations support each other? Author and psychologist, Dr Sharon Blackie’s book, Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Ha...
May 06, 2024•58 min
What is it really like to be a co-parent? Hayley Allen’s son spends the weekdays with his dad and she takes care of him at the weekends. Carly Harris’ two children spend 80% of their time with her and are looked after by their dad every other weekend. Clare talked to Hayley and Carly about the difficulties and benefits of co-parenting. As talks reach a conclusion in Ottawa this week on a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution, we speak to film director and campaigner Eleanor Church. ...
May 04, 2024•29 min
On today's Woman's Hour phone-in we ask what it's like to be a boy in 2024 and how society is shaping our future men. On Monday we spoke to Catherine Carr about her Radio 4 series About the Boys. She spoke to boys up and down the country about how they felt about subjects like sex and consent, masculinity, friendship, life online and education and she found out that boys were experiencing confusing and often troubling messages about their role in society. She joins us, along with Richard Reeves,...
May 03, 2024•58 min
Over the past few weeks, Woman’s Hour has been having a frank conversation about pornography. Four women spoke about how porn has shaped their relationships, sex lives and self-image. Three men spoke openly together about their attitudes to and experience of porn. The film-maker Erika Lust explained why she wants to make ‘ethical’ porn and Dr Fiona Vera-Grey explains what she’s found out through the research and surveys she has done about pornography and by talking to 100 women for her book Wome...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 45 min
Lawyer Harriet Wistrich is the founder and director of Centre for Women's Justice. She joins Anita Rani to talk about her new book, Sister in Law, which looks into 10 of her hard-won cases over 30 years. They include Sally Challen’s appeal against her conviction for the murder of her husband, the victims of the taxi driver John Worboys, and the women caught up in the 'Spy Cops' scandal. Cases that she says demonstrate that "terrifyingly often, the law is not fit-for-purpose for half the populati...
May 02, 2024•57 min
