World Rugby Player of the Year and World Cup Champion Ellie Kildunne joins Nuala McGovern fresh from a Player of the Match performance at the Six Nations final. She reflects on her rise to the top and the story behind her memoir Game Changer. It's 15 years since Panorama exposed the scandal of abuse of people with learning difficulties and autism at Winterbourne View assessment and treatment centre. One mother, Ann Earley, tells us about the lasting damage to her son from his time at Winterbourn...
May 27, 2026•55 min
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has urged the competition watchdog to look into hidden extra charges some parents have encountered when trying to access Government-funded childcare. The Department for Education said 'too many' parents have reported being asked to pay extra to secure a place – including waiting list deposits, compulsory add-ons or additional hours to access what they are entitled to. So what impact is this having on parents? Joeli Brearley, founder of Growth Spurt and a ca...
May 26, 2026•57 min
We're putting our head in the clouds and going in search of wonder. How do we find it and how do we keep hold of it when life gets in the way? We know that women still hold the lion’s share of caring responsibilities and typically carry the mental load for home, often on top of work. How do we make space for the perspective that wonder gives us, when we’re distracted by the perpetual to do list? And can a sense of wonder, with its built-in inspiration and aspiration, help us see beyond the day-t...
May 25, 2026•56 min
Comedian, actor and writer Dawn French is best known as one half of one of the UK’s most successful comedy double acts, and as the fictional vicar Geraldine Granger. She’s also a bestselling author, and her latest book, Enough, is her fifth novel — her eighth book in total. It blends dark humour with some tougher themes she thinks are important to explore. She joined Nuala to discuss. Best known as the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian is now turning his focus to the future of women’s sport. ...
May 24, 2026•29 min
Yesterday, the Government published guidance on how the Equality Act should be implemented in relation to single-sex spaces. This follows the landmark Supreme Court ruling in April last year that the definition of a woman under the Equality Act should be based on biological sex. According to the new guidance, single-sex spaces - such as changing rooms and toilets - must be used on the basis of biological sex. This means, for instance, that a trans woman - a biological male who identifies as a wo...
May 22, 2026•53 min
Best known as the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohanian is now turning his focus to the future of women’s sport. Once overlooked and underfunded, it is now undergoing rapid change. Alexis is today announcing he's bringing his all-female track and field meet series, Athlos, to London. He tells Anita Rani why, and talks about being married to one of the most successful and well known sports stars of all time - Serena Williams. Some social media posts relating to menstruation, menopause, fertility a...
May 21, 2026•56 min
In November 2024 Harshita Brella's body was found in the boot of a car in Ilford, East London, approximately 100 miles away from where she lived in Corby, Northamptonshire. Now her family have arrived in the UK to appeal for renewed action by police in the stalled investigation into her death; bringing the alleged murderer to justice. Nuala McGovern is joined by Harshita’s sister Sonia Dabas and Poonam Joshi, founder of Indian Ladies UK who support Indian victims of domestic abuse. The England R...
May 20, 2026•52 min
Comedian, actor and writer Dawn French is best known as one half of one of the UK’s most successful comedy double acts, and as the fictional vicar Geraldine Granger. She’s also a bestselling author, and her latest book, Enough, is her fifth novel — her eighth book in total. It blends dark humour with some tougher themes she thinks are important to explore. She joins Nuala to discuss. More than 10,000 pregnant women and girls, primarily unmarried mothers, passed through mother and baby homes in N...
May 20, 2026•57 min
Two women have told a BBC Panorama investigation they were raped during the filming of one of Channel 4's biggest shows, Married at First Sight UK, while a third has described an allegation of a non-consensual sex act. Channel 4 has now removed all episodes of the programme from its streaming and linear services and commissioned an external review of welfare on the show. The programme makers CPL have said its welfare system was ‘gold standard’. Nuala McGovern is joined by BBC News' Lizo Mzimba a...
May 19, 2026•57 min
Women are being forced to turn to loan sharks due to a "hidden" but devastating form of economic abuse, according to new research. Scottish Women's Aid has published a study on the problem of coerced debt – where an abusive current or ex-partner builds up debt in their victim's name, either without consent or knowledge or through force, threat or coercion. Anita Rani is joined by Dr Jenn Glinski, author of the report and the national policy lead for economic abuse at Scottish Women's Aid, to tal...
May 16, 2026•58 min
Menopause can be challenging for many women, but for those with ADHD, the experience can often feel like life is completely unravelling. For some women in their 40s, 50s and 60s it can also be the first time they realise they may have ADHD, as fluctuating hormones amplify their challenges with sleep, mood, attention and overwhelm. GP and Menopause expert Dr Helen Wall joins Anita to talk about her new book Menopause and ADHD, which aims to debunk some of the myths and support women navigating th...
May 15, 2026•58 min
Women are being forced to turn to loan sharks due to a "hidden" but devastating form of economic abuse, according to new research. Scottish Women's Aid has published a study on the problem of coerced debt – where an abusive current or ex-partner builds up debt in their victim's name, either without consent or knowledge or through force, threat or coercion. Anita Rani is joined by Dr Jenn Glinski, author of the report and the national policy lead for economic abuse at Scottish Women's Aid, to tal...
May 14, 2026•56 min
A new report out today is calling for urgent reforms to better protect and support children affected by parental domestic homicide, following an examination of the long-term impact on young people across the UK and Ireland. Reporter Jo Morris has been speaking to a woman, we are calling Katy, who experienced the unimaginable as a child, when her father killed her mother. Despite this, when he was released from prison, Katy was required to stay with him at weekends. How should children and young ...
May 13, 2026•58 min
In netball, once you’ve got the ball you have to pivot. It turns out that skill can be applied just as neatly to careers for Tracey Neville. The former England netball coach joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her new role as the new managing director of the Stockport County Women Football Club. A new medical device to assist at birth is now in use in eight NHS trusts in the UK and 40 hospitals in the whole of Europe. The OdonAssist can replace forceps in many situations and is a much gentler way to...
May 12, 2026•55 min
In its 80-year history, no woman has ever held the role of United Nations Secretary-General. The race for the job, which happens every 10 years, began in January and the candidates have recently appeared in their one and only TV debate. Four people are currently in the running, two of whom are female. But should it matter if the top job goes to a woman? Nuala McGovern discusses with Susana Malcorra, former Chief of Staff to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and founder of GWL Voices, which stands...
May 11, 2026•57 min
Motherland spin-off Amandaland is back for a second series, starring Lucy Punch as Amanda and Joanna Lumley as her frosty mum, Felicity. Nuala McGovern talks to the show’s award-winning writer and co-creator Holly Walsh about what’s in store for the SoHa crew second time around, as Amanda navigates life as a single mum of teenagers, juggling online influencing and her ‘co-labs’ with her dreams of moving up in the world. The classically trained pop musician Rosalía topped many end of year polls f...
May 09, 2026•55 min
Megan Boxall is a 33-year-old runner who has been running clockwise around the coast of Britain, aiming to complete the equivalent of 200 marathons in 204 days. She began at Sizewell Beach in Suffolk in October and is now just one day away from that same point, having circumvented the whole island. Megan joins Anita Rani to talk about how she is feeling so near to completion. Violent sexual content in the mainstream is reshaping society, according to Clare McGlynn, a Professor of Law at Durham U...
May 08, 2026•58 min
Motherland spin-off Amandaland is back for a second series, starring Lucy Punch as Amanda and Joanna Lumley as her frosty mum Felicity. Nuala McGovern talks to the show’s award-winning writer and co-creator Holly Walsh about what’s in store for the SoHa crew second time around, as Amanda navigates life as a single mum of teenagers, juggling online influencing and her ‘co-lab’ with her dreams of moving up in the world. A review into the death of 21‑year‑old showjumper Katie Simpson has found 'ins...
May 08, 2026•57 min
A BBC investigation has uncovered misleading fitness adverts featuring AI‑generated characters that breach UK advertising rules. If you use social media you've probably seen them: polished fitness videos promising dramatic body transformations in weeks. They show chiselled physiques, striking before‑and‑after images and claims that you can look years younger by following a simple routine. The results often look too good to be true and in many cases, they are. Anita Rani is joined by Katie Gornal...
May 07, 2026•56 min
A BBC News investigation exposes an unregulated, booming industry of so-called baby sleep influencers or "sleep consultants". Some people who become sleep consultants have relevant medical licenses, but others hold no qualifications and are pushing dangerous practices to desperate mothers, which doctors say risk causing harm. Those women now feel “traumatised” by the advice they’ve been given from "consultants" like these, and “guilty” for putting their babies through procedures they did not nee...
May 05, 2026•55 min
We all have to have difficult conversations at some point in our lives. We have them at work, at home, and with friends and family. So why do we often feel ill-equipped to initiate that challenging chat? And why are we not more optimistic that airing our issues will lead to a more positive outcome for all involved? In this special edition of Woman's Hour, Nuala McGovern explores how we can have better difficult conversations. She is joined by psychotherapist, international conflict mediator and ...
May 04, 2026•57 min
Dame Maureen Lipman joins Chloe Tilley to talk about Allegra, the joyful new musical play that begins a nationwide tour just two days after her 80th birthday. She tells us about playing a woman who finds happiness in a world that can't quite handle it, and the physical demands of singing and dancing eight times a week. The use of illegal, unregistered children's homes in England has surged by more than 370% in five years, according to a new report, Hidden Children: An investigation into Unregist...
May 02, 2026•57 min
According to the latest Department of Education data, more than 7000 children under six were suspended in the 24 /25 school year in England and the number of children losing learning to repeat suspensions has doubled in two years, with the steepest rises among the youngest. This is against a slowing of suspensions in secondary schools. So why is this happening in primary schools? Anita Rani is joined by Kiran Gill, chief executive of The Difference, a school leadership charity who's been analysi...
May 01, 2026•57 min
Shrink Solves Murder is the first novel by the artist and psychotherapist Philippa Perry. She talks to Anita Rani about her new book and protagonist Patricia Philipps, who like Philippa is also a psychotherapist. However the similarity ends when Patricia turns sleuth after one of her patients turns up dead. Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green in north London yesterday, in an incident police are treating as a terrorist incident. The attack took place in an area with a large Jewish popula...
Apr 30, 2026•57 min
Dame Maureen Lipman joins Chloe Tilley to talk about Allegra, the joyful new musical play that begins a nationwide tour just two days after her 80th birthday. She tells us about playing a woman who finds happiness in a world that can't quite handle it, and the physical demands of singing and dancing eight times a week. A University of Cambridge study has found that socioenvironmental stressors - such as racism or poverty - may influence the body’s ability to function healthily in pregnancy - the...
Apr 29, 2026•57 min
King Charles and Queen Camilla are on their four-day state visit to the United States. Today King Charles will address the US Congress. But at the same time, survivors of the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the family of one of his most prominent victims, Virginia Giuffre, have urged the King to meet them during his state visit. A round table featuring Epstein survivors is planned ahead of his meeting to Congress. Joining Chloe Tilley is India McTaggart, royal correspondent for the Telegraph...
Apr 28, 2026•57 min
£30m is being invested in the games industry in the UK, mainly to help develop ideas for the next big games. But will this government funding benefit women, in an industry where just 16% of leadership roles in UK studios are held by women and women-founded studios receive less than 3% of total investment? Nuala McGovern is joined by Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, and Kirsty Ridgen, CEO of FuturLab studios and Deputy Chair of the UK Video Games Council. The use of illegal, unregiste...
Apr 27, 2026•57 min
Melanie C has been a household name for the past three decades, since the Spice Girls burst into the charts with Wannabe and went on to become the world’s biggest ever girl group. She says her new solo album Sweat is a chance to bring together all the different aspects of herself, from pop star to superstar DJ, teenage raver to being fit in her 50s. She joins Anita Rani to discuss her latest album, body image, and finding confidence in her 40s and 50s. At the height of the Covid pandemic, hundre...
Apr 25, 2026•29 min
According to NHS England, every maternity service in England will need to meet new clinical standards set out by the NHS to significantly reduce the number of women who die each year during or after pregnancy. This comes after figures published earlier this year showed a 20% increase in maternal deaths between 2022 to 2024 compared to rates from 2009 to 2011. More than 500,000 babies are born in England every year and to discuss what these announcements mean in practise for pregnant women, Anita...
Apr 24, 2026•57 min
Melanie C has been a household name for the past three decades, since the Spice Girls burst into the charts with Wannabe and went on to become the world’s biggest ever girl group. She says her new solo album Sweat is a chance to bring together all the different aspects of herself, from pop star to superstar DJ, teenage raver to being fit in her 50s. She joins Anita Rani to discuss why she’s bringing the joy on a quest to get people dancing, and the enduring legacy of the Spice Girls. Concerns ar...
Apr 23, 2026•55 min
