Woman's Hour

BBC Radio 4

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire. Listen to our new series of conversations, The Woman's Hour Guide to Life, on BBC Sounds - your toolkit for the juggle, struggle and everything in between: www.bbc.co.uk/guidetolife

  1. FA 20 H

    Weekend Woman's Hour: Melanie C, Breast reconstruction delays, Sarah Finch

    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, hundreds of women undergoing treatment for breast cancer had mastectomies without reconstruction - procedures that would usually happen at the same time, but were paused because they were considered non-essential. Many women were told they would be able to have reconstructive surgery once the restrictions lifted. But five years on, some are still waiting: living with pain and discomfort, and unable to move on with their lives. Joining Nuala McGovern are journalist Rosie Taylor, who has been speaking to the women affected, and Alison from Stockport On Monday, Sarah Finch became the European recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, for her work against oil drilling in Surrey, with the Weald Action Group. Their long legal battle led to a landmark judgement on fossil fuel emissions. The Goldman Prize, often referred to as the ‘Green Nobel’, honours grassroots environmental activists from around the world. For the first time since its inception, all six prizes were won by women. Sarah joins Anita to discuss what the award means to her. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

    29 min

  2. FA 2 DIES

    Sophie Raworth, Maternity deaths, Sarah Finch, Stalking

    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 Rani is joined by Michael Buchanan, BBC Social Affairs correspondent. At the age of nearly 40, BBC broadcaster Sophie Raworth thought she was too old to start running. She’d done no exercise for decades. But after being invited to take part in The Great North Run and then seeing a friend do the London Marathon, Sophie decided to give it a go. Although it didn’t quite initially go to plan, she kept going on a path that would take her around the world, from Sydney to New York and the Sahara Desert, completing 20 marathons and 10 ultra-marathons. She tells Anita about her new book, Running On Air, and reveals how in running, she has discovered an unexpected strength, new confidence and great friendships. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust has published a report spotlighting the link between stalking and homicide to mark National Stalking Awareness week. They say there are huge gaps in recording stalking as a contributing factor to homicide and want to see further research on this. Anita is joined by Saskia Garner, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, and Detective Inspector Karen Butler from the Metropolitan Police, who works in the Stalking Threat Assessment Centre. On Monday, Sarah Finch became the European recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, for her work against oil drilling in Surrey, with the Weald Action Group. Their long legal battle led to a landmark judgement on fossil fuel emissions. The Goldman Prize, often referred to as the ‘Green Nobel’, honours grassroots environmental activists from around the world. For the first time since its inception, all six prizes were won by women. Sarah joins Anita from California where the awards took place. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Andrea Kidd

    57 min

  3. FA 3 DIES

    Melanie C, Toddler 'skinfluencers', Bryony Gordon

    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 are being raised over a lack of safeguards for ‘child influencers’ after an investigation found children as young as two demonstrating skincare routines on TikTok. The Guardian's Consumer Affairs Correspondent Sarah Marsh tells Anita about their research which found that from 8,000 skincare-related posts on the social media platform, there were hundreds featuring children believed to be under 13, and at least 90 featuring children under five. Dermatologists have said children do not need multi-step skincare routines, which could damage their skin and increase anxiety about their appearance. Writer and newspaper columnist Bryony Gordon joins Anita to talk about her novel People Pleaser, her first work of fiction after writing seven memoirs about her experiences with addiction and mental health and her attempts to combat those. Maddie Haining, an 18-year-old wheelchair user from Oldham, posted online her experience of being asked to leave a Manchester nightclub for safety reasons. She described feeling embarrassed and infuriated when told that her wheelchair was a safety risk. Maddie joins Anita to explain what happened and we also hear from Dr Shani Dhanda, Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Consultant. Calli Hauger-Thackery was bronze medalist in the women's half marathon at the 2024 European Athletics Championships, and a member of the gold medal-winning team in the 2024 European Half-Marathon Cup, held at the same time. She represented Great Britain at the 2024 Paris Olympics and England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She's just returned from the Boston Marathon which took place on Monday, where she completed the marathon whilst 22-weeks pregnant with her first child. She tells Anita about her achievement. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

    55 min

  4. FA 4 DIES

    Naomi Parry, Breast reconstruction delays, Passport Bros

    Naomi Parry, the costume designer who worked closely with Amy Winehouse to craft her iconic style, has this week been vindicated in a high court judgement. Amy Winehouse's father brought the case against Naomi, and another of Amy’s friends Catriona Gourlay, challenging their right to auction items that had belonged to the late singer. Naomi joins Nuala McGovern in the Woman’s Hour studio to tell us what Monday’s judgement means to her. Women have never walked on the Moon until now - at least not for real - but in the living rooms of East Belfast artist, Deby McKnight has made it her mission to get 100 women to take a moonwalk, recreating Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's historic steps in 1969. Using nothing more than imagination, moon boots and a small piece of the moon itself. We hear from Deby and Aislinn Duffield, who has taken part in her project. At the height of the Covid pandemic, hundreds of women undergoing treatment for breast cancer had mastectomies without reconstruction - procedures that would usually happen at the same time, but were paused because they were considered non-essential. Many women were told they would be able to have reconstructive surgery once the restrictions lifted. But five years on, some are still waiting: living with pain and discomfort, and unable to move on with their lives. Joining Nuala are journalist Rosie Taylor, who has been speaking to the women affected, and Alison from Stockport. 'Passport Bros' is the name given to Western men travelling to countries like Vietnam, searching for what they call "good women" who hold traditional values. A new edition of The Economist’s Weekend Intelligence Podcast has been exploring the phenomenon - what’s attracting these men to relationships abroad and what’s pushing them away from dating in the UK or USA. Reporter Carla Subirana explains more. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

    57 min

  5. FA 5 DIES

    Jo Whiley on Couch to 5k, Coercive control and suicide, Queen's legacy

    Earlier this year, the UK lost its status as a measles-free country after a rise in deaths from the disease and a fall in the proportion of children having the MMR jab. Yesterday, the House of Lords Childhood Vaccinations Rates in England Inquiry questioned witnesses from a range of healthcare settings, including GPs and practice nurses, health visitors and midwifery experts to find out exactly what is happening and why vaccination rates are falling. Presenter Nuala McGovern is joined by the Chair of that inquiry, Baroness Joan Walmsley. Women make up 75% of those who have used the Couch to 5k app, which turns 10 years old today. Over the past decade, the running companion has been downloaded more than eight million times and inspired an incredible one billion minutes of movement. Nuala is joined by Jo Whiley, the most popular coach on the app, and Claire Baird and Ellen Morris, who have completed the challenge. Earlier this month, in a landmark verdict in the Scottish courts, Lee Milne was found guilty of culpable homicide after his wife Kimberly took her own life. Culpable homicide is similar to the charge of manslaughter in England and Wales. His coercive and controlling behaviour was said to have been a significant contributing factor in Kimberly’s death. Laura Buchan, Legal Director with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Kate Ellis, Joint Head of the Litigation Team at the Centre for Women’s Justice, join Nuala to discuss. On what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday, we explore her enduring legacy, the new monuments that will commemorate her reign, and how future generations may remember her. We hear from Tessa Dunlop, author of Lest We Forget: War and Peace in 100 British Monuments, and BBC Royal Correspondent Daniela Relph. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

    56 min

  6. FA 6 DIES

    Public Toilets, Cheerleading, Women and Conscription

    New analysis from the Royal Society for Public Health shows a 14% reduction in the number of public toilets across England since 2016. The report warns that the lack of facilities is contributing to an increase in public urination, creating unhygienic conditions. But is the impact felt equally - or are women disproportionately affected? Nuala McGovern is joined by Gail Ramster, Senior Research Associate at the Royal College of Art who carries out inclusive design research around public toilets and co-author of a book 'Designing Inclusive Public Toilets: Wee the People' Last week former Major General Tim Cross said UK youngsters on benefits should undertake military service. As anxiety about global conflict increases, what might military conscription look like for UK women? RAF veteran and reservist Amy Hill and Victoria Basham, Professor of International Relations at Cardiff University join Nuala to discuss. Using cheerleading to appeal to girls and young women to stay engaged with sport is one of several recommendations in a new report from MPs aimed at getting people to move more. After a more than year-long inquiry the Culture, Media and Sport Committee discovered a patchy picture of how well community and school sport is meeting the needs of people in England. So is offering cheerleading the way forward? Sarah Bellew, Head of Communications at Women in Sport and Millie Fannin, who runs Swindon Lightening Cheerleading club discuss. Four years after Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, the human cost of the war continues to mount. A new documentary looks back to the months before the invasion, following a group of young female journalists reporting independently as press freedom in Russia were under threat. It captures the danger they faced - and the friendship and humour that sustained them. Director of My Undesirable Friends Part 1: Last Air in Moscow Julia Loktev, and journalist Anna Nemzer, who features throughout the documentary, join Nuala. In 2018, Rebecca Dale made history when she became the first female composer to sign to the prominent British classical music label, Decca Classics, and the first woman to sign to Decca publishing. Her debut album was programmed around her piece Requiem for my Mother and reached no. 1 in the specialist classical charts. Rebecca has been commissioned to compose by major organisations including the BBC and 20th Century Fox, in addition to having written for choirs and orchestras for studio albums. Rebecca’s latest album - Studies in Disappearing [Music for Screen] - is released on 15 May. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

    1 h 51 min

  7. 18 D’ABR.

    Weekend Woman's Hour: Jessie Ware, Women managaing male footballers, Comedian Susie McCabe

    The singer-songwriter Jessie Ware's new album, Superbloom, was released this week. As well as being known for her music, Jessie's family’s passion for food led to the weekly podcast, Table Manners, that she co-hosts with her mother Lennie, featuring celebrity guests like Ed Sheeran and Kylie. Jessie joins Datshiane Navanayagam to talk about her new album, inspired by disco and funk and how she became more confident in her 40s. We hear about a new report alleging breaches of the Online Safety Act. Children as young as 13 could be recommended sexually explicit content on the social media platform X, according to the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, who say X's algorithm and what it describes as "weak safeguards" mean teenagers are also being exposed to possible direct sexual contact from adults. Imran Ahmed, CEO at the Centre for Countering Digital Hate joins Datshiane to explain. For the first time, a woman has been appointed to coach a men's team in one of Europe's top five football leagues. Marie-Louise Eta has been named interim Head Coach of Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga, the equivalent of the Premier League here. It's a sudden appointment, until the end of the season, and it follows a string of losses and the dismissal of the previous coach. We talk to Rosi Webb, previously one of the few female coaches in charge of a men's team in England for five years, alongside Laura McAllister, former international footballer and Vice President of UEFA. Figures show there are close to one million people diagnosed with dementia in the UK, of which two thirds are women. A campaign to highlight the caring duties that fall on the families of those diagnosed with young-onset dementia launches this week. We hear from Emilia, who spent her teenage years tussling with the medical community to get her mother - in her late 40s - diagnosed, and Amy Pagan from the charity Younger People With Dementia. Scottish comedian Susie McCabe is a stalwart of the BBC comedy scene - from The News Quiz and Breaking the News to Just a Minute and Have I Got News For You? It was in 2024, while touring, that she had a heart-attack. She was only in her mid-forties at the time. It made her not only take a long hard look at her life, but it also inspired her latest show, Best Behaviour. Susie joins Nuala McGovern to discuss making comedy gold out of life's trials and tribulations. Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Simon Richardson

    55 min

  8. 17 D’ABR.

    Game BAFTAs, Baroness Kishwar Falkner, Football Fans

    The 22nd BAFTA Games Awards will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre in London tonight. Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by this year’s host, YouTube gaming influencer Elz The Witch. Who are the female runners and riders for this year's awards, and what impact are these women having on the games industry? Datshiane is joined by Baroness Kishwer Falkner former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. A year ago, the Supreme Court made its landmark judgment on single-sex spaces. In a long-running case against the Scottish government brought by gender-critical campaigners For Women Scotland (FWS), the court clarified that, for the purposes of the Equality Act, the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex. She'll be responding to the government announcement this week that the new guidance on single-sex spaces will be published next month after elections on the 7 May. Away From Home: The Untold Stories of Women Football Fans is an exhibition currently on at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland. Portraying the experiences of women on the terraces of the north-east since the 1950s, it looks at the more recent feminisation of sports fandom over the last 30 years and how it's led to more opportunity for women to actually become football fans. But has this led to gender equality? Co-curator Stacey Pope is Professor in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Durham University and joins Datshiane to tell us more. Children as young as 13 could be recommended sexually explicit content on social media platform X, according to a new report which exposes potential breaches of the Online Safety Act. The Centre of Countering Digital Hate has warned that X’s algorithm and “weak safeguards” mean porn is being recommended to teenagers, and they're also being exposed to possible direct sexual contact from adults. The CCDH's CEO Imran Ahmed joins Datshiane to discuss. Citlali Fabián was announced last night as the winner of Photographer of the Year at the Sony World Photography Awards, receiving amongst other things, $25,000 in prize money. She’ll be telling Datshiane about her winning series Bilha, Stories of my Sisters, in which she photographs several women from the Indigenous communities across the Oaxaca region of Southern Mexico, highlighting their pioneering work. Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Corinna Jones

    56 min
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Informació

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire. Listen to our new series of conversations, The Woman's Hour Guide to Life, on BBC Sounds - your toolkit for the juggle, struggle and everything in between: www.bbc.co.uk/guidetolife

Fitxa tècnica

  • Creació
    BBC Radio 4
  • Anys en actiu
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodis
    2 k
  • Qualificació
    Explícit
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Lloc web del programa
    Woman's Hour
  • Proveïdor

Més de: BBC

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