Woman's Hour BBC Radio 4

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 couples decide to stay together, with one person choosing the relationship over a baby? As BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers explores the dynamics between a couple in this situation, Nuala McGovern hears from Joanna Van Kampen who plays Fallon Rogers in The Archers and relationship therapist Cate Campbell.
With the cost of renting and living on the rise, housing insecurity is an increasingly harsh reality for many. A survey by Shelter and YouGov found that 54% of women feel that being a renter has held them back. Three young women—Aimee, Rhiannon, and Rebecca—talk about the significant challenges they’ve faced in the rental market, and how this has affected their lives, plans, and sense of stability. Nuala is also joined by Jenny Lamb from Shelter to talk about how to best negotiate renting.
Marina Gibson, a leading female angler who runs the Northern Fishing School in North Yorkshire, has called on the Flyfishers’ Club in London to finally open its doors to women. The club, which was established in 1884 and counts the King as a patron, describes itself as a club for gentleman interested in the art of flyfishing. Marina explains why she wants women to be able to join, and how her love of fishing led to a career change.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Olivia Skinner

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 David Bailey. Despite appearing on the cover of Vogue and being credited by Bailey with kick-starting the flower-power movement, Penelope’s life became increasingly difficult as their relationship began to flounder. These events have inspired Penelope’s loosely biographical novel Piece of My Heart and she joins Nuala to discuss her depiction of life as a ‘60s muse.
In ancient Greek mythology, the nine muses are the inspirational goddesses of the arts, science and literature. So who are the nine muses? Nuala speaks to classicist Professor Edith Hall.
Dora Maar was as a photographer, painter and poet but is probably most famous as Pablo Picasso’s lover and muse. Author Louisa Treger captures the complexity of this artist and muse relationship in her novel The Paris Muse and joins Nuala to discuss how the inspiration Dora offered Picasso nearly destroyed her.
We hear from Liza Lim, a Melbourne-based composer who collaborated with violinist and researcher Karin Hellqvist on a composition called ‘One and the Other (speculative Polskas for Karin)’, exploring Karin’s relationship to her heritage and Swedish musical traditions.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Laura Northedge
Editor: Deiniol Buxton

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 ears on the ground’ to preserve ecosystems. Valérie talks to Anita about leading the movement for indigenous-led conservation and land stewardship.
 
Carys Holmes is a 17-year-old girl with an ambition to join the British Army. She passed all of her army selection tests but says she was later taken aside and told she was being rejected because of an 'extensive' history of breast cancer in her family. Anita is joined by Carys who explains that the army has now retracted its decision. Emma Norton, a lawyer and Director of the Centre for Military Justice, also joins.
Clara Schumann was one of the greatest female musicians of the 19th Century – a virtuoso performer who gave over 1,500 concerts in a 60 year career, all while raising eight children and financially supporting her household. Concert pianist Lucy Parham and actress Dame Harriet Walter join Anita to discuss their concert I, Clara which celebrates the ground-breaking life and work of Clara Schumann in her own right.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Studio managers: Donald McDonald and Bob Nettles

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 Schools Consortium have urged parents not to give their children a smartphone until they are aged 14. Anita speaks to Rachel Harper, principal of a primary school in County Wicklow in Ireland about what advice she would offer one year after she and seven other headteachers in her town asked parents not to allow their children phones until they were older.
Olivier award-winning theatre maker Marisa Carnesky is taking over an entire street at this years Brighton Festival with her show, Carnesky's Showwomxn Sideshow Spectacular, honouring the forgotten women of the circus. Marisa shares with Anita the lost history of ground-breaking women magicians, aerial artists and sword climbers and how their stories are being explored through a new generation of performers.
A Chinese blogger who was jailed for four years for her reporting on the first Covid outbreak in Wuhan, has been released from prison. The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders shared a video showing the blogger, Zhang Zhan, saying she had been released on schedule and thanking everyone for their concern. The former lawyer was jailed after she travelled to Wuhan to document the outbreak in a series of widely-shared online videos. She was due to be freed last week but friends and supporters were concerned when they were unable to contact her. Anita speaks to the Guardian's senior China correspondent Amy Hawkins, who is following the story.
Gemmologist Helen Molesworth is the Senior Jewellery Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Professor of Jewellery at the Geneva University of Art and Design. In her new book, Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems, she explores the geology, symbolism and history of gemstones through some of their famous owners and those that have courted controversy. Helen explores their enduring fascination with Anita.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rebecca Myatt
Studio manager: Bob Nettles

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 artist Kerry Samantha Boyes whose work you may have seen in the Barbie Movie, or the Lord of the Rings. Kerry makes fake food for a living and her studio, The Fake Food Workshop, will be one of 104 studios open to the public for the Spring Fling art event, which takes place across Dumfries and Galloway this weekend.
Some of Britain’s most vulnerable children are being detained and having their freedoms restricted under court orders known as “deprivation of liberty”. The most senior family court judge for England and Wales has called the growing use of the order a “crisis”. The BBC’s Ashley John-Baptiste has heard from young people who have spent parts of their childhood under these orders. Plus, social worker Beverly Bennett-Jones joins Nuala.
The Japanese Royal Family is one of the oldest in the world, the same dynasty has ruled for more than 2,500 years. But the current law means that only a male heir can inherit the Chrysanthemum throne and become the Emperor. This has caused a succession crisis in recent years as the Royal Family kept having girls. The BBC’s Tokyo Correspondent Shaimaa Khalil joins Nuala.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Emma Pearce

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 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 about how the process destroyed her mentally, emotionally and professionally.
The toy piano virtuoso Margaret Leng Tan is a leading force within avant-garde music and the first woman to earn a doctorate from the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in the US. She’s currently in London, performing her sonic autobiography Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep at the Southbank Centre this week. It’s a combination of spoken text, projected images and original music for toy piano, prepared piano, toys and percussion. It focuses on the obsessive compulsive disorder Margaret has had since her childhood. She explains how music helped her accept OCD as an integral part of who she is.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey
Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant and Neva Missirian