Woman's Hour

BBC Radio 4

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire. The Woman's Hour Guide to Life collection is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/guidetolife

  1. 4h ago

    Sex offenders and ID change, IVF Investigation, A History of Bandanas

    The revelation that a paedophile had changed his name more than 20 times to hide his past has renewed pressure on the government to change the law. Jason Brown was first convicted 12 years ago and has now pleaded guilty to a further offence. There's been campaigning for many years for it to be illegal for sex offenders to change their name, as many use their new identities to avoid being monitored. Nuala McGovern speaks to Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham and one of those calling for this legal change. Millions of Filipinos work overseas to help raise money for their families back home. And of these millions more than half are women. Here in the UK tens of thousands of Filipinos work in the NHS, they are one of the most common non-UK nationalities for nurses and health visitors in our health system. But what is life like for those who are left behind? Poet and nurse Romalyn Ante’s debut novel, the Left Behind Child, explores the teenage years of Neneng, who is eleven when her mother, Rosa, leaves to work as a nurse abroad. Romalyn tells Nuala McGovern how her true story of being a ‘left behind child’ influenced her writing. The parents of 30 children have told the BBC they fear they were given the wrong sperm or egg donors, during IVF treatments, in northern Cyprus. Fertility clinics in the Turkish-occupied territory are loosely regulated and are popular with British people who need medical help to have a baby. A small team of journalists first exposed this IVF scandal earlier this year - which led to many more people coming forwards. The BBC has now found the majority of cases are linked to one clinic and a small group of staff. Nuala hears from one of those families, a woman called Rachel, who was given the wrong sperm donor. She is joined by Investigative Journalist Anna Collinson and fertility lawyer, Natalie Gamble. From Dua Lipa to Zendaya, the bandana is the 90's accessory that's making a come back. In the heatwaves it has proved practical as well as stylish. But the simple square or triangle of fabric with the paisley design has a history with a range of meanings and cultural references, from workwear and protest movements to fashion and self-expression. Amber Butchart, Fashion & textile historian, and the author and broadcaster Emma Dabiri discuss the history behind the comeback. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Helen Fitzhenry

  2. 1d ago

    Quadruple gold medallist Amy Hunt, Charlotte Church, Child maintenance, Comedian Lucy Porter

    Amy Hunt became the first athlete in the 92-year history of the European Championships to win four gold medals in a single event, claiming titles in the 100m, 200m, women's 4x100m relay and the new mixed 4x100m relay. She had stated that her intention was to become "iconic". She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her sporting achievements. BBC Sport correspondent Jane Dougall also joins Nuala to discuss the other female successes of the championships, including Dina Asher-Smith, who is now the most decorated athlete in European Championships history. In tonight's BBC Panorama, reporter Krupa Padhy has been investigating the Child Maintenance Service. For separated parents, child maintenance payments can help cover essential expenses, from childcare costs to the weekly food shop. But BBC Panorama has spoken to parents who say they are missing out on thousands of pounds they are owed. Some say mistakes within the system have pushed them to breaking point. Krupa joins Nuala to discuss the findings, alongside Katy, who shares her experience of the service. From child classical singing sensation to pop artist, founder of the Arwen Project, an alternative education model, and now wellness retreat owner, Charlotte Church has spent her career continually evolving. Most recently, she appeared as a Faithful on Celebrity Traitors. She tells us about her latest musical project, End Time Pop Dungeon and more. Lucy Porter has been touring as a stand-up comedian for more than 20 years. She is a sought-after comedy writer for television, theatre and film, a regular on television panel shows, and a familiar voice on Radio 4 programmes including The News Quiz and The Now Show. Next year, she will celebrate 30 years in comedy. She discusses her new book, Middle-Aged Women Get Sht Done*, a love letter to middle-aged women. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Dianne McGregor

  3. 2d ago

    Weekend Woman's Hour: Women in Afghanistan, Composer Gabriela Ortiz, Tourette Syndrome

    Five years after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, we hear how it has changed women’s lives in the country and beyond. Anita Rani speaks to 21-year-old Purvin Juma who fled to the UK from Afghanistan in 2021 and the human rights activist Shaharzad Akbar. The Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz won three Grammys for her 2024 album Revolución diamantina, and this week saw the work's UK premiere at the BBC Proms. Gabriela joined Nuala McGovern to discuss how this work was inspired by Mexico’s 2019 Glitter Revolution, the nationwide feminist protests sparked by the rape of a teenage girl by four police officers, during which activists covered Mexico City’s security chief in pink glitter. Dr Amanda Cole found out she had Tourette syndrome in her twenties. Now a professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Cambridge, Dr Cole joins Nuala to discuss her decision to share her diagnosis with her students. A serial sex attacker who had a 'morbid fascination' with sex has been jailed for the rest of his life after he was found guilty of murdering two women and raping a third. His sentence comes after police and the Crown Prosecution Service apologised over a series of disastrous decisions that left him free to roam the streets. To discuss the implications of this case, Anita was joined by Helen Millichap, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and director of the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, and the author and journalist Joan Smith. Kelly Latimer, flight test pilot and aeronautical engineer, is retiring this year after decades spent flying the world's most advanced planes, and even going into space. She reflects on a truly remarkable career. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Kirsty McQuire

  4. 4d ago

    Girls in Afghanistan, Female entrepreneurs and life editing, Women’s cricket

    Five years on since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, we hear how it has changed women’s lives in the country and beyond. Anita Rani speaks to BBC World Service journalist Mahjooba Nowrouzi in Kabul, and human rights activist Shaharzad Akbar. We’ll also hear from 21-year-old Purvin Juma who left Afghanistan in 2021 and fled to the UK. Pregnancy, motherhood, fertility treatment: why are some female entrepreneurs keeping major life events secret? The founder Eshita Kabra joins us to discuss the culture of life editing and whether women still feel they have to choose between business success and family life. We also hear from Emmie Faust from Female Founders Rise, which supports female entrepreneurs. A chance discovery in an attic has revealed that the Booker Prize-winning novelist Iris Murdoch also had an artistic side. More than 80 of her artworks have been found in a secret room in the attic of her former home, where they had been lying for decades. They include the only self-portrait she is known to have painted, four surrealist landscapes and three sketches of female nudes. Dr Miles Leeson, who made the discovery and is Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre at the University of Chichester, and Professor Anne Rowe join us to discuss the importance of the art. The Hundred has brought a new audience to cricket with its fast-paced 100-ball format, star players and family-friendly atmosphere. Uniquely, women's and men’s matches are played as double headers at the same venue on the same day, giving equal prominence to both competitions. With this season's finals taking place at Lord's on Sunday, Anita is joined by BBC cricket commentator Alison Mitchell to discuss the growth of The Hundred, the impact it has had on the women's game, and the teams and players to watch as the tournament reaches its climax. PRESENTER: Anita Rani PRODUCER: Melanie Abbott

  5. 5d ago

    Simon Levy verdict; the partition of India in fiction; mudlarking

    A serial sex attacker who had a 'morbid fascination' with sex has been jailed for the rest of his life after he was found guilty of murdering two women and raping a third. 40-year-old Simon Levy killed Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later. Earlier that year, he raped a third woman in the same Tottenham car park where Wilkins was later found dead. Levy will never be released but his sentence comes after police and the Crown Prosecution Service apologised over a series of disastrous decisions that left him free to roam the streets. To discuss the implications of this case, Anita Rani is joined by deputy assistant commissioner Helen Millichap, director of the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection, and author and journalist Joan Smith. Events of the past are often recounted through facts and dates but how do those legacies play out in the years, decades and generations that follow? Fauzia Musa joins Anita to discuss her debut novel, The Strangling Fig, why her own anxieties around motherhood inspired its inception and how the three generations of women it follows navigate the legacy of Partition. Why are Black American women spending thousands of dollars to fly halfway across the world to access healthcare in South Korea? Why has it become synonymous not only with beauty innovation but comprehensive healthcare? We speak to US journalist Brianna Holt and Meike Schleiff, associate professor at UCL’s Global Business School for Health. Lara Maiklem has been appointed - what's believed to be - Britain’s first 'mudlark-in-residence' after 20 years of finding lost treasures. Lara Maiklem, 55, says she fell in love with the activity when she moved to Greenwich, south-east London. Since then, she has found thousands of objects, most of which she stores in her guest bedroom as a mini museum. Standouts include a Tudor child’s shoes from the late 1500s, a Tudor dagger, Roman game counters, a complete Roman pot and an early 18th-century wine bottle. She joins us in the studio to share how mudlarking has changed her perspective on London - and life. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Simon Richardson

  6. 6d ago

    Eclipse, China's fake brides, Female climbers, Dr Amanda Cole & Tourette syndrome

    One of the most spectacular solar eclipses the UK has seen for decades is taking place this evening. The extraordinary celestial event will see the Moon move across the face of the Sun, creating a partial solar eclipse across the UK. Dr Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, and Zara Gray, an amateur eclipse chaser discuss the phenomenon. There are now 30 million more men than women in China due to China's one-child policy and that has led to many single men desperate to find a wife. But desperation can also make people vulnerable to exploitation. The authorities in China are warning of a rise in marriage fraud as scammers target those single men. Nuala is joined by the BBC China Correspondent Laura Bicker and Times columnist and author of the Chinese Whispers Substack Cindy Yu Britain's star athlete Keely Hodgkinson is competing in the women's 800m at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham. She is in the semi-finals tomorrow, with the final taking place on Friday. Team GB are hoping for gold. It has been called the race of the year, but the record has remained unbroken for 43 years despite huge advances in training, nutrition and technology. BBC sports journalist Emma Middleton explains more. Women climbers have defied altitude, expectations and convention. Journalist and author Rosemary J. Brown joins Nuala to discuss her new book, Moving Mountains, which uncovers the extraordinary stories of pioneering female mountaineers and the peaks named in their honour. When Dr Amanda Cole found out she had Tourette syndrome in her twenties, she thought it would destroy her life. Now a professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Cambridge, she is the subject of a new BBC documentary about her experiences with the neurological condition. Having previously kept her Tourette syndrome hidden, Dr Cole joins Nuala to discuss sharing her diagnosis with students at Cambridge and how being diagnosed has influenced both her personal and professional life. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Dianne McGregor

  7. Aug 11

    Composer Gabriela Ortiz, North Devon Maternity suspension, Children reading

    Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz won three Grammys for her 2024 album Revolución diamantina, and this week sees the work's UK premiere at the BBC Proms, when conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads the second of two LA Philharmonic Proms on Wednesday. Gabriela joins Nuala in the studio to discuss her career and how this work was inspired by Mexico’s 2019 Glitter Revolution, the nationwide feminist protests sparked after the rape of a teenage girl by four police officers, during which activists famously covered Mexico City’s security chief in pink glitter. A hospital in a rural area of England has suspended its maternity services from today because of unsafe levels of staffing. Instead of going to the North Devon District hospital in Barnstaple, women in labour will have to travel more than 50 miles to Exeter. More than 15,000 people have signed a petition against the plans that was initiated by the Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, Ian Roome. He joins presenter Nuala McGovern along with Jemima Knight who is currently pregnant with her third baby and lives in the area. Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences – or IPPs - were brought in by the Labour government in 2005, resulting in many prisoners not being given a fixed release date. One woman given a two year sentence spent sixteen years behind bars, with no idea of when she would eventually be released. They were abolished in 2012, but figures show more than 2,000 people are still impacted. As Prime Minister Andy Burnham looks into how they will play a part in his plan to reduce the prison population, we hear from Dr Muin Boase, the barrister who led the recent complaint to the UN on the continued use of this sentencing and how it's impacted women. How can we get children to read more over the summer? It's officially the National Year of Reading and evidence suggests that reading more over the holidays can help children hit the ground running in September when schools go back. But for many busy parents, getting children engaged in books and actively choosing reading over the lure of a tablet, TV or anything else can be a challenge. Liberty Venn, founder of the Children’s Book Project, and award-winning author and former primary school teacher Luan Goldie join us to discuss the benefits and share their tips for getting children reading more. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

  8. Aug 10

    Tamzin Outhwaite, 'Luteal Uglies', Kelly Latimer in space, Surrogacy laws in Europe

    New York congresswoman and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has revealed she has decided to freeze her eggs and will be documenting the process on social media - despite what she called a “political risk” for sharing her decision. She also confirmed over the weekend that she had not "ruled out the possibility" of running for president. Dr Emma Long Associate Professor of American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia joins Nuala McGovern. Actor, Tamzin Outhwaite talks about her latest role as the iconic Beverly in Mike Leigh’s ferocious black comedy, Abigail’s Party. Opening in London’s West End next week they’ll be discussing suburban life, social class, materialism and sexual tension in 1970s England. For those who don’t know - the luteal phase refers to the second part of the menstrual cycle. Dr Nighat Arif & Charlotte Dodds discuss why so-called ‘luteal uglies’ are going viral - videos of women sharing the physical and emotional changes they experience during this time. Nuala is joined by Bethany Bell, Germany reporter for the BBC, to shine a light on surrogacy laws there after a recent story involving a high-profile German politician, a baby born through surrogacy, and accusations of hypocrisy. And Kelly Latimer, flight test pilot and aeronautical engineer, is retiring this year after decades spent launching satellites, flying the world's most advanced planes, and even going into space. She reflects on a truly remarkable career. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

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About

Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire. The Woman's Hour Guide to Life collection is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/guidetolife

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Woman's Hour

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