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  • Last week, listener Charlotte got in touch with the programme to share her story. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April and was told she might only have months to live. She talks to Nuala about staying optimistic, juggling the admin of an illness with childcare, and the impact it’s having on her family. Adrienne Betteley, Strategic Advisor for End of Life Care at Macmillan Cancer Support, discusses dealing with a terminal diagnosis, how best to tell your children, and the support that's available.

    Tinessa Kaur has become the first Sikh woman to win the prestigious Young Pro-Bono Barrister of the Year award 2024 .She dedicates around 30 hours a week to her pro bono work in underrepresented communities. Her journey to the Bar hasn’t been easy, At just 17, while pursuing her A levels, she faced homelessness in Leicester where she lived. Now 32, the pupil barrister is hoping to inspire others from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue a career in the profession.

    Debbie Wileman is the British singing sensation who captured world-wide attention during the pandemic when her uncanny impersonations of Judy Garland went viral. She’s since performed at Carnegie Hall and now she'll be making her West End debut as Judy – while still doing day job at an optician’s.

    Producer: Maryam MarufStudio Managers: Emma Harth and Duncan Hannant

  • Earlier this month, the British Olympic Association announced the 42 athletes selected to represent Team GB in rowing at 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Among them is the two-time Olympic gold medallist Helen Glover competing at this level for the 4th time as part of the Women’s four. In 2015 Helen was ranked the top female rower in the world and went on to become the first mother to row for Team GB in 2021. Now having had three children she has her sights set on the podium once more - joining the ranks of other athletes who've achieved sporting success after having a family - cyclist Dame Laura Kenny, sprinter Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, and tennis players Elina Svitolina and Serena Williams. Helen joins Anita Rani.

    In the next of the Woman’s Hour interviews with the leaders of the main political parties in the run-up to the General Election, Anita speaks to Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.

    Weight loss drugs are now easily available on line with dozens of pharmacies including Boots and Superdrug offering them. For women weight loss is a multi-million pound industry with so many of us concerned about the numbers on the scales. Ozempic and other drugs involving semaglutide are available on the NHS - only for patients who are severely obese or who have type 2 diabetes. But this morning there are newspaper reports stating that some healthy weight young women, who don't have these conditions, are buying Ozempic to get ‘beach body ready’ and ending up in A&E. Doctors report seeing increasing numbers of people of a healthy size using weight-loss injections — with life-threatening consequences. Dr Vicky Price is a consultant in acute medicine and president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine.

    Meltdown festival opens at the Southbank Centre in London on Friday. Anita Rani hears from one the acts selected by the legendary American singer/songwriter Chaka Khan. It's the pan-African, all female super group Les Amazones d'Afrique, who shot to global fame in 2017, when President Obama included one of their songs among his 20 favourite tracks of the year. They were formed in Mali in 2014, with the goal of campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Kirsty StarkeyEditor: Karen Dalziel

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  • Up until the 1980s, stillborn babies were swiftly taken from their mothers who weren’t always told what had happened to them. Now one of those mothers is calling for an apology after finding the grave of her stillborn son more than five decades after he was born. Gina Jacobs talks to Anita about how she found where her son Robert had been buried and how she’s working to help other women do the same.

    In April the European Court of Human Rights passed a landmark ruling saying that Switzerland was violating the human rights of its citizens by inadequate action on climate change. The case was launched by a group of Swiss women over 65 called "climate seniors", calling for better protection of women's health from the effects of climate change. But yesterday, the Swiss parliament voted to reject the ruling, saying that it already has an effective climate change strategy. Elisabeth Stern, one of the climate seniors, joins Anita to share her reactions to the news.

    The American singer-songwriter, Chaka Khan, known as the Queen of Funk, is celebrating her 50th anniversary in music this year. With hits such as Ain't Nobody, I Feel for You and the anthem I'm Every Woman her music has sold an estimated 70 million records, winning her 10 Grammy Awards. She is curating Meltdown 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall, and opens the festival tomorrow night. She shares her plans and discusses her favourite songs.

    Far-right parties across Europe made significant gains in the European elections, and women have been at the forefront of this right-wing shift in several countries. Right-wing groups which include those led by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, France’s Marine Le Pen and Germany’s Alice Weidel are set to gain further seats in European parliament. To hear about the female leaders of Europe’s far-right and what this shift could mean for women, Anita is joined by the host of EU Confidential Politico's Sarah Wheaton and Shona Murray, Europe correspondent for Euronews.

    A new report has found that women artists made up just 2% of the most-played songs on Irish radio in the past year. To find out why women aren’t getting more airplay in Ireland, Anita is joined by Linda Coogan Byrne, the founder of Why Not Her? which champions gender diversity in the Irish culture sector.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Olivia Skinner

  • Paloma Faith is an award-winning singer, songwriter and actor. She has released six albums, including her most recent The Glorification of Sadness, received a BRIT Award, been a judge on The Voice UK as well as an actor in films such as St Trinian’s and TV’s series Pennyworth. She is also the mother of two daughters. She joins Clare to discuss her book – MILF - in which she delves into the issues that face women today from puberty and sexual awakenings, to battling through the expectations of patriarchy and the Supermum myth.

    In the first of our Woman’s Hour interviews with the leaders of the main political parties in the run-up to the General Election, Clare McDonnell is joined by Rhun ap Iorwerth, who leads Plaid Cymru, or the Party of Wales.

    A new study in England says that a third of cases where newborns are at risk of being taken into care involve parents who have learning disabilities or learning difficulties. The research – which was commissioned by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory – also finds that in over 80% of these cases, the parents’ learning disabilities or difficulties had not been identified until their cases reached court. Clare is joined by the report author Katy Burch, child protection lawyer Reagan Persaud and she also hears from a parent whose children were recently taken into care.

    And following golfer Rory McIlroy's announcement that he and his wife Erica have "resolved their differences" and dismissed the divorce petition he filed for last month, we ask what keeps some couples returning time and again to particular relationships. Clare talks to behavourial psychologist & relationship coach Jo Hemmings.

    Presented by Clare McDonnellProducer: Laura Northedge

  • Thornaby Football Club’s committee is facing criticism after they announced that the Teeside-based club would be dropping all of its women’s section. First team manager Abbey Lyle tells Clare McDonnell what this means for the women and girls in the club, the support they’ve received since, and what it says about grassroots women’s sport. Clare also discusses the issues with Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, former Paralympian and Chair of Sport Wales and the CEO of Women in Sport, Stephanie Hilborne.

    Clare talks to the Canadian writer and social activist Naomi Klein about her book Doppelganger, now out in the UK in paperback. The book is a result of her being mistaken for another Naomi – Wolf, for years. Naomi Klein uses her doppelganger as a metaphor to explain many of the issues facing the modern world, from climate change and politics, to obsession with wellness and the ways we parent our children.

    British writer Lucy Foley began her career writing historical fiction before making an extremely successful switch to crime and thrillers, and with New York Times bestsellers The Paris Apartment and The Guest List under her belt, Lucy has sold more than five and half million books. She joins Clare to discuss her latest novel, The Midnight Feast, which takes place during the opening of a luxury wellness retreat and explores the clash between the insta-ready super-rich and some very disgruntled locals.

    Grammy-award winning American folk singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan has released three critically-acclaimed solo albums, is co-founder and front woman of the string band, Crooked Still, and is also one third of the all-female group I’m With Her. Her latest album, All My Friends, is inspired by the passage of the 19th amendment and the evolving landscape of women’s rights in America over the past century. She joins Clare to discuss the themes and to perform live in the studio.

    Presented by Clare McDonnellProducer: Louise Corley

  • Nearly 300 rapes and sexual assaults reported by sex workers during the Emma Caldwell murder investigation were not dealt with by police at the time, the BBC has learned. 276 reports of sex crimes made by sex workers working in Glasgow during the murder inquiry were filed away and not acted upon. Investigate journalist Sam Poling, whose work was pivotal in bringing Emma Caldwell’s killer, Iain Packer, to justice in February of this year, joins Clare McDonnell to discuss, along with former Detective Sergeant Willie Mason. Baroness Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, the largest breast cancer charity, is stepping down after 23 years. She joined Breakthrough Breast Cancer in 1995, where she led fundraising efforts that resulted in the opening of the UK's first dedicated breast cancer research facility in 1999. The crossbench peer, who sits in the House of Lords, joins Clare McDonnell to reflect on her tenure as well as the treatment and outlook for breast cancer. Conservationist Isabella Tree tells Clare about turning her failing farmland estate into one of Europe's most significant rewilding experiments. Her bestselling book about the Knepp Estate project has now been made into a film. Later this week, Wilding is released in cinemas. Virginie Viard, the creative director at Chanel, has announced her resignation from the fashion house. Only three people have held this prestigious position in the brand’s 114-year history: Viard, Karl Lagerfeld, and Coco Chanel. Who is in the frame for this esteemed role? And what will be the impact of a change in creative vision at Chanel on the fashion industry at large? Clare talks to Justine Picardie, writer and biographer of Coco Chanel, and Victoria Moss, fashion director at the Evening Standard. Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Dianne McGregor

  • Scotland's most senior law officer has asked nine of the country's judges to overturn an 87-year-old rule on evidence in cases involving rape and other sexual offences. Since she became Lord Advocate in 2021, Dorothy Bain KC has often spoken of her desire to improve the criminal justice system for victims, particularly women and girls. She is now seeking radical changes which would allow more rape cases to reach court. Anita Rani talks to David Cowan, BBC Scotland's home affairs correspondent.

    A group of state secondary schools in Southwark, south London, has decided to act as a collective and shift their pupils away from smartphones. Children's use of smartphones, particularly in schools, continues to be a hot topic issue, and many schools have decided to create new policies to try and tackle what they call the damaging effects of smartphone use. One of those schools is Ark Walworth Academy in Southwark, and their headteacher, Jessica West, joins Anita to talk about the plans.

    This evening, Taylor Swift will take to the stage at Murrayfield in Edinburgh for the first part of her UK tour. It is the first of 17 UK dates, which will finish in a record-breaking eight-night run at London's Wembley Stadium. By then, she will have played to almost 1.2 million UK fans. Her international Eras tour is expected to make more than $2 billion (£1.5 billion) by the time she performs her final show in Canada this December. Jolene Campbell, reporter at The Daily Record, talks to Anita about the Swifties who have descended on the city.

    As a newborn baby in 1968, Helen Ward had been wrapped up warmly in a tartan bag and abandoned in a phone box in Ireland. She would spend years searching for her biological mother, but what she found instead were two full siblings who had also been abandoned as babies. Helen talks to Anita about the story she's spent a lifetime unravelling.

    As we enter wedding season, some listeners will be spending every weekend for the rest of summer at either a hen do or a wedding. But what is the etiquette when it comes to plus ones? Anita talks to Liz Wyse, Etiquette Adviser for Debrett's and journalist Rebecca Reid.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Rebecca MyattStudio manager: Tim Heffer

  • The singer-songwriter Natasha Khan, known by her stage name Bat for Lashes, joins Anita to talk about her new album, The Dream of Delphi. Named after her daughter Delphi, her new music explores motherhood through lush orchestral sounds. She discusses having a baby during the Covid lockdown and how the experience informed her song-writing.

    Vengeance is award-winning journalist and writer Saima Mir’s second novel, and the sequel to her crime thriller debut The Khan. The book continues the story of Jia Khan as she’s fighting to keep her position at the head of a crime syndicate her father created, and as the mysterious corpses of men begin to appear around the city. Saima joins Anita in the studio to discuss writing a British Asian crime family, creating the characters she wants to read, and why sisterhood is at the heart of her new novel.

    The mother of a 16 year-old-boy who ended his life after becoming the victim of a sextortion gang says the tech giant Meta has taken too long to hand over data which might help the investigation into his death. Joe Tidy, the BBC’s first Cyber Correspondent, explains how he’s been investigating Sextortion – a type of online blackmail which involves threatening to share intimate pictures of the victim.

    Today marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when thousands of Allied troops landed on beaches across Normandy, marking the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied northern Europe. What’s often forgotten is the important role that women played in organising this huge military project and making the D-Day happen. Anita Rani speaks to historian, teacher and writer Shalina Patel, who has told some of these women’s stories in her book The History Lessons, which celebrates stories and people beyond the usual narratives.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Olivia Skinner

  • Tina Fey, a colossus of the comedy world for more than two decades, is also the creative force behind Mean Girls. The original movie in 2004, starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, spawned a Broadway musical in 2018, and many of the songs were featured in this year’s modern movie remake. Tina is now bringing an updated stage version of Mean Girls The Musical to London, opening at the Savoy Theatre this week. She joins Nuala.

    The youth organisation Young Farmers has been accused of having a problem with how they treat women in the farming community. Young Farmers has more than 23,000 members aged 10-28 and aims to support young people in agriculture and the countryside as well as offering a range of social events for young people. And its at some of these events where journalist Abi Kay has found that incidents of sexual assault and harassment are ‘commonplace’. Abi joins Nuala to discuss.

    Alice Kyteler was born in 1263 and achieved enormous commercial success and wealth before becoming the first woman to be tried as a witch in Ireland. She is also the protagonist of the novel Bright I Burn which tells the story of an extraordinary woman who courted controversy and paid the price for her vast wealth and frequent marriages. Nuala is joined by the author Molly Aitken.

    On Monday, candidate registration for Iran’s upcoming snap elections closed and 80 people have signed up for the chance to become the country’s next President. Four of them are women. In the 45 year history of the Islamic Republic, no woman has been allowed to stand for the top office – even though plenty have tried. So why do women keep putting their name forward? BBC World Service Women's Affairs reporter Feranak Amidi explains.

    Presenter: Nuala McGovernProducer: Maryam MarufStudio Manager: Duncan Hannant

  • 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 Woman’s Hour about her new book, BoyMum, which looks at what it means both to be a boy, and to raise a boy. Ruth joins Nuala to discuss what she’s learned from investigating masculinity and boyhood, the impact on girls and boys, and how it’s changed the way she is raising her three sons.

    The ongoing war in Ukraine has led to a significant shift in the local job market, with more women now doing roles traditionally dominated by men, such as mining. After more than a thousand male workers left their jobs in a coal mine to fight Russia’s invasion, the energy company DTEK allowed women to work underground for the first time in its history. Nuala is joined by Ukrainian journalist and BBC World Service Europe editor, Kateryna Khinkulova to discuss this transformation and what it means for women in Ukraine.

    Arabian Adventures: The Secrets of the Nabateans is a new two-part documentary on BBC iPlayer that looks into a culture who had women in leadership roles in the 4th century BC. Alice Morrison, adventurer and author, joins Nuala to talk more about what she has discovered about Nabatean women, and what modern-day Saudi Arabian women make of them.

  • 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 after her son, Rupert, died during labour. She tells Nuala how it helped her grieve.

    Candice Carty-Williams’ debut novel, Queenie, has been adapted into a series for Channel 4. It tells the story of a 25-year-old woman as she straddles two different cultures at the same time as navigating romantic relationships, family stresses and work pressure. Dionne Brown plays Queenie in the series – she joins Nuala to tell us more about the series.

    A 20-year-old man who allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl in Spain has been acquitted because the court deemed their relationship ‘common’ as members of the Roma community. So what does this mean for the protection of Roma women and girls against violence across Europe? Nuala is joined by Judit Ignácz, from The European Roma Rights Centre, an international organisation working to combat discrimination against the Roma population, to discuss.

    A new type of blood test can predict the recurrence of breast cancer months or even years before it shows up on scans, which could potentailly pave the way for treatment to start before it becomes incurable. Nuala is joined by Simon Vincent, director of research, support and influencing at Breast Cancer Now, who part-funded this study.

    Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

  • 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 Claire Nelson, Managing Director of the Netball Super League, and London Pulse CEO Sam Bird.

    Politicians in The Gambia are debating whether to overturn the ban on female genital mutilation. Activist Fatou Baldeh MBE explains the impact this discussion is having on the ground and in other countries around the world.

    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 was joined by guests including Penelope Tree was one of the most famous models of the 1960s and the muse of her then boyfriend, the photographer David Bailey.

    Grammy and Tony award-winning songwriter Anaïs Mitchell is the creator of the musical Hadestown – a genre-defying retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth blending folk music and New Orleans jazz. With productions on Broadway and now at the Lyric Theatre in London, Anaïs performed live in the Woman’s Hour studio and talked about the origins and impact of Hadestown.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Annette WellsEditor: Louise Corley

  • 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's created and produced many major book-based campaigns on TV over the last 20 years, including Richard & Judy's Book Club and Between The Covers on BBC Two. She personally selects the books featured and has been responsible for launching the careers of many bestselling authors, including Kate Mosse, David Nicholls and Victoria Hislop. Amanda is hosting the Between the Covers Live! UK Tour 2024 and joins Anita to discuss.

    Politicians in The Gambia are debating whether to overturn the ban on female genital mutilation. Activist Fatou Baldeh MBE describes the impact this discussion is having on the ground and her own experiences of surviving FGM.

    Singer Abi Sampa has become the first British woman to perform qawwali – a form of Sufi devotional music typically performed by men – at the Royal Albert Hall. Abi, who is also a trained dentist, talks to Anita about her genre-defying Orchestral Qawwali Project which mixes South Asian traditions with western choral music and balancing her careers in music and dentistry.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Maryam Maruf

  • 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 McGovern about how the process destroyed her mentally, emotionally and professionally.

    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 Rani 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.

    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 McGovern alongside relationship therapist Simone Bose to explain more about what love bombing is, and how we can all look out for the warning signs.

    The long awaited final report of the public inquiry into the infected blood scandal was published this week, 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 following childbirth, and individuals with haemophilia—predominantly males—and others with similar bleeding disorders who received contaminated blood products. Around 1,250 people with bleeding disorders, including 380 children were infected with HIV. Fewer than 250 are still alive today. Some transmitted HIV to their partners. Nuala McGovern speaks to Clair Walton, who gave evidence to the inquiry. She has been campaigning for years for the wives and partners who became infected to be heard and acknowledged.

    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 Rani to discuss their concert I, Clara which celebrates the ground-breaking life and work of Clara Schumann in her own right.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Annette WellsEditor: Louise Corley

  • 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 & Juliet. She’s also appeared in Wicked, Chess and in the role of Carole King in the West End production of Beautiful. Cassidy is now performing in Jerry’s Girls at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, which celebrates the life and legacy of the legendary award-winning Broadway composer Jerry Herman. Cassidy joins Anita and performs live.

    Yvette Fielding is best known for hosting the TV show Most Haunted, and for being the youngest ever presenter of Blue Peter. She was just 18 when she joined the iconic BBC children’s show in 1987. Yvette joins Anita to talk about her memoir Scream Queen, which charts her journey from child actor to 'ghost hunter'.

    Today is a big day in the world of women's sport. The Netball Super League, the UK's elite level domestic competition, has relaunched and embarks on what it calls a "new era of transformational change". Anita is joined by Claire Nelson, Managing Director of the Netball Super League, and London Pulse CEO Sam Bird.

    Presenter: Anita RaniProducer: Emma Pearce

  • 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 retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth blending folk music and New Orleans jazz. With productions on Broadway and now at the Lyric Theatre in London, Anaïs performs live in the Woman’s Hour studio and talks to Nuala about the origins and impact of Hadestown.

    The 'lad’s mag' Loaded is back - with Liz Hurley once again on the cover. Sarah Ditum, journalist and author of ‘Toxic: Women, Fame and The Noughties’, joins Nuala to give her reaction.

    In our series of hobbies you've restarted after decades, we hear from Rosie, who rediscovered her childhood roller skates whilst clearing out her parents' house. Now, she does regular roller skating lessons, and absolutely loves it. She tells our reporter Sarah Swadling all about it.

    What do you know about Nan Shepherd? The Scottish author, poet and naturalist has helped shape Scotland’s recent literary history with her work. A new play, Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed, explores her life and legacy at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. The play’s writer, Ellie Zeegan joins Nuala to discuss Nan’s legacy.

    Presenter: Nuala McGovernProducer: Lottie Garton

  • 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 McGovernProducer: 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 McGovernProducer: Laura NorthedgeEditor: 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 RaniProducer: Maryam MarufStudio 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 RaniProducer: Rebecca MyattStudio manager: Bob Nettles