Woman's Hour

Childbirth is something that more than 80% of women go through in their lifetime. But could that be about to change? Sci-Fi author Helen Sedgwick thinks we’re just a generation away from external, artificial wombs being used for childbirth. But what does this mean for the concept of motherhood and a woman’s place in society? Anita is joined by Helen and designer of an artificial womb Lisa Mandemaker.Exam season is upon us - Highers have begun in Scotland and A-levels and GCSEs start on the 16th May and finish on the 28th June, but maybe your kids have end of year exams coming up too. As a parent what is the best way to support your child? Especially if they have important exams looming but are doing everything they can to pretend that they don’t? Or perhaps you have the opposite problem and your child is paralysed with anxiety. How do you engage the teenage brain and support your child with their revision? Anita is joined by Dr Jane Gilmour, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Emeli Sandé is one of Britain’s most successful songwriters. With 19 million singles sold including three number one singles, 6 million albums and four BRIT awards (including Best Female twice!). Emeli joins Emma to discuss her music, and has a specially recorded version of There Isn’t Much – a track written with Naughty Boy and Shaq, from her new album Let’s Say For Instance. Over the weekend in Afghanistan the Taliban ordered that all women must wear a burqa in public. It's the latest blow to women's rights in the country since the Taliban took power in August last year. Yalda Hakim is an International Correspondent for the BBC and spoke to us about this development. What is it like to run a fashion magazine? We ask Kenya Hunt, who became the first black Editor-in-Chief at Elle UK when she took over the role in March. With print readership in decline, and the fashion industry reeling from the pandemic, how does she plan to keep women reading magazines? Depp v Heard. It’s the court case that has gripped not

Emma talks to Peggy Seeger who has enjoyed six decades of success with her music. Peggy was married to the singer Ewen McColl. Together they revitalised the British Folk Scene during the 50s and 60s. Now 86 years old, Peggy's own songs have become anthems for feminists, anti-nuclear campaigners and those fighting for social justice.Exam season is upon us - Highers have begun in Scotland and A-levels and GCSEs start on the 16th May, but maybe your kids have end of year exams coming up too. As a parent what is the best way to support your child? Anita is joined by Dr Jane Gilmour, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital.Candice Carty-Williams described her very successful first novel Queenie as 'the black Bridget Jones'. She has described her new novel People Person as her ‘daddy issues’ book and in it she celebrates families of all sorts. Her aim, she says, is to make visible the people she knows and the experiences she has had.As Anne Robinson announces she's stepping down as the ho

Radio 1’s Adele Roberts won Radio Times’ Moment of the Year award at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards this week, for the moment when she spoke to her listeners about being diagnosed with bowel cancer. She joins Emma to talk about her ongoing treatment and how she’ll celebrate when it’s done.Judith Hutchinson has been trying to house Ukrainian citizen Oksana Melashchuk and her two children for several weeks now. Oksana’s visa finally came through yesterday, and both women are able to join Emma from Judith’s house in Hampshire.This week a law professor wore an identical dress to the Queen of Spain while receiving an award from her. Have you ever turned up to an event in the same outfit as someone else? Were you mortified or did you style it out? We hear your experiences and Emma asks Lisa Armstrong, head of fashion at The Telegraph for her tips on how to handle it.50 years since its humble beginnings in the East End of London, the Sylvia Young Theatre School has worked with and trained the likes of Dua Lipa

As Anne Robinson announces she's stepping down as the host of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown, Emma Barnett catches up with her. Robinson was the first female to ever host the show, with 265 episodes under her belt since she joined just a year ago. After a career as a national newspaper journalist, she found fame in 2000 hosting the BBC quiz show The Weakest Link. Her acerbic wit led to her becoming labelled the “Queen of Mean”. For months now the apparent increasing shortage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has caused uproar, igniting debates in Parliament and triggering the appointment of an HRT tsar. A Channel 4 documentary earlier this week on the subject also talked about the use of testosterone to help with some menopausal symptoms. Dr Paula Briggs, Chair Elect of British Menopause Society and Consultant in Sexual and Reproductive Health at Liverpool Women’s Hospital discusses her concerns and unpicks the potential impact of using testosterone.The homelessness charity Shelter has found that ne

Candice Carty-Williams described her very successful first novel Queenie as 'the black Bridget Jones'. In the opening chapter of her new novel People Person absent father Cyril climbs into his gold jeep and drives around London collecting the five half-siblings he has sired, introduces them all for the first time and buys them an ice-cream. Candice has called this her ‘daddy issues’ book and in it she celebrates families of all sorts. Her aim, she says, is to make visible the people she knows and the experiences she has had. She joins Emma in the studio. Overnight - according to a leaked draft of a court document - we learnt that the US Supreme Court could be about to overturn the nationwide right to an abortion. The New York Times writer Amanda Taub tells us what this means for women in America. Despite laws preventing protest or even coverage of the war, many women and female-led groups in Russia have found a way to express their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine. One of them is the Feminist Anti-War Re

This May bank holiday Emma looks at women and the tradition of folk music. You may have a stereotypical image of a woman in a floaty dress walking through a flower meadow - but we want to challenge that. From protest songs and feminist anthems - it's not all whimsy in the world of folk. Emma talks to Peggy Seeger who has enjoyed six decades of success with her music. Peggy was married to the singer Ewen McColl. He wrote the song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" for her. Together they revitalised the British Folk Scene during the 50s and 60s, working on the BBC Radio Ballads; ground-breaking documentaries - which wove a story from the words of real people working in the mining and fishing industry or building the M1 motorway with sound effects, and songs. Now 86 years old, Peggy's own songs have become anthems for feminists, anti-nuclear campaigners and those fighting for social justice.Emma examines the uncomfortable elements of folk music, and how artists are finding ways of reinterpreting old songs, or

The TV presenter Julia Bradbury on her TV documentary and life after her breast cancer diagnosis. The longest serving MP, Dame Margaret Beckett on standing down as an MP in the next election.The "aunties" - the older women in the community who we should respect but for some may be judgemental as well as motherly. Podcaster and writer Tolly Shoneye and Anchal Seda discuss. The Attorney General and cabinet member Suella Braverman on the allegations that an unidentified Conservative MP has been accused of watching porn in the House of Commons. BMX Olympic and world champion Bethany Shriever on being named Action Sportsperson of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Music journalist Jude Rogers on her new book The Sound of Being Human, part memoir, part exploration of how music is interwoven into our lives from before birth to beyond the grave. Presenter:: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

Maya Sondhi has made a name for herself in television dramas like Silent Witness and Line Of Duty. But now she's in the writer’s chair, and she's behind a new police drama called DI Ray. It follows DI Rachita Ray who's promoted to join a ‘Culturally Specific Homicide’ investigation. Rachita suspects there's something else going on here.Rebecca Hilsenrath from The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman talks about failings of the Foreign Office when dealing with a 2018 rape complaint in Turkey. She describes how a British woman who was raped when she was on holiday went to the Consulate for help but was told, "Carry on with your holiday and enjoy it." The woman, who's remaining anonymous, first complained about the response she got from Consulate officials, and then how the Foreign Office dealt with it. Her complaint’s been upheld. We have our last part of Life After Divorce. Today we're hearing from Sita who talks about getting divorced from her wife. They didn't have children or shared assets but, she sa

The presenter Julia Bradbury talks to Emma about her new documentary Breast Cancer and Me. Conservative Party Whips are conducting an investigation after two female MPs say they witnessed a colleague watching porn on his mobile phone in the House of Commons. The Attorney General Suella Braverman joined Emma, along with the feminist and activist Dr Helen Mott who's been involved in advising parliament in it's cultures of sexism and violence against women. Music journalist Jude Rogers has written a book, The Sound of Being Human, part memoir, part exploration of how music is interwoven into our lives from before birth to beyond the grave. She joins Emma to talk about the power of music.The ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme was introduced last month by the Government in an attempt to encourage UK citizens to sponsor Ukrainians who are fleeing the war. Judith Hutchinson is one such sponsor and has supported Oksana Melashchuk, a Ukrainian citizen, and her two children. Last week she drove them from Romania to Calais. A

Bethany Shriever’s win at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 gave the British Olympic team its first ever gold medal in BMX racing even though she had to launch a crowdfunding appeal to stand a chance of qualifying for the games. What does this latest award mean for her and BMX racing? In the wake of the Sarah Everard murder, Boris Johnson said he’d stop at nothing to jail more rapists’ and promised to fix the system which means just 1.3% of cases result in a charge. Our reporter Melanie Abbott has been investigating new guidelines on evidence gathering issued by the Crown Prosecution Service and Emma Barnett talks to Sian Ruddick who is an independent sexual advisor who works with victims of sexual assault.In 1958, The Great Leap Forward was a campaign led by the Chinese Communist Party to reconstruct the country and its economy which resulted in mass starvation and famine. Thousands of people fled to the neighbouring state of Hong Kong, which was a British colony at the time and many children – often girls - liv

Dame Margaret Beckett is one of Britain's most celebrated and respected female politicians and will be talking to us about her decision to stand down as an MP at the next elections She was first elected in October 1974. and has been described by Keir Starmer the leader of her own party as a “legend” and a “trailblazer”. She talks about the highlights of her time in politics and her plans for the future.Job interviews can be intimidating at the best of times, but not knowing how to present yourself, what to expect and what to wear can be a huge barrier and it’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of failed interviews and unemployment. Over the last eight years the charity Smart Works has been providing outfits and bespoke coaching to help women re-enter the job market. Most of the referrals come from the Government funded employment agency JobCentre Plus. We talk to Mims Davies Minister for Employment at the Department for Work and Pensions and Kate Stephens the CEO of the charityNow the Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon

Only Fools and Horses stars Tessa Peake-Jones and Gwyneth Strong will perform together in a touring stage adaptation of Ladies of Letters. The pair famously played Raquel and Cassandra - the wives of Del Boy and Rodney. They join Emma to discuss the stage show, working together again, and of course, the iconic sitcom.The Prime Minister has been in touch with the Labour Deputy leader, Angela Rayner -- to make it clear he regards claims about her reported in yesterday's Mail on Sunday as misogynistic. The paper said some Tory MPs had suggested she tried to distract the Prime Minister in the Commons by crossing and uncrossing her legs. Emma gets the reaction to the story of Conservative MP and Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, Caroline Nokes,Today the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women in the Penal System publishes a report on women’s health and well-being in prison. Co-chair of the group, Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price talks exclusively to Woman’s Hour about the steps needed to improve

A professional woman who was continually called "good girl" by her boss has won an employment tribunal. Frances Fricker was told by her boss which photo to put on her work profile because HE thought it was the most attractive. The judge in the tribunal found that Frances, an accounts executive with a consultancy company called Gartner, had been sexually harassed at work, and because she fought against the harassment by taking a grievance, she was treated even worse. He also described the culture where she worked as laddish and toxic. She joins us on Woman’s Hour.The footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez have announced the death of their baby boy at birth. The couple were expecting twins. Their baby girl survived. We speak to Clea Harmer is CEO of the charity Sands and Katie Harris, who lost one of her twin daughters, Abikara, during pregnancy.We meet Rhian from Wet Leg, the indie rock band whose debut album shot straight to number 1 last week.We explore the Metaverse; a fast-growing

The indie band Wet Leg went straight to number 1 last week with their debut album. Their songs are witty: all about love, sex, parties and breakups. We speak to one of the band members, Rhian Teasdale.When it comes to losing weight why is the word “diet” used less and less these days? The diet industry is worth billions, but lots of people think the word itself is unhelpful. We talk to Dr Saira Hameed, an NHS Consultant who specialises in obesity medicine at Imperial College London. She's also the author of The Full Diet. And we also have Rhiannon Lambert, who's a Nutritionist.Can boxing transform lives? The actor Idris Elba thinks it might and he's got a series called Fight School which is currently on BBC 2. He’s recruited a group of eight young men and women, giving them an intensive boxing course with the aim of improving confidence and resilience. There's another goal which is to compete in an amateur fight. Chanika is one of the young women taking part, and Rachel Bower is one of the boxing coaches on t

Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Kirsty Starkey Interviewed Guest: Bonnie Langford Interviewed Guest: Frances Fricker Reporter: Henrietta Harrison Interviewed Guest: Sharie FetzerBonnie Langford was just seven years old when she performed as Bonnie Butler at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in Gone With The Wind. She has since appeared in everything from Gypsy to Cats and Chicago. In more recent years she has played Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and brought her unique portrayal of Roz in Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, The Musical. Bonnie joins Krupa to discuss her career spanning 50 years on stage and her current role as Evangeline Harcourt in Anything Goes.A professional woman who was continually called "good girl" by her boss has won an employment tribunal. Frances Fricker was told by her boss which photo to put on her work profile because HE thought it was the most attractive. The judge in the tribunal found that Frances, an accounts executive with a consultancy company called Gar

Stand up Paddleboarding or SUP is fast becoming one of the most popular water-sports in the UK. Jo Moseley was 51 when she started the sport and she tells us why we should all get on a board and start paddling.We’ll be joined by Mary Queen of Shops – that’s Mary Portas – who’s one of the UK's leading voices on retail and brand communication. She is in parliament today calling on the government to amend a law governing how companies are run to better reflect their social and environmental responsibilities. Sticking with parliament, we hear about the government's plan to help regulate content and tech companies with the On Line Safety Bill. The BBC’s parliamentary correspondent sets out what is and isn’t going to be included in the legislation and we hear from Carol Vorderman and Catherine Allen from the Institute of Engineering and technology about their concerns surrounding the safeguarding of young people in the metaverse. And the author and journalist Sophia Smith Galer tells us about her new book: ‘Losing

As the Ukraine conflict rages on, questions have arisen over what the endgame is for Russian President Vladimir Putin. There have been continued reports of rape and violence being used against Ukrainian civilians by Russian soldiers. Durham-born Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, has been a foreign policy adviser for three United States Presidents. Seen as one of the foremost experts on Russia, she joins Krupa live in the studio to talk about the invasion and what happens next. The footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez have announced the death of their baby boy at birth. The couple were expecting twins. Their baby girl survived. Clea Harmer is CEO of the charity Sands, she joined Krupa alongside Katie Harris, who lost one of her twin daughters, Abikara, during pregnancy. Women live longer than men in the UK but new analysis shows that life expectancy for women living in the poorest 10 percent of areas in England is lower than overall life expectancy in any OECD

Today we're looking at the female con artist. Have you watched Inventing Anna, the series about Anna Sorokin who duped New York's banks, hotels and high society into believing she was a multi-millionaire heiress?Or The Dropout, about Silicon Valley entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes who claimed she had invented a technology that could test for diseases with just a pinprick of blood?Their cases have inspired countless TV series, movies, podcasts, books and even plays. But why are they so popular and what does it say about us as consumers of these tales?We explore what role their gender played in achieving their deceit and the coverage they've received. We'll also discuss the history, psychology and cultural depictions of the female con artist, and hear from a woman who Anna Sorokin left with a bill for $62,000.We're joined by Sara O'Brien, senior technology reporter at CNN Business; Vicky Baker, BBC journalist; Kathryn Claire Higgins, media scholar at LSE; Dr Nicola Harding, criminologist at Lancaster University; M

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police has met and personally apologised to three victims of grooming gangs in Rochdale for failures in the investigation of the sexual exploitation of children. The apology comes exactly a decade after the 2012 trial that resulted in some members of the gangs being convicted for their crimes. We hear from Maggie Oliver, the former detective who blew the whistle on the police’s failure to tackle these crimes.Anya Taylor-Joy's decision to leave school at 16 to pursue a career in acting has certainly paid off. In 2020, in the first month of its release – a staggering sixty-two million households watched her play chess prodigy Beth Harmon in the Netflix mini-series 'The Queen’s Gambit'. She discusses her latest film – The Northman - a brutal and bloody viking revenge epic.In August 2018, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian-British academic travelled to Iran to attend a seminar and conduct academic research. At Tehran airport on her way back home to Australia, she was arre