Woman's Hour

The actor, writer and comedian Diane Morgan. She started her career as a stand-up but you may know her best as the ill-informed interviewer Philomena Cunk, or laid back Liz in the parenting sitcom Motherland, or even Kath in Ricky’s Gervais series After Life. She’s also written, directed and starred in her own comedy series Mandy about a woman who's got big dreams but can’t be bothered to do the work to get there, and whose short lived jobs are a disaster. Now she's in Inside Number 9 on BBC 2. Police in Northern Ireland are investigating a clinic in Belfast which claims to help infertile couples have a baby. The police investigation follows a BBC Northern Ireland documentary called The Babymaker Uncovered. The clinic is called Logan Wellbeing and Medical and is run by Ruth Ellen Logan who claims that she was trained in America. She's been offering treatments like massage and reflexology, as well a IV drips and vitamin injections. Women who are desperate for a child, including some who are medically menopaus

Described as 'darkly comic feminist fables' ‘Roar’ is a new eight-part drama series adapted from Cecilia Aherne's short story collection. Each episode shines a spotlight on women's experiences and how women navigate through other's perceptions of them as well as their own. Comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actor, Meera Syal, plays ‘The Woman Who Returned her Husband’. She joins Chloe Tilley.A new report highlights the experiences of over 260 Black, Asian, minority ethnic and foreign national women in the twelve prisons across England. Their accounts of indirect and direct racism have been described as shocking and distressing The report is compiled by the Criminal Justice Alliance in collaboration with the Independent Monitoring Boards. Nina Champion is Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance and Dame Anne Owers is National Chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards and the former Chief Inspectorate of Prisons.Have you got an inner goblin? Do you ever let it out? Not washing for days, s

Throughout April the UK holds the presidency of the United Nation’s Security Council as the world focuses its attention on the war in Ukraine. The woman who takes on that role is Dame Barbara Woodward who’s the UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN. She talks to Emma about her priorities and plans for a new global code of conduct to improve the pursuit of justice for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. 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.Two new authors, Georgina Scull and Tanya Shadrick, both open their books with a description of how they came very close to death in their thirties. Th

The debate over sex and gender filters through to many areas of our lives today whether its about women-only spaces, trans athletes competing in sporting events or our use of language to define what a woman is. It’s now being put centre stage of the local elections next month by a new campaign called "Respect my Sex if you want my X”. The campaign run by Women Uniting UK is urging voters – both men and women - to quiz prospective candidates canvassing on the doorstep with questions like “What is a woman?” or “What is more important, sex or gender?” The Labour MP Rosie Duffield talks about her support for the group and why she believes the issue could have an impact next month as well as on the wider political landscape. The sequel to Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard's bitter legal battle is coming to America. - Virginia to be more precise. After losing the first round - a libel trial set in the UK - Depp, is suing Heard, for $50m (£38m) over a piece she wrote in The Washington Post in which she claime

With over 100 million record sales, an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, three Golden Globes and an award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America, very few artists have a catalogue that matches the iconic Cher. A new musical, touring the UK - “The Cher Show” - tells the story of the Goddess of Pop’s meteoric rise to fame. The director and choreographer behind the show are two Strictly Come Dancing legends - Arlene Phillips and Oti Mabuse. They both join Emma to discuss the new show and their own careers.In August 2018, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian-British academic travelled to Iran to attend a seminar and conduct academic research. It was her first visit to the country. At Tehran airport on her way back home to Australia, she was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Accused of espionage, she was imprisoned and later convicted and given a ten year sentence. She spent over two years in prison, half of it in solitary confinement. She was released in November 2020 as part of a prison

We explore No Fault Divorce. The biggest reform of divorce law for 50 years comes into force- changing a law that dates back to Henry VIII. We hear from listener, Helen, currently going through a divorce.The Paralympic five time gold medallist Ellie Simmonds was born with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. A new drug currently being trialled in the NHS and now approved for use in the USA aims to help children with achondroplasia grow taller. In a new BBC documentary: A World without Dwarfism, Ellie raises the question if cutting edge medicine can stop disability in its tracks, should we use it?There are reports that women in Ukraine have been raped in front of their children, and Russian soldiers have filmed what they're doing. We discuss why rape in war happens, justice and trauma with Dr Jelke Boesten, Professor of Gender and Development at King's College London.It’s been over two weeks since the Taliban went back on their plans to allow girls in Afghanistan to return to school. Sara Wahedi,

The new season of Top Boy currently on Netflix, shines a light on the reality of life for those involved in London drug gangs and the people who live around them. This season covers social issues such as deportation, homophobia and child neglect, with the character Lauryn’s experience of domestic violence being a central storyline. Actor Saffron Hocking, who plays Lauryn on the show joins us to talk about her portrayal of the issue.Sunday 10th April sees the first round of the French Presidential elections. According to the latest polls the two candidates likely to go through to the next round are the current President Emmanuel Macron and The National Rally’s Marine Le Pen. She’s rebranded her party and herself for this latest attempt. The Economist's Sophie Pedder joins us to discuss the potential first female President of France.Just over a week ago Woman’s Hour devoted a whole programme to the long awaited and landmark Ockenden Report into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust - i

Grace Lavery is an Associate Professor of English, Critical Theory, and Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Originally from the West Midlands, Grace moved to the States in 2008, and transitioned in 2018. She is an activist as well as an academic, and has now written a memoir called Please Miss – A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Penis. This morning 100 individuals and their families have written to the Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, asking him to appoint Donna Ockenden to conduct an independent review of maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. They are members of an online support group for those affected by unsafe maternity services and have shared harrowing accounts of their experiences. Jack and Sarah Hawkins join Emma to talk about the death of their daughter, Harriet, on 17th April 2016 as a result of a mismanaged labour. At the time both of them worked for Nottingham University Hospital Trust and their medical knowledge meant that

The biggest reform of divorce law for 50 years comes into force today. As ‘no-fault divorce' comes into practice Woman's Hour are opening our phone lines to listen to what YOU have to say on the changes. We want to hear your experiences of ending your marriage and what difference you think these new measures will make? Would this change have made your divorce more amicable? Have you postponed getting divorced waiting for this reform to come into force and have already booked an appointment at the solicitors? Or are you considering divorce and this conversation has made it feel a bit less daunting? Join our phone-in today.You can call us on 03700 100 444.The lines will open at 8am.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Helen Marriott

Reports are coming through that Russian soldiers have raped women in Ukraine. There are reports that women have been raped in front of their children, and soldiers have filmed what they're doing. We hear the latest from BBC correspondent Emma Vardy, and discuss why rape in war happens, justice and trauma with Dr Jelke Boesten, Professor of Gender and Development at King's College London.The Equality and Human Rights Commission has now given guidance about single-sex spaces. This is for spaces like toilets, prisons and changing rooms. We talk to Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the EHRC.David Gauke, who used to be Secretary of State for Justice, comes on the programme to talk about the new divorce system. When he was in post he thought the system was making a difficult situation worse. He said that the law should allow people to move on constructively when divorce is inevitable, and that this would really help children. A new book called Lessons in Chemistry follows the rise of an unconventional TV cook call

The Paralympic five time gold medallist Ellie Simmonds was born with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. A new drug currently being trialled in the NHS and now approved for use in the USA aims to help children with achondroplasia grow taller. In a new BBC documentary: A World without Dwarfism, Ellie raises the question if cutting edge medicine can stop disability in its tracks, should we use it? More than half a million women across the UK are on gynaecology waiting lists. This speciality has seen the steepest rise in waiting times in England since the pandemic began – it is now 60% bigger than it was in 2020. The needs of those waiting range from first outpatient appointments, scans, right through to surgery. The BBC’s Health Correspondent Catherine Burns talks through the figures. And Alicia Kearns the Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton also joins Emma.Last night, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a powerful pre-taped message to the Grammy Awards. He urged musicians to "f

Do you have a soundtrack to your life that you return to again and again? Or have music that powers you through? DJ Sister Bliss and Goldsmiths Professor Lauren Stewart, who studies the psychology and neuroscience of music, explore the power of music to affect our mood and well-being. The Ockenden Review was published this week, led by midwife Donna Ockenden, into the maternity care provided to patients by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust over a 20 year period. We hear from Kayleigh Griffiths, who lost her baby in 2016 who fought for years for the Review and Maria Caulfield, the Minister for Primary Care and Patient Safety.In our series Threads we've been talking to listeners about the clothes they've hung on to. Dorothy tells us about a dress she wore age 14 at a barn dance in Hereford . The Women's Diplomatic Battalion of Ukraine, a small group of women MPs have been criss-crossing Europe to garner international support for their war-torn country. Alona Shkrum, from the Batkivschyna party, Ol

Have you heard of Nubia from the DC comic books? She’s the adopted sister of Wonder Woman and is DC’s first Black superwoman introduced in the 70s before disappearing from comics for decades. Nubia returned last year in the new comic book Nubia: Real One, which is set in modern day America and tells the story of her teenage life. Anita talks to the cartoonist, Robyn Smith who illustrated the book about the importance of representing Black women and their stories in comics.Next week, Justyna Wydrzynska from Poland will be the first pro-choice activist to appear in court, charged with breaking the country's strict abortion law. On the 27th January 2021 Poland enforced an near-total abortion ban. It is now only allowed in cases of rape or incest or when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. Justyna provided miscarriage-inducing tablets to a pregnant woman. Unlike in other countries where abortion is banned, women in Poland are not criminalised for illegal termination of pregnancy; instead it is those

Today we are dedicating the whole programme to the biggest maternity scandal in the NHS's history - leading to headlines across newspapers today stating childbirth is not safe for women in England. Those are the stark words of the midwife Donna Ockenden - the author of the long awaited Ockenden Review - published yesterday. Her mission? To find out what went on under the care of those working for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust over a 20 year period. She concluded 201 babies and nine mothers could have survived if the Trust had provided better care, learned from mistakes and crucially listened to women. Along with several other key guests she joins Emma to discuss her findings and where we go from here. Presenter Emma Barnett. Producer Kirsty StarkeyInterviewed Guest: Kayleigh Griffiths Interviewed Guest: Maria Caulfield Interviewed Guest: Donna Ockenden Interviewed Guest: Dr Jo Mountfield Interviewed Guest: Prof Soo Downe

Do you have a soundtrack to your life that you return to again and again? Emma explores the power of music to affect our mood and well being with DJ and song writer and Sister Bliss and Professor Lauren Stewart from Goldsmiths who studies the psychology and neuroscience of music.Whenever there’s a catastrophic event somewhere in the world Lucy Easthope is likely to get a phone call about it. She’s one of the country’s foremost disaster planners and long experience has taught her that the line between our everyday lives and catastrophe is a fine one. Name almost any global disaster of the last twenty years from 9/11 to the UK’s 7/7 terrorism attacks, the Grenfell fire, to earthquakes, plane and train crashes and you’ll find she’s been there behind the scenes with the clear up operation. She helps identify bodies, support the survivors and carry out the painstaking process of retrieving and returning invaluable, tattered possessions to the bereaved. She joins Emma Barnett to talk about her life and new book “W

Emma Barnett speaks to Ella Jarmulska a Polish entrepreneur who wants to provide safer car rides to families fleeing the war in Ukraine. Displaced and disoriented, often with no idea where to go next, refugees are forced to put their trust in strangers. Trafficking rings are notoriously active in Ukraine and neighbouring countries in peace time. The fog of war is perfect cover to increase business.Today sees the launch of a new campaign which calls for health professionals, the media, retailers and the public to ditch the term ‘morning sickness’ and refer to ‘pregnancy sickness’ instead. We talk to Dr Caitlin Dean, a nurse specialist in this area and to the co-founder, of the ‘Not Morning Sickness’ campaign Nicola Cutcher.As the end of free testing draws near, we talk to Rose Gallagher from the Royal College of Nurses about who will pay for Covid tests for staff in the NHS. We’ll also consider the latest Government statistics which show just over half of pregnant women in England have had at least one covid

We speak to 3 MPs who are members of the Women’s Diplomatic Battalion of Ukraine. They are Olena Khomenko, Mariia Mezentseva and Alona Shkrum. They're all about shuttle diplomacy, pressing their case for international help.Coverage of the Oscars has been dominated by Will Smith's punch in defence of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Nimco Ali, Independent Government Adviser on Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls and comedian, Shapi Korsandi give us their reaction, and discuss the messages a punch sends out.Women make up more than half of all medical students but far less that that go on to work as surgeons. Researchers from King’s College London found that just 16 per cent of consultants and 34 per cent of registrars working across 10 surgical specialities are female. Roshana Mehdian-Staffell is a surgeon working in Trauma and Orthopaedics and speaks to Emma about the difficulties of going up the career ladder if you're a female surgeon. We speak to the country-pop trio Remember Monday who are making a

TV shows go to huge lengths with their sets, costumes and wigs to make you feel like you’re looking back at the past but why – given hair removal is a fairly modern development – is body hair so rarely seen? We hear from historian Dr Marissa C Rhodes. After Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe expressed her opinions at a press conference this week, 'ungrateful' started trending online. Reaction from Gina Miller who took the government to court and won over how it tried to implemented Brexit without approval from Parliament and Emily Thornberry a former shadow foreign secretary.Best known for The Affair and Luther, and more recently playing her own grandmother in a BBC drama, actor Ruth Wilson on her two latest roles – on the London stage in The Human Voice and on screen in True Things.Melinda Simmons on her role as the British Ambassador to Ukraine. She left Ukraine on 7th March 2022 eleven days after the Russian invasion and is now in Poland. Woman’s Hour understands that the Independent Review of Social Care in Englan

Ammu, a term used mostly in South Asian Muslim homes for mother, is the title of Asma Khan’s new book. Part memoir, part cookbook 'Ammu' is a celebration of the food she loves to make but also of the woman who nurtured her and taught her to cook. Drawing on her experiences during the pandemic, the chef and founder of the acclaimed restaurant Darjeeling Express, celebrates the power of home cooking and the link between food and love.How important are your sleeping arrangements in a relationship? Recently the journalist Sally Peck swapped one duvet for two in bed with her husband, and now she can’t imagine going back. Sally joins Chloe to explore what difference this simple change made to her marriage.The second series of Bridgerton starts today and features Simone Ashley, a British actor of South Asian descent, in a lead role. She plays Kate Sharma, who has recently arrived in London and quickly draws the attention of Anthony Bridgerton. But what was life really like for South Asian women in Britain during t

Best known for The Affair and Luther, and more recently playing her own grandmother in a BBC drama, actor Ruth Wilson joins Emma to talk about her two latest roles – on the London stage in The Human Voice and on screen in True Things.Jude Terry is the first female Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy’s history. Since joining the Navy in 1997, she has served aboard HMS Scott, and spent two spells with helicopter carrier HMS Ocean, during operations in the Baltic and the Gulf. Two months into her post, Emma talks to her about her new role.What’s the best way of looking after children who can no longer stay with their birth parents when a family breaks down? Woman’s Hour understands that the Independent Review of Social Care in England is set to recommend that there should be a renewed focus on alternatives to care with a major focus on kinship care. As the charity Kinship sets out its vision of what needs to change, Emma talks to its Chief Executive, Dr Lucy Peake, and to Meyrem, about what it’s like to be a kinshi