Woman's Hour

Adjoa Andoh is British actor who has graced stage and screen and is perhaps best known as Bridgerton's Lady Danbury - but you may not be aware that in addition to being a director and producer she is also a writer. She has collaborated with the award-winning British composer Julie Cooper on the title track of a new album called Continuum. Julie wrote the music and Adjoa responded with a poem called "Hold out the Heart" capturing the emotions of the pandemic and timed to the ebb and flow of the music. Adjoa and Julie join Emma to talk about composing the album and their musical journey during lock down.This week the US Mint began circulating quarters honouring the writer, poet, performer and activist Maya Angelou. She is the first black woman to ever feature on a US coin. But four other women have also been commemorated by the American Women Quarters Program So why have they been chosen and what is the history of women appearing on coins? Ema Sikic is World Coins Specialist for Baldwins. Prime Minister, Boris

Who is Sue Gray, the civil servant tasked with investigating the Downing Street parties and has she been put in an impossible position? Caroline Slocock former private secretary to Margaret Thatcher and John Major and political journalist Jane Merrick discuss. Rhian Graham along with three other defendants were cleared of criminal damage by Bristol Crown Court after toppling the statue of the 17th century slave trader Edward Colston. Rhian joins Emma. Nearly 5000 messages have been left on a free phone number set up to allow people to give messages of thanks for NHS staff. Hopeline19 was founded by psychotherapist Claire Goodwin-Fee. She argues that NHS workers are not receiving enough mental health support. Hopeline19 grew out of Frontline19, a service offering mental health support to NHS workers that Claire established in March 2020. We all know how complicated relationships can be – especially when it comes to our parents. What is the best way to cope when we find ourselves stuck in the middle of our par

Three years ago, BBC radio broadcaster Helena Merriman received a shock diagnosis related to hearing loss after giving birth to her son. This prompted her to explore how people handle life-changing news about their health in a new radio series called Room 5 that airs on Radio 4 this week. Helena joins Emma to discuss the power of resilience.One of the first female bus drivers in the UK says she is fighting to keep her job after a new bus design left her unable to reach the pedals. Emma speaks to Tracey Scholes from Manchester who says that because of her height - five feet - she can no longer drive the new buses safely. The bus company involved say other staff of a similar height to Tracey are able to drive the vehicles safely. New figures from the Office of National Statistics show that an estimated 1.3 million people in the UK have "long Covid" – defined as symptoms lasting more than four weeks. We know that women are more likely to be affected by long Covid, and that it can also occur in children. Dr Ni

We explore why so many of us want to put our lives on the page. Can writing stand in for therapy? What are the ethical and moral considerations of such sharing. Julia Samuel is a psychotherapist and the author of Grief Works.Dr Lin Berwick MBE has cerebral palsy quadriplegia and became totally blind at the age of 15. She also has partial hearing loss and is a permanent wheelchair user. Now in her seventies, she has been a fierce advocate and ambassador for people with disabilities and their carers, and has written a new book On A Count of Three all about what it's like having a carer - and what she thinks carers should know.Military mums rally in protest at the decision to award former Prime Minister Tony Blair a knighthood. Hazel Hunt, whose son Richard died in Afghanistan, is considering sending back the Elizabeth Cross that her family had received as a mark of protest.Many of us will be thinking about making a change for the better now that we're in a new year. Poorna Bell, author and journalist, gives us

British Army officer and physiotherapist Preet Chandi has made history as the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica. 'Polar Preet' trekked 700 miles in 40 days, facing temperatures of -50C, poor visibility and fatigue along the way. She used skis, and dragged a 90kg pulk (a sled) for between 10-12 hours a day. Preet catches up with us from the Union Glacier camp in Antarctica.'Collector culture' - the swapping, collating and posting of nude images of women without their consent - is on the rise. But unlike revenge porn, it is not a crime. Now survivors are demanding a change in the law. To understand why Anita is joined by Professor of Law at Durham University, Clare McGlynn and Zara Ward, senior practitioner at the Revenge Porn Helpline.Cecil Sharp is known as the godfather of English folk music. In a bid to preserve the English folk song at the turn of the twentieth century, when many in the musical world didn't believe England had a musical tradition of its own, he collected and

Jamie-Lee O’Donnell is best known for playing the wise cracking Michelle in Channel 4’s Derry Girls, the comedy series about a group of teenagers growing up in 1990's Northern Ireland. Jamie-Lee has swapped the school uniform for a prison uniform for new drama Screw on Channel 4, about working in a men’s prison.This time last year shocking footage coming from Washington DC, as supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building, captured the world's attention. Two women, who were part of that riot, were among the people who died. The event in America is now simply known as January the Sixth. Helen Lewis, writer for the Atlantic Magazine joins Emma to discuss the the significance of the event a year on.The Pope has come under fire by some and been supported by others for comments during his weekly general audience at the Vatican in which he lamented that some married couples opt to remain childless and instead transfer their love to cats, dogs and other animals. We get your views and those of Cathy Adams

How widely is the Scottish Government consulting on its plans to allow people to legally change sex without a medical diagnosis? Emma Barnett speaks to Lisa Mackenzie from MurrayBlackburnMackenzie, an Edinburgh-based policy analysis collective who say the SNP is breaking a manifesto promise, by only meeting with groups representing trans rights since last May’s Holyrood election. Military mums rally in protest at the decision to award former Prime Minister Tony Blair a knighthood. Hazel Hunt, whose son Richard died in Afghanistan, is considering sending back the Elizabeth Cross that her family had received as a mark of protest. Southall Black Sisters was founded in 1979 to address the needs of Asian, African-Caribbean and minority women and to empower them to escape violence. Pragna Patel was one of the founders of Southall Black Sisters and today is her last day as Director. We talk to her about the chages she’s witnessed and the role she’s held for over 30 years.It's ten years since the popular fiction wr

Many of us will be thinking about making a change for the better now that we're in a new year. Poorna Bell, author and journalist, gives us some inspiration and talks about getting stronger, both emotionally and physically. Poorna took it literally and started weight lifting after illness and bereavement. We hear from Dr Ann Olivarius a lawyer who specialises in sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination. She explains the technicalities of the civil claim against Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.We speak to Detective Inspector Lucy Thomson and Jackie Sebire about the murder of 12 week old Teddie Mitchell. The investigation is covered in a new two-part special of Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody.We have episode 4 in our series about scars.And Adele Parks’ latest novel called Both of You is a 'missing persons story' with a twist. We find out that the female protagonist is leading a double life as a bigamist. The book looks at what leads someone to have two marriages on the go, and the complexities around

Today, Emma and guests explore why so many of us want to put our lives on the page. What stops us, what gets in the way and is it always a good idea? Is getting published the answer or are there are other ways to tell your stories. How different is writing personal essays or a memoir to creating a fictional world? Can writing stand in for therapy? What are the ethical and moral considerations of such sharing? To discuss these and many other questions Emma is joined by prize-winning author Ann Patchett, Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Rentzenbrink, psychotherapist and writer, Julia Samuel and journalist and author Arifa Akbar.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

British woman Sarah Ransome says she wanted to be at Ghislaine Maxwell trial when it started: not to testify but to see justice take its course. Like the four women who gave evidence, she says she's also a victim of Epstein's and Maxwell's. She tells us more about her story and Harriet Wistrich, founder of Centre for Women's Justice discusses the wider impact this case could have. Sheila Watt-Cloutier, is a world renowned human rights and climate change activist, who has made it her life's work to protect her Inuit culture and the Arctic regions where Inuit live, in Greenland, Canada and Alaska. She was born in Arctic Canada and launched the first legal petition linking climate change to human rights. We discuss the word 'spinster' and what it really means with Australian author Donna Ward. Her new book She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster's Meditations on Life., explores the meaning and purpose she has fought to find in a life lived entirely accidentally without a partner or children.BBC History is launching a 10

Today Andrea Catherwood talks to Sarah Ransome. She wanted to be at Ghislaine Maxwell trial when it started: not to testify but to see justice take its course. Like the four women who gave evidence, she says she's also a victim of Epstein's and Maxwell's. She says Ghislaine Maxwell, "starved and berated and swindled me while demanding I be raped daily".This week we've been talking to women about their scars. Today we hear from Emily on the self-harm scars she no longer needs to hide. We speak to Fiona Chesterton who discovered family secrets to do with illegitimacy. It started with a letter on her doorstep which revealed she was due a surprise inheritance. The tale is told in her new book Secrets Never To Be Told.And it's the time of year that we should be putting on our sequins but covid may well put a stop to that. Never mind: we're still discovering when and how they became such a big part of celebrating. Now though there's an environment aspect to consider and some brands are rejecting them because they'r

Ghislaine Maxwell is facing the prospect of spending the rest of her life in jail after a jury in New York found her guilty of grooming and sex trafficking teenage girls to be abused by the sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. What impact will this high profile case have on future cases f alleged sexual abuse against women and girls? Andrea talks to Harriet Wistrich, who is the founder and director of the Centre for Women’s Justice and a solicitor.It's now 100 days that teenage girls in Afghanistan have been banned from going to school in the majority of provinces. Yesterday, former prime minister Gordon Brown who is now UN special envoy for global education said 'we're sleep-walking towards the biggest humanitarian crisis of our times in Afghanistan. Andrea discusses the situation, particularly for women and girls, with the BBC Correspondent Yalda Hakim.We've been talking to women about their scars. Today Laura, a burns survivor, tells her storyMany will have had empty chairs at the Christmas dinner table this

Australian author Donna Ward’s new book She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster's Meditations on Life explores the meaning and purpose she has fought to find in a life lived entirely accidentally without a partner or children. Donna speaks to Chloe from Melbourne.Over the next few days we're talking to women about their scars. They all talk about physical and emotional pain they've experienced and having to deal with other people’s reactions on a day to day basis. They also explain how they came to terms with the skin they are in. Ena Miller went to meet Jayne in Shropshire and heard her story about surviving a flesh eating bug. Comedian Liz Kingsman, best known as a member of cult sketch group Massive Dad, is making major waves with her solo debut, One-Woman Show, which she is performing at the Soho Theatre from 5 January. She tells Chloe what inspired her.As the BBC prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary through the lens of 100 objects, we get a sneak peek at a few items in the collection. The BBC’s Head of Hi

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, is a world renowned human rights and climate change activist, who has made it her life's work to protect her Inuit culture and the Arctic regions where Inuit live, in Greenland, Canada and Alaska. Sheila was born in Kuujjuaq in Arctic Canada where she lived traditionally, travelling only by dog team for the first ten years of her life. She was elected as President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1995 and launched the first legal petition linking climate change to human rights - work that led to her being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.Nancy Campbell is captivated by the stark, rugged beauty of ice and its solid but impermanent nature. Her book The Library of Snow and Ice is about her time spent living in Upernavik, a small town in north-western Greenland and the traces left by explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic. Her recent book Fifty Words for Snow looks at the origins and mythologies of snow around the globe. She shares with Emma her fascination for snow, ice and its place

Emma Barnett looks back over her first year at Woman’s Hour, from holding those in power to account to hearing from women who found themselves in the most ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Clemency Burton-Hill explains the choice she felt she was presented with after a brain haemorrhage. ‘Annie’ describes how home-schooling three children while trying to work made her feel that she was failing at everything. Lady Lavinia Nourse and Amanda Knox spoke exclusively about the experience of being cleared of the most serious crimes. Plus, knitting patterns as code and what can go wrong when you are being sawn in half by Paul Daniels.

The award winning actor Claire Foy tells us about playing the Duchess of Argyll in the BBC One TV series A Very British Scandal on Boxing Day. Margaret Argyll was branded a nymphomaniac by her husband the 11th Duke of Argyll in their explosive 1963 divorce hearing and he was granted a divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery.As schools shut for the Christmas break, the government, head teachers and trade unions are contingency planning for widespread absence due to Omicron in the New Year. We hear from Jacquie White the General Secretary of the Ulster Teachers Union about calls for retired teachers to return to work to plug the gaps and also from Mary Bousted the General Secretary of the National Education Union. Karen Teasdale-Robson from Blaydon, near Newcastle has gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure her father, Bryan isn't forgotten when he dies. Her dad for the majority of his life was a poet and a songwriter but an assault ten years ago left him with a brain injury. Care workers told Karen to

The ladies of the Posh Club Dance Club on what it means to them to be able to perform the dance of the flamingos, shimmy to dancehall music and feel like stars. Volunteering reached a record high during the pandemic. According to a government survey, 62% of respondents volunteered last year. Thousands volunteer for Crisis, a national charity for homeless people whose Crisis at Christmas campaign provides accommodation and support for people at Christmas. We hear from Jemma Kelehe, a shift leader at the women’s accommodation in London, who has volunteered for Crisis at Christmas for 20 years.Civil Chartered Engineer, Era Shah, talks about the lack of diversity in STEM.Vox Duo soprano Karla Grant and mezzo soprano Julia Solomon tell us about their debut single a new version of “O’ Holy Night”, in collaboration with classical group the Earthtones Trio. Plus ahead of new BBC2 programme A Musical Family Christmas, we're joined by author and lecturer Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason to discuss her favourite Christmas songs an

We talk to Dame Joan Collins about her new BBC documentary “This is Joan Collins” which is on air over Christmas. Not shy of voicing her opinions, she reflects on her life, relationships, and seven decades in showbiz. She’s also had a hugely successful literary career but the role which brought her most worldwide fame was playing Alexis in the TV series Dynasty – at the height of its success it was watched by 150 million people a week. Public health expert Professor Sharon Peacock who founded COG UK, the Covid-19 Genomics UK consortium, tells us about their work tracking mutations and variants of concern. They have been hugely successful in this, and were responsible for identifying the Alpha variant last December. Sharon joins us to discuss genome sequencing, the threat posed by Omicron and how she went from dental nurse to microbiologist.As schools shut for the Christmas break, the government head teachers and trade unions are contingency planning for widespread absence due to Omicron in the New Year. We

Countdown Star and lexicographer Susie Dent on our favourite festive words, how chocolate, Marzipan, Chipolata, Tinsel and Glögg got their names and some of the festive greetings in different languages.As the jury deliberate over their verdict in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial we talk to the journalist Stephen Wright. Maxwell is the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein and is charged with eight counts of sex trafficking and other crimes.Following the infamous #May2020 Boris Johnson photograph, we hear from one woman - Emma - who lost her daughter Ruby that same day, and couldn’t say goodbye in person. Nineteen-year-old doorman Charlie Jeer has gone viral on TikTok for talking about the sexual harassment he has experienced whilst working in clubs. Charlie recalled that one night he was groped up to 10 times. He's gained millions of views on his videos and says he wanted to start a conversation about working in the industry.And in the final part of our series “Under Pressure” we look at the issue of baby loss and

Former poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Mercury-nominated songwriter Kathryn Williams have released new album 'Midnight Chorus'. We ask them about their collaboration and how they avoided the clichés of Christmas. With added pressure from Covid and fewer staff because of Brexit, the demand for care workers has risen. In October this year there were 130,000 vacant care worker posts in England, leaving many people without the care they need. Last week, government advisors said that care worker jobs should be placed on the shortage occupation list, which would make it easier for employers to hire and sponsor migrant workers in these roles. What would this mean for the care sector? Emma speaks to Karolina Gerlich, executive director of The Care Workers Charity and Louise Arnold, Managing Director of Peninsula care homes.There has been widespread concern for the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai since she posted sexual assault allegations against a former top political figure a few weeks ago. She disa