Woman's Hour

Helen Mirren tells us about her new film the Good Liar and why even she has fallen for a scam.We talk about a DIY home urine or swab test currently being trialled as an alternative to the cervical smear with Imogen Pinnell from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust Line.We hear from two female police officers about their difficulties reporting allegations of domestic abuse against their partner who also works for the police. The human rights lawyer and founding director of the Centre for Women’s Justice, Harriet Wistrich talks about launching an official Super-Complaint where repeated allegations of 16 cases of domestic abuse where made only for the cases to be dropped.We discuss the safety of vaccinations with Professor Helen Bedford from UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Professor Adam Finn a Professor of Paediatrics at the Bristol Children’s Vaccine Centre and from Dr Tonia Thomas from the Vaccine Knowledge at Oxford University.Rising soul artist Celeste talks about her music and the support of BBC

The central character of Lyra from ‘His Dark Materials’ lives in the alternate Oxford imagined by the author Phillip Pullman. She is tough, curious, and able to lie with impunity. The children’s author Katherine Rundell and the script editor of the new BBC 1 series Xandria Horton discuss what makes Lyra so inspirational and appealing to girls. Listeners talk about their experiences of abortion. Four children under the age of 3 seemed impossible to a woman we are calling Louise who had an abortion 18 months ago. She spoke to reporter Henrietta Harrison. Novelist Salley Vickers celebrates the key relationship between children and their grandmothers in her new novel 'Grandmothers'. Why does she feel this bond has been so taken for granted? Rising soul artist Celeste talks about her music and her upcoming tour with Michael Kiwanuka. And she performs her single, Strange, live in the studio.Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Dianne McGregor

Nine out of ten people get their children vaccinated. But even so, many people still have questions. Things like: Should I bother with the flu jab? Is it better to get single vaccines? Does immunity wear off? What about side effects? Is the aluminium in vaccines dangerous? Marnie Chesterton asks Prof Helen Bedford, Prof Adam Finn and Dr Tonia Thomas for answers.One thing we know for sure is that vaccinating or NOT vaccinating both have some element of risk. So what should people do in the face of such uncertainty? Risk expert Prof David Spiegelhalter and experimental psychologist Anne-Marie Nussberger discuss how uncertainty affects the way we behave and the decisions we make.Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Interviewed guest: Helen Bedford Interviewed guest: Adam Finn Interviewed guest: Tonia Thomas Interviewed guest: David Spiegelhalter Interviewed guest: Anne-Marie Nussberger Producer: Anna Lacey

Presenter: Tina Daheley Producer: Kirsty StarkeyAccording to Freedom of Information requests made by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism almost 700 cases of alleged domestic abuse involving police officers and staff were reported in the three years to April 2018. An official “super-complaint” is to be launched and central to that are at least 12 cases where women have made allegations of domestic abuse and sexual violence against an officer, only for the case to be dropped and, on occasion, for the alleged victim to be arrested and intimidated. We’ll hear from Harriet Wistrich lawyer and founding director of the Centre for Women’s Justice who are bringing the complaint and two female Police officers, one serving and one former, who are bringing a claim against Gwent Police. Jann Haworth is the co-creator of The Beatles' iconic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. Regarded as one of the leading figures of the British Pop Art movement she was also seen as a pioneer in the face of the 1960’s Ame

Earlier in the year we asked ‘have you had an abortion? How did you feel about it then and how do you feel about it now? We’re featuring five of your stories on the programme over the next couple of weeks. Today it’s the turn of a woman , who’s in her 60’s, who we’re calling Amanda. She became pregnant aged 21 in the early 1970s, while she was on holiday with her boyfriend.As Northern Ireland prepares for the Election; What are the parties doing to appeal to women? Imogen Pinnell a Health Information Manager at Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust tells us more about a new DIY home urine or swap test which, when it becomes available, could help more women discover whether they are at risk of cervical cancer.. Plus Mark Simmonds and his daughter Emily talk about over coming mental illness – outlined in the book Breakdown and Repair.And in our series where we asked you to tell us about and send us photos of your "Best Day" we hear from Listener Evelyn Austin.Presenter Jane Garvey Producer Beverley PurcellGue

Helen Mirren talks about equal pay and her new film, The Good Liar, in which she co-stars with Sir Ian McKellen. In a new series, listeners talk about their experiences of abortion. Today it is a woman we are calling Clare who got pregnant in the 1980s in rural Scotland just before her 18th birthday. Samantha Power was President Obama's ambassador in the UN between 2013 and 2017. A Pulitzer Prize winner, her latest book is a memoir, The Education of An Idealist.Presenter: Jane Garvey Interviewed guest: Helen Mirren Interviewed guest: Samantha Power Reporter: Henrietta Harrison Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

Lisa Simone, songwriter, singer and daughter of Nina tells us all about her new album. Maddy Prior the folk singer and member of Steeleye Span talks about a career in music that's spanned more than 50 years. At BBC Introducing Live we look at how to get into the music business and once you're there how to thrive. Plus what’s it really like to be a teenage mum? Genetic Counselling – how do families deal with the news that the man they thought was dad isn’t biologically related? Women in the horror films industry what’s behind their creations? And author Jenny Downham joins on her latest novel Furious Thing about a fifteen year old girl struggling with her feelings of anger.Presenter Jane Garvey Producer Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor Beverley PurcellGuest; Lisa Simone Guest; Maddy Prior Guest ; Jenny Downham Guest; Chyna Powell-Henry Guest; Dr Kim Jamie Guest; Aislinn Clarke Guest; Anna Bogutskaya Guest; Lizzie Franke Guest; Nicola Dunn

How can young women get in and get on in the music industry? In a special programme, broadcast from BBC Music Introducing Live at Tobacco Dock in London, we discuss how to forge a career in popular music - the need to increase the number of women, careers advice, the challenges that have to be tackled, and what BBC Introducing is doing to help. With live music from singer-songwriter Maisie Peters and a panel of industry figures: Emma Banks, Carla Marie Williams, Rhiannon Mair, Abbie McCarthy, and Maxie Gedge.Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Emma Wallace

On Halloween we ask where are the women in the horror film industry? How much do women create and view horror differently and who are the women film-makers to look out for? Jane is joined by Aislinn Clarke, the writer-director of ‘The Devil's Doorway’, Lizzie Franke, production executive at the BFI and Anna Bogutskaya, co-founder of The Final Girls, a film collective exploring the intersections of horror films and feminism. So far seventeen women MPs have announced they'll be standing down and not standing in the general election. Newsnight's Katie Razzall joins us to look at the significance of prominent female politicians such as Amber Rudd, Nicky Morgan and Gloria De Piero standing down. It's 50 years since the Women’s FA was created in 1969, officially reviving women's football for the first time since it was banned it in 1921. We speak to Patricia Gregory, one of the players who was instrumental in founding the WFA and reversing the ban, about how they did it - and to Eniola Aluko, who has played over

Here's Maddy Prior, photographed when All Round My Hat was in the charts in the '70s. She's been performing now for over 50 years and she's done more than 3000 shows. She's made 11 albums of her own and 28 with Steeleye Span. Maddy talks to Jenni about her life and music.Last week we spoke to Cyntoia Brown-Long, who was given a life sentence in America for a murder she committed when she was 16. Today we speak to Jennifer Ubiera who is an attorney at the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative in Washington DC. Her focus is young people in the criminal justice system, especially teenage girls and the poor. She explains how Cyntoia represents the young women she supports. Linda Boström Knausgård is a Swedish writer whose second novel, Welcome To America, has been awarded the prestigious August Prize. It's about a sensitive, strong-willed child who's 11 and has stopped talking. She thinks she may have killed her father. Her brother barricades himself in his room. Their mother, a successful actress, carries o

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far failed to get Parliament’s backing for his Withdrawal Agreement Bill and he won’t meet the October 31st deadline to leave the EU. MPs have also, so far, declined to back plans for the General Election that he wants. The leaders of two parties, Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP and Jo Swinson of the Lib Dems, presented a plan for an election at the weekend. So, are women politicians brokering a compromise, a way out of the deadlock at Westminster, or is each furthering the interests of their own party? And as the House of Commons prepares to elect a new speaker on Monday, with four female candidates in the running we ask what difference a female speaker could make to our political culture? Jenny Downham writes international bestselling novels including Before I Die and Unbecoming. Her fourth novel, Furious Thing, is about a 15-year-old girl called Lexi. Lexi wants her step-father to accept her, her mother to love her like she used to, and her step-brother to declare his desire

The NHS have reported that 1 in 10 people seeking sex and relationship therapy are teenagers – up from 1 in 30 two years ago. So what’s changed? We look at the issues that young people are bringing to the therapy room, the impact of porn and social media, and why teenagers are more willing to talk to adults about sex.We look at why the charity Surrogacy UK is calling for the surrogate’s legal responsibility to end at birth. Plus from car adverts to cartoons, film and sci-fi - the appeal of classical monsters in our popular culture. And the singer, composer and actor Lisa Simone talks about her latest album ‘In Need of Love’. Presenter Jane Garvey Producer Beverley PurcellGuest Miranda Christophers Guest Rachel Fitzsimons Guest Dr Elizabeth Gloyn Guest Natalie Smith

In 2006, 16 year old Cyntoia Brown-Long was sentenced as an adult to life in prison for killing a man while she was a teenage sex trafficking victim. Granted clemency in January this year and released in August, she tells us about her childhood and the impact of 16 years in prison.As same sex marriage becomes available in the new year in Northern Ireland, we hear from Grainne Close and Shannon Sickles, the first couple in the UK to get a civil partnership fifteen years ago.The Danish comic and podcaster Sofie Hagen says she's 'a fat liberationist who wants to abolish the systemic discrimination and abuse fat people endure on a daily basis'. So what's your experience of being fat? We hear from the plus-size model Bischamber Das and from listeners Farah, Les, Jo and Karen.The Oscar-winning American actress Regina King has been named as one of the most influential people of 2019. She tells us about her leading role in the drama Watchmen.What's the best way to talk to children about climate change, and are school

In 2006 16 year old Cyntoia Brown was sentenced as an adult to life in prison for killing a man while she was a teenage sex trafficking victim. Granted clemency in January this year and released on August 7th she joins Jenni to discuss her childhood, what happened the day she shot Johnny Allen and the impact of 16 years in prison.Food writer, Sue Quinn’s latest book ‘Cocoa: An exploration of chocolate, with recipes’ illustrates how the story of chocolate includes economics and slavery, sex and desire, society and culture. ‘Cocoa’ reveals a wealth of cultural, historical and culinary information about chocolate through the ages and across the world. She joins Jenni in the studio to Cook the Perfect…Gorgonzola, walnuts, rosemary and chocolate.Over the past two years the charity Combat Stress has been running workshops across the country to help partners of veterans suffering from PTSD. But evidence suggests only a minority of partners seek support for themselves as there are many barriers to participation in wo

Sofie Hagan is a young Danish comedian and author of Happy Fat. We spoke to her on the programme earlier in the year. She’s now touring the UK and has been talking about some of the issues raised in the book as well as tweeting about it. ‘I am not a body positivity campaigner,’ she said, ‘I am a fat liberationist. I care about abolishing the systemic discrimination and abuse that fat people endure on a daily basis.’What’s your experience of being fat? Do you think your size affects the way people see and treat you?Share your stories and experiences. Call 03700 100 444 lines open from 0800 or email via the website…Presenter Jenni Murray Producer Beverley Purcell

As more and more children and young people become engaged in environmental issues, how can parents support them and talk to them about climate change in an age-appropriate way? And are schools doing enough to educate this new generation of eco-warriors? We discuss with climate change psychotherapist Caroline Hickman, climate change teacher Fiona Cowan and eco-activist Ella Mann.

Clean Break is a theatre company that works with women in prison or have been in prison. Clean Break is now 40 years old. and as part of their birthday celebrations one of their plays is on in the West End of London. It's called [BLANK] and is at the Donmar Warehouse. It looks at the experiences of women behind bars and the impact on their families and across society. Jacqueline Holborough the co-founder of Clean Break comes on the programme together with the play’s director, Maria Aberg and one of the actors, Lucy Edkins.We have the second in our series about the partners of soldiers with PTSD. Today we hear from Becky, who's 40 and a mum of two. She's known her husband since they were teenagers but she tells our reporter, Tamsin Smith, how PTSD infiltrated their relationship as soon as they moved into military married quarters.

In a new series, we hear from three women whose partners are veterans with PTSD. They describe what it's like living alongside the condition, often for decades, and how it's affected their own mental health, relationships and self-confidence. Over the past two years the charity Combat Stress has been running workshops across the country to help partners in crisis. This summer they launched an online programme - the first of its kind in the UK - designed to help partners isolated at home due to caring responsibilities, childcare and work pressures. Today we hear Sheila's story and how she found help for herself and her husband. Things are changing for women in Northern Ireland. Abortion has just been decriminalised and we can expect same-sex marriage to become available in the New Year. Northern Ireland was actually the first place in the UK where gay couples could get a civil partnership, but is now the last place in the UK to have same-sex marriage. Jane speaks to Grainne Close and Shannon Sickles - the firs

We explore what women think about Brexit and how it might affect the way they vote in another possible referendum and in an expected general election.Near the beginning of the 20th century 'Dr' Linda Hazzard ran a sanatorium in Washington state, USA where she encouraged her patients to fast for months on end. Some of her patients sang her praises but many died of starvation under her care. Now the subject of a play, we explore her curious life and her search for a 'perfect cure'.Many of the organisations in charge of protecting the UK countryside are led by women. A coincidence or are women bringing anything different to the table?There is a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, Pre-Raphaelite Sisters. The images of the Pre-Raphaelite painting - all sumptuous locks and languid poses - might be what we think of but their stories as artists, managers and artistic partners have been erased. Today we consider Joanna Boyce Well.Presenter: Jane Garvey Interviewed guest: Dr Michelle Harriso

We hear the stories of the women of Pre-Raphaelite art whose contribution has been overlooked with Dr Jan Marsh curator at the National Portrait Gallery and from Dr Alison Smith who curated Tate’s major Burne-Jones exhibition.One in 10 mothers who’ve had virginal births suffer from faecal incontinence. We hear from mums Kirsty and Sophie and from Dr Sarah Webb a specialist midwife in perineal trauma. Oliver Warren a colorectal surgeon and Sue Almond a specialist pelvic physiotherapist answers some of your questions.The author Jung Chang discusses her latest book Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister which tells the story of three women who helped shape the course of 20th century China.Are race and gender a double disadvantage in the workplace? According to a new report by the Diversity Practice 85% of BAME women leaders say this is the case, an increase of 20% compared to twelve years ago. We discuss the issues with Carol Campayne Director of Diversity Practice and Yvonne Coghill OBE, Director of the NHS Work