Today marks 75 years since VE day and we remember the end of war in Europe. We speak to Shirley Mann about how her mother’s own war experience inspired her to track down more women’s stories from this time. She shares the stories she discovered of the women who were pilots, wireless operators, and even “plotters” in the Battle of Britain bunker – and what they did next.  Three women from the Armed Forces are taking legal action against the MOD claiming they are victims of sexual assault and rape. Their cases have already gone through military courts but there were no convictions and they believe justice would be better served if their cases were dealt with through the usual routes: the police and the CPS. We hear from lawyer Emma Norton, director of a new organisation called the Centre for Military Justice, who is representing the three women.  Is Ireland going through a ‘golden age of literature’ when it comes to women’s writing? Sally Rooney and Anna Burns are hugely popular but what is behind this boom in new writing? Writers Lucy Caldwell and Jan Carson discuss. Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been hearing from women around the world who have dragged out their sewing machines to make face masks at home. In the Czech Republic masks are mandatory so Marcela has been doing her bit as she tells Maria Margaronis.  For some people lockdown has proved the perfect time for some DIY and home improvements  - from wallpapering to tiling to even a spot of joinery. How comfortable are you about doing the work yourself? We discuss the dos and don’ts with DIY expert Jo Behari and Sarah Beeny, presenter of HGTV’s ‘Renovate Don’t Relocate.’

75th Anniversary of VE Day, DIY during lockdown, golden age of Irish writing, rape trials in military courts.

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Ruth Wilson explains why she’s running this year’s London marathon for an Alzheimer’s charity, following in the footsteps of her Father who ran the first London marathon in 1981.   During the Women's Rugby Six Nations, the Welsh Rugby Union is using a new technique to assess the impact a player's periods can have when they suffer a concussion. It's the first time data on concussion and periods has been gathered collectively and the hope is it'll help players adapt their training if necessary. Jo Perkins, Head Physio of the Welsh women's squad explains the research.  ITV's Kate Garraway has taken to social media to express her frustration at her local council still sending post to her late husband, Derek. What can you do to make post-death administration simpler and less distressing? Jessica is joined by founder and CEO of the Good Grief Trust, Linda Magistris, to give advice.  Ashley Storrie is the star and co-creator of a brand new BBC comedy series called Dinosaur. It centres around Nina, whose sister has just announced she’s getting married to someone she’s known for six weeks. Ashley joins Jessica to talk about why it was important to her to play an autistic woman, as she is autistic herself, and how writing the series is her dream job. And can sewing improve your mental health?  Following Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s interview on Woman’s Hour about how sewing helped her while she was imprisoned, Jessica Crighton hears from other keen sewers about the impact it’s had on their lives. Presenter: Jessica Creighton
Producer: Olivia Skinner

Ruth Wilson, periods and concussion, Ashley Storrie on BBC comedy Dinosaur, sewing for mental health

Nat Sciver-Brunt is the first English woman to be honored as Wisden's leading cricketer in the world. She joins Jesscia Creighton to discuss the accolade and her career in the sport.  Smacking children should be made illegal in England and Northern Ireland, say the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Striking a child is already illegal in Scotland and Wales, and in many other countries around the world.  Dr Rowena Christmas, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, talks about the ban in Wales, which she was instrumental in bringing in, and which has been in place for the last two years. A self-described hypochrondriac, the author Caroline Crampton's new book A Body of Glass is a personal memoir and history of this elusive conditon. Beginning in the age of Hippocrates she joins Jessica to discuss the gendered history of this outdated term and her realtionship with it.    The actor Sian Brooke returns as Grace Ellis for the second series of Blue Lights on BBC One. She joins Jessica to talk about the role, and what she's learnt from diving into the world of policing in Belfast.  Social media platform Meta disabled Soul Sisters Pakistan for 43 hours earlier this month due to an intellectual property violation. Soul Sisters Pakistan was set up 11 years ago by the entrepreneur and activist Kanwal Ahmed as a support system for women to discuss topics considered taboo in Pakistani society, such as sex and divorce. In the past, the group has been accused by some of promoting divorce and 'wild' behavior. With over 300,000 members, who dub themselves soulies, she joins Jessica to discuss. Presenter: Jessica Creighton 
Producer: Dianne McGregor

Cricketer Nat Sciver-Brunt, Smacking, Hypochondria, Police drama Blue Lights, Soul Sisters Pakistan

Deborah Snyder has produced some of the biggest blockbusters and action franchises in the last decade including Wonder Woman, 300 and Watchmen. Her newest work, Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver arrives on Netflix this week. It's the second instalment of the Rebel Moon series, a space opera set in a fictional galaxy with a female protagonist. Deborah produced it alongside her husband and long-term creative collaborator, director Zack Snyder. She joins Jessica Creighton live in the studio. A proposed new UK tournament for women's tennis at The Queen's Club in London is facing a set-back. They need to convince the men's professional tennis circuit that they won't damage the grass for the men's tournament at the same club the following week. The week-long women's event would be staged for the first time in 2025, and would replace Eastbourne as the only Women's Tennis Association 500 event, taking place in the UK in the run-up to Wimbledon. Jess speaks to tennis broadcaster Catherine Whitaker to discuss. Today is the deadline to register to vote in the local elections on May 2nd. The most recent data suggest that 4.3 million young people in England aren’t currently registered. Jessica speaks to Sharon Gaffka, who’s supporting the Give an X campaign, calling on young people to get involved. A survey by the youth led charity My Life My Say also says that fewer than 1 in 6 of young women trust politicians and more than four in 10 believe their vote won’t make a difference in an election. Also joining Jessica is Rosie Campbell, Professor of Politics and Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, to explain the trends behind the latest data. In 1927 journalist Sophie Treadwell attended the sensational trial of Ruth Snyder, a New York woman accused murdering her husband. Ruth was found guilty, along with her accomplice lover Henry Judd Gray, and both were executed by electric chair in January 1928. Those events inspired Sophie Treadwell to write the play Machinal, which premiered on Broadway later that year. A recent production has just transferred from the Theatre Royal Bath to the Old Vic in London and its star, Rosie Sheehy, along with US academic Dr Jessie Ramey join Jessica to discuss the case of Ruth Snyder and why Machinal still resonates with audiences today.

Hollywood film producer Deborah Snyder, Young women and voting, Machinal star Rosie Sheehy

Australian police investigating the fatal stabbing of six people at the crowded shopping centre in Bondi Junction, Sydney say they're looking into whether the attacker deliberately targeted women. Joel Cauchi killed five women - and a male security guard who tried to intervene - before he was shot dead by police. Eight of the twelve injured who went to hospital, including a baby, are also female.   To find out more Jessica Creighton is joined by BBC Australia correspondent Katy Watson based in Sydney. Jing Lusi stars as DC Hana Li in ITV’s new thriller Red Eye, set on a plane flying between London and Beijing. She joins Jessica Creighton to talk about what it’s like to play a lead role for the first time, and how important it is to see British East Asian women as the main progatonist. Ten years ago 276 Nigerian school girls were abducted by the Islamist group Boko Haram from their school in Chibok, a town in the north-east of Nigeria. A decade later, dozens of the girls are still missing and kidnappings are once again on the rise in Nigeria.  Jessica is joined from Lagos by BBC Africa Senior reporter Yemisi Adegoke. 2024 marks the centenary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. First written by British feminists, it was adopted by the League of Nations in 1924. Today we know it as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Dr Emily Baughan, Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Sheffield explains the role women played in its creation. Plus, Danielle Scott, Assistant Vice Principal at Green Gates Academy, explains how the rights are still being used in schools today. A real life experience of a mugging in New York inspired Imogen Wade to write a poem which has just won the National Poetry Competition, coming first out of 19000 entries. She joins Jessica to share her poem and, as a counsellor, to explain how the act of writing helped her to process the experience. Presenter: Jessica Creighton
Producer:  Louise Corley
Studio Engineer: Donald MacDonald

Jing Lusi, Fatal stabbings in Sydney, Australia, Declaration of the Rights of the Child

This week, it was announced that 883 actors, writers, comedians and creatives had signed an open letter in support of Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, the star in a new production of Romeo & Juliet, due to run in London's West End next month. The open letter came after a statement was published by the Jamie Lloyd Company, "Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company..." It was co-authored by actor Susan Wokoma who told us about the open letter. We hear from the new head of British Vogue Chioma Nnadi, a London born, fashion journalist, podcaster and the first black woman to lead the title. We hear the stories of women living in a women’s refuge in London. Do you remember our segment on female psychopaths? We hear from one woman who has been officially diagnosed with the condition, M.E Thomas. The pioneering feminist, journalist and activist Gloria Steinem made a name for herself in the 1960s and 70s through her journalism, which included going undercover at the New York Playboy Club to expose exploitative working conditions. She co-founded the Women's Action Alliance and in 1972 she co-founded Ms Magazine, putting conversations about gender equality, reproductive rights and social justice in the spotlight, and bringing the issues of the women's rights movement into the mainstream. Gloria has just celebrated her 90th birthday and tells us about the current state of reproductive rights in the US, the importance of community and hosting her own women's talking circle. Could we be happier and more successful if we acted like toddlers? Dr Hasan Merali, Paediatric emergency medicine physician, Associate Professor at McMaster University and author of Sleep Well, Take Risks, Squish the Peas, tells us what we can learn about self-improvement from toddlers. And we have music from the singer songwriter Rebecca Ferguson. Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

75th Anniversary of VE Day, DIY during lockdown, golden age of Irish writing, rape trials in military courts.

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