Woman's Hour

A woman from Manchester is battling to have a criminal conviction overturned because she was a victim of modern slavery at the time. Tina - that's not her real name - was beaten and forced into prostitution by her ex-husband. He controlled her life - and it was during that time that she was convicted of theft. We hear from BBC Radio Manchester's Richard Stead to find out more about the case. Professor Dame Sara Thornton, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner until April 2022, joins Anita alongside Helen Pitcher, Chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

The writer Gabrielle Zevin was an only child who played pre-loaded video games on her dad’s work computer while she waited for him. In her best-selling novel ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’ she explores the world of games and creativity through Sadie and Sam who meet as kids and bond over their love of video games. She joins Anita to explain why she’s so fascinated by the power of play.

What’s it like to go viral on TikTok in your late 80s? 27-year-old Jess and her 89-year-old grandmother, Norma, have gone viral on TikTok posting videos showing their close connection and the fun they have together. They join Anita to discuss their relationship and new found fame.

A new documentary series has been released which looks at the career of Elvis Presley through the eyes of the women in his life. Barbara Shearer is the director of the three-part series Elvis' Women, which has secured interviews with many of his ex-girlfriends. Some of the women say that their relationship with Elvis began when they were teenagers, prompting many reviews to dub this a potential #MeToo moment for the rock and roll singer. Anita speaks to its director Barbara Shearer.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Anita is joined by the five time Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds to discuss her new documentary where she sets out to find her birth parents. Ellie was adopted within months of being born and whilst she has always known she was adopted, she hasn't previously tried to find her birth parents, until now.

Five times Grammy award winner, the bassist, lyricist and composer, Esperanza Spalding has become a prominent voice in the jazz world. At 38 she has released eight albums and has collaborated with many distinguished artists, including Terri Lyne Carrington and Toni Visconti. She talks to Anita from the Netherlands, where she will perform at the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Canada has a history of disproportionate violence faced by indigenous women, which was called a genocide by a national public inquiry in 2019. The Native Women’s Association of Canada has counted the names of more than 4,000 Indigenous women they believe have been murdered over the last three decades. Brandi Morin is an award-winning journalist who is Cree, Iroquois, French Canadian and puts the abuses suffered by indigenous Canadians front and centre in her work. She joins Anita to explain why.

Caitlin Moran’s multi-award-winning bestseller How to Be a Woman has been published in 28 countries. Now she has turned her attention to men, what's wrong with them, what they should do about it and why they need feminism to help. Caitlin joins Anita to discuss her new book What About Men?

Presenter: Anita Rani

Trichotillomania is often referred to as “hair-pulling disorder”. There is little research in this area, but statistics suggest 1.1m people in the UK could have the condition, with 80% of them women. Half of those never seek treatment. What exactly is it? Why do people do it? And what can be done to help them stop? Clare MacKay is Professor of Brain Imaging at Oxford University. She joins Nuala to share her personal experience for the first time, and discuss the academic review she is doing in this area.

According to a report by the Commons' Women and Equalities Committee, sexual harassment and sexual violence continues to be a scourge in schools, with many girls and women feeling powerless. The cross-party group of MPs is calling on the Government to focus on a specific strategy engaging boys in relationship, sex and health education lessons (RSHE) at school to help tackle the problem.

Young singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, has collaborated with the likes of Loyle Carner and Leon Bridges, earning a reputation for her stellar live shows. She joins Nuala to discuss her recent Glastonbury performance, her inspirations and her debut album - Messy.

'Smoke Sauna Sisterhood' is an award-winning documentary which follows a group of Estonian women over seven years. The film artfully captures every bead of sweat and every inch of skin as the women reveal their innermost secrets. Nuala is joined by the documentary's director Anna Hints, and cinematographer Ants Tammik, to discuss why they chose to capture such an intimate ritual.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell joins Nuala McGovern in an exclusive interview for the BBC. He'll be discussing a new report inspecting the work undertaken and progress made by the Probation Service over the last 5 years to protect victims and reduce domestic abuse by those on probation.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

The award-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina has died from her injuries after a Russian missile hit a pizza restaurant in the eastern city of Kramatorsk on Tuesday, where she was eating. Journalist Christina Lamb was a friend of Victoria’s – she tells Nuala about her and the impact her death has had.

Half of prison officers in England and Wales do not feel safe at work, according to a recent large-scale survey. Alex South spent 10 years working as a prison officer, and she’s written a book, Behind These Doors, about her experiences. She speaks to Nuala about working in such a male-dominated environment and shares her stories.

Up-and-coming actor Beth Alsbury takes the lead role in a new TV drama called Blindspot, which will be on our screens this week. Beth plays Hannah, who thinks she witnesses a potential murder, but struggles to get the local detective, played by Ross Kemp, to take her seriously. Beth joins Nuala to talk about going straight from drama school to set.

On Holocaust Memorial Day earlier this year, Woman’s Hour featured an audio series about young girls who’d come to the UK on the Kindertransport and lived in Tynemouth and the Lake District. A photograph used on BBC Sounds for the series featured three young girls, one whose identity was ‘unknown’. A listener told us the ‘unknown’ girl was her mother, Hanna Singer. Her two daughters tell Nuala what happened next.

The National Portrait Gallery has just reopened with an exhibition of the life and career of Yevonde, the pioneering London photographer who spearheaded the use of colour photography in the 1930s. Also open at the Photographer's Gallery is another exhibition of an influential female photographer, Evelyn Hofer, famous for documenting the lives of ordinary people, places, environments and objects. The curators of both exhibitions, Clare Freestone and Clare Grafik, tell Nuala why the contributions these women made may have been overlooked.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

The Oscar-winning actor Olivia Colman is the patron of the arts charity Tender, having previously played a survivor of domestic violence in the film Tyrannosaur. She speaks to Woman’s Hour alongside Tender CEO Susie McDonald about the work they’re doing to try and prevent domestic violence.

Do you breakdown your ‘to do’ list into hours and minutes? What if you broke down your day into how much energy you had instead? We discuss Energy Management Techniques with Lauren Walker, an Occupational Therapist and Charlie Thorne, who was a lawyer before she became burnt out.

Baroness Margaret McDonagh, the first female general secretary of the Labour Party, has died aged 61. Her sister Siobhain McDonagh shared her tribute and explained why she's chosen to speak out so soon to push for more research into glioblastoma brain tumours.

Rebecca Clancy from the Times reflects on the legacy of the all-female motor racing championship, the W Series.

The author Caroline O' Donoghue speaks to us about her new campus novel, The Rachel Incident. She talks about writing sex, gay best friends and what happens when messing about in your 20s gets very serious indeed.

The much acclaimed actor Rosamund Pike discusses playing a woman who fakes her own death in a BBC audio adaptation of the book People Who Knew Me.

Presented by Hayley Hassall

Actress Olivia Colman is the patron of the arts charity Tender, having previously played a survivor of domestic violence in the film Tyrannosaur. She speaks to Woman’s Hour alongside Tender CEO Susie McDonald about the work they’re doing to try and prevent domestic violence.

A special police unit used to spy on left wing political and activist groups was not justified and should have been disbanded in its early days. That’s one of the conclusions of the first part of a judge led inquiry into undercover policing, which covers the years 1968 to 1982. Sir John Mitting, Chair of the inquiry said most groups infiltrated by the Met’s Special Demonstration Squad posed no threat. His report details tactics such as forming sexual relationships while undercover and using dead children’s names to create false identities. Hayley Hassall is joined by ‘Alison’ who had a five year relationship with an undercover officer, and by Harriet Wistrich, who is Director of the Centre for Women’s Justice and part of the legal team that represented women in the inquiry.

The writer, editor and disability activist Lottie Jackson has written a memoir called See Me Rolling. In it, she discusses the way that society views disability and the innate prejudices that we have. She also talks about fashion and how important it is in letting her express her identity. She joins Hayley.

The journalist Afua Hirsch has made a new series of Africa Rising for BBC 2, about an African cultural renaissance. Afua visits three very different countries; Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa, and interviews young creatives who are expressing new ideas which are gathering momentum across the continent. Afua joins Hayley to talk about the female artists she met and their inspiring visions.

A new study has suggested that women who take hormone replacement therapy to relieve their menopause symptoms may increase their risk of dementia. Scientists at Copenhagen University found that women who had taken HRT were 24 per cent more likely to get dementia or Alzheimer’s disease than women of the same age and background who did not use the treatment. But other researchers have said that the cognitive declines may not have been due to treatment. Joining Hayley are Professor Pauline Maki from the University of Illinois at Chicago who has conducted research on menopause and Dr Nelsan Pourhadi from the Danish Dementia Research Centre, the lead researcher on the study.

This weekend, World Wrestling Entertainment is coming to the UK. Among the professional wrestlers performing at the 02 in London will be the current Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. She has had a meteoric rise to the top of WWE and joins Hayley to talk about her journey to becoming champion, as well as what it’s like to be a woman in such a masculine world.

Baroness Margaret McDonagh, the first female general secretary of the Labour Party, has died aged 61. Margaret McDonagh became a key figure in the Labour party under Sir Tony Blair's leadership, and played a central role in the 1997 and 2001 Labour general election victories. Glioblastoma, a type of brain tumour caused her death. Her sister Siobhain believes more research is needed into the causes and treatment of glioblastoma.

Next week is the start of Wimbledon. Last week marked the 50th Anniversary of the creation of the Women's Tennis Association, also known as the WTA. It was established by Billie Jean King in 1973, after a meeting in London of 60 of the world's best female tennis players at the time. Krupa Padhy recently spoke to Sue Barker, who has both played at Wimbledon and been the presenter of BBC TV coverage for three decades, before stepping down last year. Krupa asked Sue if she thinks women's tennis, driven by Billie Jean King, has improved since she herself was playing in the 1970s and 1980s.

From Liz Hurley’s iconic safety pin dress, to Audrey Hepburn’s iconic ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ gown, the Little Black Dress has taken many forms over the years. The National Museum of Scotland opens an exhibition this weekend called ‘Beyond the Little Black Dress’ which will explore the evolution of the LBD and its relationship with female liberation since it came on the scene almost 100 years ago. Hayley is joined by the exhibit’s curator, Georgina Ripley to find out more.

Presenter: Hayley Hassall

On Monday, the TV journalist Daisy Goodwin accused the Tory mayoral candidate Daniel Korski of groping her breast during a meeting at No 10 in 2013. He has denied the allegation "in the strongest possible terms". She has now contacted the Cabinet Office asking to make a formal complaint. Nuala speaks to the assistant editor of The Spectator, Isabel Hardman for her take on the situation.

Doctors are calling for better support and care for the thousands of women whose lives are devastated by anal incontinence after childbirth. New research by the University of Warwick's Medical School reveals more than 20% of women who give birth vaginally experience this, which can devastate their personal and professional lives. The team discovered missed opportunities in getting a diagnosis, no clear pathway to get treatment and a lack of awareness amongst not only healthcare professionals but also mothers themselves who often keep it secret. We hear from associate professor at the University of Warwick's Medical School, and GP, Dr Sarah Hillman, who led the research, and Anna Clements who experienced severe injuries during the birth of her 3rd child, and has anal incontinence. She now works for the MASIC Foundation which supports women who are injured having their babies.

Rosamund Pike made her breakthrough film role as a Bond girl in Die Another Day and followed that with Pride & Prejudice, Made in Dagenham, Jack Reacher and A Private War to name just a few. She was Oscar-nominated for Gone Girl, won a Golden Globe for I Care a Lot and an Emmy for State of the Union. Recently she’s won an award for Best Female Narrator for her narration of the first book in the Wheel of Time novels by Robert Jordan. She joins Nuala to discuss her current role of Connie , a woman who fakes her own death in a BBC audio adaptation of the book People Who Knew Me.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

The actress Archie Panjabi made her film debut in East is East and then went on to play Pinky in Bend it Like Beckham. She won the Primetime Emmy Award in 2010 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in “The Good Wife”. She joins Nuala to discuss her latest role in Hijack, a thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane in real time across seven hours and seven episodes.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern