Woman's Hour

Actor, Bukky Bakray, who at 19, became the youngest BAFTA Rising Star Award recipient as well as one of the youngest 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' nominees for her critically acclaimed performance in the film Rocks. Bukky makes her stage debut in the coming of age play Sleepova in which four Black teenage friends explore sexuality, identity, relationships and family as they head towards adulthood while struggling to maintain their friendships. Bukky joins Anita in the studio to talk about her career and the power of female friendship.

Dozens of schoolgirls in Iran have been admitted to hospital this week after reportedly being poisoned by gas whilst at school. Over 1,000 girls have been affected by this since November and many Iranians suspect the poisonings are a deliberate attempt to force girls’ schools to close. The government hasn’t said whether it believes they are premeditated. We hear from Faranak Amidi, BBC Near East Women's Affairs correspondent and Azadeh Pourzand, Human Rights Researcher at SOAS.

So-called 'TikTok protests' have continued to take place in Britain's schools as hundreds of pupils rebelled against teachers over new rules with some clips attracting millions of views. Although the specific grievances vary from school-to-school, the social media trend appears to be spreading, with children in Southampton, Blackpool and Essex staging demonstrations in the last few days that were posted on the platform. Protests over a ban on school skirts at an Oxfordshire school led to police being called and the school being forced to temporarily close. That school has now U-turned on its uniform policy. So where is the balance between standing up for your rights and breaking school rules? Can the two ever be compatible or always at odds. And how can girls and young women in particular learn to find their voice and be listened to? Technology and innovation journalist and author, Becca Caddy, Sangeeta Pillai- the founder of Soul Soutras, and activist, and founder of Love Your Period, Molly Fenton discuss.

It has been 40 years since Karen Carpenter died. The singer and drummer was one half of soft-rock group The Carpenters, whose hit songs became the backdrop to the 1970s. Her death at 32 years of age from anorexia nervosa shocked the world. But did her early death overshadow her musical legacy? Lucy O’Brien has looked back over Karen’s life to write a biography, Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Diana Parkes, the mother of a woman killed by her pilot husband more than a decade ago has called on the Justice Secretary to intervene over his possible release from prison in November.  Anita talks to Diana Parkes, Joanna's best friend Hetti Barkworth-Nanton and the former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland.

Why do breast injuries in sport appear to go under-reported and what are the potential consequences? And can a well-fitting sports bra prevent a woman’s breasts from bouncing a reported 10,000 times during an hour-long run? World leading breast expert Associate Professor Deirdre McGhee from University of Wollongong, Australia joins Anita to discuss breast health and exercise.

When the wealthy financier Charles Vance Millar died, he left no direct heirs, so he decided to leave today’s equivalent of $9 million to the woman who had the most children over the next 10 years. This sparked what became known as “The Great Stork Derby”, a so-called contest that created a media frenzy. It’s the inspiration behind Caroline Lea’s new novel ‘Prize Women’. She speaks to Woman’s Hour about the real historical event.

Jo Cheetham was studying for a PhD and working as a nanny in London, when she read news of an upcoming protest. Before she could talk herself out of it, Jo officially joined the No More Page 3 campaign team. Over three years, Jo protested up and down the country, contended with trolls, gave a group performance on the West End stage and spoke at the Scottish Parliament. In her memoir 'Killjoy' Jo describes everyday people doing extraordinary things and the power of a grassroots campaign.

Presenter: Anita Rani

People with eating disorders are being repeatedly failed by the system and radical changes need to be made to prevent further tragedies. That’s according to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman UK, Rob Behrens. He says little progress has been made in the six years since the publication of a report which highlighted serious failings in eating disorder services. Rob joins Nuala to talk about what those failings are, and what needs to be done.

In her memoir Outside the Sky is Blue, writer and journalist Christina Patterson tells her story of what it's like to grow up with a sibling who is mentally ill. Her older sister, Caroline, had her first breakdown when she was fourteen and Christina was nine. Later, Caroline was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was heavily medicated for the rest of her life. Christina joins Nuala to discuss growing up in a family in the shadow of mental illness.

Actor, singer, songwriter, and all round South London superstar Cynthia Erivo joins Nuala to speak about her role in the upcoming film, Luther: The Fallen Sun, where she appears opposite Idris Elba. She’ll also talk about making the movie version of the musical Wicked, where she is playing the lead role of Elphaba, and being one step away from an EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony) award winner.

Would you want to know if you were going to get cancer? Journalist Hilary Osborne was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She regrets not finding out sooner whether she carries the BRCA2 gene. Whereas comedian Michelle Brasier has been told by doctors she has a 97% chance of developing cancer, and is living life to the full. So, how do you face the stark reality of living with a hereditary and life-shortening illness? Hilary and Michelle join to Nuala to talk about their experiences.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

As teachers strike again over pay this week we talk to the BBC's Education Editor Branwen Jeffreys.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

At least 59 migrants, including 33 women and 12 children, have died and dozens more are feared missing after their boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy. The vessel broke apart while trying to land near Crotone on Sunday. A baby was among the dead, Italian officials said. Bodies were recovered from the beach at a nearby seaside resort in the Calabria region. Nuala speaks to Caroline Davis, BBC Pakistan Correspondent and Annalisa Camilli, journalist for Internazionale magazine in Rome.

A new report from the Howard League of Penal Reform looks at the links between women, gambling and crime. They say women are being let down by a lack of awareness and action to tackle the problem by police, probation and prisons - leaving them without the support they need. Dr Julie Trebilcock, senior Lecturer in Criminology at Brunel University London, and one of the researchers on the project, joins Nuala, along with Tracey whose gambling addiction resulted in a 13 month prison sentence.

We speak to author Sara Barnes, about the challenge she set herself to mark her sixtieth birthday, sixty swims with sixty different people.

Today the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act comes into effect, raising the age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 in England and Wales which means 16 and 17-year-olds will no longer be able to marry or enter a civil partnership under any circumstances, including with parental or judicial consent.

The Taliban's severe restrictions on women's rights in the country are having a negative impact on the already struggling economy. That's the conclusion of a study by the International Crisis Group – an independent organisation that works on conflict and policy. Since women were barred from university education and work in offices, including NGO's, cuts to foreign donor funds have become more likely, as many western politicians fear their voters will not accept the idea of their taxes helping a country ruled by the Taliban. Nuala is joined now by the BBC's Zarghuna Kargar.

Dame Melinda Simmons, the British Ambassador to Ukraine, joins Hayley Hassall to mark one year on from the Russian invasion. She talks about the impact the war is having on women and girls in the country, as well as the strength and heroism women are showing as they adapt their lives to exist in a constant state of war.

Who decides what’s reasonable or unreasonable? And how do we agree as a society on what is ‘reasonable’ behaviour? Dr Kirsty Sedgman speaks to Nuala McGovern about her new book, ‘On being Unreasonable: Breaking the rules and making things better’, which addresses societal divides over what is, or isn’t, reasonable.

New research from Cancer UK has shown that Black women from Caribbean and African backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at later stages. To talk about why this happens and what needs to be done to help black women get diagnosed earlier, Nuala McGovern speaks to Kruti Shroti from Cancer Research UK and Adobea Obeng, who tried three times to get medical help before being diagnosed with incurable breast cancer.

Irish singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy joins Nuala McGovern to talk about her newest album, ‘Gimme Some Wine’ and her UK tour. She explains how lockdown gave her time to heal and reflect on her life while creating new music, and how a purple AGA helped her to get over a particularly bad break-up!

Averil Mansfield qualified as a surgeon in the early 1970s, a time when female medics were outnumbered my men eight to one. When she told her consultant she was getting married, his reply was: ‘what a pity!’. She joins Hayley Hassall to talk about her inspirational career and her thoughts on the current state of the NHS.

Presenter: Hayley Hassall

It is a year since Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The war has severely impacted social cohesion, community security and the resilience of local communities, especially women and girls. Approximately 5.4 million people have been displaced inside Ukraine, and 8 million people have registered as refugees across Europe. Woman’s Hour speaks to the UK ambassador to Ukraine, Dame Melinda Simmons her only UK interview on this first anniversary.

Leicester Cathedral is celebrating having a fully female clergy team in what it believes might be a first for England. Hayley Hassall speaks to one of the team of 5, the canon pastor Reverend Canon Alison Adams at Leicester Cathedral.

What do you do when something amazing happens to you whilst someone you love is going through something terrible?…a sibling, a best friend…or even a twin. That is what happened to twin sisters Chloe and Lydia. When Chloe was days away from giving birth, Lydia experienced her second miscarriage and it tested their bond to the limit. They join Hayley to share their story.

Do you sew or quilt? ‘The New Bend’ is the name of an exhibition running at the Hauser and Wirth gallery in Somerset until 8 May. It showcases the work of 12 contemporary artists and quilters whose work pays homage to the enduring legacy of the women of the Gee’s Bend Alabama quilters, who were quilting as early as the 19th century in the Alabama Black Belt in America. Hayley is joined by Ferren Gipson - art historian, textile artist and author of ‘Women’s Work: From Feminine Arts to Feminist Art’ to discuss quilting and reclaiming the idea of ‘women’s work’ within the history of art.

Presented by Hayley Hassall

Averil Mansfield was the UK’s first woman vascular surgeon and first female professor of surgery. She qualified as a surgeon in the early 1970s, at a time when only two per cent of her colleagues were female – and was often met with disbelief bordering on amusement when telling people what she did. She talks to Woman’s Hour about her medical achievements, which she downplays to, ‘It’s just glorified plumbing,’ as detailed in her memoir ‘Life in Her Hands.’

A a new app to block child abuse images has received £1.8m pounds of EU funding, with the aim to help combat what has been described as a "growing demand" for child abuse images. According to the NSPCC, child abuse image offences have reached record levels with more than 30,000 reported in the last year. It also revealed that the police have recorded the first child abuse crimes in the metaverse, with eight instances recorded last year. We hear from Rani Govinder, Senior Child Safety Online policy officer from the NSPCC and John Staines, former police officer from E-Safety Training who goes into schools to educate children and teens about online safety.

Dada Masilo is a South African choreographer, who is known for her re-working of classic stories to reflect black female identity. Her latest show is called Sacrifice, inspired by Stravinksy’s iconic ballet Rite of Spring is on a national tour of the UK, and will be performed at the Sadler’s Wells in London this weekend.

Plus the new study from the Cambridge Centre for Family Research which shows that having an older sibling helped keep children well-adjusted during lockdown. Prof Claire Hughes joins Nuala to discuss how older siblings can provide protection from stress.

Presenter Hayley Hassall

New research from Cancer Research UK and NHS Digital has revealed that Black women from Caribbean and African backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed with certain types of cancer at later stages, when treatment is less likely to be successful. This study is the first to show that ethnicity is a significant factor in late-stage diagnosis for women with breast, ovarian, uterine, non-small cell lung cancer and colon cancer. Nuala speaks to Kruti Shrotri, Head of Policy Development at Cancer Research UK and Adobea Obeng who sought medical help three times over two years before she was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer.

Eleanor McEvoy is one of Ireland's foremost songwriters and has worked with the likes of U2, Sinead O'Connor and Mary Black. She is the composer and co-performer of A Woman's Heart, the title track for the best-selling Irish album in Irish history, and one of Ireland's favourite folk songs, which recently featured in the award winning Derry Girls. One of Eleanor's songs, Sophie, is used in treatment centres to treat patients with eating disorders. She joins Nuala live in the studio to discuss her UK tour, the inspiration behind the tracks of her most recent album Gimme Some Wine and to perform the track South Anne Street.

In 2014, thousands of Yazidi women and girls were captured as part of an Islamic State Group genocide. While many of the men were shot, women and girls were forced into sex slavery for IS. Today, many of these women and children still live in camps in Iraq as they have nowhere else to go. Now, the Iraqi government says they’re going to close the camps. Nuala McGovern is joined by journalist Rachel Wright and CEO of Bellwether International Rachel Miner to talk about the conditions in the camps and what more needs to be done.

Judges from the Special Immigration Appeals Commission have today decided the removal of British citizenship from Shamima Begum, who left the UK as a 15-year-old schoolgirl to join Islamic State, was lawful. In the hearing last year challenging the decision, her legal team said it ignored the fact that she may have been trafficked into Syria.  Nuala is joined by BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel Sandford.

In 1838 a middle-class Victorian woman, Mrs Anne Sykes, was given a diary on her wedding day which she filled over the years with snippets of clothes and household fabrics, carefully annotating each one. Nearly two hundred years later Kate Strasdin, a fashion historian, came across the scrapbook. She spent six years researching the materials she found stuck to the album’s pages and created her own book The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Skyes about this unique record of the lives of Victorian women.

We discuss the statement released by Nicola Bulley's family following the sad news that that the body found in river Wyre had been formally identified as Nicola Bulley who had been missing for over 3 weeks. They expressed their pain on how their loved ones were treated throughout this ordeal. They called for accountability, and for another family not to go through what they had gone through. Joining Nuala is Zoe Billingham, former head of the inspectorate of Constabulary, Ellen Milazzo from Victim Support and Baroness Helen Newlove, former victim's commissioner for England and Wales.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern