Woman's Hour

'It’s a Sin', the new drama on Channel 4 by Russel T Davies tells the story of a group of young gay men living in London during the Aids crisis of the 1980s and 90s.

At the centre of their lives is their friend Jill Baxter, who offers unconditional love and support. We meet the woman who inspired the character, Davies' long-time friend Jill Nalder, the actor who plays her on screen Lydia West and Lisa Power an LGBT rights campaigner and co-founder of Stonewall.

A new report from the Women and Equalities Committee looks at the gendered economic impact of Covid 19 - we're joined by its Chair Caroline Noakes MP.

Plus Pauline Bridge, who at 82 has been called Britain’s oldest paper "girl". And we hear from Kirsty Mead a Topshop worker, and a lifestyle fashion blogger whose video on TikTok of her packing up one of the shops in Leeds that's never going to open again, has gone viral.

Presenter Emma Barnett

At the beginning of the pandemic nurseries, pre-schools and many child minders shut down at the same time as schools, to all but the children of key workers and the most vulnerable. Most reopened in June and have remained open ever since. Providers of early years education have been urging the government for more money, saying that a lack of demand over the last year has put them under even more financial strain and many may not survive. Emma speaks to Stephanie Carless who runs a preschool in the West Midlands, and Shannon Pite, Public Affairs Director for the Early Years Alliance.

Some women in the ultra orthodox Jewish community believe the laws on forced marriage are not serving them adequately and action needs to be taken. Emma is joined by Yehudis Fletcher, the founder think tank Nahamu, which aims to counter what it sees as extremism in the Jewish community; and by Chaya Spitz, chief executive of the Interlink Foundation, which represents Orthodox organisations.

Mia Hansson is a 46 year old artist and stay at home mum, who is recreating a full-scale replica of the Bayeux tapestry. Mia started stitching 4 years ago, and thinks she'll be finished stitching sometime in 2027.

The singer/songwriter Arlo Parks was named the BBC Introducing Artist of the Year in October. She tells us about her debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams – and performs the track Green Eyes.

Susannah Constantine the author, journalist and fashionista tells us about her alcoholism. Sober now for seven years, she believes a lot of women are struggling with alcohol addiction during lockdown. She tells us about the feelings of shame surrounding her drinking and how she believes it leads to a sense of isolation and loneliness.

We hear why women are at the forefront of protests in India against new farming laws. BBC’s South Asia Correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan and Usha Seethalakshmi from Makaam, a forum for Women's Farmers Rights in India discuss.

The Ministry of Justice recently announced plans for up to 500 new prison cells to be built in women's jails. They say these will be created in existing women's prisons to increase the number of single cells available and improve conditions. But these announcements have drawn criticism from a number of organisations. We hear from Kate Paradine from Women in Prison, Joy Doal the CEO of Anawim, a Women’s Centre in Birmingham, and from Lucy Frazer the Prisons Minister.

Zara Mohammed is the first woman and the youngest person to be elected to lead the Muslim Council of Britain - the largest umbrella organisation representing British Muslims. She discusses her new role with us.

And the internet sensation Jackie Weaver tells us all about ‘that’ Parish Council Zoom meeting.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Guest: Susannah Constantine

Anita Rani talks to 23 year old wrestler Aleah James who was signed by WWE in the middle of lockdown. Normal try outs involve a rigorous selection process, with over 80 athletes, but Aleah bypassed this and was hired on the exceptional promise she showed.

We hear from Mrs Weaver, Jackie Weaver, star of the parish council zoom row which has gone viral.

Thousands of farmers in India have been protesting against new farming laws in India. As the protests grow women are now said to be increasingly taking a more prominent role. We hear from the BBC's South Asia Correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan and from Usha Seethalakshmi from Makaam, a forum for Women's Farmers Rights in India

The writer and opera singer Julia Kogan has just won a high court battle to be credited for her part in writing the script for the Oscar nominated film Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. We talk to her and Dr. Daniela Simone, a Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University and an expert in copyright and collective authorship.

And Hannah J Davies, the Guardian's Deputy TV Editor and film critic Anna Smith tell us about the Golden Globes Film awards later this month. The shortlist for best director has more women than men for the first time, but there's also been some surprise at who hasn't made it through.

Presenter: Anita Rani

A top-class Welsh athlete, one of the best, says the abuse that women get when out training has to stop. Rhiannon Linnington-Payne, who runs the 400 metres and is training for The Commonwealth Games, has spoken out about the harassment she's received when doing her daily training sessions on a road near her home. Other women say it happens to them too.

Zara Mohammed is the first woman, and the youngest person, to be leader of the Muslim Council of Britain. Her background is in Human Rights Law and she says it's her vision to "build a truly inclusive, diverse and representative body". She hopes her appointment will inspire more women and young people to take on leadership roles. She joins Emma to talk about her new role.

Marie McCourt's daughter, Helen, was murdered in February 1988. Her killer was convicted on overwhelming forensic evidence, but refused to reveal the location of her body. Marie, now 77, has never given up finding her. At the beginning on this year, Helen's Law came into effect which makes it a legal requirement for the Parole Board, when they make a decision about a murderer's release date, to consider their failure in disclosing the location of a victim. However, Marie wasn't able to prevent the release of Helen's murderer in 2020.

It's lockdown, and are you trying to carve out extra private spaces in your home? If you've got an open-plan set-up, are putting walls back up?* Are you finding space in a shed or a cupboard under the stairs? Mother of four, Amy Harty, has created an extra bedroom in her 3 bed house for just £140! She joins Emma to explain how, along with Laura Jane Clark, architect and expert on BBC Two’s Your Home Made Perfect.

Emma Barnett talks to the singer/songwriter Arlo Parks who was named the BBC Introducing Artist of the Year in October and she'll share a special version of the track Green Eyes with listeners and Suzanne Heywood the widow of the late top civil servant Jeremy Heywood talks about her husband's legacy and we hear from the journalist Nadine White.

Dolly Parton has sold 100 million albums and published over 3000 songs. There's a new book about her by Sarah Smarsh who says we don't know enough about Dolly's philanthropy. Dolly's given million of books around the world and has donated thousands of dollars to families living in the Smoky Mountains where she's from. Sarah's book is called She Come by It Natural and she's on Woman's Hour to explain how influential and significant Dolly is for generations of women.

The Ministry of Justice recently said 500 new prison cells would be built in women's jails. They say it's to improve conditions, and some prisons will now let women have overnight visits with their children. They say they're putting in £2 million of funding, via charities, to help women yet the plans have drawn criticism. Why?

Susannah Constantine describes herself as an author, journalist, PA to three teenagers and middle-aged lapsed fashionista turned podcaster to the wardrobes of the superstars! She has recently written about her alcoholism. Sober now for seven years, she wrote the article because she felt a lot of women are struggling. This is borne out by figures from Alcohol Change UK, who have seen a huge increase in the number of women coming their website since the first lockdown started, with 173,580 female visitors, an increase of more than 100% on the previous year. Susannah joins Emma to describe the feelings of shame surrounding drinking, especially for women, and how it leads to a sense of isolation and loneliness. And she talks about the positives of her life post drinking

Presenter: Emma Barnett

Samantha Cameron talks about setting up her own clothing brand and what life was really like at Number 10.

Katiann Rocha from the Halo Collective, an organisation of people working to put a stop to hair discrimination and Emma Dabiri, author of the book Don’t Touch My Hair discuss discrimination against afro hair.

Internationally-renowned primatologist and conservationist, Dame Jane Goodall on climate change and how the planet has changed over the decades.

Breathing coach, Rebecca Dennis and Mike Thomas, a professor of primary care research and expert in the use of breathing exercises for asthma at the University of Southampton discuss why we need to be taught how to breathe.

Comedian Rhod Gilbert on male fertility and his campaign to raise awareness and encourage men to be open, engage and be a part of the conversation. Rhod Gilbert: Stand up to Infertility is on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Two on Sunday at 10pm.

Following Elaine Paige’s admission that her height has made her feel horribly insecure throughout her life, Elizabeth Carr Ellis shares her feelings about the challenges that come with being smaller in stature.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Can the way we breathe change our mental and physical health? With Rebecca Dennis, author of new audiobook 'Breathe', and Prof Mike Thomas from the University of Southampton.

The campaign for a statue of Emmeline Pankhurt's forgotten sister and the first woman to die for the suffrage movement

Plus a look at new research which reveals discrimination against Afro hair in the UK is widespread, with black people stating they have experienced microaggressions around their hair.

And Ann Wolbert Burgess the woman who inspired the character of psychologist Dr Wendy Carr in the TV series Mindhunter.

Presenter Anita Rani