Woman's Hour

To so many women the symptoms of pregnancy are instant, intense and unmistakeable; however some make it the full nine months without having any idea they’re even pregnant. This phenomenon is known as cryptic pregnancy, and the British Medical Journal suggests it’s more common than triplets. Nuala McGovern is joined by two women who have experienced this first-hand, plus Professor of Midwifery, Helen Cheyne to discuss.

Actor Karen Pittman earned an Emmy nomination for her performance as The Morning Show’s hardworking producer Mia Jordan, alongside co-stars including Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. As the newsroom drama returns to Apple TV+ for a fourth season, Karen joins Nuala to discuss the show’s themes, from truth and deepfakes, to women in the workplace. Karen also featured in the Netflix adaptation of Judy Blume’s teen romance Forever and is known to fans of Sex and the City spin off, And Just Like That, as Dr Nya Wallace.

Poet Nikita Gill tells Nuala about her latest book Hekate the Witch. She is the Greek goddess of magics, the crossroads, keys and necromancy. Nikita retells Hekate's story, from being an orphaned child brought up in the Underworld to becoming a powerful goddess seeking revenge for her family.

A Kenyan High Court has issued an arrest warrant for a British national, suspected of killing a 21-year-old Kenyan woman, Agnes Wanjiru, more than a decade ago. Agnes was found dead in 2012 in the grounds of a hotel near an army base, nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening socialising with British soldiers. Hannah Al-Othman, a journalist for the Guardian who originally broke the story at the Sunday Times, and the BBC's Akisa Wandera, senior East Africa journalist based in Nairobi speak to Nuala.

As Donald Trump arrives in the UK for his second state visit, we examine how women feel about the US President now and how the Epstein scandal might feature in discussions as Keir Starmer faces more pressure about how he handled Lord Mandelson’s resignation. Nuala McGovern speaks to Katy Balls from The Times, women’s campaigner Alix Valentine and Mischa Smith, the news and features editor for Marie Claire UK.

Patricia Lockwood is a poet, memoirist and novelist whose work straddles the literary world and the wilds of the internet. Patricia first went viral with her traumatic poem Rape Joke, while her memoir Priestdaddy, about being the daughter of a Catholic priest, has been called a modern classic.

The list of hospital trusts that will be looked at as part of a rapid review of maternity care in England have just been announced. This is part of an independent, national, investigation into harm to hundreds of babies, that might have been prevented with better maternity care. However some of the families, whose cases will be part of it, have expressed concerns about its scope. Nuala is joined by BBC Social Affairs Correspondent Michael Buchanan to find out more about this review.

Parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are heading to Westminster today. They are taking part in what they are calling a ‘Day of Action,' organised by parent support groups, which includes a rally at Parliament Square, MP drop-ins and a Parliamentary debate on SEND children’s rights.

Kathrine Switzer was the first female to officially run the Boston marathon back in 1967, at that time considered a men’s-only race. However a race official tried to stop her mid-event when they discovered she was a woman. She went on to complete the course and she’s dedicated her life to enabling women to participate in the sport. Now in her late 70s, she’s run 42 marathons and is the co-founder of 261 Fearless, that aims to empower women through running.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

Davina McCall, one of TV’s most popular presenters has a new book out, Birthing, co-written with the midwife, Marley Henry. Davina joined Anita Rani to talk about her stellar career so far, including hosting Big Brother for 10 years, campaigning for better menopause care and building a fitness empire. What makes her tick? And what drives her forward to clear hurdles such as an usual childhood, drug addiction and most recently, brain surgery for a benign tumour that she nicknamed Jeffrey?

As the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia approaches later this month, we hear why the country is currently one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman. Two-thirds of women in PNG have experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime, which is almost twice the global average. Nuala McGovern was joined by Tahina Booth, a former elite athlete and founder of Grass Skirt Project who is trying to break the cycle of gender-based violence through sport and Joku Hennah, a journalist and activist.

Jung Chang’s Wild Swans, the epic family memoir that followed the lives of Jung, her mother and grandmother through China's 20th century, was banned in mainland China, but was a smash hit worldwide upon publication in 1991. Now Jung’s sequel, Fly, Wild Swans, brings her family’s story up to date and she joined Nuala to talk about its themes.

We’ve all heard of the fight or flight response in the face of danger, but there's also freeze, and then there's fawn, also known as people pleasing, or appeasing. Clinical psychologist Dr Ingrid Clayton has written about this in her new book, Fawning - Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves and How to Find our Way Back. Nuala spoke to Ingrid about her own experiences that made her want to help others overcome this form of trauma response and what fawning looks like in practice.

In 2023 Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor went viral on TikTok after Emerald Fennell used it in a key scene in the film, Saltburn. That resurgence, along with her popular Kitchen Discos that got lots of us through the Covid lockdown set the scene for her new album, Perimenopop, which is released tomorrow, a celebration of womanhood in middle age. Sophie joined Anita in the Woman's Hour studio.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Davina McCall, one of TV’s most popular presenters has a new book out, Birthing, co-written with the midwife, Marley Henry. Davina joins Anita Rani to talk about her stellar career so far, including hosting Big Brother for 10 years, campaigning for better menopause care and building a fitness empire. What makes her tick? And what drives her forward to clear hurdles such as an usual childhood, drug addiction and most recently, brain surgery for a benign tumour that she nicknamed Jeffrey.

Funding of at least £2 million a year needs to be restored to help combat Female Genital Mutilation in the UK, according to a new report by the Women and Equalities Committee. It says that access to health services for FGM survivors in the UK is inconsistent and a postcode lottery. Anita hears from the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, the Labour MP Sarah Owens and from Hibo Wardere, the educational lead and co-founder of the charity Educate Not Mutilate.

Last month Scottish history was made at the Glenurquhart Highland Games as the World Female Heavy Events Championship was held for the first time. The Championship brought together women from across the globe to compete in the heavyweights, including tossing the caber. As we reach the end of the season, athletes Elizabeth Elliott and Emmerleigh Barter, who competed in the games, join Anita Rani to discuss how it felt to compete at this level on home soil.

If you're making your way through Essex on the train in the coming days, you might notice poems being read over the PA system, with young women and girls sharing how they feel about their accent. It's part of a new project from the University of Essex and c2c Rail, celebrating the Essex accent. Anita is joined by Dr Tara McAllister-Viel who led the project and the comedian Esther Manito who is from Essex.

Presenter: Anita Rani

For decades thousands of pregnant women across the UK were prescribed the drug Diethlystilbestrol or DES, a synthetic hormone that was meant to help prevent miscarriage. But the drug left a legacy of life-altering health problems for some of their children, including infertility and rare cancers. Anita Rani speaks to ITV Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker who has investigated what they are calling a medical scandal that continues to devastate lives, talking to the women who say more must be done to help those exposed to the drug as new concerns emerge over the impact of DES on a third generation.  

Author Heather Morris wrote The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which went on to become one of the bestselling books of the 21st century. Her new novel, The Wish, follows Jesse, a 15-year-old with terminal leukaemia who wants to have a digital 3D recreation of her life for her family and friends. To accomplish this, she connects with Alex, a lonely CGI designer. The book explores their unlikely friendship and its impact on both of their lives. Heather joins Anita to talk about mortality, family, healing through connection and what it means to be remembered.

Last week we heard from three women who have had a loved one take their own life. They spoke honestly and movingly about what happened to them in the immediate and long term aftermath of such a loss. Today we are taking a look at the historical context of suicide. Anita speaks to BBC New Generation thinker Dr Stephanie Brown, who is Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Hull and doing research in this area.

In 2023 Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor went viral on TikTok after Emerald Fennell used it in a key scene in the film, Saltburn. That resurgence, along with her popular Kitchen Discos that got lots of us through the lockdown set the scene for her bravely titled new album, Perimenopop, which is released tomorrow, a celebration of womanhood in middle age. Sophie joins Anita in the Woman's Hour studio.

Presenter: Anita Rani

On 22 August, the High court rejected Noel Clarke’s claim that accusations against him by more than 20 women were false and part of a conspiracy.

Finding the perfect bra can be quite difficult at the best of times but what about after breast cancer? A study by Portsmouth Hospital and the university is looking at how to develop better bras to cope with changes after cancer surgery and radiotherapy. Associate Professor Edward St John is a breast surgeon at the hospital and an academic at the university. He joins Nuala along with Celeste Ingram, a patient taking part in the research.

We’ve all heard of the fight or flight response in the face of danger, but there's also freeze, and then there's fawn, also known as people pleasing, or appeasing. Clinical psychologist Dr Ingrid Clayton has written about this in her new book, Fawning - Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves and How to Find our Way Back. Nuala spoke to Ingrid about her own teenage experiences that made her want to help others overcome this form of trauma response and what fawning looks like in practice.

The Irish comedian Emma Doran is about to tour Ireland and the UK with a new stand up show, Emmaculate, and it's her third and biggest one yet, with new dates being added just this week. If you haven't caught Emma on stage you might know her from social media where her caustic takes on parenthood or schoolyard and workplace politics have hundreds of thousands of followers. She's a mother of three and she's also written a book called Mad Isn't it? which tells the story of how she got unexpectedly pregnant at 18, and after a decade of young parenthood eventually found her way into comedy. Emma joins Nuala in the Woman's Hour studio.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

Jung Chang’s Wild Swans, the epic family memoir that followed the lives of Jung, her mother and grandmother through China's 20th century, was banned in mainland China, but was a smash hit worldwide upon publication in 1991. Now Jung’s sequel, Fly, Wild Swans, brings her family’s story up to date. She joins Nuala McGovern.

The Labour deputy leadership race could be an all-woman affair, with all current declarations coming from female MPs. Nuala gets the lowdown from Kitty Donaldson, chief political commentator for The i Paper.

The All Party Parliamentary Group report on PCOS - or polycystic ovary syndrome - has found that women face prolonged delays in diagnosis, fragmented care, and limited access to treatments. The condition is also expected to undergo a name change later this year to more accurately reflect what it is. Nuala hears from Chair of the APPG, Labour MP Michelle Welsh and Caroline Andrews from PCOS charity Verity.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck took her own life in 2021, after filing a complaint against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber. He had pinned her down and tried to kiss her at a work social event. An inquest into her death earlier this year determined the Army's handling of the complaint played "more than a minimal contributory part in her death". Webber has now pleaded guilty to sexual assault at a pre-trial hearing, and is awaiting sentencing. Jaysley's inquest in February this year heard that her line manager also harassed her, with the Army failing to take action. Jaysley's mother Leighann McCready and her solicitor Emma Norton, from the Centre for Military Justice, join Nuala.

Janet Willoner, aka the Tree growing granny, has grown more than 4,000 trees in her garden. She forages for seeds, grows them, and they eventually grow in forests in her local area of North Yorkshire. She has been nominated in the BBC’s Make a Difference Awards in the Green category. She speaks to Nuala.

The fallout from Angela Rayner's departure continues to dominate the headlines today as Labour's National Executive Committee is expected to meet to agree the timetable for the race to replace Rayner as the party's deputy leader. Since the reshuffle, women fill three of the four great offices of state for the first time, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Home Secretary, and the Foreign Secretary. To discuss the role of women in Labour’s reshuffled cabinet and the party's future leadership - as well as Rayner's legacy - Nuala McGovern is joined by Lucy Dunn, political correspondent at The Spectator, and Rachel Cunliffe, Associate Political Editor at The New Statesman

Actor Robin Wright joined Nuala McGovern to discuss directing and starring in new series The Girlfriend, based on the book by Michelle Frances. Best known for her award-winning role in House of Cards and much-loved movies such as Forest Gump and The Princess Bride, Robin plays Laura in the psychological thriller, a protective mother who is deeply suspicious of her son’s new girlfriend Cherry, played by Olivia Cooke.

Woman's Hour spoke to women who have had the experience of someone close to them taking their own life. They spoke frankly and honestly to reporter Jo Morris about what happened, both immediately in the aftermath of a death by suicide but also reflect on the long-term impact. We hear from Eloise, who was just 14 when her dad Damian took his life two years ago.

Who was Scotland’s first, largely forgotten, female MP? The Duchess of Atholl had campaigned against votes for women but in 1923 she stood for election herself, and won. Her biographer Amy Gray joined Nuala to address the many contradictions of this pioneering politician. In her new book, Red Duchess: A Rebel in Westminster, Gray argues that Atholl hasn’t received the credit she deserves for championing the welfare of women and children at home and abroad and for challenging the appeasement of Nazi Germany - a decision which ended her political career.

This week sees many children heading back to school and settling into a new school year and they might be reuniting with old friends, or even introducing you to new ones. But what if you don’t like your child’s friends? Anita is joined by comedian Ria Lina and parenting coach Sue Atkins to discuss.

New research from Oxford University has revealed that teenagers who suffer moderate or severe period pain, are more likely to experience chronic pain as adults. What is the link at play and how can we treat women who suffer from their teen years into adulthood? We hear about the findings from Katy Vincent, Professor of Gynaecological Pain and Consultant Gynaecologist and explains what this can teach us about mitigating pain in sufferers.

There's a new woman deciding what's hot and what's not in the world of fashion. Chloe Malle has been appointed as the head of US Vogue - the biggest job in the industry - replacing the formidable Dame Anna Wintour. Nuala was joined by Financial Times fashion editor Elizabeth Paton to discuss.

Presenter: Anita Rani