In her first broadcast interview, Louise Townsend, the mother of Olivia Perks who took her own life in 2019 whilst at Sandhurst Military Academy, speaks to Woman’s Hour. Louise discusses her view that there was a lack of welfare support from the academy towards her late daughter and what steps need to be taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Today is a big day coming up with the Women's Ashes series where England face Australia. The Aussies have surged ahead in the women's multi-format series, but there is hope for England as the momentum behind them builds - thanks, in part, to record breaking crowds. Sports journalist and broadcaster Georgie Heath joins Nuala to discuss.

Shakardokht Jafari was born in rural Afghanistan in 1977 and became a refugee when she was 6 and grew up in Iran. After the fall of the Taliban, she moved back to Afghanistan first securing a teaching post in radiology at Kabul Medical University, then being asked to re-establish a cancer facility in Kabul. To secure the post, she needed to gain more qualifications, and in 2010 she came to the UK where she became the first Afghan woman to earn a PhD in medical physics. Shakar has gone on to win a string of awards for business innovation and has also found time to write her life story, Shakar: An Afghan Woman’s Journey and to be a leading campaigner for girls’ education in Afghanistan.

Can distress be used as evidence in rape trials? This is the discussion currently going through the courts in Scotland. Nuala is joined by Sandy Brindley, Chief Exec of Rape Crisis Scotland and Serious Crime Barrister Thomas Leonard Ross KC to debate the issue.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

The inclusion of a particular word in the title of the documentary has caused controversy. For many, it is an extremely offensive term and some contributors have made it publicly known and have withdrawn their contribution from the programme. Rosie talks to Nuala McGovern about the project.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

We look at the effect of being a victim in high-profile cases, after the BBC suspends a presenter accused of paying a teenager for sexually explicit photos. Nuala speaks to former Chief Prosecutor for the CPS, Nazir Afzal.

Ruchira Gupta is a journalist, social justice activist and Emmy-award winning documentary maker who has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of women and young girls. She is the founder of Apne Aap Women Worldwide, an anti-sex trafficking organisation that has helped thousands of girls and women in India leave a life of forced prostitution. She joins Nuala to discuss her work and her debut novel, ‘I Kick and I Fly’, which tells the story of a 14-year-old girl called Heera as she tries to escape the fate of women in her community who are sold into the sex trade.

New research has found a rise in vulnerable women dying prematurely in North East England. The report by the charities Changing Lives and Agenda Alliance says that a woman in North East England in 2021 was 1.7 times more likely to die early because of addiction, suicide or murder by a partner or family member than women in the rest of England and Wales. Nuala discusses the findings with Laura McIntyre, the head of women and children’s services at Changing Lives.

According to the ONS, only 2.4% of plumbers are women. Nuala speaks to two female plumbers about why that figure is so low and whether they recommend the job to other women. Nuala speaks to Sovay Berriman, who runs the company PlumbMaid and is based in Cornwall, and Lysette Hacking, who worked as a plumber for six years before becoming a lecturer in plumbing at Calderdale College in Halifax in Yorkshire.

In April, the Spanish actress Ana Obregón made headlines when she revealed she was a mother again at 68 years of age. A week later, in a glossy photoshoot for ¡Hola! Magazine, she explained that the baby was actually her granddaughter - born via surrogacy using her dead son’s sperm. Journalist Patricia Clarke, from Tortoise Media, has been following the story for her podcast, 'Modern Family: I Had My Dead Son’s Baby at 68'. She tells Nuala the impact the story has had in Spain.

Presented by Nuala McGovern

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?

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.

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.

A bar in Portsmouth is due to open later this month, which is themed on Jack the Ripper – described as an "immersive cocktail and dining experience with a modern horror twist". The publicity features a young woman in Victorian dress, being followed at night by a mysterious man. Objections have been raised to the whole idea of a business which trades on the notoriety of a serial killer. However the trading licence has now been granted. The owner has said, "There is always a fine line when working on things like this and we are working really hard not to upset anyone". Nuala speaks to Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five, in which she painstakingly reconstructs the lives of the five women killed by the so-called Ripper, in 1888.

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.

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.

Presenter: Anita Rani

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