Woman's Hour

Vanessa Feltz has been a fixture on TV and radio for three decades. Now she has written a memoir, Vanessa Bares All, which charts the many ups and downs of her personal and professional life. She joins Anita Rani.

Listeners share with Nuala McGovern what they think works when it comes to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision in educational settings.

In the late 1970s, in the toilets at Euston Station, Dr Sheila Reith, while trying to administer insulin to her daughter, thought there must be an easier way. She envisioned a pen-like device that could be used simply with just one hand. A few years later, the first insulin pen came to market, revolutionizing care for people with diabetes. Dr. Reith has since devoted her life to diabetes care, improving and saving the lives of millions. She joins Anita to discuss winning a Pride of Britain Lifetime Achievement Award.

Best known for her sketches on Saturday Night Live and her role as Weird Barbie, comedian Kate McKinnon has now turned her attention to books. The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science is her first children’s book. Kate discusses the story and embracing her 'weirdness.'

What does the TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 80s classic Rivals tell us about sex in 2024? Nuala hears from Dayna McAlpine, a sex and relationships writer and lifestyle editor at HuffPost UK, and Rowan Pelling, co-editor at Perspective and former editor of the Erotic Review.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Vanessa Feltz has been a fixture on our TV screens and radio stations – not to mention tabloid headlines – for three decades. Now she has written a memoir, Vanessa Bares All, which charts the many ups and downs of her personal and professional life, from the Big Breakfast Bed to the Big Brother house, via Madonna and Miss Piggy.

If farming can seem to be a man’s world, then ploughing is especially male. So who are the women taking part in ploughing competitions like the one in The Archers this week? Sarah Williams, a competitive plougher, joins Anita, as does Sarah Hehir, a writer on The Archers.

A new documentary called Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia follows an undercover journalist attempting to record what life is really like in the country. The current government say they have improved the situation for women, but is this really the case? Human rights activist Lina Al-Hathloul, whose sister Loujain was imprisoned for defending women’s rights, joins Anita alongside Dr Maryam Aldossari, a Senior Lecturer at the University of London.

From 15th century birth girdles to 13th century make-up tutorials, a new exhibition at the British Library reveals what life was like for medieval women. Curator Eleanor Jackson and writer Bee Rowlatt, who both work at the Library, talk about challenging our ideas of women in the Middle Ages.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Two-time Oscar-nominated actor Emily Watson is a face that has graced the screen and stage – her work of course in Breaking the Waves in 1996 earned her one of those nominations. She joins Anita Rani to talk about her new role in the upcoming film, Small Things Like These. Based on the bestselling book by Claire Keegan, the story focuses on a convent – which is in fact running a Magdalene laundry and Emily plays the role of Sister Mary, the Mother Superior of the convent.

Gisèle Pelicot has become something of a feminist icon in France. Her husband is on trial along with dozens of other men accused of raping her and she has promised to try to change society for victims of sexual assault. The trial in Avignon began at the beginning of September and Gisèle Pelicot took the stand yesterday for the second time. BBC correspondent Andrew Harding was in court. He and author and journalist Joan Smith discuss the impact of her testimony.

In the toilets at Euston station in the late 1970s, while trying to administer insulin to her daughter, Dr Sheila Reith thought there must be an easier way. She had an idea for a pen-like device that could be used simply and with just one hand. A few years later, the first insulin pen came to the market and revolutionised care for people living with diabetes. Dr Reith has since devoted her life to diabetes care, improving and saving the lives of millions of people. She joins Anita to talk about winning a Pride of Britain Award.

Best known for her sketches on Saturday Night Live and playing Weird Barbie the comedian Kate McKinnon has now turned her attention to books. ‘The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science’ is her first children’s book. Kate discusses the story and her broader career.

Presenter: Anita Rani

In a phone-in programme focusing on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Nuala McGovern talks to listeners about SEND provision in educational settings with a focus on what is working. Mums of children with SEND share examples of what they personally think of as good practice in their schools and nurseries and SEND educational professionals and workers suggest potential solutions and innovative concepts that could potentially be passed on, scaled up and rolled out in versions across the UK.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

The Prime Minister's chief of staff Sue Gray has left her post and has been replaced by Morgan McSweeney. It's led some papers to claim "the lads have won this round". To discuss, Nuala McGovern is joined by Caroline Slocock, former civil servant and author of Margaret Thatcher and Me, which reflects on women and power.

Actor Cush Jumbo has reprised the role of Lady Macbeth alongside David Tennant in Macbeth which has just transferred to the Harold Pinter theatre in London. She joins Nuala to discuss how she is approaching one of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters.

A recent government survey showed a sharp decline in the number of female-led businesses. Last year, only 15% of businesses employing fewer than 250 people were owned or led by women, down from 18% in 2022. Debbie Wosskow, serial entrepreneur and co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce, joins Nuala.

Kate Mosse is soon to release The Map of Bones, the fourth and final instalment in her series of novels The Joubert Family Chronicles, which begin in 1562 and follow a persecuted Huguenot family, charting generations of courageous and resilient women.

Adventurer Elise Wortley is following in the footsteps of forgotten female explorers… all whilst wearing the same, historically accurate clothing. She joins Nuala to tell her more about her mission.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

Former nurse Lucy Letby became one of the UK’s most notorious child killers after she was convicted in 2023 of harming and murdering babies in her care. The nurse was found guilty by two juries after lengthy trials, but now there's been speculation over whether some evidence in the Letby trial was reliable. BBC Special Correspondent Judith Moritz is the co-author of the book Unmasking Lucy Letby: The untold story of the killer nurse. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss what she has discovered since the trial ended.

The actor J. Smith Cameron is currently on stage in London’s West End alongside Mark Rylance in Juno and the Paycock. It’s a play about a working class family in Dublin during the1922 Irish Civil War. J joins Nuala to discuss this, as well as her starring role in Succession where she played Gerri Kellman.

Last weekend, the adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s classic 1980s bonkbuster Rivals landed on Disney+. The eight-part series is set in a fictional upper-class Cotswolds community and features media, politics and lots and lots of sex. So what does this moment of steamy nostalgia tell us about sex in 2024? Nuala talks to Dayna McAlpine, a sex and relationships writer and lifestyle editor at HuffPost UK, and Rowan Pelling, co-editor at Perspective and former editor of the Erotic Review.

New Zealand have won, against the odds, the Women’s T20 World Cup – an achievement that may mark a turning point for women’s cricket, so often dominated by Australia. Nuala is joined by batting all-rounder and a stalwart of the White Ferns, Suzie Bates.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

It’s nearly thirty years since Kelly Macdonald made her acting debut as the sharp-witted 15 year old schoolgirl Diane in the classic film Trainspotting. Since then, the award winning actress has starred in critically acclaimed films like No Country for Old Men, Gosford Park, as well as Harry Potter franchise, and voiced the fearless Princess Merida in Pixar’s Brave. Now, she’s taking on a new role in the vampire comedy thriller, The Radleys.

Scientists at the University of Oxford are creating OvarianVax, a vaccine which teaches the immune system to recognise and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer. The hope is that the jab could be given to women preventatively on the NHS with the aim of eliminating the disease. We talk to Professor Ahmed Ahmed from the university of Oxford, who is leading the research into the jab, and Cary Wakefield CEO of Ovarian Cancer Action, to find out when exactly we might see this becoming available.

Hundreds of women have recently been protesting in Turkish cities after the killing of two young women in Istanbul – followed by protests every day for a week across the country, notably on university campuses. Recently the "We Will Stop Femicide Platform" reported that in Turkey, 34 women were murdered by men and 20 more died under suspicious circumstances in September alone. We hear from Elif Shafak - award-winning British-Turkish novelist and storyteller, and Times Turkey Correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

Why has a drug that can extend life for advanced breast cancer patients not been made available on the NHS? NICE have made the decision that Enhertu, a drug that can give around an extra six months to live on average, is too expensive. BBC Health Correspondent Cath Burns joined Anita Rani alongside Kate Wills, who has stage 4 cancer and has been campaigning for the drug to be made available.

The actor Lesley Manville is currently starring alongside Mark Strong in Robert Icke’s adaptation of Oedipus. She plays Jocasta, Oedipus’ wife. Lesley joined Nuala McGovern to tell us more about the play, what it’s like being back on stage for the first time since 2020, and why she thinks women's stories are being featured more.

New podcast The Kill List follows a group of journalists who discovered a page on the dark web detailing requests to have people killed, with women most likely to be the ones targeted. The investigation led to a major international police operation over four years and, at the heart of it are the real people whose lives were seemingly at huge risk. Nuala was joined by the programme's producer Caroline Thornham and Jennifer whose former husband posted a 'hit' for her on this website.

Blessing scams are targeting Chinese communities in the UK. They're usually carried out by women in groups of three, approaching people asking for help in Cantonese. Tuyet van Huynh's mother was one of these victims. After she was targeted, Tuyet set out to expose this practice on social media and has since heard from other victims. She speaks to Anita about the impact the crime has had on their family.

Death is a subject many people still shy away from, but one woman is determined to change that. Funeral director Inez Capps is on a mission to challenge the taboos around death and demystify an industry often shrouded in mystery. Inez talks to Nuala about how, since the age of 19, she’s been working with the deceased, and she’s using social media to give people a glimpse behind the scenes — from the care a loved one receives, to tours of the hearse and the embalming suite.

Elkie Brooks is the renowned British rock, jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning six decades, she was the biggest selling female British artist and still holds the accolade of the most Top 75 albums among female artists. She began singing professionally aged 15, shared a bill with The Beatles and went on to front the group Vinegar Joe with Robert Palmer, before going solo. She’s currently on her Long Farewell Tour and joined Anita in the studio to talk about her career and turning 80 next year.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Why has a drug that can extend life for advanced breast cancer patients not been made available on the NHS? NICE have made the decision that Enhertu, a drug that can give around an extra six months to live on average, is too expensive. BBC Health Correspondent Cath Burns joins Anita Rani alongside Kate Wills, who has stage 4 cancer and has been campaigning for the drug to be made available.

Do you have an 'emotional vampire' in your life? It’s that person who can make you feel drained with their negativity, who isn’t taking your own emotions into account. It can make for tricky relationships – so how do you identify an emotional vampire, and how do you handle that person? Chartered psychologist and author Suzy Reading joins Anita to discuss, alongside journalist and author Radhika Sanghani.

Elkie Brooks is the renowned British rock, jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning six decades, she was the biggest selling female British artist and still holds the accolade of the most Top 75 albums among female artists. She began singing professionally aged 15, shared a bill with The Beatles and went on to front the group Vinegar Joe with Robert Palmer, before going solo. She’s currently on her Long Farewell Tour and joins Anita in the studio to talk about her career and turning 80 next year.

In the latest in our series on special educational needs and disabilities we speak to the comedian Josephine Lacey. Today, we are looking at a very personal issue which will resonate for some mothers of boys with SEND. Josephine joins Anita in the studio.

Presenter: Anita Rani

What are the economic implications of getting married in your midlife? Anita Rani is joined by the Financial Times’ Claer Barrett, writer and couples counsellor Lucy Cavendish and journalist and author Flic Everett to share their thoughts and experiences.

The murder trial of Sara Sharif, a 10-year-old girl found dead in Woking in August 2023, is at the Old Bailey in London. Sara's father Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool, and uncle, Faisal Malik, have denied murder. BBC correspondent Helena Wilkinson talks to Anita about what the jury has been told so far.

Are Women's Super League football clubs overlooking female English coaches? The Football Association has an aim of 75% female coaches in this league, but the season started with four out of 12 female coaches, two of whom are English. The BBC’s senior women’s football reporter Emma Sanders joins Anita to discuss why this might be.

Blessing scams are targeting Chinese communities in the UK. They're usually carried out by women in groups of three, approaching people asking for help in Cantonese. Tuyet van Huynh's mother was one of these victims. After she was targeted, Tuyet set out to expose this practice on social media and has since heard from other victims. She speaks to Anita about the impact the crime has had on their family.

Italian author Maddalena Vaglio Tanet’s acclaimed debut novel Untold Lessons is a story she was born to write. Based on events that took place in her own family decades ago, Untold Lessons explores how a tragic event prompts the disappearance of a much-loved teacher, and what the double mystery tells us about the lives and attitudes of the people living her local community at the time.