Woman's Hour

From the Pre-Raphaelites to Picasso, Vermeer to Freud, some of the most famous Western artwork involves an artist’s muse. So who are the muses who have inspired great art? How do they embody an artist’s vision? And why has the muse artist relationship led to abuse of power? Nuala speaks to art historian and author Ruth Millington and to writer, curator and podcaster Alayo Akinkugbe.

Penelope Tree was one of the most famous models of the 1960s and the muse of her then boyfriend, the photographer David Bailey. Despite appearing on the cover of Vogue and being credited by Bailey with kick-starting the flower-power movement, Penelope’s life became increasingly difficult as their relationship began to flounder. These events have inspired Penelope’s loosely biographical novel Piece of My Heart and she joins Nuala to discuss her depiction of life as a ‘60s muse.

In ancient Greek mythology, the nine muses are the inspirational goddesses of the arts, science and literature. So who are the nine muses? Nuala speaks to classicist Professor Edith Hall.

Dora Maar was as a photographer, painter and poet but is probably most famous as Pablo Picasso’s lover and muse. Author Louisa Treger captures the complexity of this artist and muse relationship in her novel The Paris Muse and joins Nuala to discuss how the inspiration Dora offered Picasso nearly destroyed her.

We hear from Liza Lim, a Melbourne-based composer who collaborated with violinist and researcher Karin Hellqvist on a composition called ‘One and the Other (speculative Polskas for Karin)’, exploring Karin’s relationship to her heritage and Swedish musical traditions.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

As India goes to the polls in the penultimate round of voting in their general election, Anita speaks to the BBC’s Divya Arya in Delhi. They discuss what political issues are most important to women in this election, and how the main parties have been wooing them.

Valérie Courtois was recently announced as the winner of the 2024 Shackleton medal for her work revolutionizing climate conservation in the Canadian arctic, most notably for her vision connecting Indigenous Guardians as ‘the eyes and ears on the ground’ to preserve ecosystems. Valérie talks to Anita about leading the movement for indigenous-led conservation and land stewardship.

Clara Schumann was one of the greatest female musicians of the 19th Century – a virtuoso performer who gave over 1,500 concerts in a 60 year career, all while raising eight children and financially supporting her household. Concert pianist Lucy Parham and actress Dame Harriet Walter join Anita to discuss their concert I, Clara which celebrates the ground-breaking life and work of Clara Schumann in her own right.

Presenter: Anita Rani

There will be a general election on 4 July. Campaigning will start at the end of next week, but already some of the key players are speaking out. What are women's top concerns in this election? What do women want addressed? Anita Rani speaks to Professor Rosie Campbell, professor of politics and director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London, who has been looking at women's voting behaviour for many years.

Head teachers who are a part of St Albans Primary Schools Consortium have urged parents not to give their children a smartphone until they are aged 14. Anita speaks to Rachel Harper, principal of a primary school in County Wicklow in Ireland about what advice she would offer one year after she and seven other headteachers in her town asked parents not to allow their children phones until they were older.

Olivier award-winning theatre maker Marisa Carnesky is taking over an entire street at this years Brighton Festival with her show, Carnesky's Showwomxn Sideshow Spectacular, honouring the forgotten women of the circus. Marisa shares with Anita the lost history of ground-breaking women magicians, aerial artists and sword climbers and how their stories are being explored through a new generation of performers.

A Chinese blogger who was jailed for four years for her reporting on the first Covid outbreak in Wuhan, has been released from prison. The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders shared a video showing the blogger, Zhang Zhan, saying she had been released on schedule and thanking everyone for their concern. The former lawyer was jailed after she travelled to Wuhan to document the outbreak in a series of widely-shared online videos. She was due to be freed last week but friends and supporters were concerned when they were unable to contact her. Anita speaks to the Guardian's senior China correspondent Amy Hawkins, who is following the story.

Gemmologist Helen Molesworth is the Senior Jewellery Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Professor of Jewellery at the Geneva University of Art and Design. In her new book, Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems, she explores the geology, symbolism and history of gemstones through some of their famous owners and those that have courted controversy. Helen explores their enduring fascination with Anita.

Presenter: Anita Rani

The endurance runner Imo Boddy has smashed the 45-year-old world record and become the fastest known woman to complete the UK Three Peaks. She joins Nuala McGovern live on the programme.

Do you know what love bombing is? One of our Woman’s Hour listeners Lynn got in touch to say it’s something we should be discussing. She joins Nuala alongside relationship therapist Simone Bose to explain more about what love bombing is, and how we can all look out for the warning signs.

Nuala is joined by the artist Kerry Samantha Boyes whose work you may have seen in the Barbie Movie, or the Lord of the Rings. Kerry makes fake food for a living and her studio, The Fake Food Workshop, will be one of 104 studios open to the public for the Spring Fling art event, which takes place across Dumfries and Galloway this weekend.

Some of Britain’s most vulnerable children are being detained and having their freedoms restricted under court orders known as “deprivation of liberty”. The most senior family court judge for England and Wales has called the growing use of the order a “crisis”. The BBC’s Ashley John-Baptiste has heard from young people who have spent parts of their childhood under these orders. Plus, social worker Beverly Bennett-Jones joins Nuala.

The Japanese Royal Family is one of the oldest in the world, the same dynasty has ruled for more than 2,500 years. But the current law means that only a male heir can inherit the Chrysanthemum throne and become the Emperor. This has caused a succession crisis in recent years as the Royal Family kept having girls. The BBC’s Tokyo Correspondent Shaimaa Khalil joins Nuala.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

A new documentary on BBC Two is looking at how new forensic techniques can help police re-examine old cases involving sexual assault and rape, helping to convict perpetrators from decades ago. Cold Case Investigators: Solving Britain’s Sex Crimes tells the story of three cases that were re-examined. One is that of Karen, who was raped in 1983. She joins Nuala McGovern alongside Detective Constable Hayley Dyas, who helped work on her case and finally get a conviction.

On 28 July last year the British cyclist Lizzy Banks received an email from UK Anti Doping to say she had return two Adverse Analytical Findings. The letter stated she faced the prospect of a two-year ban unless she could establish the source. Thus began a ten-month journey investigating, researching and writing submissions to establish how the contamination event occurred. Absolved of any blame, having proved on the balance of probabilities that her test was contaminated, Lizzy speaks to Nuala about how the process destroyed her mentally, emotionally and professionally.

The toy piano virtuoso Margaret Leng Tan is a leading force within avant-garde music and the first woman to earn a doctorate from the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in the US. She’s currently in London, performing her sonic autobiography Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep at the Southbank Centre this week. It’s a combination of spoken text, projected images and original music for toy piano, prepared piano, toys and percussion. It focuses on the obsessive compulsive disorder Margaret has had since her childhood. She explains how music helped her accept OCD as an integral part of who she is.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern

The long awaited final report of the public inquiry into the infected blood scandal is published today, The inquiry was announced in 2017 after years of campaigning by victims. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, approximately 30,000 people were infected with blood contaminated with HIV and Hepatitis C. Over 3,000 have since died, with one person estimated to die every four days in the UK. The affected groups include those who received infected blood via blood transfusions, such as women following childbirth, and individuals with haemophilia—predominantly males—and others with similar bleeding disorders who received contaminated blood products. Around 1,250 people with bleeding disorders, including 380 children were infected with HIV. Fewer than 250 are still alive today. Some transmitted HIV to their partners. Nuala McGovern speaks to Clair Walton, who gave evidence to the inquiry. She has been campaigning for years for the wives and partners who became infected to be heard and acknowledged.

Anita Pallenberg was the quintessential 1960s Rock and Roll 'It' girl. A model, actress and artist, she is best remembered as a muse for The Rolling Stones. But a new film about her life, Catching Fire: The Story Of Anita Pallenberg, puts her experiences front and centre and explores her unique creativity and her influence on the sound and swagger of The Stones. Her son Marlon Richards, who is an executive producer on the film, tells Nuala about her wild and intense life.

The book Feminist Theatre – Then and Now brings to life the lived experiences of three generations of women working in British theatre over the last 50 years and reveals the struggle to succeed in an industry where gender, race, sexuality, class and parenthood were, and still can be, serious obstacles to success. Nuala is joined by the book’s editor Cheryl Robson and a contributor, the playwright Moira Buffini.

Mary Morton has built up an army of 'street stitchers' - volunteers who sit in the parks and streets of Edinburgh and offer to advise on repairing the clothes of passers-by. Mary has not bought clothes for five years after becoming concerned about the impact of textiles on the environment and wants to teach people the skills to be able to repair and continue to wear their clothes. She joins Nuala.

A female officer in the military says she was raped by a senior officer who was responsible in the Royal Navy for behaviours and values, including sexual consent. Speaking exclusively to Woman’s Hour, the female officer, who we are calling Joanna, reported the incident and her allegations to the military police who brought charges against the officer. However, the Services Prosecution Authority later said that they wouldn’t be taking the case forward to a military court. The female officer, who feels she has been forced to leave the military, says that her career has been left in ruins, whilst his continues. The Royal Navy has said “sexual assault and other sexual offences are not tolerated in the Royal Navy and anything which falls short of the highest of standards is totally unacceptable" and that since the alleged incident they "have made significant changes to how incidents are reported and investigated." Nuala spoke to Joanna and the Conservative MP and member of the Defence Select Committee, Sarah Atherton.

Period tracker apps claim to help women to predict when they might start their period and calculate the best time to attempt to conceive. The Information Commissioner's Office has said that a third of women have used one. A report out this week, however, has raised serious questions about the way in which this data is used. The study, by Kings College London and University College London, examined the privacy policies and data safety labels of 20 of the most popular of these kind of apps. Anita discusses the findings and implications with BBC Technology Reporter Shiona McCallum and the lead author of the study Dr Ruba Abu-Salma from Kings College London.

Known for her dramatic and comedic roles on TV, stage and film the Olivier award-winning actor Tamsin Greig is currently performing in The Deep Blue Sea - Terence Rattigan’s 1950’s study of obsession and the destructive power of love - at the Theatre Royal Bath. She joined Nuala to explain the appeal of her latest role and why in 1952 legendary actor Peggy Ashcroft said she felt she had no clothes on when playing this part.

Talking about her new book, 'How To Win A Grand Prix', Formula One expert Bernie Collins takes Anita behind the scenes of an F1 team, and explains how she forged a career working as a performance engineer at McLaren for names such as Jenson Button, then became Head of Strategy at Aston Martin, with world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Journalist Decca Aitkenhead regularly sleepwalks. She talked to Nuala about her night-time escapades which include finding herself locked out in the middle of the night, eating food she’d find disgusting when awake and incredible strength that has seen her smash furniture to pieces. She’s joined by neurologist and sleep expert Prof Guy Leschziner who explains what’s going on in our brains when we sleepwalk, and how women are affected.

How has the role of women in choral music changed? With girls as well as boys now singing in cathedral choirs and more music by female composers being commissioned and performed, women’s voices are becoming increasingly prominent. Composer Cecilia McDowell and singer Carris Jones talk about championing and celebrating women in this traditionally male world.

Presenter: Anita Rani

After going viral on social media earlier this year, new bar La Camionera is planning to open a permanent inclusive venue for “lesbians and their friends”. Reporter Martha Owen has been following as they prepare to open and hears why these spaces are important from DJ Yvonne Taylor, event organisers Jess Whiting Boult and Tabs Benjamin, and poet Joelle Taylor. And Anita Rani is joined by filmmakers Erica Rose and Elina Street, creators of The Lesbian Bar Project, to discuss their award-winning series about lesbian bars in the USA and Germany.

Period tracker apps claim to help women to predict whenthey might start their period and calculate the best time to attempt to conceive. The Information Commissioner's Office has said that a third of women have used one. A report out this week, however, has raised serious questions about the way in which this data is used. The study, by Kings College London and University College London, examined the privacy policies and data safety labels of 20 of the most popular of these kind of apps. The authors say it is the most extensive evaluation of its kind completed to date. Anita discusses the findings and implications with BBC Technology Reporter Shiona McCallum and the lead author of the study Dr Ruba Abu-Salma from Kings College London.

Last weekend the Olympic Gold Medallist, Lauren Price MBE, became Wales’ first female boxing world champion – winning the WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine World Titles in spectacular fashion in her hometown of Cardiff by beating WBA welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill. She joins Anita to

Presented by Anita Rani

Schools in England should not teach about gender identity, according to new draft guidance from the government, due to be published in full today. There is also a plan to ban sex education for under-nines. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the new guidance would ensure children were not "exposed to disturbing content". Anita Rani talks to Elaine Dunkley, BBC Education Correspondent to find out the latest.

Talking about her new book, 'How To Win A Grand Prix', Formula One expert Bernie Collins takes Anita behind the scenes of an F1 team, and explains how she forged a career working as a performance engineer at McLaren for names such as Jenson Button, then became Head of Strategy at Aston Martin, with world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Yesterday senior coroner Martin Fleming issued a warning after Georgia Brooke was fatally strangled or "choked" by her boyfriend, Luke Cannon, during sex. Mr Cannon was himself found dead the following day. The coroner described the practice of choking as "dangerous" and said "it all too often ends in fatal consequences". Georgia Brooke was twenty-six when she died in 2022. In his conclusion, Mr Fleming said that while there was no evidence that her boyfriend had intended to kill his girlfriend during the incident, he had used "excessive" force. Anita speaks to Fiona Mackenzie, the leader of the We Can't Consent to This campaign which was formed as a response to the increasing number of women and girls killed and injured in violence that is claimed to be consensual.

16-year-old Eleanor Shenderey from North Yorkshire has gone viral on social media after posting herself wearing handmade historical outfits. From the Tudors and the Victorians to the TV show Bridgerton, she has been inspired to make over 300 dresses - some of which have taken months to complete. Eleanor joins Anita to discuss how and why she does it.

Lottie Mills won the BBC Young Writers’ Award in 2020 for her short story, The Changeling. It will now feature in her debut book, 'Monstrum,' alongside a collection of modern fairy tales, telling the experiences of characters excluded and othered by their societies. Lottie has cerebral palsy and hopes the book will challenge the representation of disability in fiction. She talks to Anita about how growing up with a disability, she always understood herself through stories: Greek mythology and British folklore; Shakespeare’s plays and Victorian fairy tales.

Presenter: Anita Rani

Over half of female footballers book pitches, only to find they’ve been reallocated to men. With twice as many women as men considering quitting the sport because of this, Arsenal forward and England Lioness Beth Mead tells Nuala McGovern about her concerns.

A BBC investigation published today has highlighted the concerns of parents of vulnerable children sent hours away from home for urgent eating disorder treatment. They say there isn’t enough specialist mental health hospital care available locally on the NHS and they want an end to the postcode lottery. We hear from Donna whose daughter Annie had to be based far from her family and BBC Yorkshire investigations journalist Louise Fewster also joins Nuala.

Mexican author and academic Cristina Rivera Garza has just won a Pulitzer Prize for her book about her sister, who was murdered in 1990. It’s called Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice. Cristina joins Nuala to explain why she feels she wrote it with, not about, her sister, whose name and image are now carried at demonstrations against gender violence.

How has the role of women in choral music changed? With girls as well as boys now singing in cathedral choirs and more music by female composers being commissioned and performed, women’s voices are becoming increasingly prominent. Composer Cecilia McDowell and singer Carris Jones talk about championing and celebrating women in this traditionally male world.