Woman's Hour

There are big changes afoot for women’s football. Former England Lioness Karen Carney published a review into the women’s domestic game over the summer and the Government has just announced that it will back all the findings from her report. That includes making the top two tiers professional and giving the sport a dedicated broadcast slot. Baroness Sue Campbell, director of women's football at the Football Association, discusses their decision.

The head of Ofcom, Dame Melanie Dawes, talks about her plans to make tech companies stop children accessing online pornography in her first broadcast interview on the subject. Under the new Online Safety Act, which came into effect last month, the regulator has been tasked with coming up with age verification measures. Latest research shows that the average age at which children first see online pornography is 13 - although nearly a quarter come across it by age 11 and one in 10 as young as nine. By 18, 79% have encountered violent pornography depicting coercive, degrading or pain-inducing sex acts.

A report out today details for the first time the views of the bereaved families of women killed by men. A woman is killed by a man on average every three days in the UK and the charity Killed Women is campaigning to end this and improve the experiences for families forced to deal with it. The director of Killed Women, Anna Ryder, joins Krupa Padhy to discuss the report’s findings ahead of a planned protest outside Parliament.

Now it's only 20 sleeps until Christmas, and for many of you that might mean running around the shops buying all your Christmas presents. But one woman who is bucking this trend is the writer and journalist Nell Frizzell, who says that her family Christmases have improved since they stopped buying one another gifts. Nell and Ellie Gibson, comedian and one half of the Scummy Mummies who IS a big fan of gifting every festive season discuss.

Presenter: Krupa Padhy

A man has been convicted in court of harassing the Labour MP Stella Creasy. This harassment included reporting her to social services as an 'unfit mother'. A safeguarding review quickly cleared Stella Creasy – but the complaint cannot be removed from her records. Today, she is tabling an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, to allow councils to delete baseless complaints. Stella Creasy speaks to Krupa Padhy about her fight for justice under a law she herself drafted. She also pays tribute to fellow Labour politician Glenys Kinnock, who died on Sunday.

Last week on the programme we heard from Katy Marks, an architect by trade, who discovered after her single mastectomy that there was no bra on the market that was flat on one side. She didn’t want to use a prosthetic and so designed her own. Lots of you got in touch following that item to talk about your own experiences of living with one breast. Krupa is joined by two listeners, Diane Devlin and Laura Homer.

Born and raised in Deptford, south east London, Kwesia didn’t grow up with a lot of nature around her. That’s until she went on a life-changing trip to the Amazon. She’s since created her YouTube channel, City Girl in Nature, to guide other city dwellers into the great outdoors. She speaks to Krupa about her platform, nature activism work, and winning Best New Voice at the Audio Production Awards for her podcast Get Birding.

Some studies have found that women are more vulnerable to negative health impacts of single-use plastics, and women also form a larger majority of plastic consumers. With COP28 now underway in Dubai, Krupa is joined by Christina Dixon from Environmental Investigation Agency - an NGO which uncovers environmental crime and abuse. She would like to see plastic pollution being given a higher profile in climate talks.

What do our shoe choices say about us? A new exhibition at the Arc in Winchester in Hampshire called SHOES: INSIDE OUT looks at our relationship with our footwear. From the functional and practical to the fashionable and extravagant, what can shoes tell us about our social history, modern lives and our aspirations? Krupa is joined by Claire Isbester, co-curator of the exhibition.

Research by the charity Stamma shows that 8% of children will start stuttering at some point. Our listener Geri, a mother who’s son has a stammer, got in touch with Woman’s Hour and asked us to discuss the topic. Kirsten Howells from Stamma, Tiktok influencer Jessie Yendle and Geri join Claire McDonnell to share their own experiences and advice.

Actor Emily Blunt found fame as the scene-stealing assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, and has since starred in many films including Mary Poppins Returns and A Quiet Place with her real-life husband John Krasinski. She is also in one of this year’s biggest cinematic hits, Oppenheimer. As Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster about the father of the atomic bomb is released on ultra-HD DVD and Blu-ray, Emily Blunt talks to Clare McDonnell about her role as Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert’s wife.

How do you keep long-distance friendships going? Clare talks to filmmaker Shannon Haly, who lives in New York and wrote a viral poem about missing her best friend. They are joined by the journalist Rose Stokes who, after having an 18-year long-distance friendship decided to move to live in the same city as her friend.

What do women look for in a bra after breast cancer surgery? Clare is joined by Katy Marks, an architect by trade, who discovered after her single mastectomy that there was no bra on the market that was flat on one side. She didn’t want to use a prosthetic and so designed her own, called Uno, which launched on Monday. She’ll be joined on the programme by Asmaa Al-allak who won this year’s Great British Sewing Bee and is a consultant breast surgeon who has made post-surgery lingerie for her patients.

Today marks 100 years since the birth of one of opera’s most renowned and influential singers of the 20th century: the iconic heroine, Maria Callas. But what is it about her talent that has transcended the decades? Two sopranos – Alison Langer and Nadine Benjamin – join Anita to describe Maria Callas’ enduring star quality.

Presenter: Anita Rani

In Adura Onashile’s debut film, Girl, mother Grace and daughter Ama have recently arrived in Glasgow and have created a beautiful cocoon for themselves in a council block apartment. But Grace carries deep trauma from her past, and she finds it exceptionally difficult to watch her daughter go out into the world alone. Director Adura Onashile tells Anita why she emphasised the beauty of urban poverty, and how she drew on her relationship with her own mother.

Gwyneth Paltrow shared a photo on Instagram holdings hands with her ex-husband Chris Martin's current partner, Dakota Johnson.. But we ask, could you be friends with your ex's new partner? Alexandra Jones, a journalist who wrote a feature for Vogue about why she feels great about having a friendship with her ex’s now wife.

Tomorrow marks one hundred years since the birth of one Opera’s most renowned and influential singers of the 20th century: the iconic heroine, Maria Callas. But what is it about her talent that has transcended the decades? Two sopranos – Alison Langer and Nadine Benjamin – join Anita to describe Maria Callas’ enduring star quality.

Going shopping after a loved one has died can be a sharp reminder of your loss. Carmel Bones, who recently lost the main three men in her life now finds it hard to go into men’s department stores. Anita speaks to Carmel about her plan to tackle her grief and psychotherapist Julia Samuel gives her advice.

Next Sunday, December 3, the annual Radio 4 Christmas Appeal is taking place. Money raised by the Appeal will go to people experiencing homelessness, as well as to support frontline workers and to fund organisations working to end and prevent homelessness. West Mercia Women’s Aid are one of the charities who receive donations to assist some of the women that come to them for help. Anita speaks to Chief Executive, Sue Coleman to find out how important this funding is and why they are focussed on older women vulnerable to domestic abuse.

Presented by Anita Rani

Actor Emily Blunt found fame as the scene-stealing assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, and has since starred in many films including Mary Poppins Returns and A Quiet Place with her real-life husband John Krasinski. She is also in one of this year’s biggest cinematic hits, Oppenheimer. As Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster about the father of the atomic bomb is released on ultra-HD DVD and Blu-ray, Emily Blunt talks to Clare McDonnell about her role as Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert’s wife.

The price of baby formula has been making the headlines this week. The main brands have been pulled up by the Government’s Competition and Markets Authority for their high pricing. In fact, their research shows that the retail price is a lot higher than the costs to make the product. Joining Clare to discuss the high prices is Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA and Kirsty Jackson, the founder of High Peak Baby Bank, a donation service for families in need up in the Staffordshire area.

How common is it for a long relationship to end with a short marriage? What is it about formalising a union, or having a wedding that can be the catalyst for a split? And what are the legal pitfalls that couples might want to avoid? Clare is joined by Eve Simmons, US Health and Wellness Editor for the Daily Mail and Laura Naser, a partner in family law.

As Ireland's first female state pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy helped to solve murders and clarify unexplained deaths for over 15 years. She tells Clare what drew her to this career, how she deals with the emotionally taxing nature of the job and why she's now turned to writing with her debut novel 'Body of Truth'.

Presenter: Clare McDonnell

Last year's landmark Whyte Review into gymnastics detailed 'systemic issues' of physical and emotional abuse between 2008 and 2020. Today, British Gymnastics has for the first time introduced safeguarding policies relating to weighing, hydration and academic education, which they say are designed to better protect the welfare of gymnasts, but do they go far enough? Clare speaks to David Hart, performance director for British Gymnastics, Karen Whelan, gymnastics coach and mother of two-time British Olympian Hannah Whelan, and Eloise Jotischky, former elite gymnast and trustee and the youth voice on the Gymnasts for Change board and the first (and currently only) person to win a civil case against British Gymnastics for the abuse she experienced in the sport.

The actor Myha'la joins Clare to discuss her latest project starring alongside Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali in the film Leave the World Behind. It's an apocalyptic thriller which sees Julia Roberts's character Amanda rent a luxury house in the countryside with her family. They're disturbed by Ruth, played by Myha'la, and her father who claim they own the house and need a place to stay following a mysterious cyber attack.

Team GB hockey player Tess Howard campaigned for women to be able to choose whether they play in shorts or the traditional skort for their matches, resulting in official changes to the sport’s kit regulations. She’s been awarded Changemaker of the Year at the Sunday Times Sportswomen awards for her work.

How do you keep long-distance friendships going? Clare talks to film maker Shannon Haly, who lives in New York and wrote a viral poem about missing her best friend. They are joined by the journalist Rose Stokes who, after having an 18-year long-distance friendship decided to move to live in the same city as her friend.

It's long been claimed that in prehistoric times, women were gatherers while men were hunters. However, new research debunks this narrative and suggests that women were actually superior to men when it comes to hunting. Clare spoke to Dr Annamieke Milks, a palaeolithic archaeologist from the University of Reading who is an expert in hunting and weapons.

Presenter Clare McDonnell

Research by the charity Stamma shows that 8% of children will start stuttering at some point. Our listener Geri, a mother who’s son has a stammer, got in touch with Woman’s Hour and asked us to discuss the topic. Kirsten Howells from Stamma, Tiktokker Jessie Yendle and Geri join Claire McDonnell to share their own experiences and advice.

In 2013 Benita Alexander was working as a producer at NBC in New York. Tasked with putting a documentary together on renowned Swiss surgeon Dr Paolo Macchiarini, the pair soon grew close and started dating. However, not was all what it seemed with both their relationship and the success of his surgical invention. Benita joins Claire McDonnell to tell her story, as featured in the new Netflix documentary, Bad Surgeon: Love Under The Knife?

The UK’s Equalities and Human Rights Commission is being investigated by the UN over its position on “biological sex” and the provision of single-sex spaces. We talk to EHRC Chair Baroness Kishwer Falkner.

Kamila Hryshchenko is one of the highest chess ranked players in England however until very recently she represented a different nation. Kamila and her mother were forced to flee their home nation of Ukraine during the outbreak of war in 2022 and it was chess that proved instrumental to securing Kamila and her mother’s safety. Kamila has chosen to now play for England and she joins Clare McDonnell.

Presenter: Clare McDonnell

Award-winning actor Dame Harriet Walter is back on stage at the National Theatre in Federico Lorca’s newly-adapted The House of Bernada Alba. After a break of seven years playing assorted television roles including ‘difficult’ mothers in Succession and Ted Lasso, she’s back treading the boards and once again playing a formidable matriarch. She joins Clare McDonnell in the studio to talk about her career so far, as well as her newest role.

As of today, police in Northern Ireland can now charge people with upskirting, downblousing and cyber-flashing. At the same time, British Transport Police are encouraging women to lower their tolerance for sexual harassment during their commute and report minor offenders more often. So is recognition of so-called 'minor' sexual offences improving? Clare speaks to Naomi Long, Leader of the Alliance Party and former Northern Ireland Justice Minister, and to women's rights activist Zan Moon.

What do women look for in a bra after breast cancer surgery? Clare is joined by Katy Marks, an architect by trade, who discovered after her single mastectomy that there was no bra on the market that was flat on one side. She didn’t want to use a prosthetic and so designed her own, called Uno, which launches today. She’ll be joined on the programme by Asmaa Al-allak who won this year’s Great British Sewing Bee and is a consultant breast surgeon who has made post-surgery lingerie for her patients.

Runner Eilish McColgan follows in the footsteps of her mother Liz McColgan in the pursuit of sporting greatness. Now she’s made a documentary telling their story, looking at their relationship and charting the times Eilish has broken her mother’s records – all except the marathon. Eilish joins Clare to talk about making the documentary, as well as the pressures and benefits of following in the family business.

For more than two decades, Sharon Osbourne has been a regular feature on our screens. She came to prominence while appearing with her husband Ozzy on The Osbournes - a reality television show on MTV, which followed the family's daily life. She later became a talent show judge on television programmes such as the X Factor and America's Got Talent. She joins Anita Rani to discuss her forthcoming theatre show - Sharon Osbourne - Cut The Crap!

Actor Jodie Whittaker joins Woman’s Hour to talk about her role in a new Australian six part drama called One Night. Shot in New South Wales the story unfolds around three women from a coastal community whose reunion after many years apart is intensified by the publishing of a novel based on their lives. She joins Emma to discuss some of her other hard hitting roles post Doctor Who.

Amanda Spielman is coming to the end of an unprecedented seven year tenure at the helm of Ofsted. This year the organisation has come under intense scrutiny over its inspection regime and in particular the use of single-phrase judgments of schools, and the potential mental health impacts of those on school leaders and teachers. During the week Ofsted’s annual report is released, Amanda Spielman joins Emma for her only BBC interview.

Another Body is an award-winning documentary which follows US engineering student, 'Taylor', in her search for answers and justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online. Ahead of its release in the UK, one of the documentary's directors, Sophie Compton joins Emma to discuss why she decided to make this documentary, what she found and why she used deepfake technology herself to anonymise the identities of the protagonists.

Coaching for sonographers, the professionals carrying out the scans, on how to deliver unexpected and potentially devastating pregnancy news has been successfully tested in new research from the University of Leeds. Emma speaks to the lead researcher, Dr Judith Johnson, and also Karen, who says she was left with PTSD after receiving unexpected news about the health of her baby during a scan.

For more than two decades, Sharon Osbourne has been a regular feature on our screens. She came to prominence while appearing with her husband Ozzy on The Osbournes - a reality television show on MTV, which followed the family's daily life. She later became a talent show judge on television programmes such as the X Factor and America's Got Talent. She joins Anita Rani to discuss her forthcoming theatre show - Sharon Osbourne - Cut The Crap! - in which she promises to reveal all about some of the hardest years of her eventful life.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is warning of a growing mental health crisis amongst nursing staff, as its membership support line data shows a substantial increase in the number of nursing staff seeking help for having suicidal thoughts. We hear from Hannah Cadogan - a nurse currently working in the NHS - and Stephen Jones, the Lead for Mental Health at the RCN to unpick what lies behind this increase.

Dr Shani Dhanda is a disability inclusion & accessibility specialist, social entrepreneur and broadcaster. This month she was named the UK’s most influential disabled person by the Shaw Trust as part of the Disability Power 100 nominated by the public and judged by an independent panel. Shani is also an Ambassador for disability charity Scope. The Autumn Statement was controversial in its announcements affecting sick and disabled people, with the Government claiming their changes would support more people into work and campaigners and some professionals saying they could make the situation worse. Shani joins us to give her take, but also to discuss her life.

Women composers for the film, TV and gaming industries are rare; this month a report, Female Professionals in European Film Production 2023 revealed only 10% of European film composers are women; and in this year’s GameSoundCon Game Audio Industry Survey, women game composers and sound designers made up only 15% of the talent. Anita discusses what can be done to reduce the gender gap in the media music industry with the composers Hannah Peel and Bishi.

Presenter: Anita Rani