Woman's Hour

Dr Lisa Cameron was the SNP MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow from 2015 until a week ago when she decided to join the Conservative Party. She has described the move as equivalent to leaving an abusive marriage. In her first radio interview since her defection, she joins Emma Barnett to discuss what led to her making this decision.

Listeners who have been through IVF treatment will be familiar the extra – and often very expensive – add-on services that many clinics recommend. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the fertility regulator, has now launched a ratings system to let patients see which add-ons are backed-up by evidence. Strikingly, not one of them has been given the highest "green" rating. Professor Tim Child chairs the HFEA's Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee. Jessica Hepburn spent over £70,000 on unsuccessful fertility procedures and now campaigns about the fertility industry. They joined Emma to discuss.

Three Little Birds is a new ITV series written by Lenny Henry which follows three women who emigrate from Jamaica to England in the 1950s - post-Windrush. The series is inspired by the stories of Lenny Henry’s family who, although had positive experiences of being helped as new arrivals, also shared accounts of physical and racial abuse when they reached the UK. Saffron Coomber who plays ‘Chantrelle’ and director Yero Timi Biu talk about the show.

Julia Fox is an actor, artist and fashion icon, as famous for her breakout role in the film Uncut Gems as she is for her spectacular avant-garde fashion choices. She became tabloid fodder after a brief relationship with Kanye West. Her memoir Down the Drain describes a troubled childhood of sex, drugs and abusive relationships in Italy and New York. She tells Emma how her high-fashion image allows her to escape the male gaze.

Presenter: Emma Barnett

If the current polls are to be believed the next chancellor of the exchequer could be a woman. That woman would be Rachel Reeves, the current shadow chancellor and the MP for Leeds West. Originally from Lewisham, South London, she attended a state school, made it to Oxford University then into the world of finance working as an economist for the Bank of England. Labour have yet to announce their manifesto and detailed costed policies to put to the electorate, but we can examine the philosophy behind Labour’s economic thinking because Rachel has just published her latest book, The Women Who made Modern Economics, and hear how they have influenced her own thinking.

In October 2019, Coleen Rooney posted on social media that she had been concerned by articles appearing in newspapers that could only have come from stories on her private Instagram account. So she laid a trap for the account she suspected of the leak, and then told the world ‘It was…Rebekah Vardy’s account’. Immediately dubbed ‘Wagatha Christie’ - Rebekah Vardy, who continues to deny she was the source of those stories, sued Coleen for libel. A High Court judge ruled in Coleen Rooney’s favour last year and she is now putting her side of the story in a documentary series on Disney Plus called Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story. She speaks to Emma Barnett in a radio exclusive interview. 

British poet Becky Hemsley has self-published four collections of her work and has been top of the Amazon poetry chart twice now - most recently around International Women's Day last March. Originally a primary school teacher, she now focuses solely on her poetry. She joins Emma to explain why and to perform some of her poetry live.

Presented by Emma Barnett

As the war in Israel and Gaza heads into its 10th day, Emma talks about the role of hostages in this conflict with Rachel Briggs the CEO of Clarity Factory and an associate fellow at Chatham House. BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet also provides an update about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Are we becoming afraid of our phones? A recent survey suggest half of 12 to 26 year olds don't answer the phone to their parents and a third of them feel awkward speaking on the phone generally. But are we any different? Emma talks to Helen Thorn, a writer, podcaster and comedian and to 17-year-old Iona Cooke Mcintosh.

Britain's long-awaited Online Safety Bill setting tougher standards for social media platforms has been agreed by parliament and is days away from becoming law. It will regulate online content to help keep users safe, especially children, and to put the onus on companies to protect people from the likes of abusive messages, bullying and pornography, Emma talks to Legal expert Joshua Rozenburg about what will be in the Act and also to Baroness Kidron who has been very involved in getting the act through the houses of parliament and to Rashik Parmar the CEO of BCS the chartered institute of IT about the future of online safety.

In 2020, an undercover investigation by the BBC’s Africa Eye exposed a network of baby stealers and traffickers in Kenya. It sparked public outcry in the country and led many officials to make public promises of government action. Journalist Njeri Mwangi went undercover to cultivate a network of whistle-blowers in these trafficking networks. She’s revisited those impacted by the trade in a second documentary, What Happened to the Baby Stealers.

Presenter: Emma Barnett

The queen of pop returned to London's O2 this weekend for her Celebration Tour, performing more than 40 songs from her four-decade career. During her opening performance on Saturday, 65-year-old Madonna thanked her children for supporting her while she was ill earlier this year with a 'serious bacterial infection' which saw her admitted to intensive care for several days and forced her to postpone the tour. Some of her children then joined her on stage. Emma Barnett speaks to two women who were there - Sabrina Barr from Metro online and Helen Brown, Chief Album Critic for The Independent.

Exit polls from yesterday's general election in Poland suggest the governing right-wing Law and Justice Party has lost its majority in parliament. Three opposition groups are predicted to get enough seats to form a government if they can agree a coalition. The biggest of the three is the Civic Coalition, led by the former head of the European Council, Donald Tusk - who has already claimed victory. Women have played an important role in these elections with the issue of abortion taking centre stage since a near total ban was announced by the government in 2021, sparking protests across the country. The BBC's Eastern Europe Correspondent, Sarah Rainsford, is in Warsaw and joins Emma.

Diana Parkes, Joanna Simpson’s mother, has campaigned for months to stop the man who killed her daughter, Robert Brown, being allowed out of prison. Halfway through his 26-year sentence for her manslaughter, he was due for automatic release from prison next month. However, it has been announced that the Justice Secretary has blocked this and referred the case to the Parole Board. Diana joins Emma to share her response to the decision.

As climate ministers meet in Luxembourg today ahead of the COP28 summit next month in the United Arab Emirates, an exhibition looking at the relationship between women and ecology around the world is running at the Barbican in London. Emma talks to Alona Pardo, the lead curator of RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology.

Do you have an unconventional living arrangement with your partner? Last week we spoke to Caroline and Niel, who remained in the same house after they split up but now Caroline's new partner is living with her ex. It got very complicated! We wanted to see how many of you are in similar situations, and how that has worked. Listener Amy got in touch to say she has been together with her partner Richie for 19 years but they have never lived together, even after they got married. She joins Emma in studio.

Dawn French has been making people laugh as a writer, comedian and actor, for more than 30 years. Her celebrated shows include French and Saunders, The Vicar of Dibley, and Jam and Jerusalem. She joins Emma Barnett to discuss her new book about the hilarious gaffes that she has made in life, as part of her one-woman mission to celebrate what it means to be gloriously, messily human, rather than striving for Instagram-style-perfection.

It’s one of the things we’re most embarrassed to talk about – pain when having sex. This is something that Professor Katy Vincent, academic gynaecologist, and Dr Lydia Coxon, researcher in Pain in Women, are hoping to change. They join Emma alongside BBC presenter Sophie Law to talk about an open panel they held to try and get women to talk about their pelvic pain, and address the taboo around talking about periods, sex and women’s pelvic health.

'My Boyfriend Lives with with My Husband,' was the intriguing headline of an article in the Guardian newspaper recently. While Caroline and the children she shares with her husband Niel live in Cheltenham, Neil is living with Caroline's boyfriend in Scotland. Both Caroline and Niel describe their unconventional family living arrangements to Emma, they explain how it came about and why it works for them.

The new BBC drama series The Reckoning has started on BBC One. It tells the story of Jimmy Savile, who for decades was one of the UK’s most influential celebrities forging friendships with politicians and royalty and raising millions for charity. But after his death in 2011, it transpired he was also one of the country’s most prolific sexual predators, abusing hundreds of people, many of them children. The series, which stars Steve Coogan as Jimmy Savile, explores how he was able to hide in plain sight and use his celebrity status, powerful connections and fundraising activity to gain uncontrolled access to vulnerable young people. Sam Brown was abused by Savile from the age of 11. Her story is depicted in episode 3 of the series, and she speaks to Emma.

Violinist Esther Abrami was handpicked by Julian Lloyd Webber as one of 30 under 30 to watch, and she is the first classical musician to win the ‘Social Media Superstar’ category at the Global Awards. With more than 400,000 followers on TikTok, Esther joins Emma to discuss her new album, Cinema.

Shirley Ballas is best known for being one of the judges on BBC Strictly Come Dancing and her stellar career in Latin dance that earnt her the title, ‘Queen of Latin’. She joins Krupa Padhy to talk about Strictly, the menopause and her new book, Murder on the Dancefloor.

Presenter: Krupa Padhy

Shirley Ballas is best known for being one of the judges on BBC Strictly Come Dancing and her stellar career in Latin dance that earnt her the title, ‘Queen of Latin’. She joins Krupa to talk about Strictly, the menopause and her new book, Murder on the Dancefloor.

Last weekend’s earthquake in Western Afghanistan killed 1,300 people and injured many more according to UN figures. UNICEF have said more than 90% of those who died were women and children, as they were more likely to have been at home. Krupa speaks to Salma Braham, Afghanistan Country Director for the International Rescue Committee. She joins live from Kabul.

Bed bugs are everywhere in the news. The actress Sue Elliott Nicholls joins us to describe the shame she felt when her house became infested. Social media influencer and author “Queen of Clean” Lynsey Crombie says with education and vigilance bed bugs can be avoided in the first place. She shares her top tips on actions we should take now and what we must avoid.

Serious issues relating to cervical screening services in parts of Northern Ireland have led to 17,500 women having their smear tests re-checked as part of a major review of cervical screening dating back to 2008. Failures in screening has led to some abnormal tests not being followed up. Marie-Louise Connolly, the BBC’s NI Health Correspondent joins us to explain, together with a patient, we are calling Susan, who has been affected by previous failures within the screening system.

Ripley Parker is the 22-year-old writer and creator of the new Netflix series Everything Now. She joins Krupa to talk about why the series is so important to her, and how it came from her own personal experiences as a teenager.

Presenter: Krupa Padhy

Nearly 350,000 people have been displaced in Gaza, since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes and created a blockade of the area. In Gaza's hospitals, where thousands of people are being treated, power is running out. Women and children are chief among those affected. Emma speaks to Lyse Doucet, the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Najla Shawa, a humanitarian worker who lives in the west side of Gaza City with her family and Adele Raemer, a grandmother in Israel.

Emmy winning actor, Laura Linney, joins Emma Barnett to discuss her new film, The Miracle Club, in which she stars alongside other film icons, Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates. Emma asks her how much she misses playing Wendy Byrde in the much-acclaimed long-running TV series Ozark.

'My Boyfriend Lives with with My Husband,' was the intriguing headline of an article in the Guardian newspaper recently; While Caroline and the children she shares with her husband Niel live in Cheltenham, Niel is living with Caroline's boyfriend in Scotland. Both Caroline and Niel describe their unconventional family living arrangements to Emma and explain how it came about and why it works for them.

Dawn French has been making people laugh as a writer, comedian and actor, for more than 30 years. Her celebrated shows include French and Saunders, The Vicar of Dibley, and Jam and Jerusalem. She joins Emma to discuss her new book about the hilarious gaffes that she made in life, as part of her one-woman mission to celebrate what it means to be gloriously, messily human, rather than striving for Instagram-style-perfection.

Presenter: Emma Barnett

We heard reports last night from Israel that a massacre had taken place at the weekend in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Women and children were among the dead and we were told that beheadings had happened too. A group of journalists were taken to the scene by Israeli soldiers. Emma is joined by Bel Trew, Chief International Correspondent for the Independent, who was one of the journalists. And, focusing on women's lives in the region, Emma speaks to Adele Raemer, who survived an attack on her home, and we hear extracts from journalist Plestia Alaqad in Gaza, who sent her audio diary to the BBC.

Dr Katalin Kariko's work has had a major impact on people's lives around the world. She tells Emma how the mRNA technology she was working on for decades helped the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech covid vaccines come to be. Now Dr Kariko has been awarded a Nobel Prize. She's a biochemist, Professor at the University of Szeged in Hungary and along with her colleague Professor Drew Weissman, who is at the University of Pennsylvania, she won the prize for the category of Physiology or Medicine.

It’s one of the things we’re most embarrassed to talk about – pain when having sex. This is something that Professor Katy Vincent, academic gynaecologist, and Dr Lydia Coxon, researcher in Pain in Women, are hoping to change. They join Emma alongside BBC presenter Sophie Law to talk about an open panel they held to try and get women to talk about their pelvic pain, and address the taboo around talking about periods, sex and women’s pelvic health.

Since 2011, October 11 has been declared by the UN as International Day of the Girl Child to recognise girls' rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. This year Women of the World (WOW) Festival has launched the Young Leaders Directory, inspiring activists from across the world campaigning on topics such as education, period poverty and climate justice. Emma is joined by two young women, Marwa Shinwari from Afghanistan and Ain Husniza from Malaysia to discuss their passions and hopes for the future.

Presented by Emma Barnett

After the Hamas attacks at the weekend and Israel’s order of a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip in response, we talk to two people from the different communities involved. A few years ago, Bassam Aramin lost his 10-year-old daughter, Abir, who was killed by an Israeli soldier, and Robi Damelin lost her 28 year old son, David, after he was killed by a Palestinian sniper. Neither were killed in this latest stage of the Israel-Gaza conflict but as members of a cross-community group called the Parents Circle-Families Forum, they’re uniquely placed to comment on the situation.

Esther Abrami was handpicked by Julian Lloyd Webber as one of 30 under 30 to watch, and she is the first classical musician to win the ‘Social Media Superstar’ category at the Global Awards. With more than 400,000 followers on TikTok, Esther joins Emma Barnett to discuss her new album, Cinema, and to perform live in the studio.

Women dominated headlines at the Conservative Party conference last week. But is the future of the Labour Party female? Rachel Cunliffe, Associate Political Editor at the New Statesman, and Alice Thomson, columnist and interview at The Times, bring us the latest news from Liverpool.

The Government’s official independent rape advisor Emily Hunt has decided to walk away from her role. She advised the government in the run-up to the landmark 2021 End-to-End Rape Review - which has successfully increased the number of rape cases getting to court to pre-2016 levels. But she has said that her own experiences within the justice system as an abuse victim have left her feeling unsafe.

Presenter: Emma Barnett

Images of children, mothers and grandmothers are flooding media and social media two days after a coordinated attack by Hamas on Israel. Israel has since declared war. Emma Barnett speaks to the BBC's Anna Foster, who is in Israel, not far from Gaza, who talks about the impact on women on both sides of the conflict. Also Emma hears from the son of a 74-year-old Israeli former headmistress and Arabic teacher who is believed by her family to have been kidnapped from her home, and Alicia Kearns MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

A new test could cut the time it takes to diagnose endometriosis from an average of eight years to just eight days. Researchers at the University of Hull have developed a test that uses a urine sample instead of a laparoscopy, an invasive surgical procedure that is currently used to diagnose the condition. Emma is joined by Dr Barbara Guinn, Reader in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Hull, to discuss.

The new BBC drama series The Reckoning starts tonight on BBC One. It tells the story of Jimmy Savile, who for decades was one of the UK’s most influential celebrities forging friendships with politicians and royalty and raising millions for charity. But after his death in 2011, it transpired he was also one of the country’s most prolific sexual predators, abusing hundreds of people, many of them children. The series, which stars Steve Coogan as Jimmy Savile, explores how he was able to hide in plain sight and use his celebrity status, powerful connections and fundraising activity to gain uncontrolled access to vulnerable young people. Sam Brown was abused by Saville from the age of 11. Her story is depicted in episode 3 of the series, and she joins Emma.