Women's Hour

For months Lucy Godley documented the abuse she suffered at the hands of her former partner. Secretly, she photographed injuries, gathered evidence and sent it to the one person she trusted to keep it safe: her mum, Sharon. The evidence would ultimately help secure his conviction and a 23-year prison sentence. For the first time, Lucy Godley and her mother Sharon join Nuala McGovern to tell their story together. The Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing calls to set a national waiting-time target for dementia care in England. A proposal for an 18‑week referral‑to‑treatment target has been backed by Baroness Louise Casey, who's leading a major review of adult social care. Women account for roughly two thirds of dementia cases. Baroness Casey joins Nuala to talk about what needs to change. The play Tits Up! follows four very different women who bond while being treated for breast cancer. Set in an oncology waiting room, the play begins a 23 day UK tour in October. One of the writers, Leah Bell who also stars with actor and comedian Crissy Rock join Nuala to discuss the play, friendships and using humour as a way to get through difficult times. Specialist courts to handle cases of rape and other sexual offences will be introduced across England and Wales over the next two years. Each crown court will have at least one courtroom set up to hear such cases, while alleged victims will be able to view proceedings remotely and give evidence from a separate room via video link. Nuala gets reaction from Chief Executive of Rape Crisis England & Wales, Ciara Bergman. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Dianne McGregor

Dame Meera Syal is a multi-award winning writer and actor, and a name and face very familiar to many of us having graced our screens for decades now. She's just published her first memoir and is also currently on stage in The Children at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London. With her trademark warmth and humour she joined Anita Rani in the studio. More than 1,000 children have died in a measles outbreak in Bangladesh. Government figures show there have been at least 194,000 cases since March, and around 1,000 new cases are being reported everyday. The World Health Organisation says this makes Bangladesh the country with the highest number of cases in the world right now. The government is responding with an emergency vaccination campaign. Anita talked to Dr Zakiul Hassan, a medical doctor who works at an international research institute in Bangladesh and is currently completing a PhD at the University of Oxford's Pandemic Sciences Institute. Elite rock climber Shauna Coxsey has become the first woman to complete the UK's hardest deep-water solo climb. Shauna scaled The Olympiad, an overhanging cliff route above the sea in Pembrokeshire. Deep-water solo climbing involves scaling coastal routes without ropes or a harness, with climbers falling into the sea if they come off. Nuala McGovern spoke to Shauna, who is Britain's most successful competitive climber and the UK's first Bouldering World Champion. One in 10 people in the UK are thought to be currently using GLP-1 weight-loss medication, and their rise is changing the way many people eat, shop, dress and even talk. Nuala spoke to two women exploring the impact the GLP-1 phenomenon is having on body image and the way we think about weight and diet culture. Journalist Rose Stokes hosts new podcast A Matter of Fat, while Dr Kat Schneider is a researcher on body image, weight bias and weight stigma, based at the Centre for Appearance Research at University of the West of England in Bristol. Have you ever said you were ‘triggered’, or casually described a repetit

Georgia Hunter Bell rediscovered her teenage love of running during lockdown, and two years later won Team GB a Bronze medal in the 1,500m at the Paris Olympics, at the age of 30. This year she's won gold medals at the World Indoor Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships - and tonight she's competing in Athlos, a brand new all-female track and field event taking place in London for the first time. Designed by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanion, it's aiming to reshape women’s athletics by giving them a financial stake in their own sport. Georgia tells presenter Anita Rani about her unusual path, and whether she thinks an event of this kind can change the public perception of women’s track and field events, or even the future of the sport. More than 1,000 children have died in a measles outbreak in Bangladesh. Government figures show there have been at least 194,000 cases since March, and around 1,000 new cases are being reported everyday. The World Health Organisation says this makes Bangladesh the country with the highest number of cases in the world right now. The government is responding with an emergency vaccination campaign. Presenter Anita Rani talks to Dr Zakiul Hassan, a medical doctor who works at an international research institute in Bangladesh and is currently completing a PhD at the University of Oxford's Pandemic Sciences Institute. Seven months after MPs called for tougher safeguards around cosmetic procedures, from liquid Brazilian Butt Lifts or BBLs to breast augmentations, the Women and Equalities Committee says key recommendations remain unanswered. Christine Jardine, Interim Chair of the Committee, and Nora Nugent, President of BAAPS join Anita to discuss how patient safety is being put at risk. Candy Sangare has just become both the first woman and the first black person to win the French Wine Tasting Championship, held annually by a wine magazine, La Revue du Vin de France. Candy isn't a sommelier, but a former air steward turned entrepreneur and now has her eyes s

Dame Meera Syal is a multi-award winning writer and actor, and a name and face very familiar to many of us having graced our screens for decades now. She's just published her first memoir and is also currently on stage in The Children at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London. With her trademark warmth and humour she joins Anita Rani in the studio. A breakthrough breast cancer drug, Enhertu, has been approved for NHS use in England. Charities and patients have campaigned for it to be more widely available since 2024, when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said Enhertu was not good value for money. The drug can give patients almost seven extra months to live on average - with some living up to three years longer. Women in Scotland have had access to the drug on the NHS since 2023, and it is available in 26 other European countries. Anita is joined by campaigner Sophie Blake who has stage 4 breast cancer and Dr Simon Vincent, Chief Scientific Officer at Breast Cancer Now. In our recent series of features about Daddy Issues, reporter Jo Morris has been speaking to listeners exploring the impact of paternal absence. Here, Anita is joined by Emma and her father Arthur, who share their story. Emma bonded with her father over sport, as she was a competitive swimmer, and Arthur was a British four time World Powerlifting Champion. But then Arthur became addicted to drugs and left the family home. They discuss the impact of paternal absence and describe how through their Christian faith they came to forgiveness and reconciliation. Founded two years ago by four Black SEND mothers, the Black Child Down Syndrome Project was created to address the lack of representation and support for Black families raising children with Down Syndrome. Earlier this year, their Reflecting Radiance exhibition in London showcased portraits of children supported by the project. Photographed by photographer and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Misan Harriman, the exhibition featured a takeover of the Piccadilly Light

A new film adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility will be released in cinemas on Friday 25 September. Austen's first published novel tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, who are forced to leave their family estate after their father's death and move to a cottage in rural Devonshire. More than 200 years after its original publication, the story is returning to the big screen. The production stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor and Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne. Screenwriter Diana Reid and director Georgia Oakley join Nuala McGovern to discuss the film. A new report from Amnesty International names 87 Iranian officials it says should be criminally investigated for crimes against humanity during the crackdown following the death of young Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, four years ago today. Raha Bahreini, a human rights lawyer and Amnesty International's Iran researcher, outlines the report and its call for action. BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet discusses what life is like for women in Iran today. Elite rock climber Shauna Coxsey has become the first woman to complete the UK's hardest deep-water solo climb. Shauna scaled The Olympiad, an overhanging cliff route above the sea in Pembrokeshire. Deep-water solo climbing involves scaling coastal routes without ropes or a harness, with climbers falling into the sea if they come off. Nuala speaks to Shauna, who is Britain's most successful competitive climber and the UK's first Bouldering World Champion. Rebecca F Kuang, author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed novel Yellowface, discusses her latest book, Taipei Story. It follows Lily, a Yale student who leaves America for an intensive summer language course in Taiwan's capital. Food, language, identity, grief and humour are all part of the story as Lily navigates translation, miscommunication and her family's cultural heritage. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Dianne McGregor

A new advert featuring the American actress Sydney Sweeney has sparked a backlash from some female athletes for sexualising women’s sport. The advert, for the sports betting company Novig - a company in which Sweeney has a financial stake - shows her in revealing poses with a series of sporting props. So does the advert undermine the progress women’s sport has made in moving away from the sexualisation of female athletes – or should women be free to present themselves however they choose? Harriet Walker is the fashion editor of The Times. She's been writing about this and joins Nuala McGovern. One in 10 people in the UK are thought to be currently using GLP-1 weight-loss medication, and their rise is changing the way many people eat, shop, dress and even talk. We speak to two women exploring the impact the GLP-1 phenomenon is having on body image and the way we think about weight and diet culture. Journalist Rose Stokes hosts new podcast A Matter of Fat, while Dr Kat Schneider is a researcher on body image, weight bias and weight stigma, based at the Centre for Appearance Research at University of the West of England in Bristol. We hear the final part of Daddy Issues, our series that has been exploring paternal absence in different forms. What happens when you lose your dad as a young woman on the cusp of adulthood? Woman’s Hour listener Donya contacted us on Instagram to tell us about her beloved dad Hussain, who died of cancer when Donya was only 18 and had just finished her A levels. She met reporter Jo Morris to discuss their close relationship - performing in amateur dramatics, cycling and hiking together, his absence, their Iranian culture, and how she’s navigating life without him. British singer-songwriter Sarah Jane Morris rose to international fame with The Communards iconic song Don’t Leave Me This Way in 1986. Over the last four decades she has built an eclectic solo career all over Europe and earlier this year released an album Sisterhood 2. It is the second in a series of albums in which songs ar

Is artificial intelligence more likely to disadvantage women at work? Women make up more than 60% of the UK’s administrative workforce – jobs considered among those most exposed to AI. As unions debate how the technology could affect women’s employment, Nuala McGovern hears from AI consultant Ella Wicks and Bethan, who was replaced in a previous administrative role by an AI tool, about what AI could mean for women at work. Have you ever said you were ‘triggered’, or casually described a repetitive behaviour as a bit ‘OCD’? Psychiatrist Dr Suzanne Garfinkle-Crowell joins Nuala to discuss her new book Girlhood, Translated, and her concerns about the growing use of ‘therapy speak’ and self-diagnosis among girls and young women. Céline Dion has returned to the stage in Paris after a six-year hiatus. Superfan Frankie Jackson-Spence and culture writer Beatrice Hazlehurst discuss her comeback and what she means to her fans. Spain’s football governing body has announced it will offer egg freezing to its top female players. Supporters say it could give athletes more choice over when to have children, while critics question whether it risks encouraging women to put their careers before motherhood. Former Chelsea goalkeeper Carly Telford and sports physiotherapist Michelle Lyons join Nuala to discuss fertility and female footballers' careers. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Simon Richardson

The government has announced plans to require smartphones and tablets to block people from taking, sharing or viewing nude images by default, with adults able to switch the protection off after verifying their age. BBC Senior Technology Reporter Chris Vallance explains how it could work, while Soma Sara, founder of sexual violence campaign group, Everyone’s Invited, tells us if it could protect young people from pressure, coercion and abuse. Callie Khouri won an Oscar for her first screenplay for the film Thelma & Louise. Now she has rewritten the script for a new musical version that has just premiered in London, 35 years after the original film aired. Callie joined Kylie Pentelow to talk about adapting the original and how the story is still painfully relevant. Journalist Rachel Hosie is expecting her first baby in France, where she’s been struck by how much attention and consideration pregnancy receives. Sarah Seror has had babies in both France and Britain and went on to found The Motherhood Practice, which provides private midwifery care in the UK. Nuala McGovern hears from them about the differences in cultural attitudes to pregnancy in the two countries. England Rugby’s Red Roses will be taking part in a major international tournament throughout September and October. But one of the biggest conversations ahead of the WXV Global series is around changes to the size of the equipment. World Rugby will be trialling a smaller ball throughout the tournament. This ball is 3% smaller than the standard size used at elite level for men and women. The changes have had mixed reviews with some saying they are better designed for women to use, while others are concerned about the harm this could do to the image of the Women's game. Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark, former Rugby Union player and world cup winning Red Rose and CEO of Women in Sport, Stephanie Hilborne, discuss the impact both on and off the pitch. The latest artwork for London's iconic Fourth Plinth has been revealed. Lady in Blue, by New York artist Tschabalal

More than 50 children's charities and parent organisations have written to the Prime Minister, warning that disabled children are being overlooked in the Government's planned reforms to social care. Kylie Pentelow is joined by Anna Bird, Chair of the Disabled Children's Partnership and Chief Executive of the charity Contact to tell us more. The latest artwork for London's iconic Fourth Plinth has been revealed. Lady in Blue, by New York artist Tschabalala Self, is a striking ten-foot-tall tribute to a young metropolitan woman inspired by today's London. The figure is the latest in a series of high-profile commissions that have transformed one of the world's most famous public art spaces. Tschabalala joins Kylie to discuss what it means to see her work take centre stage in the heart of the capital. River Ahmad made history in May when she became the first Afghan woman to climb Mount Everest. She had always dreamed of climbing the mountain with her 20-year-old brother who later took his own life. As a teenager in Afghanistan, she survived a Taliban attack on her bus. River now lives in Australia and she spoke to the BBC's Sodaba Haidare about her inspiration to climb the mountain: The third part in our series "Daddy Issues" where we explore the impact of fathers on daughters. Woman’s Hour listener Carmen grew up on the North Yorkshire coast. Her father was a retired fisherman. When Carmen was eight, her mum was taken into psychiatric care. Her dad looked after Carmen and her sister, and provided a safe haven for them. But things later became more complex. Reporter Jo Morris met Carmen at the beach, where she explained losing him twice, and the impact of this on her relationships. Dutch writer Doortje Smithuijsen joins Kylie to discuss her book, Capitalism is Sexism, exploring everything from work to childcare and the things mothers buy. Doortje asks how free those choices really are and why they still often produce familiar inequalities. Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Corinna Jones

The number of high earning parents turning down pay rises in order to keep free childcare is on the rise. Research from the University of Warwick and the London School of Economics estimates that by 2030, 12,000 parents will tactically keep their income below £100,000 in order to avoid the 'tax trap.' Kylie Pentelow speaks to Claer Barrett, Consumer Editor at the Financial Times. Emily McBride’s debut novel Queen Mab follows new mother Madeleine as she becomes concerned that her newborn is in fact a changeling. As real life continues around her, Madeleine slips into disturbing visions as she suspects her daughter was swapped by fairies. Kylie is joined by Emily to talk about her fictional exploration of postpartum psychosis and by Dr Jessica Heron, Chief Executive of the national charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis. Lucy Robinson was told she couldn’t go on a work trip abroad to deliver the keynote speech of her career because, despite being disabled, she wasn’t allowed to take her support workers with her. Kylie talks to Lucy about how she fought back and also to her lawyer, Anne-Marie Irwin from Rook Irwin Sweeney and the BBC's Carolyn Atkinson. Callie Khouri won an Oscar for her first screenplay for the film Thelma & Louise. Now she has rewritten the script for a new musical version that has just premiered in London, 35 years after the original film aired. Callie joins Kylie to talk about adapting the original and how the story is still painfully relevant. Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Rebecca Myatt