Podcasts about nuala mcgovern

Lots of boys have grown up wanting to be Superman but perhaps you grew up wanting to be award-winning journalist Lois Lane? Actor Rachel Brosnahan is known for her Emmy-winning portrayal of Midge Maisel in the TV series, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, her Emmy-nominated performance in House of Cards and her work on Broadway. Now she's playing Clark Kent's love interest, Lois Lane in the upcoming DC Universe film, Superman. She tells Nuala McGovern about the unusual circumstances in which she found out she had the role and the difficulties of working with CGI. A British teenager who is currently held in prison in Georgia says she was 'tortured' into smuggling drugs. Bella Culley who is 19 and from Teesside, has appeared at a Tbilisi court this week. She has pleaded not guilty to charges of possession and trafficking a large amount of illegal drugs. The BBC's Caucasus correspondent Rayhan Demytrie tells Nuala what's been happening. Jenny Evans was a young actress riding high on the success of her first feature film when she was sexually assaulted by someone who was in the public eye. When she later found the courage to report this crime to the police, details of what she had experienced were printed in a tabloid newspaper. Jenny decided to retrain as a journalist to try and figure out how this could have happened. She went on to help expose the abuses of power in the press and police that have become known as the 'phone-hacking scandal'. Nuala speaks to Jenny about her memoir Don't Let it Break You, Honey. To mark the start of the UEFA European Women's Championship Nuala speaks to BBC Sport's Correspondent Katie Gornall live from Switzerland. She's also joined by DJ, author and podcaster Annie Macmanus who was so inspired by the Lionesses Euro's win in 2022 that she decided to take the sport up herself, in her 40's. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Andrea Kidd

Award-winning actor Fiona Shaw has starred in Killing Eve, Bad Sisters, Fleabag, True Detective: Night Country, Echo Valley and even as Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter, among many other things. She's won and been nominated for several Laurence Olivier awards for her work on stage and she's even directed opera. Now starring in a new film adaptation of Deborah Levy's novel, Hot Milk, Fiona plays Rose, who goes to Almería, Spain with her daughter, Sofia, played by the brilliant Emma Mackey, to try to find a cure for Rose's mysterious paralysis at an experimental clinic. Fiona joins Nuala McGovern live in the studio to discuss it.The Scottish Parliament is looking for opinions on a proposed bill which would change the laws on prostitution in the country. It targets those who buy sexual services by creating a new criminal offence of paying for a sexual act. If passed, it would criminalise those buying sex, while decriminalising those selling it. The woman behind the bill, MSP Ash Regan, speaks to Woman's Hour about why she wants the change, and responds to criticisms that it could make sex work less safe. Today government ministers have launched a review of UK parental leave and pay to reset the system and speaking yesterday the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said people were scared of having children because of the high costs and she wanted “more young people to have children, if they so choose”. But getting to become a parent can sometimes require ongoing fertility treatment meaning time away from work. And Fertility Matters at Work are calling for those undergoing this support to have the legal right to take time off for their appointments. They've published a report on it and the author Becky Kearns joins Nuala. She's the co-founder and CEO of Fertility Matters at Work. A new production of Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten, starring Ruth Wilson, is on at the Almeida theatre in London. Nuala is joined by multi award-winning director Rebecca Frecknall to discuss the central character Josie, and why the father-daughter relationship at the heart of the play spoke to her. Women's cricket in England has been through trials and tribulations recently. The team lost 16-0 to Australia in the Women's Ashes at the start of this year, and were knocked out of the T20 World Cup at the end of last year. But in June, after the appointment of a new coach and captain, had a clean sweep in their T20 series against the West Indies. Now they're facing India in a series of T20 matches, and suffered a defeat in their first match. Player, commentator and podcast host Melissa Story shares her thoughts on the team's performance, as well as what's happening in women's cricket on a local level. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

Introduced in 2003, statutory paternity leave, allows most new fathers and second parents in the UK to take up to two weeks off work. As a result, according to a new report from the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath, women continue to shoulder most of the care burden after childbirth. The report calls on the UK government to introduce six weeks of well-paid paternity leave, arguing the move would promote gender equality, support working families and boost economic growth. Nuala McGovern is joined by co-author of that report Dr Joanna Clifton-Sprigg.This summer, women's sport takes centre stage across the BBC and especially here on Woman's Hour where we'll be keeping you up to date across all the action. The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 championship starts on Wednesday but today is the first day of the Wimbledon tennis championships. A total of 23 British players are competing in the men's and women's singles this year - that's the most since 1984. And the women's line is reported to be the strongest since the 80s. Playing today are British number 2 Katie Boulter and British Number One, Emma Raducanu who faces another Brit- 17 year old, Mimi Xu. Molly McEl-wee, tennis journalist and author of a new women's tennis book 'Building Champions' and Naomi Cavaday, former British player and part of the BBC commentating team at Wimbledon this year discuss.The French-Tunisian documentary filmmaker Hind Meddeb joins us to discuss her latest film Sudan, Remember Us. For four years she was embedded with Sudanese activists in the country capturing the start of a sit in protest at Army headquarters in Khartoum in 2019 which led to a massacre and subsequent civil war. She is joined by Yousra Elbagir, Sky News' Africa Correspondent who will explain the significance of that sit-in in 2019 and why the war in Sudan shouldn't be dismissed as just another civil war but as an uprising that affects us all more globally. The women's Euros start this week, with teams from both England and Wales taking part. The Lionesses won the Euros in 2022 and much was made of the number of openly lesbian players both in the England squad and across the other teams. In a new graphic novel called Florrie a football love story, Anna Trench tells the story of the ground breaking women footballers from the end of the First World War and highlights the pioneering lesbians players of the past. Rachael Bullingham, Senior Lecturer of Sport and Exercise at the University of Gloucestershire joins the discussion.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Following the publication of Baroness Louise Casey's highly critical report into grooming gangs involved in the sexual exploitation of children, we look at one of her 12 recommendations in detail. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has committed to reviewing the criminal convictions of victims of child sexual exploitation, quashing the criminal records of victims who were “criminalised instead of protected”. Nuala McGovern speaks to Jade, who as a teenager was charged with a grooming offence and is trying to get that conviction overturned. Nuala also hears from Paula Harriott, the CEO of the charity Unlock. Students will spend an average of 25 years on their phones over their lifetime. The average person in school, college or university spends five hours and 30 minutes a day on their mobile, according to a new study by the app, Fluid Focus. Last year Ofcom found that across all adult age groups, women are spending more time online – that's on smartphones, tablets and computers – than men - clocking up an extra 33 minutes more each day. Nuala speaks to Sunday Times journalist Charlotte Ivers about her phone use. More than half of Heart Valve Disease (HVD) cases are women, yet less than half of heart valve surgeries and procedures are on women, according to new data from the charity Heart Valve Voice. Heart valve disease is when one or more of your heart valves do not work like they should. This can affect blood flow and put extra strain on the heart. How can women's symptoms be taken more seriously? Nuala is joined by cardiologist Dr Alison Duncan and HVD patient Jaqueline, who was initially misdiagnosed with anxiety.Three years on since the war with Russia began, more and more young women are choosing to leave the country to continue their lives in Europe, either studying or working. Young men have been banned from leaving Ukraine after they turn 18 since the war broke out and martial law was introduced, but young women are free to leave. Freelance journalist Gabriella Jozwiak has been in the city of Lviv talking to young women about their plans for the future, and joins Nuala. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

Natalie Fleet is the Labour MP for Bolsover whose path into politics has been far from typical. From a very young age, teachers told her she was destined for university – something almost unheard of in her Nottingham mining town. But her future took a different turn, when at fifteen, she became pregnant by an older man. At the time she had thought they were in a relationship - but as she grew older, Natalie says she realised she had been a victim of grooming and statutory rape. She's now speaking out to give a voice to those she feels have been made to feel they should be silent, and joins Anita Rani in the studio. Only 3.1% of PREP users in England are women. That's Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, a drug that reduces the risk of being infected with HIV. Many women don't know that PREP exists, or don't consider themselves at risk. Yet women accounted for 30% of new HIV diagnoses in England in 2023. This week, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has launched pilot programmes to increase women's access to PREP. Anita was joined by Dr Jenny Whetham, Consultant and Joint Clinical Lead, Sexual Health and HIV Medicine, Brighton and Anne Aslett, CEO of the Elton John AIDS Foundation to discuss.Trisha Goddard rose to fame as a TV journalist. She was the first black TV presenter in Australia and is best known in the UK for her eponymous TV show which aired on ITV and Channel 5 in the late 90s and 2000s, earning her a reputation as the British Oprah. She joined Anita to talk about her career, appearing on Celebrity Big Brother and why she chose recently to go public with her diagnosis for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.BBC journalist Sanchia Berg and fertility lawyer Beverley Addison joined Nuala McGovern to discuss the recent cases of older couples becoming parents via surrogacy.Comedian, actor and writer Rosie Jones joined Nuala to discuss her first sitcom, Pushers, which she stars in and co-wrote. She plays Emily in the Channel 4 show, who has very little left to lose after having her disability benefits cut when she loses her job - she finds herself building an illegal drugs empire. Emily isn't your average street-dealer though - she's sharp, funny, highly educated and has cerebral palsy. What better disguise could there be for criminal activity than to be entirely written off by society?Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Rebecca Myatt

In the biggest shake-up to reproductive rights in almost 60 years, MPs have voted to decriminalise abortion for women in England and Wales. This would mean a woman could not be prosecuted for ending her pregnancy after the 24 week limit, but medical professionals and others could still be held criminally liable if they assist. Nuala McGovern speaks to the BBC's political correspondent Alex Forsyth and Conservative MP Dr. Caroline Johnson, shadow minister for health and social care, who had put forward another amendment which would have required a pregnant woman to have an in person consultation with a doctor or appropriate medical professional before being prescribed medication to terminate her pregnancy, aimed at stopping so-called 'pills-by-post' abortions.Crime writer Karin Slaughter has sold over 40 million copies and been called the ‘Queen of Crime.' She's been writing for 25 years and has just published her 25th novel. Called We Are All Guilty Here, it's the story of two teenage girls who go missing and the start of a brand new series featuring police officer Emmy Clifton. Karin tells Nuala why she wanted create a new series and how she manages a book a year on top of all the TV adaptations on her work. Do you co-sleep or bedshare with your school-aged children? A few years ago the Clueless actor Alicia Silverstone was criticised for saying she sleeps in the same bed with her 11-year-old and that she was 'just following nature.' It's a divisive topic that provokes strong opinions and disagreement. So how common is it and what are the advantages and disadvantages of doing so? Nuala is joined by Genevieve Roberts, parenting columnist with the I newspaper, who regularly sleeps in the same bed with her children, and Sarah Blunden, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Head of Paediatric Sleep Research at Central Queensland University. One of the young women making waves in the male dominated sport of motor racing is 22-year-old Abbi Pulling. She's considered as one of the most promising young drivers in world motorsport - she won the 2024 'F1 Academy' season, which has been set up to develop women and girls in the sport. She's the first female driver to take a race victory in British F4 and is now racing in the GB3 category. Abbi told Nuala about the difficulties around funding for getting into racing and if women could make it into the top tier of Formula 1. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Andrea Kidd

We discuss the key recommendations of Baroness Louise Casey's report into child sexual exploitation and abuse, and ask what might change as a result? Nuala McGovern is joined by guests including BBC social affairs editor Alison Holt, social worker-turned-whistleblower Jayne Senior and documentary director Anna Hall, who has spent the past two decades covering the subject of grooming gangs. Comedian, actor and writer Rosie Jones joins Nuala to discuss her first sitcom, Pushers, which she stars in and co-wrote. She plays Emily in the Channel 4 show, who has very little left to lose after having her disability benefits cut when she loses her job - she finds herself building an illegal drugs empire. Emily isn't your average street-dealer though - she's sharp, funny, highly educated and has cerebral palsy. What better disguise could there be for criminal activity than to be entirely written off by society? Children are not playing outside enough, according to a new report by the Raising the Nation Play Commission, but instead are "sedentary, scrolling and alone". Nineteen commissioners, from doctors to campaigners, spent a year investigating play and childhood in England for the report. Among their recommendations are raising the digital age of consent to 16 and putting in place a statutory "play sufficiency duty" for local authorities. Joining Nuala to discuss this are Baroness Anne Longfield, executive chair of Centre for Young Lives and co-leader of the commission, and Debbie Watson, Professor of Child and Family Welfare at the University of Bristol. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a full national statutory inquiry into child sexual abuse perpetrated by gangs after previously dismissing calls for a public inquiry. This comes after he said he has read every single word of an independent report into child exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for a full investigation. Nuala McGovern discusses what's been announced with BBC Special Correspondent Judith Moritz and Maggie Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012 to publicly speak out against what she recognised as gross failures to safeguard victims of the scandal in Rochdale. She has recently had meetings with Baroness Casey and has taken a group of survivors to share their experiences with her.The BBC and the Arts and Humanities Research Board have selected six academics to be this year's New Generation Thinkers on Radio 4 and Historical Criminologist Stephanie Brown will be joining Woman's Hour. She talks to Nuala about her research into crime, punishment and policing and how society views women criminals.Lily Allen recently admitted that she ranks her friends in a recent edition of the BBC podcast Miss Me? The singer joked: 'I create lists of people who I like in order of how much I like them… I send that list to my assistant and ask her to schedule the time for me to have FaceTimes with them.' But joking apart, is it simply human nature to make a distinction between close friends and acquaintances, and everyone in between? Columnist for the iPaper Rebecca Reid and cultural historian Tiffany Watt-Smith join Nuala to discuss.BBC journalist Sanchia Berg and fertility lawyer Beverley Addison joins Nuala to discuss the recent cases of older couples becoming parents via surrogacy.Iris Mwanza started out as a corporate lawyer in both her native Zambia and then in the US. She's also been Deputy Director in the Gender Equality Division of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. But she's gone back to her roots for her debut novel, The Lions' Den. Set in Zambia in the early 1990s, it follows Grace Zulu, a rookie lawyer, whose first pro bono case is to help the 17-year-old Willbess Mulenga. It's been alleged that Willbess, who prefers the name Bessy, had sex with another man and he's been arrested for offences ‘against nature.' Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

Julianne Moore has won countless awards and nominations for films like Boogie Nights, The End of the Affair, The Hours, as well as winning an Oscar for her performance in the film Still Alice. Her latest role sees her play Kate in the upcoming film Echo Valley alongside Sydney Sweeney, who plays her daughter Claire. Julianne tells Nuala McGovern about her character who's coming to terms with a personal tragedy while running her farm and training horses, when her daughter shows up, hysterical and covered in someone else's blood, flipping Kate's world upside down.Next week not one but two amendments are being brought before MPs, both of which could mean, if passed, that women will no longer be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy in England and Wales. It comes amid concern more women are being investigated by police on suspicion of illegally ending a pregnancy. Anita Rani is joined by the BBC's Health Correspondent Nick Triggle and Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, one of those who is tabling an amendmentIn 2015, 22-year-old Alice Figueiredo took her own life whilst being treated at Goodmayes Hospital, east London. Over the course of her 5 month stay at the mental health unit she attempted suicide on 18 separate occasions. Following a seven-month trial at the Old Bailey, a jury found that not enough was done by the North East London Foundation NHS Trust, or ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa, to prevent Alice from killing herself. Alice's mum, Jane Figueiredo, has spent the last decade fighting to get the case to court. She discusses the impact it has had on her family.Canadian born human rights lawyer, Stephanie Case, went viral online when she finished first place in the women's section of the Snowdonia ultra-trail 100km race despite giving birth six months ago and breastfeeding her daughter at aid stations. Stephanie tells Nuala McGovern about her first race as a mother and first competition in three years and why she chose to continue to do the things she loves after becoming a mum.The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is set in the Netherlands in 1960 and tells the story of Isabel and Eva, two women who are both struggling to find their place in a society that isn't yet modern but does not want to reflect on the horrors of the Second World War. Yael joins Anita to discuss her critically acclaimed debut novel which has been shortlisted for the Booker and is this years Women's Prize for Fiction winner.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

Canadian born human rights lawyer, Stephanie Case, went viral online when she finished first place in the women's section of the Snowdonia ultra-trail 100km race despite giving birth six months ago and breastfeeding her daughter at aid stations. Stephanie tells Nuala McGovern about her first race as a mother and first competition in three years and why she chose to continue to do the things she loves after becoming a mum.In 2015, 22-year-old Alice Figueiredo took her own life whilst being treated at Goodmayes Hospital, east London. Over the course of her 5 month stay at the mental health unit she attempted suicide on 18 separate occasions. Following a seven-month trial at the Old Bailey, a jury found that not enough was done by the North East London Foundation NHS Trust, or ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa, to prevent Alice from killing herself. Alice's mum, Jane Figueiredo, has spent the last decade fighting to get the case to court. She discusses the impact it has had on her family.This week it was announced by Deloitte that the total revenues of Women's Super League (WSL) football clubs grew by 34 per cent to £65m in the 2023-24 season and are tipped to hit £100m for the first time next year. But while the four biggest-earning clubs generated most of the WSL revenue and the average WSL team's revenue increased there remains a yawning gap between the top and bottom teams. At the same time average attendances in the Women's Super League dropped by 10% last season compared with the previous campaign. To unpick this mixed picture we hear from Dr Christina Philippou, Associate Professor of Sports Finance at the University of Portsmouth.A new Cambridge University report published today calls on public health bodies like the NHS to offer apps that rival private FemTech services to prevent policing of reproductive choices. They are calling for better governance of the industry to protect users of cycle tracking apps (CTAs) when their data can be collected and sold at scale. Dr Stefanie Felsberger is lead author of The High Stakes of Tracking Menstruation.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Crawley

The kidnap, murder and rape of Sarah Everard was deemed a moment of reckoning in 2021. The Angiolini Inquiry, which investigated this case, found that Wayne Couzens was reported eight times for indecent exposure. The report also found that the offence "may indicate a potential trajectory towards even more serious sexual and violent offending". A new report by The Telegraph has investigated cases of indecent exposure since Sarah Everard's murder and found that police are catching and prosecuting fewer offenders, despite a big increase in the number of offences reported. The paper's Home Affairs Editor, Charles Hymas, joins Nuala McGovern, as does Zoë Billingham, former HM Inspector of Constabulary.Natalie Dormer has graced our screens as Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones, Anne Boleyn in The Tudors and in films including The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and The Wasp. She's now back on stage as Anna in a new adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel Anna Karenina. Set in 19th century Russia, Anna is the wife of a powerful government official, who dares to step outside the bounds of society to risk a dangerous and destructive love affair. Natalie talks to Nuala about the role, her career and more.World fertility rates are in 'unprecedented decline' according to a survey of 14,000 people by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN's reproductive rights agency. One in five respondents said they haven't had – or don't expect they will have - the number of children they want. The survey spanned 14 countries on five continents, which are home to a third of the world's population. Nuala is joined by demographer Anna Rotkirch, who has researched fertility intentions in Europe and advises the Finnish government on population policy, to discuss the findings and their impact. Jessica Stanley's novel Consider Yourself Kissed tells the story of Coralie, a copywriter who moves from Australia to London just before she turns 30 and falls in love with political journalist Adam. Jessica tells Nuala about the book, which tracks 10 years of Coralie and Adam's lives from 2013 to 2023, taking in love, birth, illness and a particularly eventful period in British politics. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Julianne Moore has won countless awards and nominations for films like Boogie Nights, The End of the Affair, The Hours, as well as winning an Oscar for her performance in the film Still Alice. Her latest role sees her play Kate in the upcoming film Echo Valley alongside Sydney Sweeney, who plays her daughter Claire. Julianne tells Nuala McGovern about her character who's coming to terms with a personal tragedy while running her farm and training horses, when her daughter shows up, hysterical and covered in someone else's blood, flipping Kate's world upside down.From today, nursing staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being asked to vote on the government's proposed 3.6% pay increase. This compares to a 5.4% average increase for resident doctors, formally known as junior doctors, and 4% for consultants and other senior doctors. The Scottish government has already agreed a two-year 8% pay offer with health unions. Around 345,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing union will be asked if the pay award is enough in what has been described as the biggest single vote of the profession ever launched in the UK. Nuala speaks to Steve Ford, editor of the Nursing Times.Turkey has imposed a restriction on elective caesarean sections at small private medical clinics, without a medical justification, under new health ministry regulations. President Erdogan has declared 2025 to be the ‘Year of the family' and has been campaigning for women to have vagina births, or 'natural births' as he's calling them, in a bid to encourage women to have more babies. Turkey has one of the highest rates of caesarean section births according to health ministry figures from 2023, where out of all births 61.5% were by c-section. This compares to the UK's 42%, according to the latest NHS data. Nuala talks to Guardian journalist Ruth Michaelson and Dr Irmak Sarac, a gynaecologist and feminist activist in Turkey, to discuss why these restrictions have been brought in and what's happening to women's reproductive health in Turkey.Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: China's Stolen Children and a Story of Separated Twins is the real life story of twin girls born in China who were separated as toddlers in 2002. One girl was adopted in good faith by an American couple who believed that the baby's Chinese birth-parents had given her up. The other remained in China to be raised by her birth parents. The story shone a light on China's one child policy which ran from 1979 to 2015 and China's involvement in international adoption, a practice that was ended last year. Nuala speaks to the American journalist Barbara Demick, who unravelled the truth of what happened to the twins, eventually broke the story to the world and who has put their story into this book. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Andrea Kidd

Tina Knowles, the mother of icons Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Solange Knowles and bonus daughter Kelly Rowland, has just published her memoir Matriarch. It tells the story of how a resilient little girl, born in difficult times, became a powerhouse, guiding her daughters to their potential. How she, the great-granddaughter of two enslaved women, went from what she describes as a little, two-bedroom “poor house” with seven people in Galveston, Texas, to being the head of one of the most successful and high-profile families in the world. Ms Tina joined Nuala McGovern in the Woman's Hour studio.For the first time since 1973 women will walk out to compete at Queen's Club as the Queen's Tennis tournament gets underway. To mark this moment, the Lawn Tennis Association is launching a series of initiatives to support the health and wellbeing of British women's tennis players. Anita Rani spoke to the LTA's Chief Medical Officer Dr Guy Evans and former British Number One and Tournament Director of Queen's, Laura Robson.Dr Grace Spence Green's spine was broken when a man fell on her in a shopping centre. At that time, Grace was part-way through her medical degree, and found herself going from being a trainee doctor learning about how to work with patients, to being a patient herself with serious injuries. Ten months after her injury, Grace continued her degree and later qualified as a doctor who is also a wheelchair user. Grace told Anita about her experiences, as described in her new book, To Exist As I Am.Bernardine Evaristo is the winner of The Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award - a one-off literary honour to mark the 30th anniversary year of the Women's Prize for Fiction. Bernardine joined Nuala to discuss her huge body of work and career highlights including winning the Booker Prize in 2019 for her novel Girl, Woman, Other, and her role as a champion for women and women of colour in the creative industries.Model Hailey Bieber has sold her make-up company Rhode in a deal worth up to $1 billion. She joins a list of other celebrities earning millions from their cosmetic brand. Nuala was joined by make-up artist to the stars Val Garland and Beauty Editor for the Telegraph, Sonia Haria, to discuss.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Rebecca Myatt

Bernardine Evaristo is the winner of The Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award - a one-off literary honour to mark the 30th anniversary year of the Women's Prize for Fiction. Bernardine joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her huge body of work and career highlights including winning the Booker Prize in 2019 for her novel Girl, Woman, Other, and her role as a champion for women and women of colour in the creative industries. Yesterday South Korea voted in its new president Lee Jae-myung, but many women are concerned about the leader's silence on gender equality in a country where the gender pay gap is one of the largest in Asia. Min Hee Go is Professor of Political Science at Ewha Women's University in Seoul, she tells Nuala McGovern about the growth of anti-feminist rhetoric within South Korea's political establishment, and the future of women's rights in the country.Consumed by paranoia, superstition and a ruthless sense of justice, a climate of fear and mass hysteria sweeps through the town of Salem, Massachusetts when rumours grow that a group of girls are practising witchcraft. What lies are the townspeople prepared to tell themselves in order to survive? A new production of The Crucible is currently on stage at the Globe Theatre in London. Nuala is joined by Ola Ince the director and Hannah Saxby who plays Abigail Williams – the primary instigator of the witch trials that follow.

Ita O'Brien is the world renowned intimacy co-ordinator. She is behind the kisses, embraces and sex scenes in Normal People, I May Destroy You, It's A Sin and Gentlemen Jack, to name a few. She is also the creator of the Intimacy On Set guidelines, which are now used around the globe. She has used her expertise on set to inform her debut book, Intimacy, and joins Nuala McGovern to discuss it. A group of experts have highlighted that in global heart disease clinical trials, less than 30% of the people taking part are women. This is despite more than 30,000 women being admitted to hospital in the UK each year due to a heart attack. One of these experts, Vijay Kunadian who is Professor of Interventional Cardiology at Newcastle University, joins Nuala. An open letter organised by UK aid organisations has been delivered to 10 Downing Street today - signed by Sudanese activists, UK aid leaders and high profile figures demanding the UK government take urgent action to addresss the rapidly worsening crisis in Sudan. This comes as the charity Medecins Sans Frontières reported that of 659 survivors of sexual violence in South Darfur between January 2024 and March 2025 86% reported they were raped. Nuala speaks to Eva Khair, Campaigner and Founder of Women4Sudan and Sudan Transnational Consortium, one of the signatories of the letter. Flat racing jockey Hollie Doyle just surpassed the record set by her hero, Hayley Turner, who recently bowed out of the sport. At Ascot in May, Hollie had her 1,023rd win, becoming Britain's ‘most winning' female jockey of all time'. She joins Nuala. Model Hailey Bieber has sold her make-up company Rhode in a deal worth up to $1 billion. She joins a list of other celebrities earning millions from their cosmetic brand. Nuala is joined by make-up artist to the stars Val Garland and Beauty Editor for the Telegraph, Sonia Haria, to discuss. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

If you've ever had the bad luck of getting a UTI - or urinary tract infection - you'll know how painful they can be. It's a bacterial infection which can affect the bladder, urethra or kidneys and give a burning or stinging sensation when you urinate. Yesterday, in a powerful parliamentary session, the Labour MP Allison Gardner spoke through tears as she described her experiences of chronic UTIs. The MP for Stoke-on-Trent is now hoping to launch a cross-party parliamentary group to look at chronic UTIs. Allison joined Anita Rani, along with GP Ellie Cannon.This week, the BBC launches the Women's Summer of Sport, marking the start of a bumper summer of coverage including the Euros, the Rugby World Cup and Queen's tennis tournament. The Welsh women's football team have been called 'history makers' after qualifying for the European Championship for the first time. Three of the players, Josie Green, Lily Woodham and Elise Hughes, tell us what this means for them and how they are preparing for their debut tournament.The Bombing of Pan Am 103, is a new BBC drama series. It's based on the true story of the bombing of a passenger flight over the small Scottish town of Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, in which 270 people were killed. Kathryn Turman was an assistant to a federal senator at the time of the bombing. After the trial, she joined the FBI, where she founded the agency's first-ever Victim Services Division. Her experience in the aftermath of the Pan Am bombing proved invaluable to the FBI's response to the 9/11 attacks, and she has aided victims and families throughout major moments in history, including the Las Vegas shooting and the Boston marathon bombing. She discusses her mission to help victims, and what inspired her work in public service.Five years after the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, a new BBC documentary is reflecting on the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that followed, including in the UK. Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd tells the story through the eyes of some of those who found themselves on the frontline during the spring and summer of 2020, including Khady Gueye, who made headlines after a local protest she planned in the Forest of Dean was initially cancelled. She joined Nuala McGovern, along with author and producer Nova Reid, to reflect on the impact the events of that time have had on their lives, and what has changed since then.Liane Child's novel The Trad Wife's Secret is inspired by influencers who believe in traditional gender roles in marriage. So is this a wholesome phenomenon or a dangerous and sexist regression? And what is the appeal to the millions of people who follow 'trad wives' online? Liane Child joined Nuala along with British 'traditional housewife' and influencer Charlie Gray.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Andrea Kidd

In the last of our interviews about the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, Nuala McGovern speaks to Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. As the body responsible for enforcing the Act, the EHRC gave evidence in the Supreme Court case. In the first BBC interview since launching a consultation on updating their Code of Practice in light of the judgment, Baroness Falkner explains who they want to hear from and why.Five years after the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis, a new BBC documentary is reflecting on the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that followed, including in the UK. Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd tells the story through the eyes of some of those who found themselves on the frontline during the spring and summer of 2020, including Khady Gueye, who made headlines after a local protest she planned in the Forest of Dean was initially cancelled. She joins Nuala, along with author, producer and speaker Nova Reid, to reflect on the impact the events of that time have had on their lives, and what has changed since then. Nuala is also joined by Sarah Pochin, the first female MP for the Reform UK Party. The Runcorn and Helsby by-election was won by just six votes - the closest result in modern history. A former Conservative Councillor and mayor for Cheshire East, Sarah was a magistrate for 20 years. During her maiden speech she focussed on immigration, the cost of living and sexual violence against women.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Andrea Kidd

A world-record breaking swimmer has told the BBC she was left 'broken' by the training regime of one of the UK's most successful swimming coaches. Rūta Meilutytė - who won gold at the London 2012 Olympics at the age of 15 – said coach Jon Rudd's focus on her weight and diet contributed to her struggle with an eating disorder. Mr Rudd, who has faced multiple allegations of bullying and verbal abuse of teenage swimmers, has not responded to the BBC. Panorama's Rebecca Woods joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her investigation, The Dark Side of Swimming Clubs, which raises wider questions about an alleged toxic culture for young swimmers in the UK. Woman's Hour is hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. Today Nuala speaks to Kate Barker, CEO of LGB Alliance. They were part of a coalition along with Scottish Lesbians and the Lesbian Project, that intervened in the case. Today the BBC launches the Women's Summer of Sport, marking the start of a bumper summer of coverage including the Euros, the Rugby World Cup and Queen's tennis tournament. The Welsh women's football team have been called 'history makers' after qualifying for the European Championship for the first time. Three of the players, Josie Green, Lily Woodham and Elise Hughes, tell us what this means for them and how they are preparing for their debut tournament. The author Emma Stonex joins Nuala to talk about her new suspense novel The Sunshine Man. Set it 1989, it tells the story of Birdie, set on taking revenge on the man who she believes murdered her sister. Emma tells us how she approached writing the book, and touches on some of its themes, including the bonds between sisters and parental abandonment. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Police have said they are searching for the parents of three new-born babies, all abandoned in East London between 2017 to 2024. The search is focusing on about 400 nearby houses. Anita Rani spoke to Met Police Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford and clinical psychologist Professor Lorraine Sherr, head of the Health Psychology Unit at UCL.Nuala McGovern was joined by the best-selling author Isabel Allende about her latest book My Name is Emilia Del Valle. It follows a young female journalist intent on covering the civil war in Chile in 1891 despite having to write under a man's name.It's thought that around 3 to 4% of people in the UK have ADHD - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But many women remain undiagnosed for decades, with those in their 40s, 50s and 60s only now discovering they have it for the first time. Jo Beazley was diagnosed with ADHD just two years ago at the age of 49, after her symptoms worsened during the menopause. She joined Nuala along with Amanda Kirby, former chair of the ADHD Foundation and a professor in the field of neurodiversity.Imagine you're preparing to host a party at your house when a lost elderly woman shows up at your door. What would you do? This actually happened to writer and director Nadia Conners. Nadia explained to Nuala why the interaction stuck with her for years and has now inspired her debut feature film, The Uninvited.How do we teach children to have grit? That's what the Government is suggesting needs to be a new focus in schools, to bolster children's mental health. To discuss how parents can help their children develop resilience, Anita was joined by Sue Atkins, parenting coach and author of Parenting Made Easy and child psychologist Laverne Antrobus.Anna Lapwood is one of the world's most famous organists and an internet sensation, with over two million social media followers. Hailed as ‘classical music's Taylor Swift', she told Anita about co-curating a special BBC Prom, the music she has included in her album Firedove which is out later this month, and what it meant to her to be appointed the first ever official ‘Organist of the Royal Albert Hall.'Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Rebecca Myatt

Nuala McGovern is joined by the best-selling author Isabel Allende about her latest book My Name is Emilia Del Valle. It follows a young female journalist intent on covering the civil war in Chile in 1891 despite having to write under a man's name. This week we'll be hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. Today we hear from Helen Joyce, Director of Advocacy at Sex Matters and author of Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality Broadcaster Yinka Bokinni discusses the latest in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial. He's been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has denied all charges. Today the Global Institute for Women's Leadership is launching the Gender Equality Index UK (GEIUK). It measures gender equality across 372 local authorities and says no area has achieved full parity between women and men. Exploring the complex links between gender equality, regional disparities and economic productivity we discuss how it can lead to a better future for women and men? Dr Caitlin Schmid who has lead the project and ex- Australian Prime Minister and Chair of GIWL -Julia Gillard are in the Woman's Hour studio.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Kate, not her real name, has spoken to BBC Radio 4's File on Four Investigates and has revealed that her husband was secretly drugging and raping her for years - in a story that has echoes of the Gisele Pelicot case which rocked France, and the world, at the end of last year. Nuala McGovern speaks to BBC reporter Jane Deith who explains that Kate had to fight for justice and also to Dr Amy Burrell, a research fellow at the University of Birmingham.Imagine you're preparing to host a party at your house when a lost elderly woman shows up at your door. What would you do? This actually happened to writer and director Nadia Conners. Nadia explains to Nuala why the interaction stuck with her for years and has now inspired her debut feature film, The Uninvited.Kirsty Wark, a familiar face on our screens thanks to her long-standing and impressive journalism career, has just been awarded the BAFTA Fellowship - the Academy's highest honour. She joins Nuala McGovern to talk about what it means to have been given this recognition after nearly 50 years as a journalist and broadcaster.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was known as the ‘godmother of rock and roll' and influenced countless musicians from Elvis to Johnny Cash. Now Olivier Award-winning performer Beverley Knight is playing Sister Rosetta in a new production, Marie and Rosetta, which has just opened at the Rose Theatre in London. It tells the story of Rosetta and her singing partner, Marie Knight, described as one of the most remarkable and revolutionary duos in music history. Beverley joins Nuala McGovern in the Woman's Hour studio to discuss how the show hopes to restore these forgotten musical heroines to the spotlight. The Government has announced that care workers will no longer be recruited from overseas as part of a crackdown on visas for lower-skilled workers. The care sector has criticised the plans as "cruel" and "short-sighted". To discuss this and what good care looks like, Nuala is joined by Gavin Edwards, Head of Social Care at Unison, and care worker Kathryn Faulke, author of the memoir Every Kind of People: A Journey into the Heart of Care Work.It's thought that around 3 to 4% of people in the UK, that's one in 20, have ADHD - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However many women still remain undiagnosed for decades of their lives, with those in their 40s, 50s and 60s only now discovering they have it for the first time. Jo Beazley was diagnosed with ADHD just two years ago at the age of 49, after her symptoms worsened during the menopause. She joins Nuala along with Amanda Kirby, the former chair of the ADHD Foundation and a professor in the field of neurodiversity. This week we'll be hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued interim guidance that, in places open to the public, trans women shouldn't use women's facilities such as toilets. Today Nuala speaks to Robin Moira White, a barrister who specialises in taking discrimination cases, and who is also a trans woman. Robin transitioned in 2011 and is co-author of A Practical Guide to Transgender Law. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Four years ago the broadcaster Naga Munchetty spoke out on air about her own awful experience of getting a coil fitted, and received a huge response from listeners. It led to her talking about her debilitating periods and an eventual diagnosis with adenomyosis aged 47. She's written about this and included the experiences of other women. Naga spoke to Anita Rani to discuss her book ‘It's Probably Nothing'.A wave of female designers have been appointed to some leading high street brands - including Jacqui Markham at Whistles, Maddy Evans at M&S, and Clare Waight Keller, the former Givenchy designer, to Uniqlo. So how much of a difference does it make for consumers that women are at the helm? Nuala McGovern spoke to Jacqui Markham, creative director at Whistles and Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO and founder of Savvy Marketing.A BBC documentary The Sex Detectives: Keeping Kids Safe follows a ground-breaking project in Bristol which engages the help of street sex workers to protect children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation. Avon & Somerset Police have teamed up with charity Barnardo's and partnered with Bristol's street sex workers to gather intelligence about dangerous offenders and paedophiles. Nuala was joined by social worker Jo Ritchie, at Barnardo's, and sex work liaison officer Rose Brown.In a special programme exploring 'mistakes' and our relationship with the word, Nuala McGovern speaks to journalist Nicole Mowbray who tells about the mistake she made at The Observer newspaper which caused an 'international incident'.A new report by HSBC looks at the obstacles and opportunities facing midlife women entrepreneurs. With more midlife women starting businesses than any other demographic, what is it like to be a female founder at 50+? Author of the report, Eleanor Mills, owner of her own company Noon and Helen Lord, co-founder of Rehome, a UK-based business specialising in the resale of used and ex-display kitchens, join Kylie Pentelow to discuss.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Emma Pearce

A wave of female designers have been appointed to some of the leading high street brands - most recently Jacqui Markham at Whistles, Maddy Evans at M&S earlier this year, and Clare Waight Keller, the former Givenchy designer who joined Uniqlo last year. So how much of a difference does it make for consumers that women are at the helm? Nuala McGovern speaks to Jacqui Markham, who has only just become the creative director at Whistles and Catherine Shuttleworth, retail commentator, CEO and founder of Savvy Marketing.Imagine a medical facility where almost exclusively female patients are kept in a drug-induced slumber for months at a time, woken only to be fed and bathed and given electro-convulsive therapy to erase their memories- sometimes even their identities- all without their consent.  It sounds like the stuff of dystopian sci-fi, but in fact it was a real psychiatric ward in a 1960s NHS hospital, as uncovered in a new book, The Sleep Room: A Very British Medical Scandal. Nuala speaks to the author, Jon Stock, about his investigation and hears from a former patient, Mary Thornton, about her experiences and a consultant psychiatrist, Professor Linda Gask from Manchester University. Daisy Crawford says she was left feeling embarrassed and tearful by the treatment of Easyjet staff who threatened to charge her for an extra bag when she tried to board a flight with a bag containing her breast milk, a breast pump and cool packs as well as her hand luggage. Daisy joins Nuala to explain why she thinks her treatment was discriminatory against breastfeeding mums. Have you ever written or received any love letters? A new performance film, The Extraordinary Miss Flower, was inspired by just that – in fact a suitcase full of them - sent to just one woman. Icelandic-Italian singer/songwriter Emilíana Torrini felt so inspired by the letters that were sent to Miss Geraldine Flower, her friend Zoe's mum, that it led her to get back into the studio to create her first solo record in 10 years as well as an accompanying film. She joins Nuala live in in the studio to talk about both – and to perform live.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

In a special programme exploring 'mistakes' and our relationship with the word Nuala McGovern speaks to clinical psychologist and best-selling author of Open When, Dr Julie Smith, and hears why we dislike making mistakes in our personal and professional lives.Journalist Nicole Mowbray tells Nuala how she felt when her mistake at The Observer caused an 'international incident'.Are women judged more harshly for the mistakes they make in the workplace? Sarah Ellis, co-founder of Amazing If and the co-host of the Squiggly Careers podcast, and marketing specialist and co-host of the Working On It podcast, Lauren Spearman, discuss how to deal with errors that occur at work.What impact does it have on you growing up if you were told you were conceived by ‘mistake'? Nuala speaks to journalist Sophie Heawood, who says she got pregnant by ‘mistake' and journalist Bethan Ryder who was the baby of a ‘mistake', they discuss what the word means to them.And maths teacher, Gloria Dalafu tells Nuala how her love of mistakes inspires her pupils to make their own mishaps.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sophie Powling

The negative effects that smartphones and social media access can have on students has become a national conversation in recent months, with differing views on who should take the lead in protecting children. Anita Rani was joined by secondary head teacher Emma Mills, whose school in Warrington has banned smartphones. Birchwood High attracted national attention two years ago when teenage student Brianna Ghey was murdered.Paula Radcliffe held the marathon world record for more than 16 years. The four time British Olympian secured the Six Star Medal last week, and has now run all six original marathons: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. Recently she's had her resilience tested in a whole new way - supporting her teenage daughter Isla through a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer. Now in recovery, Isla ran the London marathon last Sunday and Paula joined Nuala McGovern to discuss the experience.With the Met Gala fast approaching, we take a closer look at the business behind the red carpet with International Style Correspondent for the New York Times, Elizabeth Paton, and Fashion Editor for Glamour Magazine, Rosie Lai.For the last decade, Frances Ryan has been a columnist and reporter at The Guardian. She joined Nuala McGovern to discuss her new book - Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls' Guide to Life. Part memoir, part manifesto, it explores six facets of life: education, careers, body image, health, relationships and representation, as well as how to survive life's bumps in the road.And London Grammar frontwoman Hannah Reid joined Nuala to discuss more than a decade at the helm of the band, their fourth album The Greatest Love, and what it's been like navigating the music industry as a new parent.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Sarah Jane Griffiths

For the last decade, Frances Ryan has been a columnist and reporter at the Guardian. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her new book - Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls' Guide to Life. Part memoir, part manifesto, it explores six facets of life: education, careers, body image, health, relationships and representation, as well as how to survive life's bumps in the road.Groomed: A National Scandal is a new Channel 4 documentary from award-winning filmmaker Anna Hall, looking at the issue of gang grooming. It puts the experiences of five women who have survived unimaginable abuse at the heart of a story that spans more than 20 years. Nuala speaks to Anna and Chantelle, one of the survivors featured in the film.How much does what you wear to work matter? In today's I newspaper, the journalist and columnist Anniki Sommerville says she loves dressing up for work but her Gen Z colleagues laugh at her blazer. She joins Nuala along with Carolyn Mair, Fashion Business Consultant and author of The Psychology of Fashion.Pioneering Maori scholar, Mākereti Papakura is to receive a posthumous degree more than 100 years after she began her studies at Oxford University. Born in New Zealand, Makereti is believed to be the first indigenous woman to enrol. Professor Clare Harris, Head of the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography tells Nuala about her life and work.

London Grammar frontwoman Hannah Reid joins Nuala McGovern to discuss more than a decade at the helm of the band, their fourth album The Greatest Love, and what it's been like navigating the music industry as a new parent.With US President Donald Trump reaching the 100 day mark of his presidency, who are some of the women in his cabinet? And what impact have those first 100 days had on women's lives in the US? Nuala speaks to Republican Sarah Elliott and Democrat Kristin Kaplan Wolfe to get their thoughts.April, a new film set in the Eastern European country of Georgia, tells the story of Nina, an obstetrician who faces an investigation, after she was unable to save a baby during labour. But the investigation brings scrutiny Nina doesn't want, as she's concerned it will shine a light on her secret job – providing unofficial, illegal abortions and reproductive care to women in poorer villages, in their homes. Writer and director Dea Kulumbegashvili joins Nuala to discuss her story and what it was like to film.Over a quarter of domestic abuse services in England and Wales are having to turn children away from vital support amid severe funding shortages, according to a new report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner. Children were recognised as victims of domestic abuse in their own right for the first time by 2021's Domestic Abuse Act. Nuala is joined by Nicole Jacobs, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, to hear more about her report and what she wants to see happen next. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

The Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking has issued a "wake-up call" to the world to act on what they deem "one of the most pervasive human rights issues of our time." The report makes several recommendations specifically for women and girls who make up 54% of the estimated 50 million people trapped in slavery around the world. They are more frequently targeted for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic labour. Nearly one in four victims are children. To discuss the topic Nuala McGovern was joined by the former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May and Nasreen Sheikh, who is a survivor of modern slavery.The Irish writer Edna O'Brien died last year at the age of 93. The last person to be granted an interview with her was the documentary maker Sinéad O'Shea. Her new film Blue Road weaves those final interviews with archive and readings from Edna's own diaries to tell the story of her extraordinary life.For the first time in its 900 year history, girls will be singing in the choir at St Paul's Cathedral on Easter Sunday. We hear from some of the girl choristers, and Kylie Pentelow speaks to Dr Katherine Hambridge, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Durham and Carris Jones, Vicar Choral and Girls' Voices Project Manager at St Paul's Cathedral about the significance of this moment.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Emma Pearce

The Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking has issued a "wake-up call" to the world to act on what they deem "one of the most pervasive human rights issues of our time." The report makes several recommendations specifically for women and girls who make up 54% of the estimated 50 million people trapped in slavery around the world. They are more frequently targeted for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and domestic labour. Nearly one in four victims are children. To discuss the topic Nuala McGovern is joined by the former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May and Nasreen Sheikh, who is a survivor of modern slavery.As the Six Nations passes the half way mark we speak to fans from each of the four nations to discuss their teams. We also look ahead to their hopes for the Women's Rugby World Cup, being held in England later this summer. Nuala is joined by Kate Buck, Betti Ginnelly, Charlotte Williams and Ailbhe O'Nolan.As a teenager, Roxy Longworth was coerced into sending nude images online. After years of shame and struggling with her mental health, she is now 22 and leading the Behind Our Screens campaign about child safety online. Roxy and her mother Gay, co-authors of the memoir When You Lose It, join Nuala to talk about shame, recovery and bridging the generational gap.And a look at the cultural history of the speculum from Dr Shema Tariq.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Corinna Jones

Hundreds of children were caught up in riots with well over 100 arrested and a number charged last summer after the murder of three children in Southport. Since then far right extremism and racism in schools has intensified - an everyday experience in primary and secondary schools, according to the teachers union, the NASUWT. The top priority at their annual conference next week is a motion on behaviour and school safety with the agenda citing problems caused by the Southport riots. Patrick Roach, General Secretary of the NASUWT joins Nuala McGovern.Frances Mayli McCann stars as Daisy Buchanan in a new musical of The Great Gatsby. The show comes to London following a hit run on Broadway. We speak to Frances and the show's writer Kait Kerrigan about placing women at the centre of this classic story, celebrating its centenary year.Julie Bindel's new book, Lesbians: Where are we now? is described as part-memoir, part frontline reportage and part cultural commentary. In it she examines what defines lesbian culture, love, friendship and happiness today and asks why - in her view - lesbians so often seem to face particular hostility? The journalist, feminist campaigner and author is in the Woman's Hour studio.Today marks 11 years since over 270 girls were abducted from their school in the town of Chibok, Nigeria by Boko Haram. The tragedy sparked international outrage - you might remember the campaign hashtag #bringbackourgirls - and today, global leaders and advocates including UN representatives are gathering in London to mark the anniversary with a photo exhibition and panel discussions. We hear from Dr Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode - lawyer and activist from the Murtala Muhammed Foundation.The Herring Girls were the predominantly Scottish, working-class women who laboured in the UK's once thriving fishing industry. An itinerant workforce, they went from port to port, following the fishing fleet and working gruelling hours, gutting and packing fish for export in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Artist and farm labourer Joanne Coates has spent six months researching the life and work of this community on the east coast of Scotland. Using art, photography and performance she wants to reclaim their history and reconnect local people with their Herring Girl heritage.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Varada Sethu joined Woman's Hour to talk about stepping into the iconic role of the Doctor Who companion. She tells Datshiane Navanagayam how she went from a guest star to landing the role of Belinda Chandra, why this character feels like her most personal yet, and what it means to her to bring cultural authenticity to the Tardis. With a background in science, classical dance, and Star Wars fandom, Varada brings a fresh energy to the Whoniverse.Grace Davidson was a teenager when she was diagnosed with a rare condition that meant she did not have a uterus. But, following a transplant using her sister's donated womb, she gave birth earlier this year to baby Amy. Nuala McGovern speaks to Isabel Quiroga, the surgeon who led the transplant team at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, and to Lydia Brain, who is currently on the waiting list for a womb transplant.Emily MacGregor is a music historian and trombonist. After the sudden death of her father, a jazz guitarist, she found she wasn't able to bear the sound of music. The very thing that once connected them became a source of pain and silence. In her new book, While the Music Lasts, she explains how she reconnected with her father through the pieces left on his music stand, from tangos to Handel, Cádiz to Coltrane. She joined Nuala to talk about how she learnt to navigate grief and how she discovered the joy of music again.BBC2's Saving Lives in Cardiff is back on our screens from tonight. Based in the largest hospital in Wales, University Hospital in Cardiff, the series highlights the weight of difficult, sometimes life and death decisions surgeons make about who to prioritise next. The first episode follows Dr Indu Deglurkar, a cardiac surgeon, one of only 19 women in this role in the UK. She tells Nuala about the pressures and joys of her job.Have you been watching The White Lotus? The season three finale aired this week and one of the key themes that's had fans talking has been female friendship. It's left us wondering - is three a crowd? In the show the dynamic plays out between a trio of friends Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie, played by Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon, who alternate between loving and loathing one another. So can friendships between three people work? TV critic Rachael Sigee and relationships writer at the Independent Olivia Petter joined Nuala McGovern.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Sarah Jane Griffiths

A new type of drug for one of the most common types of breast cancer is now going to be available in the NHS in England. In Wales, the drug is approved for use but its funding is still to be decided, and the drug hasn't been approved for use in Scotland and Northern Ireland yet. Some 3,000 women a year could benefit after a clinical trial showed it can slow the progression of the disease. Nuala McGovern discusses how the drug works and who could benefit with Dr Liz O'Riordan, a former breast cancer surgeon who herself has had breast cancer and is currently in remission.Emily MacGregor is a music historian and trombonist. After the sudden death of her father, a jazz guitarist, she found she wasn't able to bear the sound of music. The very thing that once connected them became a source of pain and silence. In her new book, While the Music Lasts, she explains how she reconnected with her father through the pieces left on his music stand, from tangos to Handel, Cádiz to Coltrane. She joins Nuala to talk about how she learnt to navigate grief and how she discovered the joy of music again.Between 2021 and 2022 the number of women having abortions rose by 17%. A recent study in the BMJ reported that, amongst women having abortions, the number of women using hormonal contraception fell from 18.8% in 2018 to 11.3% in 2023. Over the same period, the number of women undergoing abortions who were not using any contraception when they conceived went up by 14%. So are women turning their backs on hormonal contraceptives? Does this change lie with the contraceptives themselves, women's access to contraception or could there be other factors like the increase in the use of fertility apps? Nuala speaks to Dr Paula Briggs, Consultant in Sexual & Reproductive Health, and journalist Barbara Speed.In 2014, the Church of England passed the necessary laws to allow women to become bishops. For some, this was a controversial decision. In an attempt to smooth that change the five guiding principles were introduced which allowed those who felt unable to accept women's ministry to flourish within the church. Now WATCH, Women and the Church, are calling for those provisions to be removed. Nuala speaks to Reverend Martine Oborne, Chair of WATCH, and Dr Ros Clarke, Associate Director of Church Society. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

Rising to fame at the age of 20, Kate Nash soon became a staple of the British music scene in the late 2000s. Her first album, Made of Bricks, reached number one in the UK and stayed in the UK charts for more than forty consecutive weeks and she's won a Brit Award. But she's spoken openly about not being able to afford to tour and choosing to subsidise her income by selling images of her body on OnlyFans. Kate's currently in the middle of a UK tour for her latest album, 9 Sad Symphonies, and is playing the O2 Kentish Town Forum on 9 April. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss her career and the music industry.Sarah Brown and her husband Gordon, the former prime minister set up the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory in 2004, following the death of their daughter Jennifer who was born seven weeks early. For the past decade, the laboratory has been leading vital research into premature birth – including a world-first study following 400 babies, both premature and full-term, from birth to adulthood. Sarah tells Nuala about the research and what they've found about preterm birth. Once the Deed is Done is the fifth novel from the German-British author Rachel Seiffert. It covers the immediate aftermath of the end of WW2 and the fall of Nazi Germany. The book focuses on a group of displaced people – it's estimated that globally there were between 40-60 million people displaced by the war. Rachel describes why she wanted to write about this often forgotten time in history, reflecting on the cruelty inflicted from above and the choices her characters make. BBC2's Saving Lives in Cardiff is back on our screens from tonight. Based in the largest hospital in Wales, University Hospital in Cardiff, the series highlights the weight of difficult, sometimes life and death decisions surgeons make about who to prioritise next. The first episode follows Dr Indu Deglurkar, a cardiac surgeon, one of only 19 women in this role in the UK. She joins Nuala to discuss the pressures and joys of her job.Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley

Grace Davidson was a teenager when she was diagnosed with a rare condition that meant she did not have a uterus. But, following a transplant using her sister's donated womb, she gave birth earlier this year to baby Amy. Nuala McGovern speaks to to Isabel Quiroga, the surgeon who led the transplant team at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, and to Lydia Brain, who is currently on the waiting list for a womb transplant.A recent study into synthetic hair, which many black women use to achieve popular hair styles including braids, found that ten samples of the most well-used brands contained carcinogens, and in some cases, lead. It's provoked a big reaction online. Nuala McGovern is joined by academic and author of Don't Touch My Hair, Emma Dabiri, and also by BBC Correspondent Chelsea Coates.New play Shanghai Dolls explores the relationship between two of the most influential women in Chinese history during the cultural revolution; Jiang Qing (also known as Madame Mao – one of the architects of the Cultural Revolution) and Sun Weishi, China's first female director. Amy Ng the playwright and Gabby Wong who plays Madame Mao join Nuala in the Woman's Hour Studio.Set in a quiet 1950s seaside town in a boarding house full of strange characters, Jess Kidd's new novel Murder at Gull's Nest is the first in a new series of books. Jess talks to Nuala about the heroine of the series, the fearless former nun Nora Breen, who has left behind her enclosed order of nuns after 30 years to solve crimes.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

If you've been watching The White Lotus, you might be counting down the hours until the season three finale airs tonight. One of the themes central to this series has been female friendship, and it's left us wondering - is three a crowd? This dynamic plays out in the show between the trio of friends Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie, played by Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon, who alternate between loving and loathing one another. So can friendships between three people work? TV critic Rachael Sigee and relationships writer at the Independent Olivia Petter join Nuala McGovern.An investigation for a documentary that will air on BBC1 NorthWest tonight by the BBC's Hayley Hassell asks: How safe are our nurseries? There have been almost 20,000 reports of serious childcare incidents in nurseries in England in the past five years, some with devastating outcomes. Nurseries are highly regulated, so how did some of them mislead Ofsted about their practices?Two years ago, Sudan was thrown into disarray when its army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a powerful paramilitary group called Rapid Support Forces, began a vicious struggle for power. The civil war, which continues to this day, has claimed more than 150,000 lives, displaced millions of people and plunged parts of the country into famine. Mass sexual violence has also been widely documented as a weapon of war. Hala al-Karib is a Sudanese activist and regional director of the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA). One of the BBC World Service's 100 Women 2024, she gives us the latest from Sudan.Conceiving Histories: Trying for Pregnancy, Past and Present is a blend of memoir and history, illustrated with over 100 original colour images. More than a decade in the making, its author, Dr Isabel Davis, talks about using frogs for pregnancy tests, phantom pregnancies and the brief fashion for looking pregnant even if you weren't.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

One manifesto pledge of the incoming Labour government was to provide over 3000 new nurseries in empty school classrooms in England. The first 300 of these will open by September and offer an average of 20 places each. Nuala McGovern speaks to Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, about this announcement and also about the current state of provision and funding for children with special education needs.Darkly funny, unsettling, and razor-sharp, I Hope You're Happy by Marni Appleton is a haunting collection of short stories exploring modern womanhood through the lens of horror and satire. From viral photos to eerie performances in dead-end jobs, these stories capture the weirdness of millennial life... where power struggles, fleeting connections, and social media anxieties collide with the surreal. Marni joined Nuala to discuss the themes and her inspiration.A new exhibition called Curious Cures at Cambridge University Library explores medicine in the medieval era. Dozens of unique medical manuscripts, recipes, cures and guides to healthy living from the 14th and 15th centuries are on display. To discuss women's role in medieval medicine, Nuala was joined by the exhibition's curator and medieval manuscripts specialist, Dr James Freeman.The Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood believes “prison isn't working” for women and wants to reduce the number of female prisoners. Nuala speaks to Scarlett Roberts, a former prisoner and is now a Churchill Fellow and to former prisoner Jules Rowan, who co-hosts the Life After Prison podcast. They are joined by former prisoner officer and former Head of Security and Operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs Vanessa Frake-Harris, and by prison Intelligence Analyst, author of Five by Five, Claire Wilson and Lucy Russell, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the charity Women in Prison. The Neonatal Care Act starts tomorrow. It allows employed parents to take up to 12 weeks of additional leave on top of their maternity or paternity leave if their newborn baby stays in hospital for more than seven days. We hear from Catriona Ogilvy, founder of premature baby charity The Smallest Things, who has been fighting for this law change for 10 years.Echo vom Eierstock is Switzerland's first feminist yodelling choir. Elena Kaiser is their founder and joined Nuala to discuss where her love of yodelling came from, and why she is challenging the make-up of traditional yodelling choirs and songs.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Emma Pearce

The Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood believes “prison isn't working” for women and wants to reduce the number of female prisoners. So what has gone wrong? Nuala McGovern speaks to Scarlett Roberts who is a former prisoner and is now a Churchill Fellow and to former prisoner Jules Rowan, now a personal trainer, who co-hosts the Life After Prison podcast. They are joined by former prisoner officer and former Head of Security and Operations at HMP Wormwood Scrubs Vanessa Frake-Harris, and by prison Intelligence Analyst and author of Five by Five, Claire Wilson. And Lucy Russell, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the charity Women in Prison, describes the challenges faced by women in prison today.What can be done to improve the prison system for women? Nuala speaks to justice system reformer Lady Edwina Grosvenor about her pioneering project Hope Street in Southampton, which aims to keep women in criminal justice system out of jail and with their children and to Alex Davies Jones MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice about the Government's plans to tackle the issue of women's prisons.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

One manifesto pledge of the incoming Labour government was to provide over 3000 new nurseries in empty school classrooms in England. The first 300 of these will open by September and offer an average of 20 places each. Nuala McGovern speaks to Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, about this announcement and also about the current state of provision and funding for children with special education needs.The family of a woman who is dangerously ill with anorexia is challenging a previous court decision which ruled she cannot be force fed. The family want the Court of Protection judge to make a new decision which would allow a hospital to act so that her life can be saved. We speak to the woman's aunt, and also hear from MIchelle Wright, who says she was in a similar position, on an end of life programme in a hospice, but who has now been recovered for 15 years and is speaking out for the first time. Plus we hear from law and philosophy academic Dr Camillia Kong who explains what will be considered as the Court makes its decisions in the patient's ‘best interests'.Over the last few weeks Woman's Hour has been talking to some of the writers who have been longlisted in the Women's Prize for Fiction and Non-fiction this year. Well this morning, the shortlist for the fiction prize has just been announced. Nuala is joined by the author and Chair of Judges Kit de Waal.Echo vom Eierstock is Switzerland's first feminist yodelling choir. Elena Kaiser is their founder and joins Nuala to discuss where her love of yodelling came from, and why she is challenging the make-up of traditional yodelling choirs and songs.

Irish actor Caitríona Balfe was nominated for a Bafta for her performance in Kenneth Branagh's film Belfast and is also known to many as Claire in time travel drama series Outlander. Caitríona joins Nuala McGovern in the studio to discuss her latest role in new film The Amateur, playing a Russian spy alongside Rami Malek. There has been a "significant increase" in the number of female swimmers having indecent images taken of them in changing rooms whilst competing in the elite level of the sport, according to a leaked report. The Times newspaper has seen a report by the sport's governing body Swim England which states that pictures have been taken using camera phones over or under cubicles. Nuala is joined by BBC Sport correspondent Laura Scott and Mhairi Maclennan, CEO of Kyniska Advocacy, which supports women and victims of abuse in sport. The latest figures on child maintenance show there is currently £690m unpaid, leaving thousands of children without the financial support they are entitled to. Critics argue that the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is failing to use its legal powers, while the Government says enforcement measures are improving. As an inquiry by the cross-party House of Lords Public Services committee calls for evidence, we look at how unpaid child maintenance can be used as a form of economic abuse. Nuala hears from Sam Smethers, Chair of the charity Surviving Economic Abuse, and a survivor whose ex-partner used the system to control her.A new exhibition called Curious Cures at Cambridge University Library explores medicine in the medieval era. Dozens of unique medical manuscripts, recipes, cures and guides to healthy living from the 14th and 15th centuries are on display. To discuss women's role in medieval medicine, Nuala is joined by the exhibition's curator and medieval manuscripts specialist, Dr James Freeman.Grammy award-winning singer Chappell Roan has been causing a stir with some comments she made about motherhood on the podcast Call Her Daddy. The 27-year-old singer said her friends her age who have kids "are in hell", adding "I actually don't know anyone who's happy and has children at this age." So is motherhood worth it - or is Chappell Roan right? Anna Whitehouse, also known as Mother Pukka, is a campaigner and mum of five. She joins us to discuss. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

Eid is a celebration of strength and gratitude where Muslims all around the world come together to mark the end of Ramadan. Nuala McGovern is joined by one of the first Muslim headteachers in the country, Bushra Nasir, author & podcaster Shelina Janmohamed and Executive Board Member at the Muslim Council of Wales Jamilla Hekmoun to discuss what roles they have on this day, from acting as the ‘memory markers' to passing down the rich traditions that keep religious stories and practices alive as well as some of the pressures women can feel at this time. Women across England will be able to get the morning after pill for free from pharmacies from later this year, the Government has said. Emergency contraception is already free of charge from most GPs and sexual health clinics. But ministers say getting it in pharmacies is a "postcode lottery" - with some councils funding free prescriptions, while elsewhere women can pay up to £30. Nuala discusses the plan with Dr Janet Barter, President, Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.The Government says it's going to create 10,000 new school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools. Ministers are saying £740 million will be allocated in England over the next three years. It comes as a new report is launched at Westminster today which warns that more and more children are 'losing learning' because their needs are not being met, or they are being suspended or excluded. Nuala discusses the issues and possible solutions with the report's author, Ellie Harris, Aaliyah, a young woman who couldn't attend school due to SEND, and the actress and mother Anna Maxwell Martin and Louise McLeod, the Executive Headteacher of two primary schools in Norfolk.Darkly funny, unsettling, and razor-sharp, I Hope You're Happy by Marni Appleton is a haunting collection of short stories exploring modern womanhood through the lens of horror and satire. From viral photos to eerie performances in dead-end jobs, these stories capture the weirdness of millennial life... where power struggles, fleeting connections, and social media anxieties collide with the surreal. Marni joins Nuala to discuss the themes and her inspiration.Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley

The Sugababes started their music career together in 1998 but, after Siobhán left the band in 2001, it wasn't until 2019 that Mutya, Keisha and Siobhán came back together as the Sugababes. All three members joined Nuala McGovern to celebrate the release of their brand new single, Jungle, and their biggest ever UK and Ireland tour.Five years on from the first Covid lockdown, what can be done to support the 200,000 ‘Lockdown babies' born when lockdown was at its most restrictive, between 23 March and 4 July 2020? Nuala was joined by Nicola Botting, Professor of Developmental Disorders at City St George's, University of London, Jane Harris, CEO of Speech and Language UK, and mum of three, Frankie Eshun.Broadcaster June Sarpong co-founded the Women Inspiration and Enterprise Network and in 2019 was appointed the first BBC Director of Creative Diversity. She joined Nuala to discuss her biography of Una Marson, the poet, playwright, feminist and activist who made history as the first black female broadcaster at the BBC.A new book Abortion – A History, gives the long view of ending pregnancy. From ancient Greece to Roe v Wade, Mary Fissell charts changing practices of and attitudes towards abortion. She joined Nuala in the Woman's Hour studio to explain why she wrote the book and what she has learned.Work has started on a home extension and renovation that is being built and designed entirely by women. In an industry facing huge labour shortages, women remain a minority in construction, only making up 15% of the industry and only 1% of those in manual, skilled roles. Nuala was joined by the project's lead, Kat Parsons and builder, Yas Poole.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Laura Northedge

Long before they can speak, babies are brilliant communicators and all that those who care for them have to do is to listen to them, to be curious about them and to be ready to discover who they are, and everything else will fall into place. That's what child psychotherapist and mother of four Marie Derome has written about in her book for new parents - What Your Baby Wants You To Know. She joins Nuala McGovern.Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the first female and African president of the International Olympic Committee. She beat six male candidates including Britain's Sebastian Coe. The 41-year-old former swimmer will replace Thomas Bach on the 23 June and will be the youngest president in the organisation's 130-year history. The BBC's Sport Editor Dan Roan tells us more.We're hearing more misogynistic lyrics in music, and some of it is from female artists themselves. Is this a good way to reclaim the language or is it women being derogatory about themselves? India McTaggart, entertainment correspondent at The Telegraph, discusses.Santosh, which was the UK's official entry into the Oscar's International Feature Film category for 2025, is set to be released in UK cinemas on 21 March. The Hindi language film follows the title character who, through a government scheme, takes on her deceased husband's role as a police officer in North India and is quickly embroiled in the murder investigation of a young girl. The film was written and directed by documentarian Sandhya Suri in her narrative feature film debut and she received a Bafta nomination for her efforts. Sandhya is in the Woman's Hour studio to discuss the film.Work has started on a home extension and renovation that is being built and designed entirely by women. In an industry facing huge labour shortages, women remain a minority in construction, only making up 15% of the industry, and only 1% of those in manual, skilled roles. We hear from the project's lead, Kat Parsons and builder, Yas Poole.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey Editor: Karen Dalziel

Broadcaster June Sarpong co-founded the Women Inspiration and Enterprise Network, and in 2019 was appointed the first BBC Director of Creative Diversity. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss championing inclusion, and why she has just published a biography of Una Marson, the poet, playwright, feminist and activist who made history as the first black female broadcaster at the BBC.Yesterday the government revealed its plans for disability benefit reforms. Reactions to the proposals have varied but Carers UK says it's very concerned about how the ideas could hit unpaid carers who are predominantly women. The charity's Director of Policy and Public Affairs Emily Holzhausen tells Nuala why, and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, former Paralympic athlete and crossbench peer talks about the possibility that she might lose PIP (Personal Independence Payment) under the new rules now out for consultation.Last night, Real Madrid beat Arsenal 2-0 in the Women's Championship League quarter final in Spain, but commentators have been mainly discussing the standard of the ground they played on, with former Arsenal footballer and pundit Ian Wright calling the surface a 'disgrace'. Nuala talks to Fiona Tomas, women's sports reporter at the Telegraph.Cécile Ndjebet is a Cameroonian environmental activist and social forester. She co-founded the African Women's Network for Community Management of Forests and campaigns for the involvement of women in forest management and their right to forested land. Tonight Cécile will receive the Kew International Medal 2025 and she joins Nuala in the studio.A new film War Paint: Women at War examines the trailblazing role of women war artists on the front lines round the world, championing the female perspective on conflict through art and asking: when it's life or death, what do women see that men don't? Nuala speaks to Margy Kinmonth, the director.

The Sugababes started their music career together in 1998 but, after Siobhán left the band in 2001, it wasn't until 2019 that Mutya, Keisha and Siobhán came back together as the Sugababes. All three members join Nuala McGovern to celebrate the release of their brand new single, Jungle, just as they get ready for their biggest ever UK and Ireland tour – which kicks off in Leeds next month. To mark the 30th anniversary of The Women's Prize, Woman's Hour is hearing from writers who have been longlisted in fiction and non-fiction this year, along with previous winners. Today Nuala talks to 2025 longlisted non-fiction author Kate Summerscale about her book The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place, and to Kamila Shamsie, whose novel Home Fire won the 2018 Women's Prize for Fiction. Both books examine crime and punishment, and what happens when politicians and the media become involved in criminal justice.A new book Abortion – A History, gives the long view of ending pregnancy. From ancient Greece to Roe v Wade, Mary Fissell charts changing practices of and attitudes towards abortion. Mary, who is Professor in the History of Medicine at John Hopkins University in the US, joins Nuala in the Woman's Hour studio to explain why she wrote the book and what she has learned. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

Five years on from the first Covid lockdown, what can be done to support the 200,000 ‘Lockdown babies' born when lockdown was at its most restrictive, between 23 March and 4 July 2020? These babies have extraordinary young-life stories: Mums giving birth alone; doctors in hazmat suits; babies meeting fathers and grandparents for the first time online; no health visitors; no family cuddles; no baby groups. Now aged four and approaching five, lockdown seems to have had lasting effects on some. What can be done to help? Nuala McGovern is joined by Nicola Botting, Professor of Developmental Disorders at City St George's, University of London and co-lead on The Born in Covid Year – Core Lockdown Effects (BICYCLE) study, Jane Harris, CEO of Speech and Language UK, and mum of three, Frankie Eshun.Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding died of breast cancer in 2021 at the age of 39. Inspired by her desire to find new ways of spotting the disease earlier, the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women (BCAN-RAY) study was set up in May 2023. Led by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust with funding from the Christie Charity, Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, and other charities, it is one of the world's first research programmes to identify breast cancer risks in younger women without a family history of the disease. Nuala speaks to Anna Housley, who has taken part in the study.Nuala talks to Emma van Straaten, whose 10,000 word entry, This Immaculate Body, won the inaugural Women's Prize Discoveries in 2021, an award set up to inspire unagented and unpublished women in the UK and Ireland to write their first novels. That submission is now a published book - It is about Alice, who has been cleaning Tom's flat for over a year, and becomes infatuated with him, a man she has never met.A new TV series, Chess Masters, started last week on BBC2. It's badged as Bake Off with kings and queens. Camilla Lewis, the woman behind the new show, was inspired to create it by her teenage daughter, Jasmine, who became obsessed with the game during lockdown. They join Nuala to talk about how to turn a board game into must-watch television.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Rebecca Myatt

Do you have a business idea that you would realise, if only you had the time? Sara Davies firmly believes we're all capable of creating a successful business from scratch, in just six minutes a week. The Dragon's Den star set up Crafter's Companion while she was still a student and has since built it into a multi-million pound business. Now she's sharing what she's learned in her new book – The Six Minute Entrepreneur: 52 Short Lessons for Long-term Business Success.This week the owner of a Welsh Rugby club put up a social media post to promote an upcoming match against a local rival, featuring the words "Not For Girls" stamped across the top. He didn't expect the post would get more than a quarter of a million views, generate outrage and condemnation and become national news. Matthew Young from Neath Rugby Football Club talks exclusively to Nuala McGovern along with sports broadcaster, Stella Mills, one of the first people to see the post and comment.The holy month of Ramadan is underway, which means millions of Muslims around the world are fasting, no food or drink from dawn until dusk - not even water. But for those with current, or past eating disorders, this period of fasting can bring challenges. So, how can they be best supported? Kylie Pentelow talks to fitness trainer Nazia Khatun, who has struggled with anorexia and bulimia in the past, and counselling psychologist, Dr Omara Naseem, who specialises in eating disorders.Inside Counter Terrorism Policing is a new podcast featuring five women working in a range of roles across the UK, who have shared their story with the aim of inspiring others to consider a career in national security and policing. We hear from Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing for the UK, and an officer we are calling ‘Emma', who will explain the challenges of her role as a handler of covert sources.Frankie Bridge has hit out at "double standards" for women after she received a backlash online for going on holiday without her children. The Loose Women presenter was called "the worst wife and mother" in comments on her social media post, after she took a break with a friend following health struggles, while her husband and mother were looking after her two sons. She joined Nuala, along with parenting coach Camilla McGill.The Grammy award-winning Lainey Wilson is a country music trailblazer, with seven Country Music Association Awards and six Academy of Country Music Awards to her name. Her latest album, Whirlwind, earned a Grammy nomination and she is currently on a world tour promoting the album. Ahead of headlining this weekend's Country to Country Festival at the O2 in London she joined Nuala to discuss why she thinks country is cool again.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Sarah Jane Griffiths

The Grammy award-winning Lainey Wilson is a country music trailblazer. She has made her way from Hannah Montana impersonator to performing at the Grand Ole Opry and she's been awarded seven Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 2023 and six Academy of Country Music Awards. As a prolific songwriter she's scored seven No. 1 hits including: Watermelon Moonshine and Heart Like A Truck. Her latest album, Whirlwind, earned a Grammy nomination and she is currently on a world tour promoting the album. She will be headlining at the Country to Country Festival at the O2 in London this weekend. She joins Nuala McGovern to discuss why she thinks country is cool again.In 2021, the Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the race. The first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival with six victories, including the Champion Hurdle, and the following year she became the first female jockey to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Yesterday, she continued to make history winning the Stayers' Hurdle aboard Bob Olinger to complete a Cheltenham Festival double. All the more remarkable as she was sidelined for three months with a neck injury after a fall in September. We speak to Fern Buckley, BBC sports journalist, ahead of Blackmore's participation in Friday afternoon's Gold Cup race.In Bangladesh, there's been shocking news that an eight-year-old girl who was raped last week, has died from her injuries. Fierce protests have erupted in the country following the girl's death yesterday with people demanding that the government expedite justice for rape victims and reform laws related to women and children's safety. We hear from the BBC's South Asia Correspondent Samira Hussain who is based in Delhi, India.In the next of our Women's Prize discussions, we hear from Clare Mulley on her book charting the life of Agent Zo – a courageous Polish female resistance fighter in World War Two, and VV Ganeshananthan about her novel Brotherless Night set during the Sri Lankan Civil War – winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction last year. What can these writers in very different genres tell us about the experience of women in war?Catherine Cox from Nottingham was one of thousands of women who took the epilepsy drug sodium valproate while pregnant, something which is now advised against. She's been campaigning for compensation for more than 20 years. Her son Matthew, who's now 23, was born with a range of conditions, including autism, ADHD, epilepsy and several learning disabilities. At 18 months old, he was diagnosed with foetal valproate syndrome, indicating the medication Catherine took was the cause of his problems. Catherine joins Nuala alongside Dr Henrietta Hughes, Patient Safety Commissioner, whose report, released just over a year ago, recommended the need to compensate those harmed by valproate.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey Editor: Karen Dalziel

It's been reported that more than 1,000 Syrians have been killed in the past few days in clashes between security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, and revenge killings that followed. Syria's interim leader has appealed for unity, and hundreds of people have reportedly fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus - strongholds of Assad support. Witnesses have described scenes of looting and mass killings, including of women and children. Nuala McGovern is joined by the BBC's Middle East Correspondent Lina Sinjab in Damascus.Inside Counter Terrorism Policing is a new podcast featuring five women working in a range of roles across the UK who have shared their story with the aim of inspiring others to consider a career in national security and policing. We hear from Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing for the UK, and an officer we are calling ‘Emma', who will explain the challenges of her role as a handler of covert sources.If you've been to Dublin - you might have across the statue to Molly Malone, the very famous Dubliner. You might know the song Cockles and Mussels, which commemorates her. Busker Tilly Cripwell has been campaigning for her to be treated with more respect and to be elevated to stop passers by from groping her breasts - for 'good luck' - a 'tradition' for some.In 1975, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the top of Mount Everest, battling through avalanches, altitude sickness and the changing elements. Since then, over 800 women have climbed Everest, yet they still only make up an estimated 12% of all climbers to tackle the mountain. Rebecca Stephens is the first British woman to summit Everest and tells us more about Junko.Have you been watching Toxic Town? The Netflix series tells the story of a town's toxic waste case. It follows the real-life battle of families in Corby who gave birth to children with limb differences in the 1980s and 1990s and their search for answers and justice. In 2009, after a long legal battle the High Court ruled Corby Borough Council was negligent in managing the waste. And in 2010 families affected won a financial settlement. Nuala speaks to Tracey Taylor, one of the mothers portrayed in the series, and Annabel Jones, one of the executive producers.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Twiggy turned the modelling world upside down with her androgynous style, big round eyes, bold eyelashes, and pixie haircut, becoming a defining figure and fashion icon of the swinging 60s. Considered the world's first supermodel, she went on to have a successful career in acting and singing, earning two Golden Globes and a Tony nomination, designed fashion ranges, appeared as a judge on America's Next Top Model, and was awarded a damehood for services to the fashion, arts and charity. A new documentary, Twiggy, directed by Sadie Frost, is out in cinemas now. Twiggy joined Krupa Padhy to talk about her long career.Kyle Clifford was found guilty of raping his ex-girlfriend in an attack in which he murdered her, her mother and her sister. Louise, Hannah and Carol Hunt were murdered two weeks after Louise ended her relationship with him. It has been revealed that prosecutors said "violent misogyny" promoted by social media influencer Andrew Tate "fuelled" his attacks. However, the defence argued this material had too vague a link and was far too prejudicial to be heard by the jury. As we hear this news, concerns rise again about the influence of people like self-described misogynist Andrew Tate, and there are calls for his content to be taken down. Anita was joined by Michael Conroy, founder of Men at Work, which works with teachers and boys in schools to challenge sexist and misogynistic content online and Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism project who campaigns for gender equality to discuss how we can protect our children from, especially boys, from this.Journalist and disability activist Lucy Edwards has just published her debut fiction book, Ella Jones vs the Sun Stealer, a mystery aimed at younger readers. It tells the story of 12-year-old Ella Jones who has been blind for two years and is navigating her new world with the help of her guide dog Maisie, her sister Poppy and her best friend Finn. She joined Krupa to talk about the book and her experiences sharing her own story online.We discuss the extraordinary story of how and why an autistic woman was locked up in a mental health hospital for 45 years. For 25 of those she was in long term segregation. Nuala McGovern talked to reporter Carolyn Atkinson about how the woman was eventually freed and to campaigner Alexis Quinn who is autistic and spent three years in a mental health hospital including time in segregation before she escaped. She now campaigns for the Restraint Reduction Network charity about the more than 2,000 other autistic people and or those with learning disabilities who are still in mental health hospitals, many of whom shouldn't be. In May 2015, 20 year-old Mhairi Black was the youngest person for more than a century to become a Member of Parliament – and she then remained a Westminster MP until standing down at the 2024 election. A new BBC documentary follows her last six months in that role and looks at what her future could hold in a new career as a stand-up comedian. Now 30, she joined Anita Rani to reflect on her years in Parliament and what she'd like to see change about the way it functions.Nieve Ella is currently on tour, playing to packed venues and solidifying her place as a rising star in indie music. With a distinctive online presence and an ever-growing fanbase, she's proving that Gen Z artists are reshaping the industry on their own terms. Nieve performed the track Sweet Nothings with Finn Marlow. Presenter: Anita Rani