Woman's Hour

Many of us will be thinking about making a change for the better now that we're in a new year. Poorna Bell, author and journalist, gives us some inspiration and talks about getting stronger, both emotionally and physically. Poorna took it literally and started weight lifting after illness and bereavement. We hear from Dr Ann Olivarius a lawyer who specialises in sexual abuse, harassment and discrimination. She explains the technicalities of the civil claim against Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.We speak to Detective Inspector Lucy Thomson and Jackie Sebire about the murder of 12 week old Teddie Mitchell. The investigation is covered in a new two-part special of Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody.We have episode 4 in our series about scars.And Adele Parks’ latest novel called Both of You is a 'missing persons story' with a twist. We find out that the female protagonist is leading a double life as a bigamist. The book looks at what leads someone to have two marriages on the go, and the complexities around it.

Today, Emma and guests explore why so many of us want to put our lives on the page. What stops us, what gets in the way and is it always a good idea? Is getting published the answer or are there are other ways to tell your stories. How different is writing personal essays or a memoir to creating a fictional world? Can writing stand in for therapy? What are the ethical and moral considerations of such sharing? To discuss these and many other questions Emma is joined by prize-winning author Ann Patchett, Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Rentzenbrink, psychotherapist and writer, Julia Samuel and journalist and author Arifa Akbar.Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

British woman Sarah Ransome says she wanted to be at Ghislaine Maxwell trial when it started: not to testify but to see justice take its course. Like the four women who gave evidence, she says she's also a victim of Epstein's and Maxwell's. She tells us more about her story and Harriet Wistrich, founder of Centre for Women's Justice discusses the wider impact this case could have. Sheila Watt-Cloutier, is a world renowned human rights and climate change activist, who has made it her life's work to protect her Inuit culture and the Arctic regions where Inuit live, in Greenland, Canada and Alaska. She was born in Arctic Canada and launched the first legal petition linking climate change to human rights. We discuss the word 'spinster' and what it really means with Australian author Donna Ward. Her new book She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster's Meditations on Life., explores the meaning and purpose she has fought to find in a life lived entirely accidentally without a partner or children.BBC History is launching a 100 objects collection to mark 100 years of the BBC in 2022. Head of History Robert Seatter gives us a sneak peak into a few objects which represent the history of women at the BBC including a 1930s job advert looking to recruit the first women TV announcers, a cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey and a 1920s scrapbook from Evelyn Dove, the first black female singer to perform on BBC.British women weren't allowed to visit the Antarctic until 1983 but now scores of women are making major contributions to polar science. Morgan Seag who has just submitted her PhD in gendered institutional change in 20th century Antarctic science to the University of Cambridge and Jo Johnson who has visited Antarctica seven times tell us more.

Today Andrea Catherwood talks to Sarah Ransome. She wanted to be at Ghislaine Maxwell trial when it started: not to testify but to see justice take its course. Like the four women who gave evidence, she says she's also a victim of Epstein's and Maxwell's. She says Ghislaine Maxwell, "starved and berated and swindled me while demanding I be raped daily".This week we've been talking to women about their scars. Today we hear from Emily on the self-harm scars she no longer needs to hide. We speak to Fiona Chesterton who discovered family secrets to do with illegitimacy. It started with a letter on her doorstep which revealed she was due a surprise inheritance. The tale is told in her new book Secrets Never To Be Told.And it's the time of year that we should be putting on our sequins but covid may well put a stop to that. Never mind: we're still discovering when and how they became such a big part of celebrating. Now though there's an environment aspect to consider and some brands are rejecting them because they're made of plastic. Dress historian, author and broadcaster Amber Butchart joins Andrea Catherwood to discuss all things sequin.

Ghislaine Maxwell is facing the prospect of spending the rest of her life in jail after a jury in New York found her guilty of grooming and sex trafficking teenage girls to be abused by the sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. What impact will this high profile case have on future cases f alleged sexual abuse against women and girls? Andrea talks to Harriet Wistrich, who is the founder and director of the Centre for Women’s Justice and a solicitor.It's now 100 days that teenage girls in Afghanistan have been banned from going to school in the majority of provinces. Yesterday, former prime minister Gordon Brown who is now UN special envoy for global education said 'we're sleep-walking towards the biggest humanitarian crisis of our times in Afghanistan. Andrea discusses the situation, particularly for women and girls, with the BBC Correspondent Yalda Hakim.We've been talking to women about their scars. Today Laura, a burns survivor, tells her storyMany will have had empty chairs at the Christmas dinner table this year, for lots of different reasons. In Susie Boyt's novel Loved and Missed there is a particularly memorable Christmas dinner scene. In order to see her daughter on Christmas Day Ruth has to improvise. Susie joins Andrea to describe how people try to help and love others in the most difficult of circumstances.Abia Akram is a Pakistani disability rights activist. She is the founder of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities in Pakistan, and a leading figure within the disability rights movement in the country as well as in Asia and the Pacific. She has been named as one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2021. She joins Andrea to discuss how she became involved in this work and what more there is to do.Presented by Andrea Catherwood Producer: Louise Corley

Australian author Donna Ward’s new book She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster's Meditations on Life explores the meaning and purpose she has fought to find in a life lived entirely accidentally without a partner or children. Donna speaks to Chloe from Melbourne.Over the next few days we're talking to women about their scars. They all talk about physical and emotional pain they've experienced and having to deal with other people’s reactions on a day to day basis. They also explain how they came to terms with the skin they are in. Ena Miller went to meet Jayne in Shropshire and heard her story about surviving a flesh eating bug. Comedian Liz Kingsman, best known as a member of cult sketch group Massive Dad, is making major waves with her solo debut, One-Woman Show, which she is performing at the Soho Theatre from 5 January. She tells Chloe what inspired her.As the BBC prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary through the lens of 100 objects, we get a sneak peek at a few items in the collection. The BBC’s Head of History Robert Seatter explains the significance of a 1930s press cutting of the BBC looking to recruit the first women TV announcers, a cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey and a 1920s scrapbook from Evelyn Dove, the first black female singer to perform on BBC.Image: Donna Ward Credit: Amanda Ford

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, is a world renowned human rights and climate change activist, who has made it her life's work to protect her Inuit culture and the Arctic regions where Inuit live, in Greenland, Canada and Alaska. Sheila was born in Kuujjuaq in Arctic Canada where she lived traditionally, travelling only by dog team for the first ten years of her life. She was elected as President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in 1995 and launched the first legal petition linking climate change to human rights - work that led to her being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.Nancy Campbell is captivated by the stark, rugged beauty of ice and its solid but impermanent nature. Her book The Library of Snow and Ice is about her time spent living in Upernavik, a small town in north-western Greenland and the traces left by explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic. Her recent book Fifty Words for Snow looks at the origins and mythologies of snow around the globe. She shares with Emma her fascination for snow, ice and its place in our world. British women were banned from visiting Antarctica until 1983 when Janet Thomson was finally granted passage by the British Antarctic Survey. But now scores of women are making major contributions to polar science, especially those working on the stability of ice shelves and sheets. So how did women break through the ice ceiling to create opportunities and become leaders in their fields? Emma speaks to Morgan Seag who has just submitted her PhD in gendered institutional change in 20th century Antarctic science to the University of Cambridge and Jo Johnson who has visited Antarctica seven times with the British Antarctic Survey. We also hear from Dr Alison Banwell, a British glaciologist and research scientist who is currently based at the University of Colorado Boulder and her team conducting research on the ice right now; Rebecca Dell and Laura Stevens. Heading to the cold of the Arctic and the Antarctic wrapped up in the right gear is one thing but there are some women that actually choose to immerse themselves in freezing water, even in winter here in the UK. Hayley Dorian is one of them, she has set up a swimming group called Wild Sea Women who meet to embrace the waves in North East England and South-West Scotland . But are there benefits of cold water swimming? Emma finds out from Hayley and Dr Heather Massey who works in the Extreme Environments Lab at the University of Portsmouth.

Emma Barnett looks back over her first year at Woman’s Hour, from holding those in power to account to hearing from women who found themselves in the most ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Clemency Burton-Hill explains the choice she felt she was presented with after a brain haemorrhage. ‘Annie’ describes how home-schooling three children while trying to work made her feel that she was failing at everything. Lady Lavinia Nourse and Amanda Knox spoke exclusively about the experience of being cleared of the most serious crimes. Plus, knitting patterns as code and what can go wrong when you are being sawn in half by Paul Daniels.

The award winning actor Claire Foy tells us about playing the Duchess of Argyll in the BBC One TV series A Very British Scandal on Boxing Day. Margaret Argyll was branded a nymphomaniac by her husband the 11th Duke of Argyll in their explosive 1963 divorce hearing and he was granted a divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery.As schools shut for the Christmas break, the government, head teachers and trade unions are contingency planning for widespread absence due to Omicron in the New Year. We hear from Jacquie White the General Secretary of the Ulster Teachers Union about calls for retired teachers to return to work to plug the gaps and also from Mary Bousted the General Secretary of the National Education Union. Karen Teasdale-Robson from Blaydon, near Newcastle has gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure her father, Bryan isn't forgotten when he dies. Her dad for the majority of his life was a poet and a songwriter but an assault ten years ago left him with a brain injury. Care workers told Karen to prepare for the worst earlier this year, which led her to release a recording of lullaby he had written for her almost 60 years ago, to ask for the public's help in re-recording it.We talk to Dame Joan Collins about her new BBC documentary “This is Joan Collins” which is on air over Christmas. Not shy of voicing her opinions, she reflects on her life, relationships, and seven decades in showbusiness. Former poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Mercury-nominated songwriter Kathryn Williams have released a new album 'Midnight Chorus'. They tell us about their collaboration and how they avoided the clichés of Christmas.Presenter: Chloe Tilley Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

The ladies of the Posh Club Dance Club on what it means to them to be able to perform the dance of the flamingos, shimmy to dancehall music and feel like stars. Volunteering reached a record high during the pandemic. According to a government survey, 62% of respondents volunteered last year. Thousands volunteer for Crisis, a national charity for homeless people whose Crisis at Christmas campaign provides accommodation and support for people at Christmas. We hear from Jemma Kelehe, a shift leader at the women’s accommodation in London, who has volunteered for Crisis at Christmas for 20 years.Civil Chartered Engineer, Era Shah, talks about the lack of diversity in STEM.Vox Duo soprano Karla Grant and mezzo soprano Julia Solomon tell us about their debut single a new version of “O’ Holy Night”, in collaboration with classical group the Earthtones Trio. Plus ahead of new BBC2 programme A Musical Family Christmas, we're joined by author and lecturer Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason to discuss her favourite Christmas songs and raising seven talented musicians. And the woman who's re-created the film The Holiday to see if she could find love. Presenter Chloe Tilley Producer Beverley Purcell