Woman's Hour

In May this this year, the comedian Sophie Willan won a BAFTA for best comedy writing, for the pilot episode of her BBC 2 comedy Alma’s Not Normal. She now has a six part series on BBC2 which begins on Monday night. Drawn from her own experiences, she plays the central character Alma who grew up in an out of the care system in Bolton. We find her eternally optimistic with no job or qualifications trying to get her life on track and follow her dreams.British teenager Emma Raducanu has reached the US Open final She is the first qualifier to reach a Grand Slam final and will play another teenager Leylah Fernandez on Saturday. Chloe discusses her achievement with Rebecca Rodgers who was Emma's teacher at primary school, and Anna Kessel, the Women's Sports Editor at the Telegraph. Sarah Gilbert the scientist who led the team that developed the Oxford Vaccine joins us to talk about her latest award. In recognition of her achievements she’s been made a dame, had a barbie made in her likeness, won GQs “Heroes of the Year” award and last night was named as the 49th winner of the “Bold Woman” award which honours inspirational women with a track record of success. Sarah talks to Chloe Tilley about the ups and downs of the vaccine journey over the last 18 months and booster vaccines.Bridgerton, the smash hit Netflix tv show was binge-watched by millions over Christmas in 2020 - in fact Netflix estimates that by January of 2021, more than 80 million households had watched it. Two young songwriters were so captivated by the series that they decided to write an unofficial Bridgerton musical - over TikTok. 22-year-old singer-songwriter Abigail Barlow and 20-year-old composer and pianist Emily Bear have now composed an entire concept album - The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical - based on the songs they featured in their TikTok videos. The Taliban in Afghanistan unveiled their interim government earlier this week with an all-male cabinet, including an interior minister who is on the FBI’s most wanted list. This came weeks after saying they would welcome women in government positions. And on social media, footage appeared showing women protesting those announcements being whipped by a Taliban fighter. Since then the Taliban’s new interior ministry have issued their first decree, banning any protests that do not have official approval. Another senior Taliban official has said that Afghan women will be banned from playing sport. BBC Pashtu Correspondent Sana Safi gives an update.Presented by Chloe Tilley Producer: Louise Corley Editor: Karen Dalziel

Thanks to Covid, coughing in public has joined the ranks of socially-unacceptable behaviours. Anecdotally there seems to have been a decline in coughing in theatre audiences since Covid came on the scene. This suggests that loud, irritating throat clearances may not have been necessary physical responses to obstructions after all. Emma talks to Dr Kim Dienes from Swansea University about the social side of coughing and tips for suppressing that irritating tickle.Pakistani-American author Rafia Zakaria has written a new book called Against White Feminism. A critique of 'whiteness within feminism' she says feminism has become a brand, not a movement. She wants to 'take it back.' Working on behalf of domestic violence victims as a lawyer and human rights activist for years, she says race is the biggest obstacle to true solidarity among women. Rafia joins Emma to discuss.It is understood that the first female Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, has been offered two more years in the role. Both the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, are said to support plans for her to continue to lead London’s police force. But seven influential people who say they have been subjected to Met Police corruption and incompetence have signed an open letter in the Daily Mail today calling for her removal. Among the signatories were Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Lady Brittan and the former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor, whose home was raided in March 2015 by Operation Midland detectives, in response to false allegations of historic child abuse made by Carl Beech - who is now in prison for 18 years for perverting the course of justice and fraud. Emma asks Harvey why he wants Cressida Dick's resignation.There are 7.9 billion people living on the planet. But why is human population discussed so little when it comes to the climate crisis? That's a question listeners Sue and Martin want answers to, and that Tim Dyson, Emeritus Professor of Population Studies at the London School of Economics is going to help untangle. He talks to Emma about the facts behind global population growth, the trends in family size, and why having fewer children isn't going to help alleviate the immediate pressures of the climate crisis.Edie Eckhart is 11 years old, from Bridlington in Yorkshire and has cerebral palsy. Like a lot of other 11 year olds this September, she’s starting at secondary school. Edie is the main character in a new children’s book, ‘The Amazing Edie Eckhart’ written by comedian Rosie Jones, who tells Emma why she wanted to create a young disabled heroine.

RESPECT, is the new Aretha Franklin biopic which will be released this Friday. Aretha Franklin handpicked the Oscar Award winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson to play her in the film. Jennifer talks to us about her relationship with Aretha, their parallel life stories, their grounding in gospel music and the guiding force of the women in their lives. The government has announced plans to reform the way social care is funded in England. National Insurance contributions from your wage packet will increase. But it also means that some older people who need to go into a nursing home won't have to sell their own home. Boris Johnson said the tax increase would raise £36 billion for frontline services in the next three years and be the "biggest catch-up programme in the NHS' history". But he also accepted it broke a manifesto pledge. Camilla Cavendish, former Director of Policy for Prime Minister David Cameron, joins Emma. Last year she was asked by Downing Street to write a report on the future of health and social care reform.Julie Bindel has been a radical feminist for over four decades, joining the women’s movement as a working class lesbian teenager from the North East. She has campaigned and written many books about male violence, pornography, and the global sex trade. She is also co-founder of the law reform group Justice for Women, helping women who have been prosecuted for assaulting or killing violent male partners, including Sally Challen who with their support won her appeal against her murder conviction in 2019. Julie is no stranger to controversy. Her beliefs that there is a clash between women’s rights and trans rights, and that sex work is not work, have led to her being un-invited from speaking at several universities, and to frequent protests at events where she does speak. For her new book Feminism for Women: The Real Route to Liberation, Julie interviewed 50 young women, she says in an attempt to build a bridge between them and the so-called Second Wave feminists of her generation, which she thinks is urgently needed to tackle a misogynist backlash.Elizabeth Lishmund is the creator of a new upcoming film - 'Fighting Girlfriend' - which tells the true story of Mariya Oktyabrsykaya - a Tank Commander in the Red Army during World War 2. 900,000 Russian women fought on the front line for the Soviet Union. Why do we know so little about women's active roles during WW2? And do stereotypes around Russian women make an impact? Elizabeth and journalist Viv Groskop join us to discuss.

In 2015, Michaela Coel’s Channel 4 series "Chewing Gum", adapted from a one-woman play she wrote while in drama school, about an awkward virgin became an instant hit. She's an established screenwriter, director, producer and actor and now well know for shows like "I May Destroy You," a story based on her own experience. She talks to Emma Barnett about her first book ‘Misfits: A Personal Manifesto’ which is a call for honesty, empathy, inclusion and champions those who don’t fit in.As you’ll have heard reported in the news recently, a shortage of lorry drivers is causing serious supply chain problems, affecting amongst other things supermarkets and even some pubs! Covid-19, tax changes, levels of pay and Brexit have all combined to contribute to an estimated shortfall of around 100,000 qualified HGV drivers. Hayley O'Beirnes is retraining as a HGV driver after her cake business went under. She talks about her experience alongside Karen Stalker, the MD of Stalkers Transport based in Cumbria.Plus we meet Zoe Stephens. She's spent the past 18 months through lockdown 'stuck' in Tonga in the South Pacific. She'd been living and working as a tour guide in Beijing, taking tourists travelling to Tonga in March 2020, just as the world shut down due to Covid-19. She tells Emma about her adventure and what it's like being back home. And we hear from Alice Thompson, an estate agent who's been awarded almost £185,000 after her employer refused to let her leave work early to collect her daughter from nursery. A tribunal judge upheld her claim, awarding money for loss of earnings, pension contributions, injury to feelings and interest.Presenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell PHOTO CREDIT; Natalie Seery.

Miss Marple is one of the classic heroines of crime fiction. Quick-witted, devilishly observant and with a keen sense of justice, Jane Marple has delighted readers since she first appeared in a series of short stories by Agatha Christie in 1927. But now, almost a century later, she is being given a new lease of life in a collection of short stories penned by twelve of today's most famous crime writers, due out next year. Queen of crime fiction Val McDermid joins Emma to talk about writing one of the stories, and why she believes an elderly spinster makes for the perfect super-sleuth.Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding died at the weekend, aged just 39 from breast cancer following a diagnosis last summer. In her memoir, Sarah admitted she avoided seeing her doctor because of coronavirus and revealed how she thought she had a cyst before her diagnosis. We know that the number of urgent GP referrals for cancer dropped by 60% in April compared with the same month last year, latest figures for England show. Government data also show that the number of people starting treatment following a GP urgent referral declined by 18% in the same period. Emma speaks to Deborah James aka Bowel Babe from the BBC Podcast You Me and the Big C, and Kris Hallenga, founder of the charity Coppafeel, about their reactions to Sarah's death.A Question of Sport is the world's longest TV sports quiz - it first appeared on our TV screens way back in 1970 and has clocked up 1,295 episodes - but it took until Friday night for Sam Quek to make history as the first ever female team captain. The 2016 Olympic Gold winning hockey player features in the new revamped BBC series alongside other team captain former rugby player Ugo Monye. While Sam joins the programme, the long running host and former tennis player Sue Barker has been replaced by the comedian and TV presenter Paddy McGuiness. Sam Quek joins Emma.The Japanese Prime Minister has announced he is standing down. His popularity was at an all time low, and because of Covid many in Japan are very unhappy that the Olympics and Paralympics were held there. The Prime Minister took over from Shinzo Abe, who introduced a policy called Womeneconomics. This was a five year plan which ended last year, and aimed to get more women into the workforce and up the career ladder. Abe vowed to make women 'shine', and set a goal for them to hold 30% percent of leadership positions by 2020. So why did this deadline quietly pass without getting close to its target? Emma speaks to Kathy Matsui, who coined the term 'Womenomics' in 1999 and to Cynthia Usui - author of the Japanese book Eight Things Full-Time Housewives Should do Before Entering the Workforce.Boris Johnson is making a statement in the House of Commons today, defending his handling of the Afghanistan crisis and reiterating his vow to use 'every economic, political and diplomatic lever' to help Afghans. On Saturday, for a second day in a row, women marched through Kabul, the Afghan capital demanding their freedoms are guaranteed following the Taliban takeover. The group say the Taliban broke up the demonstration, targeting them with tear gas and pepper spray as they tried to walk to the presidential palace. BBC Correspondent Yalda Hakim joins Emma to discuss this and other developments for women in Afghanistan.Image: Joan Hickson as Miss Marple in the 1984 BBC TV adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel The Body in the Library.

Forty years ago a campaign group called Women for Life on Earth marched from Cardiff to the Greenham Common RAF Base in Berkshire to protest against the British government allowing US nuclear missiles on British Soil. We hear from two women Rebecca Mordan, co-author of Out of the Darkness Greenham Voices 1981-2000 and Sue Ray who were part of the original movement and are walking to Greenham Common again this week.We hear from Fran Lebowitz the American writer, social commentator, humourist, very occasional actress and New York legend.‘Girlboss’ is used as a term of empowerment. It’s meant to refer to a new generation of confident, take charge women who pursue their own entrepreneurial ambitions but does this concept relate only to white middle class privileged women and what does it mean to successful women of colour? To discuss this is Otegha Uwagba the author of We Need to Talk About Money and Asma Khan the founder of Dharjeeling Express.Zizi Strallen is playing Mary Poppins in the latest stage adaptation in London’s West End. She performs ‘Practically Perfect’.We hear from two parents about what it’s like to be told your child has special educational needs and that they are not developing normally. Parents Lauren Gibson and Claire Walker discuss.Why are some mirrors more flattering than others? How often do you look in the mirror and are you able to judge your reflection fairly? We hear from the psychotherapist Susie Orbach and from mirror expert Dr Melissa Kao.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Louise Corley

In Texas, a law banning abortion from as early as six weeks into pregnancy has come into force this week. This means that a woman can't have an abortion once a foetal heartbeat is heard, something medical authorities say is misleading. On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court refused an appeal from reproductive health care organisation, Planned Parenthood to stop the law. What will this mean for women and abortion access in Texas?“Girlboss” has been used as a term of empowerment - referring to a new generation of confident, take-charge women who pursue their own entrepreneurial ambitions. But since Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso coined the phrase in 2014, the concept has been derided by those who says it has been dominated by white middle class privileged women. But what impact has the movement had for women of colour? Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express, and Otegha Uwagba, author of ‘We Need to Talk About Money’ join Anita to discuss.Beverlee Lewis describes herself as a ‘conscious sex worker’. Working with people who have disabilities, she helps coach them to explore relationships and sexuality. This will include being intimate with her clients, many of whom may have never had sex or a relationship with anyone previously. She speaks to Anita about her work. On Wednesday this week we caught up with some of the women walking from Cardiff to the RAF base in Berkshire, to commemorate 40 years since Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp was set up. The women were protesting US nuclear missiles being allowed on British soil, and many of the original protest banners made are still discussed today. Charlotte Dew is the author of Women For Peace: Banners From Greenham Common.Presented by Anita Rani Produced by Frankie Tobi

She's been described as the funniest woman in America. We talk to Fran Lebowitz, the American writer, social commentator, humorist, and New York legend. She shares her opinion on everything from gender, Covid and marriage. We hear from our political correspondent at Holyrood about proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland. Do you have a child with special educational needs, and are you getting the support that you need? We hear from one mother who's been trying to do the best thing by her son, and feels like she's the one being blamed. And ever fantasized about what you'd do if you inherited a fortune? A famous heiress once said: “Life is less sad with money.” Maybe. We speak to Laura Thompson who's analysed the stories of women whose wealth has been passed down to them. She's written a book called Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies.

Forty years ago this week, 36 people from a campaign group called Women for Life on Earth marched from Cardiff to the Greenham Common RAF base in Newbury in Berkshire to protest against the British government allowing US nuclear missiles on British soil. They stayed there for almost 20 years. Last week another group set-out from Cardiff to follow the route of the original protesters. We speak to Rebecca Mordan and Sue Say live from their walk.For the last few weeks on Woman's Hour, we've been following the desperate efforts of those trying to flee Afghanistan. As the government sets out details of what it is calling ‘Operation Warm Welcome’ - its scheme to resettle recently arrived Afghan refugees- we hear from Louise Calvey of Refugee Action, on what is currently being done currently, and what we can do to help. Sarah Rainsford - BBC Moscow correspondent, has been living in and reporting on Russia for over two decades. On the 10th August, she was told that she was being barred indefinitely 'for the protection of the security of Russia' - and allowed into the country for the sole purpose of packing up her life and leaving. But why her? And what chance, if any, does she now have of returning? She joins Emma to discuss.Rebecca Welch has become the first female referee to be added to the English Football League's national group list for men's football. She became the first woman to officiate an EFL match in April when she took charge of Harrogate's 2-0 League Two defeat to Port Vale, but said it was never her plan to officiate, only playing football for fun. She speaks to Emma live.Presented by Emma Barnett Produced by Frankie Tobi

It is not an exaggeration to call Claudia Roden a culinary pioneer. For over 50 years she has been collecting recipes from home cooks throughout the MIddle East and Mediterranean. She shares with Emma details of her new “Med” based on remembered dishes that she’s encountered over decades. Care home managers in England say they're terrified of future staff shortages because of the 'no jab, no job' policy, brought in by the government, which says care home workers have to be double vaccinated by the 11th November, or face losing their job. Emma talks to Nicola Richards, director of Palms Row Health Care, who manages two nursing homes about why workers are still not getting their jab an what that’ll mean for the future of the sector.During Listener Week, we spoke to Lauren Gibson. She wanted us to talk about the difficulties of finding out your child has learning disabilities. How do you deal with hearing your child isn’t developing normally? And, what do you do whilst waiting for a full diagnosis? She got some practical advice from Salena Begley, the Scottish Partnership Engagement Manager at Family Fund U . Today she's back to, get advice from another listener Claire Walker, who’s son was diagnosed with Autism in May, because sometimes the best person to hear from is someone who has been through the same experience as youPresenter Emma Barnett Producer Beverley Purcell PICTURE CREDIT; Jamie Lau/Waitrose & Partners Food