Woman's Hour

Lynda La Plante joins Clare McDonnell to discuss her latest novel, The Scene of the Crime, which follows CSI Jessica Russell and her team as they investigate a high-profile robbery and assault in East London. Now in her eighties, the prolific author talks about the in-depth research behind her writing and what keeps her motivated to write. The family and friends of Simone White who died from alcohol poisoning, along with five others, after drinking shots at a hostel in Laos last year, have launched a successful campaign to introduce alcohol safety classes in schools. Clare speaks to Simone’s friend, Bethany Clarke, who was travelling with her, drank the same drinks and has been involved in the campaign. The Women’s Rugby World Cup is kicking off in just three weeks’ time. The tournament will be hosted in England, and there’s growing excitement across all four home nations. Clare finds out more from Katy Daley-McLean, who captained the Red Roses to World Cup victory in 2014.Grace Wolstenholme, a 22-year-old online content creator with cerebral palsy, had her own death faked on TikTok. In May, one of her videos was re-used without her consent in a gruesome 'death hoax'. Clare discusses with journalist Elliot Deady from BBC Essex, who has been following the story, and we hear from Grace herself about the deep impact this incident has had on her.Sara Pascoe is a comedian, and her children don’t sleep, her kitchen won’t clean itself and her husband “doesn’t want to be in it”. Sara’s new show - I am a Strange Gloop – is on a UK tour. She stumbles stunned to the stage from the soft play area, with battle-hardened tales to tell on the front line of motherhood.Presented by Clare McDonnell Producer: Louise Corley

Baroness Margaret Hodge joined Nuala McGovern to talk about why she thinks routine mammograms should be extended to women over 70. The former Labour MP was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 80. She requested a mammogram after realising she hadn’t been invited to have one in nearly a decade. Routine screening is currently only available in the UK for women aged 50-70.Dame Imelda Staunton, of Vera Drake and Harry Potter fame, and her daughter Bessie Carter, of Bridgerton fame, are starring as mother and daughter in Mrs Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw, currently in the West End. The play explores the morals of earning money from prostitution. They joined Kylie Pentelow to talk about the relevance of the play today, and tell us what’s it like acting on stage together for the first time in their careers. There are still more statues of men called John than of women in the UK. But this imbalance is being redressed, mainly thanks to local campaigns to memorialise more female figures. A new book, London’s Statues of Women, documents all the current statues of, or to, women in the capital. Its author Juliet Rix joined Nuala along with Anya Pearson from Visible Women UK and Joy Battick who has been immortalised herself in bronze not once, but twice.Presenter: Kylie Pentelow Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Corinna Jones

In July Woman's Hour took a deep dive into the world of women and gaming. It’s an industry worth more than music, TV and film combined, with women making up almost half of gaming audiences. So we explored all aspects of it by hearing from gamers, creators, leaders and gamechangers in the industry. Nuala McGovern discussed the current situation for women with games reporter Frankie Ward and Twitch streamer Alyska, headed out to meet some of the women from Black Girl Gamers to find out more about the impact games have had on their lives, and heard from two women working in the industry - Charu Desodt and Tara Mustapha. Plus, she was joined by 76-year-old Fortnite streamer Cath Bowie, to discuss breaking boundaries through gaming. Later on in the series, Anita Rani was joined by BBC Technology Reporter Zoe Kleinman and game designer Emily Mitchell to find out more about the wider influence of gaming in society and on conversations around mental health. Plus, she brought together a panel of industry voices - Marie-Claire Isaaman, Stephanie Ijoma and Nick Poole - to discuss what needs to change to make it a more inclusive and safe space. In this special podcast episode, Nuala McGovern brings you all the stories from throughout the series, so you can catch up on anything you might have missed. Presenters: Nuala McGovern + Anita Rani Producer: Erin Downes

From today, websites operating in the UK with pornographic content must ‘robustly’ age-check users. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must protect young people from encountering harmful content relating to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography. Kylie discusses the issues with the BBC’s senior technology reporter Graham Fraser and Head of Policy and Public Affairs at CEASE, Gemma Kelly.Dame Agatha Christie, also known as the ‘Queen of Crime’ and the ‘Duchess of Death,’ is the best-selling novelist of all time with more than two billion books sold and translations in 104 languages. In her new book V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death, author and former chemist Kathryn Harkup uncovers the real science behind the fiction and the true crime cases that inspired Christie’s plots.Rape and other sexual violence is surging in Haiti as armed gangs expand their control across the capital Port-au-Prince and beyond. Medicine Sans Frontiers say cases of sexual violence have tripled in the past four years and that one in five victims are under the age of 18. BBC Correspondent, Nawal Al-Maghafi, has recently returned from Haiti and she describes what she witnessed.Director Elizabeth Lo’s new Mandarin-language documentary, Mistress Dispeller, follows the real-life story of one woman who hires a professional, Teacher Wang, to help break up her husband’s affair and save her marriage. It’s a compelling documentary about love, infidelity, pain and joy in modern-day Chinese society. Elizabeth joins Kylie in the studio to tell the story.A joint holiday with another family can be the perfect recipe for a memorable break - playmates for your children, shared responsibilities and enjoying other adult company. But different parenting styles and routines may lead to tension rather than relaxation. Genevieve Roberts, parenting columnist for the I newspaper, describes why she enjoys holidaying with another family and manages to stay friends afterwards. Presented by Kylie Pentelow Producer: Louise Corley

More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups are warning of mass starvation in Gaza and pressing for governments to take action. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam are among the signatories of a joint statement that says their colleagues and the people they serve are "wasting away". Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies into the territory, rejected the organisations' statement and accused them of "serving the propaganda of Hamas". Yolande Knell is the BBC's Middle East correspondent in Jerusalem and joined Kylie Pentelow for more on the situation there.Dame Imelda Staunton, of Vera Drake and Harry Potter fame, and her daughter Bessie Carter, of Bridgerton fame, are starring as mother and daughter in Mrs Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw, currently in the West End. The play explores the morals of earning money from prostitution. They join Kylie to talk about the relevance of the play today, and tell us what’s it like acting on stage together for the first time in their careers.  Yasmin Khan is an award-winning food and travel writer. Her fusion of recipes and reportage combines the cuisines of the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean and her new book, Sabzi: Fresh Vegetarian Recipes for Everyday, is her first meat-free cookbook. It was born out of overcoming the struggles of early motherhood and breastfeeding in particular. She tells Kylie about finding solace in the sustenance and soothing properties of the Iranian food she grew up on and adapting it for health and climate-conscious modern living.Cyber flashing is when a stranger sends an unsolicited explicit image or video. When musician Anna Downes was sent naked photos and videos by a man called Ben Gunnery last year, she reported it to the police, who took a statement but were very slow to take it any further. In May, he was found guilty of intentionally sending the images to cause alarm, distress and humiliation and earlier this week Gunnery was given a two-year community order, including 150 hours of unpaid work. If he re-offends he’ll be sent to prison. Anna Downes joins Kylie along with Nicola Goodwin from BBC Midlands Investigations team.Producer: Corinna Jones Presenter: Kylie Pentelow

The government has revealed details of its plans to cut foreign aid, with support for women's health and children's education in Africa facing the biggest reductions. Nuala McGovern gets reaction from Hannah Bond, co-CEO of Action Aid UK and Lisa Wise, Director of Global Policy at Save the Children UK. There are still more statues of men called John than of women in the UK. But this imbalance is being redressed, mainly thanks to local campaigns to memorialise more female figures. A new book, London’s Statues of Women, documents all the current statues of, or to, women in the capital. Its author Juliet Rix joins Nuala along with Anya Pearson from Visible Women UK and Joy Battick who has been immortalised herself in bronze not once, but twice. The MHRA, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK, has become the first global regulator to be given the green light when it comes to a new non-hormonal pill designed to alleviate menopausal symptoms in women who cannot, or do not wish to, take HRT. To find out about the drug and its benefits, Nuala is joined by Dr. Paula Briggs, Consultant in Sexual & Reproductive Health at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Chief Investigator in the UK for Oasis 4, a clinical trial of Elinzanetant in breast cancer patients. Scientist and broadcaster, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock presents a new season of BBC podcasts,13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle, which charts the story of some the world’s biggest and boldest journeys into space. In the 1970s, Nasa launched the Space Shuttle programme, which became a gamechanger for women, by expanding America’s astronaut programme to include black, Asian and female astronauts and changing the work culture. Star Trek actor, Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt Uluru, became the face of the recruitment programme. Maggie joins Nuala to discuss the new series and her love of space.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Andrea Kidd

Baroness Margaret Hodge tells Nuala McGovern why she thinks routine mammograms should be extended to women over 70. The former Labour MP was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 80. She requested a mammogram after realising she hadn’t been invited to have one in nearly a decade. Routine screening is currently only available in the UK for women aged 50-70. As England's Lionesses prepare for their Euro 2025 semi-final with Italy tonight, their efforts have been overshadowed by the racial abuse suffered by defender Jess Carter. The team's decided not to take the knee against racism in tonight's game, with coach Sarina Wiegman saying her players feel the gesture isn't 'good enough.' Now the head of Sport England, Chris Boardman, has written to Ofcom to express "deep concern" over the abuse directed at England's women's football team on social media. He joins Nuala, along with former Lioness and now pundit Lianne Sanderson. Campaigners in Northern Ireland want the way Victim Personal Statements are dealt with in courts there to change. At the moment people do not have the automatic right to read their own statements as part of the judicial process. Nuala talks to Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Northern Ireland, Geraldine Hanna, and campaigner Julieanne Boyle, who didn’t get the opportunity to address the court during her case and wants to see a change for other victims. Georgina Moore’s second novel River of Stars is set in a floating community on the Thames. A romance and family saga spanning three generations of women, it was inspired by her own move from self-confessed ‘ageing party girl’ to houseboat mum. Georgina joins Nuala in the Woman’s Hour studio to talk about island life and writing on the water.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths

The state of the UK’s water sector is barely out of the headlines at the moment and today a major review into the water industry in England and Wales said the regulator Ofwat should be scrapped. Sir Jon Cunliffe, who led the review, also warned that household bills will rise by 30% over the next five years. Nuala McGovern is joined by Esme Stallard, the BBC's climate and science reporter, and by two women campaigning for clean water on a local and a national level - Jo Robb, member of the Henley Mermaids wild swimming group and District Councillor for the Green Party in South Oxfordshire, and Erica Popplewell, Head of Communities at River Action, a UK-wide environmental campaign group.Harriet Webb is best known for her roles in Channel 4’s Bafta-winning series Big Boys, and Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You. She is back on our screens this week playing Kirsty in series two of the Bafta-winning Sky Original Mr Bigstuff, starring alongside Danny Dyer and the show’s creator Ryan Sampson. She joins Nuala to discuss why comedy can be the best place to discuss difficult issues like grief, trauma and, even, erectile dysfunction.In a new report, the community interest company Five Times More illustrate how black women in the UK continue to face disproportionately high risks during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Despite a growing body of research and increasing policy attention, the gap in outcomes between black and white women shows little sign of closing. Tinuke, the co-founder of Five Times More, explains what changes they had found since their first report three years ago and what still needs to happen.Molly Jong-Fast is an author and special correspondent for Vanity Fair. She is also the only child of Erica Jong, author of the 1970s feminist autobiographical novel - Fear of Flying. A sensual exploration of female sexual desire, it catapulted Erica to international fame. Molly has written a memoir, How to Lose Your Mother, and she talks to Nuala about growing up in the spotlight, their intense mother-daughter relationship and her mother’s heartbreaking descent into dementia.Economic abuse is at “national emergency” levels yet more than half of UK women don’t know anything about it - with a third only knowing ‘a little’ - this is according to a new report published today by the charity Surviving Economic Abuse. Sam Smethers, CEO of SEA, joins Nuala to explain the types of economic abuse they have uncovered, the implications of their findings and what they want the government to do.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

For over 40 years, Helena Bonham Carter has delighted us with roles including Lucy Honeychurch in Room with a View, Princess Margaret in The Crown and Harry Potter's much-loved villain, Bellatrix Lestrange. She joined Nuala McGovern to discuss her latest role in new film, Four Letters of Love, based on the bestselling book of the same name. Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman. The technique has been legal in the UK for a decade but this is the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease, which is normally passed from mother to child. Anita Rani was joined by Kat Kitto who has two daughters, one of whom has mitochondrial disease, and Louise Hyslop, consultant embryologist at the Newcastle Fertility Centre to discuss.A new report by London’s Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman, says that victims are being forced to quit the criminal justice system in huge numbers amid record court delays and traumatic process. She joined Nuala to explain why they are saying 'there is a near total failure in seeing offenders brought to justice', especially when it comes to female victims of violence. In the second part of our series about women and gaming, we find out more about the impact gaming can have on women’s lives. Nuala heads to the Virgin Media Gamepad at the O2 to meet some of the women from the Black Girl Gamers community, who have over 10,000 members around the world. The bestselling author Louise Candlish joined Anita to talk about her latest novel - A Neighbour's Guide to Murder - which explores the practice of sex for rent and a trial by social media. The American jazz singer Samara Joy has five Grammy awards to her name and is quickly gaining superstar status in the jazz world. She is making her debut at the BBC Proms tonight, where she will be backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, in a special tribute to the Great American Songbook. The Prom will be also be live on Radio 3, on BBC Four and iPlayer.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Deiniol Buxton

Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman. The technique has been legal in the UK for a decade but this is the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease, which is normally passed from mother to child. Anita Rani is joined by Kat Kitto who has two daughters, one of whom has mitochondrial disease, and Louise Hyslop, consultant embryologist at the Newcastle Fertility Centre, to tell us more. Hit ITV crime drama Karen Pirie returns to our screens for a second series this weekend, based on the Val McDermid series of novels about a young Scottish detective. Anita is joined in the studio by showrunner, screenwriter and actor Emer Kenny to talk about bringing a new cold case to life for Karen to solve, juggling series two with a newborn, and how she’s managed to combine acting and writing since landing her first big role as Zsa Zsa Carter in EastEnders at the age of 20.A Government review found that porn involving non-fatal strangulation was "rife" and its prevalence online was contributing to choking, filtering into some people's sex lives - particularly among young people. Last month it was announced that choking will be criminalised in an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. To discuss, Anita was joined by Professor Clare McGlynn, Professor of Law at Durham University who contributed to the review, and Dr Jane Meyrick, Associate Professor of Health Psychology at the University of the West of England, who specialises in sexual health and sexual violence. This week, throughout our series on women and gaming, we’ve heard about the influence that games can have in society. We've spoken to women working in the industry, and found out more about the impact gaming can have on women, but we can’t shy away from the fact that there are still barriers stopping women from accessing games. Anita is joined by to Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games, Nick Toole, CEO of Ukie, and Stephanie Ijoma, gamer and founder of NNESAGA, to discuss what still needs to change and how the industry can improve. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones