Woman's Hour

The rapper Tory Lanez has been sentenced to 10 years for the shooting of fellow musician Megan Thee Stallion. She required surgery to remove bullet fragments from her foot after he shot her following a party in 2020. BBC entertainment correspondent Chi-Chi Izundu joins Clare McDonnell to discuss.Do you have fertility anxiety? Today we are discussing why some women fear they can’t easily have children, despite having no known health issues. The journalist Sophie Gallagher joins Clare alongside Dr Ellie Cannon, an NHS GP and author. 18-year-old Linda Caicedo has been one of the break-out stars of this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Colombian player’s journey so far includes a professional and international debut at 14, a cancer diagnosis at 15, and a move to one of the most well-known clubs in the world. BBC Sport reporter Emma Smith joins us to explain her meteoric career.Lorna Rose Treen is an award-winning comedian who has taken her one-woman character comedy show Skin Pigeon to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the first time this year. Being a performer at the Fringe is fun but can be gruelling – so how does it work? Lorna has recorded an exclusive audio diary for Woman’s Hour to give us a peek behind the scenes. Spiritual healing is extremely popular in many countries in the Middle East and North Africa. But the practice is unregulated and that means women are vulnerable to sexual exploitation. An investigation by BBC News Arabic has uncovered allegations of widespread sexual abuse by healers in Sudan and Morocco. Clare McDonnell is joined by the BBC’s Hanan Razek and Senior Women's Rights Researcher at Human Rights Watch, Rothna Begum, to discuss.Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Emma Pearce00:00 Opener 02:53 Megan Thee Stallion 10:42 Fertility Anxiety 25:54 Linda Caicedo 35:29 Lorna Rose Treen 47:53 Spiritual Healing

A judge in Texas has ruled that women who experience pregnancy complications are temporarily exempt from the state's abortion bans. The ruling comes after a group of thirteen women and two doctors sued the state of Texas in March of this year, calling for a clarification of the law. However, the injunction is only temporary until the lawsuit is decided - and the state of Texas has appealed the ruling. Dr Emma Long, Associate Professor in American History and Politics at the University of East Anglia, joins Clare McDonnell to explain the significance of the ruling.Author and researcher Dr Julia Ebner has spent the last two years immersed in one of the darkest corners of the internet, the world of incels. She has been pretending to be an unhappily single, unemployed, male in his late 20s who is tired of feminism. This is part of her decade-long work going undercover investigating different extremist movements and how they pose a risk to democracy. Her new book, Going Mainstream, looks at the rapid spread of extremism into our mainstream social and political discourse. Chloe Matharu is an award-winning, singer songwriter and harpist. She has cultural roots in Scotland, Wales and the Punjab, and draws inspiration from her time in the Merchant Navy and the natural world as experienced at sea. Her debut album, Small Voyages, was selected for Celtic Music Radio’s Album of the Year. At Celtic Connections she was awarded the revered Danny in February this year. She joins the programme live in the studio to talk about her music and to perform The Silkie of Sule Skerry.More than 60 women have made allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment against the US comedian and actor Bill Cosby. But only one woman, Andrea Constand, was able to gain a criminal conviction. In 2018, he was sent to prison for three to 10 years on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. At the time it was celebrated as a major win for the #MeToo movement. Less than three years later, he was freed when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction on a legal technicality. In a new two-part documentary exclusively for ITVX from 10 August, The Case Against Cosby, Andrea tells her story.Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Kirsty Starkey00:00 Opener 02:50 Texas abortion 13:16 Julia Ebner 29:58 Chloe Matharu 38:52 Andrea Constand

A few months ago, Sarah de Lagarde came on Woman's Hour to share her incredible story of survival. She had fallen on to the Tube tracks at a north London station and was run over by two Tube trains. She lost her right arm and leg as a result. Today, Sarah returns with a newly fitted bionic arm, made possible with the support of a crowdfunding campaign. She speaks to Hayley about her recovery journey.As England’s Lionesses face Nigeria in the knock out stages of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Hayley Hasssall is joined by BBC sports reporters Mimi Fawaz and Anna Thompson to discuss all the action.MPs are warning that the use of smart technology and connected devices in facilitating domestic abuse is becoming a growing problem. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee has found that smart products in the home are being used to 'monitor, harass, coerce and control' victims. Committee Chair and Conservative MP Dame Caroline Dinenage joins Hayley.Priya Hall decided to use her experience of trying to start a family within a same-sex couple as the basis for her stand-up comedy debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She speaks to Hayley about the unfairness that same-sex couples face when it comes to accessing fertility treatment.With the blessing of creator Ian Fleming’s estate, the latest literary instalment of James Bond is based in a modern world, and written by a woman. Hayley speaks to author Kim Sherwood on her experience of writing for the iconic series.

All this week on Woman’s Hour we’ve been discussing the topic of loneliness as women and young people are statistically more likely to experience it. We hear from the psychiatrist Dr Farhana Mann from UCL about the impact of loneliness on our health.Jodie Ounsley is the world’s first ever deaf female rugby sevens international player, and she was part of the Woman’s Hour Power List of women in sport. She also uses TikTok to show others what it’s like to live with hearing loss. She talks about being a sportswoman, as well as one of the brand new TV Gladiators.The children’s charity NSPCC says that its Helpline received over 1,000 contacts last year about children experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour, a form of domestic abuse. The school summer holidays can be a particularly difficult time for some of these children. If you are worried about someone, what should you do? We hear from Paddi Vint, Development Manager for the NSPCC and a woman we call Margaret, who experienced coercive control in a previous relationship.Would you use fig and pine nut hand scrub? Or perhaps some tree gum anti-wrinkle cream? Just a few of the 16th century beauty recipes Professor Jill Burke has included in her new book, How to be a Renaissance Woman. Jill discusses 16th century women’s body anxieties and the men who wrote beauty tips for them.Actor and writer Georgie Grier has shared a post on social media after her opening show at the Edinburgh Fringe had just one person in the audience. She’s had replies of support and encouragement from thousands of people, including comedian Jason Manford. She tells us what it was like to perform to one person, and how she feels about the reaction she’s getting.Rock Follies was a 1970s TV series about an all-female rock band, The Little Ladies, trying to make their mark on a male-dominated music industry. A new musical adapted from the TV series is currently on in Chichester. We hear from Rula Lenska, who played Q in the original TV series, and Zizi Strallen, who has taken on the stage role.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed

Actor and writer Georgie Grier has shared a post on social media after her opening show at the Edinburgh Fringe had just one person in the audience. She’s had replies of support and encouragement from thousands of people, including comedian Jason Manford. She joins Anita to talk about what it was like to perform to one person, and how she feels about the reaction she’s getting.The Women’s Netball World Cup is hotting up and Anita is joined by the BBC’s Katharine Merry to look ahead to Sunday’s final. She also tells us how netball is impacting girls in the host city of Cape Town. All this week we’ve been talking about loneliness. Today we ask: Is it possible to design cities and public spaces with social connection at their heart? Anita is joined by Erin Peavey, an architect and well-being design leader at HKS and by Joanna Yarrow, a Non-Executive Director at property developer Human Nature.What do you consider before buying an item of clothing? The cost? The brand? Journalist and TikTok creator Andrea Cheong says we’ve never been taught how to shop and that breaking up with fashion is like leaving behind a bad boyfriend. Andrea joins Anita to discuss her new book Why Don’t I Have Anything to Wear? Woman’s Hour has been closely following the Women’s Football World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this year. Dr Kerry Peek has also been keeping a close eye on the action – but for different reasons. She is one of the ‘concussion spotters’, who for the first time in the women’s game have been deployed to monitor players for head injuries during matches. She joins Anita Rani to explain her research into why women footballers sustain more concussions than men.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Emma Pearce

All this week on the programme we are looking at the topic of loneliness. Women are statistically more likely to be lonely and so in today's programme we will look at ways to cope with those feelings and if it's possible to reframe them. Anita is joined by Radio 4's All in the Mind presenter Claudia Hammond and author of Alonement, Francesca Specter. The comedian Nicole Travolta is taking her one-woman show Doing Alright to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It chronicles her life as a compulsive shopper, how she freed herself from debt, shame and the weight of a famous last name, one spray tan at a time. When she is not dressed up in a wig doing impressions, she can also be found performing comedy around LA. The children’s charity NSPCC says that its Helpline received over one thousand contacts last year about children experiencing coercive and controlling behaviour, a form of domestic abuse. The school summer holidays can be a particularly difficult time for some of these children. If you are worried about someone, what should you do? Anita is joined by Paddi Vint, Development Manager for the NSPCC and a woman we call Margaret, who experienced coercive control in a previous relationship. The Cuban-Spanish singer-songwriter Lucy Calcines joins Anita to sing live, ahead of her headline performance at the UK’s largest Latin music and dance festival this weekend. She shot to fame after her appearance on the Voice TV show in 2020, when she achieved a four chair turn by superstar coaches Meghan Trainor, Sir Tom Jones, Olly Murs and will.i.am. Anita will also be joined by the festival organiser, Amaranta Wright, to talk about all things Latin.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt Studio manager: Bob Nettles

The singer Lizzo, and her production company, are being sued by three former dancers. They have been accused of sexual and racial harassment, disability discrimination, false imprisonment and creating a hostile work environment. Tom Murray, Senior Culture Reporter for the Independent, tells Nuala exactly what’s in the lawsuit. Rock Follies was a 1970s TV series about an all-female rock band, The Little Ladies, trying to make their mark on a male-dominated music industry. A new musical adapted from the TV series is currently on in Chichester. Nuala is joined by Rula Lenska who played Q in the original TV series and Zizi Strallen who has taken on the stage role.Jodie Ounsley is the world’s first ever deaf female rugby sevens international player, and she was part of the Woman’s Hour Power List of women in sport. She also uses TikTok to show others what it’s like to live with hearing loss. She joins Nuala to talk about being on the Power List, as well as being one of the brand new Gladiators.All this week we’re looking at loneliness, and today we’re asking: what impact does it have on society at large? To discuss Nuala is joined by Noreena Hertz, an economist and author of The Lonely Century, where she explores how increasing isolation has consequences for our economy and our democracy. Would you use fig and pine nut hand scrub? Or perhaps some tree gum anti-wrinkle cream? Just a few of the 16th century beauty recipes Professor Jill Burke has included in her new book How to be a Renaissance Woman. Jill joins Nuala to talk about sixteenth-century women’s body anxieties and the men who wrote them beauty tips.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lottie Garton

Frances Haugen is the former Facebook employee turned whistleblower who extracted more than 22,000 pages of documents from the company revealing its inner workings. She believes they show the company prioritising profit over the safety of its users. Frances has since campaigned for greater transparency and accountability for social media firms, giving evidence to the US Senate as well as MPs here in the UK. And she's written a book, The Power of One, about her experience. But what has prompted one woman to take on one of the biggest companies in tech? And what has been the personal cost?All this week on Woman’s Hour we are discussing the topic of loneliness as women and young people are statistically more likely to experience it. Today Nuala speaks to the psychiatrist Dr Farhana Mann from UCL about the impact of loneliness on our health.A new community has formed on TikTok where content creators share their top reading recommendations and bring plots to life. BookTokkers are mainly female, as are their followers. With the social media giant now launching its own book awards, just how influential is the BookTok community to both followers and the publishing industry? Nuala is joined by Holly McLoughlin, who posts as “the caffeinated reader” and Assistant Literary Editor for The Times Susie Goldsbrough.New research has found that almost half of black mothers living in London do not feel sufficiently educated on the impact of air pollution during pregnancy, despite 89% of respondents feeling concerned about air pollution in their local area. Nuala speaks to Dr Karen Joash is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Imperial College NHS Trust and expert adviser to Global Black Maternal Health, a platform that aims to connect and empower black maternal health movements across the world.Lucy Bronze MBE is the most capped Lioness playing in the Women’s Football World Cup this year. Her mum, Diane, recorded a special message for Woman's Hour wishing Lucy and the team good luck ahead of England’s last group stage game against China today.

In 2018, two new mothers died weeks apart after giving birth in two Kent hospitals from a herpes infection. Kimberley Sampson and Samantha Mulcahy both had c-sections and contracted herpes before or around the delivery of their babies. That’s according to an inquest into their deaths that has just concluded - that their mothers, Nicola Foster and Yvette Sampson, say doesn’t give enough answers as to what actually happened. Both Nicola and Yvette joins Nuala to talk about their daughters and what’s next in their fight for the truth.Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina has made history by becoming the first player to wear a hijab at a World Cup. Nuala discusses with Shaista Aziz, co-director of the Three Hijabis, a trio of British Muslim women working to make football free of racism and discrimination.Before becoming a full-time writer, Jane Fallon was a multi-award-winning television producer behind shows such as This Life, Teachers and 20 Things to Do Before You’re 30. She has written a dozen best-selling novels including Getting Rid of Matthew and Got You Back, which is being made into a musical with music by Roxette. She joins Nuala to discuss her latest book, Over Sharing, and its themes of influencers, projecting the perfect life on social media, fake profiles, revenge and 'frenemies'.All this week on the programme we’re looking at loneliness and in particular loneliness among young women. This is because the stats tell us that young people are the age group most likely to say they are lonely – and women of any age are more likely to say they are lonely than men. Today Nuala is joined by two women who tell us about their experience of loneliness. Beth McColl is 30 and Rachael Devine is 33. The Women’s Netball World Cup is underway in Cape Town. It’s the first time the competition has been held in Africa - and will see 16 teams battling it out for a place in the final on 6 August. Broadcaster Kath Merry is in South Africa following all the action, and updates Nuala McGovern on the latest news.Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley

What role should men play in stopping sexist behaviour? Several campaigns have aimed to tackle this, the most recent being the Mayor of London’s Maaate initiative. To discuss we're joined by Karen Whybro, a woman’s safety consultant and Graham Goulden, the former Chief Inspector at Police Scotland who now offers training to organisations to improve team culture.This year marks the sixth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire where 72 people lost their lives. A new play created from interviews conducted with a group of survivors has opened at the National Theatre. Grenfell: in the words of survivors follows the lead up to the disaster, the night of the fire, and the Grenfell Inquiry which followed, and is still ongoing. We're joined by its writer Gillian Slovo and actor Pearl Mackie.‘Date stacking’ is the latest trend being tried by single people to find love, quickly. The concept, designed to save time by squeezing in several dates in the space of a few hours, went viral on TikTok earlier this year. But can you really decide if you like someone while preparing for the next date? We discuss the pros and cons with journalist Roisin Kelly and dating strategist Johnny Cassell.Anna Sewell was the author of Black Beauty, one of the bestselling novels of all time. Despite suffering ill health throughout her life, she managed to rouse the conscience of Victorian Britain and make her mark upon the world. Dr Celia Brayfield tells us about her life and the impact of the book on animal rights.How much time would it take to photograph every single item in your home? Photographer Barbara Iweins spent four years documenting the 12,795 objects she owns. She explains the inspiration behind the project.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Lucy Wai Editor: Sarah Crawley