Woman's Hour

It's been a week of disturbing headlines about the treatment of women by men in the entertainment business, which has prompted questions about the culture of the industry in general. The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has requested a meeting with industry executives and the government has said it wants to look at a possible ban on Non Disclosure Agreements being misused to silence women. Anita Rani is joined by Zelda Perkins who broke an NDA and now campaigns against the misuse of them, Jen Smith, CEO of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority and the comedian Kate Smurthwaite to discuss what needs to change.
The Kyiv Independent online newspaper was only a few months old when Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine. Starting life as a newsletter with a team of 12, the English-language edition now employs around 100 people making news and documentaries about life in Ukraine. At the heart of the operation are two women, editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko and CEO Daryna Shevchenko who join Anita to reflect on 5 years of creating content, editorial independence and how the conflict has impacted their lives.
The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce was due to publish new standards for care next month, but they will now not appear until the middle of next year. Experts, politicians and bereaved families are included on the taskforce, which is chaired by the Health Secretary Yvette Cooper and was set up to deliver urgent action for women, babies and families. The BBC health correspondent Catherine Burns joins Anita to give an update.
Laura Linney has built an incredibly extensive body of work across theatre, television and film, and is well known to British audiences for her starring roles in The Truman Show, Ozark, Frasier and Love Actually. Alongside Rhys Ifans, Linney stars in a new film about two people brought together by receiving diagnoses of Parkinson's on the same day. 'Onwards and Sideways' explores their blossoming friendship and how they each navigate a life re-shaped by Parkinson's.
This programme has been edited since broadcast.
Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Simon Richardson

Nuala McGovern talks to Thomas Giuffra, the attorney representing a woman in one of the highest profile sexual assault cases in the United States, the alleged rape at Cornell University. He tells Nuala about why his client has decided to bring a civil case, and whether there is a problem with how universities, police and lawyers respond to allegations of rape on campus.
British-Somali boxer Ramla Ali’s new film, In the Shadows, tells the story of her journey from child refugee to trailblazing boxer. After arriving in the UK, she became the first Muslim woman to win an English amateur boxing title, before later choosing to represent her birth country and becoming the first Somali boxer to compete at an Olympic Games. She joins Nuala to talk about overcoming trauma and breaking barriers.
As part of our series meeting women behind some of the UK's fastest-growing businesses, we speak to Hellen Bowey, who gave up a six-figure salary to establish care technology company Alcove, inspired by her experience growing up with a sister with a learning disability. The company helps older and vulnerable people live independently and has grown from seven employees before the pandemic to more than 150 today.
Zoe Smith was 27 when she lost her leg below the knee in a car accident. A few years later she decided to try surfing and loved it. She's now Britain's number one para surfer, and later today will be heading to the International Surfing Association World Para Surfing Championships, which are held in Palm Desert, California. She joins Nuala to share why she was first drawn to surfing, how women are represented in the sport, and her hopes for future accolades.
Producer: Cerys Maidment
Presenter: Nuala McGovern

With much discussion about the conviction of Russell Brand today, Woman's Hour is focussing on the impact this case will have on women. Nuala McGovern speaks to one of the original journalists to investigate the former comedian, Rosamund Urwin, the chief news correspondent of The Sunday Times, in her first full broadcast interview since the sentencing. And Commander Andy Day is the Metropolitan Police's Head of Central Specialist Crime. His unit was responsible for leading the investigation in to Russell Brand. He gives his reaction to yesterday's sentencing of ten and a half years.
What would make someone swim for 35 hours straight? Eva Buzo has spent much of her life pushing the limits of endurance. The human rights barrister and ultra-marathon swimmer is using extraordinary open-water challenges to support communities campaigning over beach access, environmental protection, and tourism developments. She joins us to talk endurance, activism, and life far beyond her comfort zone.
Whether or not to have children can be one of the biggest, most sensitive decisions we make in our lives and one for which women often still feel judged, whatever we decide. Some of course feel that choice is taken away from them by infertility or by circumstance. In the 80th year of Woman’s Hour, as we focus on using our voices to have agency over our lives, we discuss the big picture issue of falling birth rates and ask what it means for women in particular. Nuala hears from Baroness Camilla Cavendish and Anna Louie Sussman.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

The number of 'very big' babies born each year has fallen by 71% since 2010, according to figures from NHS England. 'Very big' is defined as babies weighing 11 pounds or more at birth. The average baby in the UK weighs about seven and a half pounds. To discuss the reasons behind the fall, Nuala McGovern is joined by Siobhan Quenby, Professor of Obstetrics at the University of Warwick and consultant at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, who led the Big Baby Trial in 2025.
In a recent article, The Guardian reported that Home Office figures provided to the newspaper suggest that nearly six in 10 police drug tests carried out on people arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse were positive for cocaine. This covered the period between July 2025 and June 2026. Some of the tests were carried out after police suspected drug use, but the findings are consistent with a 2023 police pilot study, which found that nearly 60% of domestic abuse suspects tested positive for cocaine or opiates. Charlotte, a survivor of domestic abuse, joins Nuala to discuss her experience. She is joined by two academics researching the issue: Professor Liz Gilchrist, a forensic psychologist at the University of Edinburgh, and Professor Gail Gilchrist, who conducts research at the National Addiction Centre at King's College London.
The first in a new series meeting women behind some of the UK's fastest-growing businesses, exploring how they've built their companies, the challenges they've faced, and what it's like to grow a business in Britain. First, Bethan Higson, founder of Mother Root, which makes alcohol-free drinks.
A new BBC2 documentary, 'Mums versus Big Pharma', explores the story of the medical scandal around pregnant women in Britain who took the drug sodium valproate. It is an effective medication for treating epilepsy, but if taken during pregnancy, it can have devastating consequences. Around one in nine babies will have a birth defect, and up to four children in every 10 may have problems with early childhood development. These disorders can be seriously debilitating and permanent. 20,000 children in the UK are said to have been impacted. Janet Williams and Emma Murphy - two mothers who have searched for years for answers from the medical establishment and fought for justice for their children - join Nuala to discuss.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Producer: Dianne McGregor

Highlights from the Woman's Hour week