Woman's Hour

• Christine Flack, New Ofsted school grading, Emma Barnett

  Caroline Flack was a Bafta-winning TV presenter, host of shows including Love Island and The X Factor. In February of 2020, she took her own life ahead of a court case in which she was charged with the assault of her then boyfriend, after weeks of press scrutiny. Her mother Christine Flack tells Clare McDonnell about spending the past five years uncovering documents from the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to try to find out more about the events around Caroline’s death and she also questions the role of the press. That journey is documented in a two-part documentary out on Disney+ called Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth.A new schools inspection system begins in England today. Overall judgements, such as 'good' or 'requires improvement,' have been scrapped and schools will now be given one of five grades in several different categories. The changes were prompted by the death of the head teacher Ruth Perry, who took her own life in January 2023 whilst waiting for the publication of an Ofsted report she knew would grade her school as "inadequate." Clare speaks to the BBC Education Reporter Vanessa Clarke and Tom Middlehurst, Deputy Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders.Louise Penny is the multi award-winning Canadian crime novelist. Her books have sold over 18 million copies worldwide and this year marks the 20th anniversary of her hugely popular Inspector Gamache series. Her latest novel is called The Black Wolf and follows on from her previous one The Grey Wolf. Gamache has foiled a plot to poison Montreal’s drinking water, but has discovered that this is simply phase one of a dark master plan and he needs to take on not only an organised crime syndicate, but also delve into the murky depths of government and power to discover who the black wolf is. There is a brand new podcast out from a familiar voice - Emma Barnett: Ready to Talk, in which Emma invites listeners into her world for bold, honest, and deeply human conversations about the experiences in life that shape and connect us. In the first episode Emma talks to her friend, the journalist and presenter Kate Thornton, about something she’s never spoken about publicly before: perimenopause. In the UK, 13 million women are currently experiencing the perimenopause, or menopause, but information about what it is and what can help can be hard to find. Emma tells Clare about her own experience.Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Andrea Kidd

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• Margaret Atwood memoir, Cat Burns, Choking Porn Law, Dame Elaine Paige

  In Margaret Atwood’s 64-year career she has published world-renowned, prescient novels like The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye, Alias Grace and Blind Assassin, and now a memoir. Margaret joins Nuala McGovern to discuss Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts and reflect on her life, her work and the power of knowing her own mind.Pornography featuring strangulation or suffocation - often called choking - is due to be criminalised across the UK as part of government plans to tackle violence against women and girls. It follows an independent review which found depictions of choking were "rife" on mainstream porn sites and had helped normalise the act among young people. Gemma Kelly, policy consultant on the review, and Professor Clare McGlynn, leading expert on VAWG and gender equality, discuss. The Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter Cat Burns has also just released her new album, How to Be Human. She joins Nuala to discuss her new album and taking part in Celebrity Traitors. Writer and producer Nova Reid joins Anita Rani to talk about the late Dame Jocelyn Barrow, the race relations campaigner and the first black female governor of the BBC whose story Nova tells in her new podcast, Hidden Histories with Nova Reid. The interview includes a clip of Jocelyn from 2017 sharing her thoughts with The University of Law on what she considered to be the greatest improvements in diversity.Is having a boyfriend now embarrassing? Writer Chanté Joseph recently explored this idea in an article for Vogue and on social media, observing a noticeable shift in how people - particularly heterosexual women - present their relationships online. Instead of posting clear photos of their romantic partners, many are choosing subtler signals: a hand on a steering wheel, clinking glasses, or even blurring out faces in wedding pictures. But why the change? Anita hears more from Chante. A grande dame of musical theatre, Elaine Paige made her West End debut in the 1960s and shot to fame in 1978 playing Eva Perón in Evita, going on to star in Cats, Chess, Sunset Boulevard and many more. Elaine talks to Anita about her damehood, fostering the next generation of talent and having stage fright. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

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• Elaine Paige, Nova Reid on Jocelyn Barrow, Pauline Collins

  NB: The music in this broadcast has been removed from this podcast for rights reasons.A grande dame of musical theatre, Elaine Paige made her West End debut in the 1960s and shot to fame in 1978 playing Eva Perón in Evita, going on to star in Cats, Chess, Sunset Boulevard and many more. She talks to Anita Rani about becoming an actual Dame this week, and how she’s fostering the next generation of talent.American author Gish Jen and her mother never got along. In her latest novel Bad Bad Girl, Gish tries to figure out why that was. Reconstructing, then fictionalising her mother’s life as she moves from a wealthy childhood in China to an up-and-down immigrant existence in the US. Gish joins Anita to talk about the real life events behind her book.Restaurant chain McDonald's has announced it will bring in new sexual harassment training for managers. These are strengthened measures that were agreed with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to protect McDonald's staff from abuse. A BBC investigation that started two years ago found that workers as young as 17 were being groped and harassed. Anita gets an update from BBC reporter Noor Nanji.Writer and producer Nova Reid joins Anita to talk about the late Dame Jocelyn Barrow, the race relations campaigner and the first black female governor of the BBC whose story Nova tells in her new podcast, Hidden Histories with Nova Reid. The interview includes a clip of Jocelyn from 2017 sharing her thoughts with The University of Law on what she considered to be the greatest improvements in diversity.Pauline Collins, the star of the film Shirley Valentine, for which she was Oscar nominated in 1990, has died at the age of 85. Her career spanned stage and screen but she will be best remembered for her portrayal of disgruntled housewife Shirley, in the award-winning film, based on the stage play by Willy Russell. It won Pauline a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. We hear a clip of Pauline Collins playing Shirley in Lewis Gilbert's 1989 film, Shirley Valentine, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and also part of an interview Pauline recorded with Jane Garvey on Woman's Hour in 2017. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt

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• Cat Burns, Pakistan's period tax, Mary Earps

  NB: The music in this broadcast has been removed from this podcast for rights reasons.You might recognise Cat Burns from The Celebrity Traitors, where she’s been cunning and inscrutable as a Traitor, winning over audiences with her strategic gameplay. The Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter has also just released her new album, How to Be Human. Ahead of the show’s final, Cat joins Anita Rani in the studio.Mahnoor Omer is a young lawyer taking the Pakistan government to court over its unfair ‘period tax’ which she says adds 40% to their costs. She wants to create public pressure on them to make sanitary products affordable in a country where they cost too much for most women. Mahnoor joins Anita to discuss her campaign.Goalkeeper Mary Earps played a pivotal role in England’s Euro 2022 win and helped the Lionesses reach the final of the 2023 World Cup, earning the Golden Glove after standout performances, including a heroic penalty save against Spain. In May 2025, just weeks before the Lionesses began their defence of the Euros, Mary announced her retirement from international football. Twice named FIFA’s Best Women’s Goalkeeper and BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023, she’s now shared her story in her autobiography, All In: Football, Life and Learning to be Unapologetically Me.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones

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• Margaret Atwood memoir, Racism in public services, Is having a boyfriend embarassing?

  In Margaret Atwood’s 64-year career she has published world-renowned, prescient novels like The Handmaid’s Tale, Cat’s Eye, Alias Grace and Blind Assassin, and now a memoir. Margaret joins Nuala McGovern to discuss Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts and reflect on her life, her work and the power of knowing her own mind. We also reflect on the impact Margaret Atwood has had on writers and academics. Author Naomi Alderman and academics Dr Rosamund Portus and Dr Megan Douglas join Nuala to discuss how Margaret has encouraged and inspired their work across literature, science and beyond. Health Secretary Wes Streeting in an interview in The Guardian today says an “ugly” racism reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s has become worryingly commonplace in modern Britain and NHS staff are bearing the brunt of it. In recent weeks, organisations representing nurses, social workers and carers - many of those being areas are dominated by women - have been sounding the alarm saying their members are encountering unprecedented levels of racism. We talk to Patricia Marquiss, Director for England at the Royal College of Nursing, Nadra Ahmed, Executive Chairman of the National Care Association and Harvey Gallagher from the Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers.Is having a boyfriend now embarrassing? Writer Chanté Joseph recently explored this idea in an article for Vogue and on social media, observing a noticeable shift in how people - particularly heterosexual women - present their relationships online. Instead of posting clear photos of their romantic partners, many are choosing subtler signals: a hand on a steering wheel, clinking glasses, or even blurring out faces in wedding pictures. But why the change? Even Zohran Mamdani, the new Mayor of New York, was asked whether it’s still okay to use the term boyfriend. Chanté joins us.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Simon Richardson

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