Two spirited and topical films made by women who fundamentally disagree about the ethics of 'offensive self-defence'.

Lucy Irvine, author of Castaway which recounts her experiences living on a desert island, believes that 'in certain threatening situations a mild form of foul play is fair play... and I would like to feel the law was on my side - even if I struck first'. To prove her point her film 'dramatises' several incidents of assault and defence featuring Amanda Donahoe, who played Lucy in the film of Castaway.

The case against her is put by Irma Kurtz, a newspaper and magazine columnist who lives in inner-London. She argues that 'to live with a weapon in your pocket, even a mace spray... is not to resist the villains, it's to join them'.

Both films have been made with the BBC Community Programme Unit.