Snow White is one of the darkest fairytales in the canon – a story of witchcraft, cannibalism and murderous rage. It describes the fury of an ageing woman, who looks into her mirror to discover her beauty has been surpassed. In many early versions, the Wicked Queen is Snow White’s mother, not stepmother, driven mad by her daughter’s beauty. She demands her young rival’s heart on a plate, then salts and eats it with greedy delight.

Writer Cathy FitzGerald wants to rescue the Queen from the mirror’s spell and discover more productive ways to deal with grey hairs and crow’s feet. She meets cultural historian Marina Warner, who explains that Walt Disney created a Wicked Queen in the image of film star Joan Crawford: his villainess owes as much to 1930's Hollywood noir as the Brothers Grimm. Ex-beauty queen Tamara Henry confesses her anxieties about growing older, and feminist Lynne Segal explains how ugly attitudes to the ageing body have plagued women for hundreds of years. Plus clinical psychologist Paul Gilbert offers professional help – what would he make of the Wicked Queen if she pitched up on his therapist’s couch?

(Photo: An elderly woman pulls up her loosed skin as she looks at a mirror. Credit: Getty Images) Show less