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Woman's Hour: How to cast Mary, Jayalalithaa Jayaram

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07/12/2016

How to cast Mary, Jayalalithaa Jayaram

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, How to cast Mary, Jayalalithaa Jayaram

Choosing Mary for the School Nativity and India's iron lady Jayalalithaa Jayaram.

Choosing Mary for the School Nativity. Plus India's iron lady Jayalalithaa Jayaram, 60 Years of the National Childbirth Trust and life after forced marriage.

Jayaram Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu's 'Iron lady', died and was buried yesterday at 68. She was a Tamil film star who challenged Tamil Nadu's male-dominated politics and went on to become chief minister of the state.

It's Christmas play season! Across the country, many teachers are casting children in the famous roles of the Nativity story. Traditionally, the most coveted role is that of Mary - but what difficulties are there in casting this role? Jane talks to Samira Ahmed (cast as Mary in 1971) and and Amy Cooke-Hodgson, Expressive Arts teacher at St Saviours School in West London.

We open the archive of the National Childbirth Trust at the Welcome Library to mark their 60 years. From their start with a newspaper advert to a knitting pattern for a uterus.

In 2015, the government's Forced Marriage Unit gave advice and support to 1,220 people who were at risk of being married against their will. Jane speaks to two women who have escaped forced marriages. They tell her what it was like to leave their home and family in order to rebuild their lives. 

Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Kirsty Starkey.

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