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BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

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Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.

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Shrabani Basu

Jayisha Patel

Sian Hawkins

Chris Skidmore

Lou Conran

Jac Phillimore

Jane Garvey

Woman's Hour: Victoria and Abdul, Virtual reality, Lou Conran, Voting

Factual

Victoria and Abdul, Virtual reality, Lou Conran, Voting

06/09/2017

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Victoria and Abdul, Virtual reality, Lou Conran, Voting

Shrabani Basu; child trafficking; anonymous voting; You've Got to Laugh.

Queen Victoria's friendship; using VR to create the world of child-trafficking; comedian Lou Conran; anonymous voting for domestic abuse survivors.

The film 'Victoria and Abdul', starring Judi Dench tells the story of the monarch in her last decade, and the friendship she formed with a young Indian man brought to the UK to present her with a token from the empire. It is based on a book written by Shrabani Basu, who spent months uncovering 13 volumes of Victoria's journals - she tells Jane Garvey about the experience.

Virtual Reality has had success with its ability to make users feel like they're stepping into games. But film-maker Jayisha Patel has created the real world of a child-trafficking victim, so that fathers can understand and empathise with what their daughters have experienced.

New government guidelines are planning to better support domestic abuse survivors by making it easier for individuals to vote anonymously in general and local elections. It's hoped that the changes will make it more straightforward for people to use their democratic right without compromising their safety. Sian Hawkins is the Campaigns and Policy Manager at Women's Aid. Constitution minister Chris Skidmore has been a keen supporter of the campaign.

In the first of a three part series, You've Got to Laugh, which looks at how comedians turn grim experience into comedy, comedian Lou Conran talks about discovering at her 20 week pregnancy scan that her baby would not survive outside the womb. Lou decided to raise money for a bereavement charity by writing a show about her experience and taking it to the Edinburgh Fringe. Jac Phillimore speaks to Lou about the delicate balance of finding the funny in such a sad experience and how it feels to perform. Some of you will find this an uncomfortable listen because in the piece Lou deals with the loss of her baby by using comedy. You'll hear clips from the show which feature sensitive issues, jokes and strong language, along with audio diaries recorded by Lou whilst she put the show together.

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