Famed for Its Knitting 

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BBC Radio 4 Extra - Famed for Its Knitting

The life and changing times of Woman's Weekly as it celebrates its centenary

The life and times of Woman's Weekly magazine, as it celebrates its centenary in a period of unprecedented change. From 2012.


The life and changing times of Woman's Weekly - "the number-one-selling brand within the mature woman's weekly magazine sector" - as it celebrated its centenary in 2011 - a period of unprecedented economic turmoil in the publishing industry. 

Back in the 1980s, the magazine was an anachronism - very old school, very pink, catch-lined "Famed for its Knitting". 

Journalist Clare Jenkins held a variety of roles on the magazine from a spell as "The Man Who Sees" to covering for the astrologer (after they had a heart attack). 

For the rest of the time, she was a sub-editor and celebrity interviewer, ranging from Hollywood stars like Joan Fontaine and Gloria Graham, to Jenny Agutter and Nicholas Parsons. The knitting department made balaclavas and sleeveless jumpers for models like Roger Moore and Sandra Howard.

It was decidedly mono-cultural, too - an edict from on high forbade the use of non-white faces. It also forbade any mention of sex, so fictional heroines were virginal, while letters mentioning sexual difficulties had to be rewritten before appearing on the problem page.

The magazine achieved a different kind of status after being immortalised in a Victoria Wood song ..."beat me on the bottom with the Woman's Weekly". 

Clare takes an affectionate but sharp-edged look at everybody's granny's favourite cup-of-tea read. How has it managed to survive? 

Producer: Lindsay Leonard  

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2012.

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