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Woman's Hour: Dame Emma Thompson. Brandon Lewis MP. Dame Paula Rego. Childcare.

09/06/2022

Dame Emma Thompson. Brandon Lewis MP. Dame Paula Rego. Childcare.

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Dame Emma Thompson. Brandon Lewis MP. Dame Paula Rego. Childcare.

Dame Emma Thompson. Abortion in Northern Ireland. Dame Paula Rego. The cost of child care.

Oscar-winner Dame Emma Thompson on her new  film: 'Good Luck To You, Leo Grande.' Abortion access in Northern Ireland. The cost of childcare. Commemorating artist Dame Paula Rego.

Oscar-winner Dame Emma Thompson has graced our screens for four decades. As an actor, she's played all kinds of women, from her role as Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility to her heart-breaking Karen in Christmas favourite, Love Actually. But now she's taking on a different kind of acting role. Good Luck To You, Leo Grande tells the story of Nancy Stokes, a 55-year-old widow (played by Thompson) who decides to hire a significantly younger male sex worker, played by the Irish actor, Daryl McCormack. She joins Emma to talk about women's pleasure, full frontal nudity and the #MeToo movement. 

Abortion was decriminalised in Northern Ireland two and half years ago, following a vote by MPs in Westminster. But despite this significant intervention, abortion in the province has been called “a post-code lottery,” with some women still travelling to England to get one. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, has stepped in and last month he announced new regulations to speed things up. He's on record saying,  "I'm determined to ensure that women and girls in Northern Ireland can access abortion services in the same way as those living in the rest of the UK." 
But what might slow down progress is the stalemate that Stormont is in once again, after elections last month, and the political tension around the Northern Ireland protocol. So, just how quickly will abortion become more available in Northern Ireland? Emma Barnett talks to Brandon Lewis.

The renowned Portuguese-British artist Dame Paula Rego has died at the age of 87.  Last year she had a retrospective exhibition at Tate Britain and over a six-decade career she was known for characters inspired by fiction, fairy tales and her own life, and for focussing on women's rights. Emma talks to the Director of the Tate, Maria Balshaw and the art historian Lisa Modiano.

If you’re a woman and you have a baby it’s going to cost you £70,000 in lost earnings over the next decade according to new research from the Think Tank, the Social Market Foundation, which is setting up a cross party commission to tackle the spiralling costs of childcare. Emma talks to Director of the Foundation James Kirkup about its findings, and one woman working as a senior mental health nurse who says she takes home just £100 a week after childcare costs. We also get the view of the Early Years Alliance, a charity that represents child minders, nurseries and pre-schools.     

Presenter: Emma Barnett 
Producer: Alison Carter 

Photo credit: Nick Wall © GoodLuckLeoLimited

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