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Woman's Hour: Friends Forever, Fangirls, Period justice and flood victims, Energy crisis and use of public facilities

31/08/2022

Friends Forever, Fangirls, Period justice and flood victims, Energy crisis and use of public facilities

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Friends Forever, Fangirls, Period justice and flood victims, Energy crisis and use of public facilities

We begin a new series on female friendship and explore if fan girls can change the world.

We begin a new series on female friendship and explore what happens when it goes wrong? Can friendships be repaired? We also explore  the political power of fan girls.

In a new series  'Friends Forever?' we are looking at key relationships in many women's lives, those with female friends. Specifically we're interested in when things go wrong - when and why friendships fall apart and how devastating that can be. And, whether they can be repaired. Annie and Lizzie were very close at school and after and then their lives diverged. They each told their story to Jo Morris.

More than 33 million people have been impacted by the devastating floods in Pakistan, and over a thousand people have died since mid-June. Emma is joined by two students from Pakistan who have set up Mahwari Justice campaign to get sanitary products to those in need. 

In the second part of our Woman’s Hour series on Fangirls we ask: Can fan girls change the world? We speak to Professor Jay Song, Associate Professor in Korean Studies at the University of Melbourne about the political power of fangirls and a member of the BTS Army, Dr Heta Bhatt. We deep dive into the world of K-Pop band BTS & their loyal fandom called the BTS Army, who have been instrumental in shaping politics and socioeconomic issues in Korea and beyond. 

The cost of living crisis is having an impact on us all. And while paying a monthly fee to go to the gym may likely be seen by some as non-essential expenditure – some people say using the facilities there like showering can help shave hundreds of pounds off energy bills. Should there be boundaries on what facilities people can use in the public sphere?  We are joined on the programme by the money saving expert and mum Gemma Bird. The Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees also chats to us about setting up ‘warm banks’ - those are heated sites like museums and galleries for those unable to afford their energy bills.

Reporter: Jo Morris

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