Woman's Hour

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Magazines & Reviews

Podcasts

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: Health & Wellbeing

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

BBC Radio 4 FM

Woman's Hour: Life beyond menopause, Maggie Blyth on needle spiking, Turning the Tide, Jealousy in friendships

Life beyond menopause, Maggie Blyth on needle spiking, Turning the Tide, Jealousy in friendships

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Life beyond menopause, Maggie Blyth on needle spiking, Turning the Tide, Jealousy in friendships

What can you look forward to on the other side of the menopause?

If 2022 was the year of talking about menopause could 2023 be the year of looking at life beyond it? Joining Krupa to discuss the positive side of life after menopause is Caryn Franklin, fashion and identity commentator.  Her latest audio book is SKEWED: Decoding Media Bias, which explores why women and girls are educated to fear ageing.  And Supriya Nagarajan who made a life-changing decision during the menopause to focus on her first love - performing the traditional music of her south Asian roots.

According to the National Police Chiefs Council, nearly 5,000 cases of needle and drink spiking were recorded by forces across England and Wales between September 2021 and August 2022.  There were more than 2500 cases of spiking by needle, with women accounting for three quarters of the victims. However, only three per cent of blood samples sent for analysis were found to “contain a controlled drug that supports a spiking incident”, so potential victims of spiking are being urged to report to the police and get tested quickly - as some substances can leave the body within 12 hours.  Krupa is joined by Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the National Police Chiefs Council lead on violence against women and girls.

A new film and exhibition called Turning the Tide looks at the role of women in the renewable energy sector through movement and dance. The short film features women in graceful action at landmarks such as the Humber Bridge, and at an offshore wind turbine blade factory in Hull. Created in partnership with the Women's Movement 100 project which is celebrating the 100 years of female suffrage, it's the brainchild of choreographer Freddie Garland, who has done similar projects recognising women in industry in Sheffield and Newcastle. She speaks to Krupa along with Louise Smith, one of the dancers in the film and director of the University of Hull's Aura Innovation Centre. 

A new historical drama begins this evening on BBC Two, about the ill-fated French queen Marie Antoinette. The award-winning French costume designer Madeline Fontaine is the woman who was tasked with recreating the sumptuous and extravagant outfits that are paraded around Versailles on the show. She joins Krupa.

Is it OK to be jealous of your friends? With the festive period in full swing, it can be a time of feeling envious of people gathering and having a good time on social media – but how do we tame the green-eyed monster that can surface when we see that our friends are happy and doing well? Krupa is joined by female friendship coach Danielle Bayard Jackson and journalist and author Claire Cohen to discuss.

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Woman's Hour

Life beyond menopause, Maggie Blyth on needle spiking, Turning the Tide, Jealousy in friendships

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4