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Woman's Hour: Michelle Williams, Long Covid and 25 years of Goodness Gracious Me

Michelle Williams, Long Covid and 25 years of Goodness Gracious Me

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Michelle Williams, Long Covid and 25 years of Goodness Gracious Me

Michelle Williams talks about playing Mitzi, closely based on Steven Spielberg's mother.

Michelle Williams, star of new film The Fabelmans, joins Anita to talk about playing Mitzi, a character closely based on Steven Spielberg’s mother.

The Hollywood actor Michelle Williams began her career aged 16 on the TV drama Dawson’s Creek.  Now, at 42, she’s starring in Steven Spielberg’s new film The Fabelmans, based on his own family.  She plays Mitzi, a concert pianist who’s put her artistic ambition aside to raise a family, and is struggling to play a supporting role to her computer genius husband.  But the crucial relationship portrayed in the movie is the one between Mitzi and her son, Sammy.  Michelle joins Anita to explain why she was attracted to the role.

There are an estimated 2.1 million people in the UK experiencing self-reported long covid, according to data from the Office for National Statistics which affects women more than men. But in the NHS priorities and operational planning guidance for 2023-24, no mention was made of Long Covid. Dr Binita Kane is a Consultant Respiratory Physician in Manchester. She also has a daughter with long covid and knows the challenges that causes and is worried that Long Covid has been deprioritised. She is joined by Dr Melissa Heightman, clinical lead for Post Covid services at University College Hospital London, and the National speciality advisor with the long covid programme for NHS England.

Some outfits grab all the attention. Think Lady Gaga's meat dress, Madonna's Cone bra or J Lo in her plunge neck green Versace dress. Well Monday night saw the return of the ITV dating show Love Island but it was the outfit worn by the new host Maya Jama that got everyone talking. It was sexy, and red, and - you might be surprised to know - crocheted. The person who made it is the young designer Sierra Ndagire who joins Anita.

It’s been 25 years since Goodness Gracious Me graced our television screens on BBC 2. It was the first comedy sketch show conceived, written and performed by British Asians. Anita Rani chats with the multi-hyphenate artists, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia from the original ensemble cast. They discuss how they birthed a new “Asian Comedy” genre and its role today, getting spotted in a restaurant by George Michael, and some of their infamous sketches that added a new lens to British women.

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