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22/03/2024

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Woman's Hour: Alex Kingston plays Prospero at the RSC; Captain Preet Chandi; Alcohol, sexual assault & recall; Folic acid; All good friends?

02/02/2023

Alex Kingston plays Prospero at the RSC; Captain Preet Chandi; Alcohol, sexual assault & recall; Folic acid; All good friends?

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Alex Kingston plays Prospero at the RSC; Captain Preet Chandi; Alcohol, sexual assault & recall; Folic acid; All good friends?

Prospero as a mother not an elderly Duke & father: actor Alex Kingston's current challenge

Alex Kingston, who portrayed River Song, the wife and occasional companion of Dr Who, talks to Anita Rani about playing Prospero.

Women are able to recall details of sexual assault and rape with accuracy, even if they have drunk – moderate amounts of alcohol .A study conducted at the University of Birmingham demonstrated that women who had drunk alcohol up to the legal limit for driving were able to recall details of an assault in a hypothetical scenario, including details of activities to which they had, and had not, consented.  Heather Flowe, Professor of Psychology led the study.

A year ago, British Army officer and physiotherapist Captain Preet Chandi (AKA Polar Preet) made history as the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica. Now she’s just broken another world record: the longest ever solo and unsupported Polar ski expedition. The 33-year-old travelled 922 miles across Antarctica, beating the previous record of 907 miles set by Henry Worsley, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, in 2015.  Having spent over 70 days on her own, trekking in temperatures as cold as -50C, she speaks to Anita Rani about how she endured such a physical and mental challenge.

Is your partner’s ex a significant person in your life? Are they someone you tolerate - or are they someone whose company you genuinely enjoy? Would you even go so far as to call them a friend? Or even a best friend? The friendship between popstar Katy Perry and the model Miranda Kerr attracted attention this week. Why…because Katy Perry is engaged to Orlando Bloom - who Miranda used to be married to.  Katy Perry posted about her friend on Instagram calling her her “sister from another mister” and stating “I love our modern family”. So how realistic or welcome is it to be friends with your partner’s ex? We hear from the journalist Esther Walker.

Adding higher levels of folic acid (otherwise known as vitamin B9) to all flour and rice would stop hundreds more UK babies being born with lifelong disabilities. That's what a group of leading scientists are saying. Women in the UK are advised to take a daily folic supplement before becoming pregnant, to reduce the risk of giving birth to babies with severe abnormalities called neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. But many don't. Anita Rani is joined by Neena Modi, Professor of Neonatal Medicine at Imperial College London.

Best known more recently for her portrayal of River Song, the wife and occasional companion of Dr Who, actor Alex Kingston is currently on stage in Stratford-upon-Avon as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest.  Women playing what are regarded as traditionally male roles on stage is not unusual these days but Alex explains to Anita why making Prospero a woman and mother surviving exile on a small island makes that role much more powerful. 



Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Kirsty Starkey

Interviewed Guest: Professor Heather Flowe
Interviewed Guest: Preet Chandi
Interviewed Guest: Esther Walker
Interviewed Guest: Professor Neena Modi
Interviewed Guest: Alex Kingston
Photographer: Ikin Yum

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Alex Kingston plays Prospero at the RSC; Captain Preet Chandi; Alcohol, sexual assault & recall; Folic acid; All good friends?

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