Weekend Woman's Hour

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Woman's Hour

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: Weekend Woman's Hour: Author Alex O'Brien on what playing poker can teach you, Maternity care & Sprinter Bianca Williams

Weekend Woman's Hour: Author Alex O'Brien on what playing poker can teach you, Maternity care & Sprinter Bianca Williams

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Weekend Woman's Hour: Author Alex O'Brien on what playing poker can teach you, Maternity care & Sprinter Bianca Williams

Science writer Alex O'Brien on what life lessons she's learned from playing poker.

Author turned poker player Alex O'Brien on how poker can inform life choices, and calls from the Maternity Safety Alliance for a public inquiry into maternity services in England.

This week, the Maternity Safety Alliance group has called for a full statutory public inquiry into maternity safety in England. They joined Jess to explain why they’re calling for this inquiry as did Presenter Krupa Padhy, who has produced a documentary on Radio 4 which investigates this issue. 

Writer and comedian Alison Larkin avoided love most of her adult life but in her 50s, she found true love for the first time with an Indian climate scientist. Then he died. Alison joins Krupa to tell her all about her new show based on this experience, Grief…Comedy at the Soho Theatre.

British sprinter Bianca Williams has had lots of success in Athletics competitions for almost a decade but in recent weeks it has been an investigation into an incident which happened three years ago that has put her back into the news. She joins Krupa to discuss her stop and search ordeal.

Singer-songwriter and cellist Ayanna Witter-Johnson has collaborated with a prestigious range of artists from Andrea Bocelli to Anoushka Shankar. She has now joined forces with London Symphony Orchestra Percussion Ensemble to create a new album, Ocean Floor. She joins Anita to discuss it.

Have you ever played poker? Did you think about how playing it could influence your life decisions? Science writer and poker player Alex O’Brien has written a new book, The Truth Detective, which explores how the game's rules and strategies help us to better navigate the world and make better choices. She spoke to Jess about the life lessons she’s learned from playing – and why she’s teaching her daughter.

Presenter: Anita Rani
Producer: Claire Fox

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

Weekend Woman's Hour: Author Alex O'Brien on what playing poker can teach you, Maternity care & Sprinter Bianca Williams

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4