Woman's Hour

Original version

BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

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 LW

Woman's Hour: Conductor Marin Alsop, actor Diana Quick and a campaign to protect domestic abuse victims

Conductor Marin Alsop, actor Diana Quick and a campaign to protect domestic abuse victims

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Conductor Marin Alsop, actor Diana Quick and a campaign to protect domestic abuse victims

A jazzy version of Handel's Messiah and a new adaptation of The Famous Five.

Marin Alsop on her reinvented Messiah, Diana Quick stars in a new Enid Blyton adaptation, and a campaign seeks protection for domestic abuse victims who are convicted of crimes.

Marin Alsop is one of the most famous conductors in the world. Ten years ago, she became the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Now she is giving the European premiere of Too Hot To Handel: The Gospel Messiah!, a reimagining of Handel’s Messiah Marin tells Hayley Hassell why she wanted to rework the piece, and looks back over her illustrious career as a conductor. 

The actor Diana Quick joins Hayley to discuss her role as Mrs Wentworth in a new series The Famous Five – and describe how the classic adventures have been brought to life with a new, fresh, modern reimagining of Enid Blyton’s iconic stories.

The Centre for Women’s Justice is campaigning to prevent unjust criminalisation of victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Hayley is joined by director of the CWJ, Harriet Wistrich, and former director of Southall Black Sisters, Pragna Patel.

What can we tell about medieval women’s lives from studying their skeletons? Dr Sarah Inskip from Leicester University has been part of a team excavating Cambridge graveyards for a new research project called After the Plague.  She has found evidence that some medieval women did very strenuous work that changed the shape of their upper bodies; others were trading and travelling across Europe, and many would have existed in chronic pain.

Producer: Hannah Sander
Presenter: Hayley Hassell

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

Conductor Marin Alsop, actor Diana Quick and a campaign to protect domestic abuse victims

Genres

Brand

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4