Domestic abuse survivor Lucy Godley and mum Sharon, Baroness Casey on social care

When the writer E L James first self-published Fifty Shades of Grey as an e-book in 2011, she had no idea that her erotic novel would go on to become a publishing phenomenon. Since then, Erika has written eight bestsellers, sold more than 150 million books, and produced three Fifty Shades film adaptations. Few contemporary writers can claim to have changed the conversation around women, sex and popular romance quite so much. E L James has a new novel out – and it’s entirely different to what has gone before. A paranormal romance called Land of Ghosts, the main character is a 17-year old girl. E L James joins Anita Rani to talk about her stellar career and how despite enormous success, she loves anonymity. The government has announced that pregnant workers and new mothers will have stronger safeguards to protect them from unfair dismissal. From October 2027, employers must consider all reasonable alternatives to dismissal before pursuing it. This comes as part of the Employment Rights Act, and protections will also be extended to employees taking adoption leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave and bereaved partner’s paternity leave. Anita speaks to the Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden. The comedian Russell Brand is in court facing three charges of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one charge of indecent assault against six women – he denies all charges. The allegations span 10 years from 1999 to 2009. He has said he has never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity. The trial at Southwark Crown Court in London began last week on 14th October. Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty has been covering the trial and is the BBC presenter of the podcast Fame Under Fire: The Russell Brand Trial. This discussion contains graphic sexual references. New research has found that female scientists are 'largely absent' from exam boards’ compulsory learning material for GCSE pupils. The study by the University of Cambridge found only one of 86 scientists featured in the main Key Stage 4 exam specifications for science, was a woman – Rosalind Franklin - she did ground-breaking work on DNA. Skyla White is one of the researchers on the study. Award-winning Irish comedian, writer and actor Catherine Bohart is a debating champion, an Edinburgh Festival favourite, and a familiar face on television, with appearances on Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, QI and LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland. Also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4, her credits include The Now Show, The News Quiz and her own six-part topical series, Too Long; Didn’t Read. She joins Anita to talk about her latest stand-up show, Borrowing Trouble.

A government review into antisemitism in schools and colleges in England will publish its recommendations today. The report from former Ofsted inspector Sir David Bell makes 27 recommendations to help schools tackle antisemitism. The review found that three out of five Jewish children had experienced prejudice at school and that leaders in some Jewish schools were spending more time on security than on education. Nuala hears from the BBC's Special Correspondent Judith Moritz, who has been covering the story, and writer and broadcaster Angela Epstein, host of the Jewish Mother Me podcast, who has spoken about Jewish identity and raising children in Britain. There has been a rise in demand for the shingles vaccine, and this may be because recent studies suggest it could reduce the risk of dementia. Women are at greater risk of developing dementia in their lifetime, and around twice as many women as men have Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia. Nuala hears from two women, Eva and Sally, who are getting the shingles vaccine this winter, in part because of a family history of dementia, and from Lucy Devendra, Head of Research at Alzheimer's Society. BAFTA-nominated Lolly Adefope reprises her role as Kitty, the endearingly innocent Georgian noblewoman, in the film Ghosts: The Possession of Button House. She's also making her West End debut as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!, the Olivier Award-winning play. Set in 1865, the dark comedy imagines the former First Lady of the United States, wife of then-President Abraham Lincoln, as a frustrated cabaret performer trapped in the gilded cage of the White House. Lolly joins Nuala to discuss resurrecting Kitty and taking on the mantle of Mary. Women's health businesses, such as those in the fem tech sector, can face barriers to accessing financial and commercial services, including banking, insurance, payment processing and e-commerce platforms, according to advocacy organisation CensHERship. Today, the group is launching a new accreditation initiative called FemTick, aimed at recognising organisations that support the growth of the women's health sector. Nuala hears from one of CensHERship's co-founders, Clio Wood, and BBC Senior Reporter Ashitha Nagesh, who has been hearing from women's health creators who say their content has been removed, filtered or suppressed online, a practice known as shadowbanning. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Dianne McGregor

Campaigners deliver a petition to Downing Street calling for parents of children with SEND to be exempt from being fined if their children miss school. Currently they risk a criminal record and possible jail sentence if the child is off school three or more times within the same period. Alex Stafford, a Senior Solicitor from IPSEA, an independent provider of special education advice, joins Nuala McGovern to discuss the impact on parents. Author Helen Fielding is launching a competition to find new comedy writers from the North of England. The Bridget Jones Prize will be managed by Newcastle-based writing charity New Writing North. From Yorkshire herself, Helen is looking for first-person stand-alone prose, not unlike the diary entries of her fictional heroine, first published anonymously in The Independent newspaper in 1995. Helen explains why she wants more to be made of the northern humour she grew up with. The British and Irish Lions Rugby Union team will play a historic first ever women's fixture when they face France at Cardiff's Principality Stadium next August, ahead of their 2027 tour to New Zealand in September. It will bring together leading players from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and will see the team play five matches in New Zealand, including three Test matches against the six-time world champion Black Ferns. Nuala is joined by Maggie Alphonsi - England Rugby World Cup winner - and Ruby Tui, New Zealand Rugby World Cup winner and Olympic Gold medallist, who are both ambassadors for this first women’s tour. A new survey for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize of over 2,000 young people across the UK helps to build a picture of teenage girls in Britain in 2026 and indicates how their lives differ from the experience of boys. A broadcast live from Newcastle upon Tyne on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize will bring together an audience of 50 teenagers for the 2026 BBC Teen Summit to discuss teenagers' concerns about their future job prospects, the growing influence of AI, and the impact of online life. BBC Radio 5 Live and Woman’s Hour presenter Clare McDonnell explains the findings. We’ll be celebrating the creativity of children behind the camera to mark the opening of a new exhibition in London: Snap Happy! How Children Became Photographers. It looks back at the photos children have been taking since the Victorian era. The Cottingley Fairies were the most famous but curator Annebella Pollen has found other examples. She joins us along with photographer Lillian Spibey. PRESENTER: Nuala McGovern PRODUCER: Melanie Abbott

It was World Menopause Day yesterday, the last before employers of more than 250 people in England, Scotland and Wales are mandated to have a Menopause Action Plan in place. This new legal duty begins in April 2027. What does it actually mean and how will it be enforced? Nuala McGovern is joined by the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s revival of Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Julius Caesar set in a woman’s prison, which originally ran at the Donmar Warehouse in 2012, is now touring secondary schools. Female prisoners from HMP New Hall in Wakefield and their resident drama group have worked alongside the production. Dame Harriet Walter, who plays Brutus, and Rachel Frank, a criminal justice associate, discuss their collaboration and what the young people and the women from the prison gain from the experience. For decades married couples have feared the seven-year itch. But the latest divorce statistics for England and Wales show opposite sex couples are now more likely to get divorced after 20 years of marriage. Just over a quarter of divorces last year happened after two decades - or more - of marriage, according to the Office for National statistics. Nuala speaks to break up and divorce coach, Sara Davison, to find out what's behind this trend and the implications for women. What if, for half of every month, you felt like a different person? That's the reality for many women living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, or PMDD. Laura Elizabeth Woollett is author of Hell Days, which blends her personal experience of the condition with research and cultural analysis. Dr Georgina Standen is, a GP and PMDD specialist on what latest research tells us about the condition and what treatments are available. Presented by Nuala McGovern Producer: Louise Corley

Navanetham 'Navi' Pillay, a former International Criminal Court judge and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. She is the 21st female to win the award, and the first South African woman. Navi speaks to Nuala McGovern. In the programme's 80th year, we’re reflecting on how women’s lives have changed in the last eight decades, and today, Nuala digs into the Woman’s Hour archive to find out how technological advancements have impacted women’s lives over the years. Nuala talks to Zoe Kleinman, the BBC’s Technology Editor and Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, an entrepreneur and champion of women’s visibility in the UK technology industry and author of book 404: Women Not Found. Esmée Gummer recently completed her own Guinness World Record challenge, having run between every city in the UK, hosting free 5km clubs in each. An incredible achievement because when she was aged 18, Esmée woke up paralysed following complications during surgery - and she had to relearn how to walk and eventually run. Esmee tells Anita Rani about her passion to encourage people to connect through running, not racing. How well do we know our mothers? The novelist Laleh Khadivi’s latest book Female Life on Planet Earth is about a woman who discovers her dead mother had a secret Iranian revolutionary past. Laleh joins Nuala to talk about her inspiration for the book. Caroline Hirons has built a career in the beauty industry spanning more than three decades, from working on skincare counters to becoming a bestselling author, social media personality and founder of her own skincare brand. Now she's published a new book, Skin Rules, and joins Anita in the studio. Nigella Lawson is back on our screens as a judge on The Great British Bake Off but has hit the headlines for taking big bites. So why are some people commenting on a woman actively enjoying food... on a baking show? Nuala is joined by body confidence activist and author Alex Light and personal trainer Laura Ghiacy. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones