Â鶹ԼÅÄ 100: Memorable moments from Woman’s Hour over the decades
Woman's Hour has been stalwart and much-loved feature of the radio for most of the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s 100 years. First airing in 1946, the programme has been informing, challenging, inspiring and hearing from listeners for nearly eight decades. So as you’d imagine, Woman's Hour has had its fair share of memorable moments. Here are just a few to celebrate the Â鶹ԼÅÄ’s centenary…
Woman’s Hour's first programme - 7 October 1946
“Good afternoon and welcome to our first Woman’s Hour... it’s your programme – designed for you.” Those were the words heard at 2pm on 7 October 1946 by women all over the UK who eagerly sat down for a programme dedicated to the issues most important to them. But those words weren’t spoken by a woman. It’s scarcely believable now, but Woman’s Hour’s first presenter was a man - Alan Ivimey. It was three months before the programme had its first female presenter – Mary Hill.
Mary Richardson - 12 September 1957
Mary Richardson was at the forefront of the Suffragette Movement. She also smuggled a chopper into London’s National Gallery, where she slashed the Rokeby Venus painting as an act of defiance against the government for, as she put it, “destroying” the movement’s leader, Emmeline Pankhurst.
She spoke to Woman’s Hour presenter Majorie Anderson in 1957 and told her about being present at Epsom when Emily Davidson jumped under the feet of the King’s horse.
Enid Blyton - 13 January 1963
A children’s writer who needs no introduction, Enid Blyton spoke to Woman’s Hour’s Teresa McGonagle in 1963 about how her desire to inspire children to live moral, happy lives motivated her writing. The author died five years later.
Dame Kathleen Lonsdale - 8 November 1967
Considered one of the leading women in science, thanks to her discovery that the benzene ring is flat, the prolific crystallographer Dame Kathleen Lonsdale considered the role of science in society and how she balanced family with a high-flying career. She spoke to Woman’s Hour’s Majorie Anderson. During her career, Dame Kathleen was one of the first women elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society and the first woman tenured professor at University College London. In 1966, she was elected as the first woman president of the International Union of Crystallography.
Mary Quant - 31 March 1971
The dynamic designer, Mary Quant, told Majorie Anderson about what inspired her to create a number of her iconic styles, from the mini skirt to the ‘wet’ look. The presenter also asked Mary to describe what she was wearing for the interview. "I think it's ex-Army gear... with canvas patches and hot pants. It's just knitted with canvas and Army buttons", Mary told Majorie. "It's very cute", Majorie can be heard replying.
Meryl Streep - 4 November 1981
The multi award-winning actor Meryl Streep discussed The French Lieutenant’s Woman and how she got to grips with an English accent for her starring role, but she also opened up to Sue MacGregor, rather poignantly, about her newfound joy at being a mother.
Margaret Atwood - 3 June 1987
Few other feminist novels have managed to capture readers’ imagination like Margaret Atwood’s dystopian masterpiece, The Handmaid’s Tale, which imagines a future United States run by a deeply oppressive Christian cult and examines women as subjugated beings.
In this interview with Woman’s Hour’s Sue MacGregor, the author shed light on what led her to write such a book.
Margaret Thatcher - 18 October 1993
The first woman to be elected Prime Minister of Britain, who also became the longest to serve in the twentieth century, gave listeners an insight into leading the country through the Falklands War, the miners’ strike, negotiations with Europe, the Downing Street years - and why she felt ‘sick at heart’ when her cabinet deserted her.
Margaret Thatcher spoke to Woman’s Hour’s Jenni Murray, the programme’s longest-serving presenter, who helmed the show from 1987 to 2020.
Monica Lewinsky - 27 December 1999
In an exclusive interview, the former White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, took over an entire edition of the programme to talk to Jenni Murray about her affair with President Bill Clinton during the 1990s.
Listen to the special edition of Woman's Hour with Monica Lewinsky
Tracey Emin - 19 May 2011
The artist Tracey Emin came on the programme in 2011 to talk about her exhibition called Love Is What You Want at the Hayward Gallery in London. But who could forget the moment when she asked Jenni Murray if she masturbated?
Oprah Winfrey - 15 November 2013
The Queen of American chat shows joined Jenni Murray for an interview and spoke about how growing up surrounded by African-American Freedom Riders (who launched a number of bus trips through the American South to protest segregation at bus terminals) drove her ambition. She also discussed her role acting in the film The Butler. Find out what made Oprah say to Jenni, "I've never been asked that question!"
Angelina Jolie - 17 June 2016
As a part of a Woman’s Hour Takeover in 2016, Angelina Jolie stepped into the hot seat.
She focused on women surviving sexual violence in conflict, women’s health issues in refugee camps, how she is teaching her own children and why she has been so open about her preventative surgery after discovering she carried the gene associated with cancer that led to her mother’s death.
Rose McGowan - 17 December 2018
At the height of #MeToo, the actor and activist Rose McGowan came on Woman’s Hour to discuss the movement which had been calling out widespread sexual abuse and harassment in the film industry. Rose had been one of the first women to speak out publicly about Weinstein's actions.
The 70-year-old is currently serving 23 years in jail in New York, after being convicted there in 2020 for sexual assaults, including rape.
Malala Yousafzai - 14 January 2019
Seven years after she was shot in the head by Taliban gunman near her school in Pakistan, the Nobel Laureate and campaigner for girls' education spoke to Woman’s Hour’s Jane Garvey about refugee girls, living in Birmingham, studying at Oxford University, and hope. She had just written a book highlighting the stories of girls around the world who become refugees.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge - 21 February 2020
Woman’s Hour dedicated a whole programme to an interview with the award-winning writer and actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 2020.
She delighted listeners with her tales about Fleabag, her extraordinary rise to fame and why she thinks friends can be the greatest love story of our lives.
Mina Smallman - 6 October 2021
2021 saw large protests in the UK about violence against women and girls, prompted by the murders of Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, amongst others.
That year, Mina Smallman, the mother of sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry who were murdered in a North London park in 2020 and whose bodies were photographed by serving Met Police officers, spoke to Woman’s Hour presenter Emma Barnett. Mina talked about her daughters, her grief and women's safety. She also spoke about wanting to reach out to Sarah Everard’s mother because of the particular type of grief they share.
Camilla, the Queen Consort - 24 February 2021
The then Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, gave an exclusive interview to Woman’s Hour’s Emma Barnett at Clarence House in 2022 following the news of the Queen’s wish for her to be known as Queen Consort in the future.
In the interview, Camilla pledged to continue to support victims and survivors of domestic violence for the rest of her life. She was sat next to Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Simpson was killed by her estranged husband in 2010, and whose story Camilla credits with inspiring her to support such a cause.
Camilla became Queen Consort just a few months later when Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe - 24 May 2022
A few weeks after she was freed from her six-year detention in Iran, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe shared her story for the first time with Emma Barnett for a Woman's Hour TV and radio exclusive.
Nazanin revealed how she was made to sign a false confession in the presence of the British government. She also explained how she survived solitary confinement and how the love of her daughter kept her alive.
Kate Bush - 22 June 2022
In a world exclusive, Kate Bush gave Emma Barnett her reaction to being discovered by a new generation and making it to number 1 in the UK singles charts 44 years after her first chart-topper Wuthering Heights.
Running Up That Hill was first released in 1985 and its use in the Netflix hit series Stranger Things in 2022 made Kate Bush a social media and streaming sensation.
The daughter of Roe in Roe v Wade - 27 July 2022
In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, effectively making it possible for US states to ban abortions earlier than 12 weeks.
Melissa Mills, the daughter of Jane Roe, or Norma McCorvey, the real person behind the pseudonym, spoke to Emma Barnett about how her mother would have reacted to the overturning of the ruling and the impact of being involved in Roe v Wade had on her.
Leah Williamson - 11 August 2022
A few days after leading the England women’s football team to Euro 2022 victory, Lionesses captain Leah Williamson joined presenter Jessica Creighton for a very special Woman’s Hour.
She reflected on winning England’s first major trophy since 1966 and discussed the future of women’s football both at the elite level and in schools. She also revealed her passions outside of football, including being a DJ.
Programme dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II following her death - 9 September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II died on the afternoon of Thursday 8 September 2022. The following morning, Woman’s Hour dedicated a special programme to Her Majesty and her reign, providing a space for guests and listeners to recall their personal memories of the monarch.
Tracey Emin, Dame Kelly Holmes and the historians Tracy Borman and Kate Williams joined presenter Anita Rani on the programme to help mark the historic moment.
Listen to the Woman's Hour special following the death of the Queen here
Woman’s Hour is available on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sounds and broadcast live on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4 at 10am Monday-Friday and Saturday at 4pm. Join in the conversation on and @bbcwomanshour
