Main content

Mary Beard; Harriet Green; Michelle Young

An advent treat from Mary Beard, businesswoman Harriet Green, and the return of the scrunchie. Jane Garvey presents the female perspective on the world.

Behind today's advent door is Professor of Classics, Mary Beard. Michelle Young tells Jane about her 'fight for equality' in one of the UK's most colourful divorce cases. The woman who saved Thomas Cook from the brink of collapse, power-lister Harriet Green. And, love it or loathe it, the scrunchie is back - we discuss the latest big thing to come out of the eighties.

Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore
Editor: Alice Feinstein.

Available now

58 minutes

Chapters

  • The Multi-Million Divorce

    Michelle Young on her β€˜fight for equality’ and family lawyer and mediator Julia Thackray.

    Duration: 19:01

  • Power-Lister Harriet Green

    CEO of Thomas Cook, who saved the travel business from the brink of collapse.

    Duration: 10:40

  • The Return of the Scrunchie

    Is it really fashionable to tie your hair back like its 1985?

    Duration: 05:49

  • Advent Treat with Mary Beard

    Behind today's Radio 4 advent calendar door is Professor of Classics, Mary Beard.

    Duration: 03:07

Michelle Young and the Multi-Million Divorce

Described as the most colourful divorce case in British legal history, for seven years Michelle Young has pursued her property developer husband Scot, claiming he has hidden billions of pounds in a complex web of offshore trusts and companies. Michele joined Jane to talk about what she regards as a fight for equality. And family lawyer and mediator, Julia Thackray, talks about the complications of divorce law, if an assumption of an equal divide of assets is reasonable and do the laws in this area need updating?

Μύ

Power-Lister Harriet Green

, who was previously chief executive of electronics firm Premier Farnell for six years, was appointed CEO of Thomas Cook in July 2012.Μύ At the time Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel business, was on the brink of collapse and struggling with debts of more than Β£1bn. She has been credited with completely transforming the company and leading one of the most important business turnarounds since the financial crisis. Green was recently named Leader of the Year 2013 at the prestigious National Business Awards. She is a member of the UK Prime Minister's Business Advisory Group, a trustee of the PeaceWorks Foundation and received an OBE in 2010 for services to industry. Harriet joins Jane Garvey to discuss her style of leadership, why she values time to herself and what needs to be done to encourage more women business leaders.

The Return of the Scrunchie

Carrie Bradshaw, in Sex and the City famously declared that β€œno woman would be caught dead at a hip downtown restaurant wearing a scrunchie” and yet the likes of Cara Delevigne, Cressida Bonas and Hilary Clinton have all been seen sporting the 1980s favourite recently and they’ve been featured in Vivienne Westwood, Missoni and Louis Vuitton catwalk shows. What’s the best way to wear a scrunchie and is it really fashionable to tie your hair back like its 1985?

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jane Garvey
Interviewed Guest Mary Beard
Interviewed Guest Michelle Young
Interviewed Guest Julia Thackery
Interviewed Guest Harriet Green
Interviewed Guest Leillah Sekalala
Interviewed Guest Amber Jane Butchart
Producer Lucinda Montefiore
Editor Alice Feinstein

Broadcast

  • Tue 10 Dec 2013 10:00

Follow us on Instagram

Get all the pictures, videos, behind the scenes and more from Woman’s Hour

Podcast