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Woman's Hour

Caring for older visitors at Christmas, Women's protests in Iran, Female jazz musicians

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture

4.22.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 December 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Women and babies have become targets in conflicts around the world, according to an investigation by The Guardian. Along with data collected by the NGO Insecurity Insight, it identified nearly 300 attacks on and disruptions to maternity care facilities, staff and pregnant women over the past three years and at least 119 incidents involving direct strikes on hospitals and delivery wards. Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by Liz Cookman, Europe Correspondent at The Observer and freelancer at The Guardian and Times, who worked on the story.

For the Sun After Long Nights is an on-the-ground exploration of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran, one of the country's largest uprisings in decades, after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Journalist Nilo Tabrizy discusses writing the book with fellow Iranian journalist Fatemeh Jamalpour, keeping in touch while Fatemeh was in Tehran, and why she thinks it's important to show the history of the Iranian women's rights movement.

As Soho jazz club Ronnie Scott's prepares to open its newly revamped upstairs space, Ronnie Scott’s head of music Sarah Weller and resident singer Natalie Williams join Datshiane to talk about the history of the venue, the iconic musicians who have played there from Nina Simone to Ella Fitzgerald, and how the role of women in jazz has changed over six decades. Plus, Natalie treats us to a rendition of the Christmas classic, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, live in the studio.

And with many generations getting together over the festive period, what can we do to ensure the older members of our families feel cherished and included in the celebrations? Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, and Louise Blezzard, a former nurse who runs a care service looking after older people in their homes, join us.

Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Simon Richardson

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.

0:07.0

My Christmas Mix is pure 90s festive nostalgia.

0:11.1

You know, the Christmas songs you listen to on repeat.

0:14.0

Ho!

0:14.3

Ho! Ho! No, no, no.

0:17.5

I'm all about the big hitting Christmas anthems.

0:20.4

Come on, guys. What about those tunes that really slay? It's Christmas kitchen disco season, surely.

0:26.4

Give me hip-hip-christmas bangers every day. Those Christmas tracks that are straight out of Lapland.

0:30.9

Get all kinds of Christmassy. Just search Christmas music on BBC Sounds.

0:35.8

Hello, I'm Dashiani, Love Aniagumam and welcome to Women's Hour from BBC Radio 4.

0:40.9

Just to say that for rights reasons, the music in the original radio broadcast has been removed for this podcast.

0:47.2

Hello and welcome to the programme.

0:49.7

Now, if you're in the mood for a little Christmas treat, well, you're in the right place.

0:54.6

Come with us as we fall back in time to celebrate some of the extraordinary women

0:59.4

whose voices have echoed through London's iconic jazz club, Ronnie Scots.

1:04.1

I'm thinking Nina Simone, I'm thinking Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack,

1:08.5

and that's just to name a few.

1:16.9

And to really get you in the mood, we'll have a live performance in the studio from some of the club's current musicians,

1:22.6

as we explore the extraordinary role women have played and continue to play in jazz.

1:28.5

Also, what's it like at the heart of Iran's women-led protests?

1:35.0

A new book documents the deep and enduring friendship between two women across the front lines of this movement.

1:39.1

And as we arrive at the day before Christmas Eve,

...

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