Married at First Sight allegations, Falling pupil numbers, Fibromyalgia and breast implants, Ladies loos on stage
Woman's Hour
BBC
4.1 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 19 May 2026
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Two women have told a BBC Panorama investigation they were raped during the filming of one of Channel 4's biggest shows, Married at First Sight UK, while a third has described an allegation of a non-consensual sex act. Channel 4 has now removed all episodes of the programme from its streaming and linear services and commissioned an external review of welfare on the show. The programme makers CPL have said its welfare system was ‘gold standard’. Nuala McGovern is joined by BBC News' Lizo Mzimba and Helen Wood, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Aston in Birmingham.
Many women live with fibromyalgia for life - chronic pain, exhaustion, brain fog - with no clear cure. But some doctors say that for women with breast implants, the story may be different. Rheumatology Professor Jan Willem Cohen Tervaer from the University of Alberta explains why some patients improve after their implants are removed, and why he believes the condition of Breast Implant Illness deserves recognition from the medical community. Nuala is also joined by Professor Lynda Wyld, President Elect of the Association of Breast Surgeons in the UK to explain the position currently held by the medical profession in the UK.
We discuss a new play that unfolds entirely in the ladies loos. April Hope Miller wrote and performs in ‘Flush’, it was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and it’s just opened at the Arcola Theatre in London. April and co-star Jazz Jenkins tell Nuala why the real drama on any night out is always to be found in the women’s toilets. And why it took an ensemble cast of five, playing no less 16 different characters between them, to capture something universal about women's lives.
School closures in England may be disproportionately affecting children with special educational needs and disabilities. File on Four Investigates has been looking into this in the run up to government reforms of the SEND system, and Nuala is joined by BBC education reporter and former primary school teacher Hayley Clarke.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Helen Fitzhenry
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.3 | On BBC Sounds, there are podcasts to help you look after your body and your mind. |
| 0:12.7 | From increasing your immunity to feeling more confident. |
| 0:16.6 | Or tips on how to focus. |
| 0:18.5 | Sorry, what will you say? |
| 0:19.7 | If it matters to you, it matters to us. |
| 0:22.6 | Feel good inside of them. |
| 0:24.3 | With What's Up Docs. |
| 0:25.9 | And Complex with Kimberly Wilson. |
| 0:27.9 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.5 | Hello, this is Newell McGovern, and you're listening to The Woman's Hour podcast. |
| 0:35.3 | Hello and welcome to the programme. |
| 0:36.9 | In a moment, we'll discuss reality TV |
| 0:39.7 | and the potential risks for contestants following allegations of rape involving Channel 4's |
| 0:45.2 | Married at FirstSight, UK. Also this hour, over 100 schools have closed in England over the past |
| 0:51.3 | five years. Analysis by the BBC has shown that pupils with special educational needs |
| 0:56.1 | have been disproportionately affected by these school closures. |
| 0:59.8 | We'll hear why that might be. |
| 1:01.5 | And we return to the continuing debate over whether breast implants |
| 1:04.7 | could cause an increased risk for fibromyalgia. |
| 1:08.2 | Our concerns justified. |
| 1:10.5 | And we hear about a new play. |
... |
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