meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Woman's Hour

Order of Women Freemasons' Grand Master Zuzanka Penn; Actor Sally Phillips; Childcare Costs; Rebecca Humphries

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Personal Journals

4.22.9K Ratings

🗓️ 8 July 2022

⏱️ 58 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The actor, writer and comedian Sally Phillips best known for Smack the Pony, the Bridget Jones trilogy, Miranda, Veep and, of course, Radio 4’s very own award-winning 'Clare in the Community' returns to our screens next week in the third series of Sky’s popular parenting comedy Breeders. And on Sky Cinema from today she takes the starring role in a new film ‘How to Please a Woman’. Set in Western Australia, Sally plays fifty-something Gina who, having just lost her job, feels invisible and stuck in a sexless marriage, and sets up an all-male house cleaning service that also offers sexual services. With the school holidays having already started in Scotland and Northern Ireland and fast approaching in England and Wales, the charity Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed 28,000 parents, 99% women, on their childcare plans for the summer. From the data they found 1630 women who had had an abortion in the last five years said childcare costs had influenced their decision and nearly 1 in 5 of them had made that choice solely based on childcare costs. Joeli Brearley, founder of the charity joins Anita to explain why this unexpected results are such a cause for concern. Freemasons are known for their white aprons, mysterious symbols and secret handshakes. To the outside world their rituals, which are shrouded in mystery, appear cult like. But for over a hundred years female freemasons have been gathering to conduct initiations and ceremonies like their male counterparts. The Order of Women Freemasons has several thousand members while Freemasonry for Women has about 700. So what is the appeal of becoming a member of an organisation that is shrouded in mystery? I am joined by Grand Master Zuzanka Penn of the Order of Women's Freemasons and Gaelle Ndanga from Freemasonry for Women. Actor and writer Rebecca Humphries had often been called crazy by her boyfriend. But when paparazzi caught him kissing his Strictly Come Dancing partner, she realised the only crazy thing was believing she didn't deserve more. Posting her thoughts on social media, a flood of support poured in, but amongst the well-wishes was a simple question with an infinitely complex answer: 'If he was so bad, why did you stay?'. Rebecca joins Anita Rani to talk about her new book ‘Why Did You Stay: a memoir about self-worth’. They explore why good girls are drawn to darkness, whether pop culture glamourises toxicity, when a relationship 'rough patch' becomes the start of a destructive cycle, if women are conditioned for co-dependency, and - ultimately - how to reframe disaster into something magical. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Kirsty Starkey Interviewed Guest: Sally Phillips Interviewed Guest: Joeli Brearley Interviewed Guest: Zuzanka Penn Interviewed Guest: Gaelle Ndanga Interviewed Guest: Rebecca Humphries

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts

0:05.2

Hello, I'm Anita Rani and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4.

0:10.8

Good morning and welcome to Woman's Hour, which for the next 60 minutes will be a politics-free

0:16.7

zone. We will be discussing who the women are in the running once we have a better idea

0:21.0

of who's putting their hat in the ring. On the programme today, though, we will be joined

0:25.6

by one of our finest comedy actors, the brilliant Sally Phillips, will be talking to me about

0:30.8

her new film How to Please a Woman, which is all about women in their 40s and 50s, having

0:36.7

a sexual awakening and finding a new zest for life. You'll find out more in a moment.

0:42.1

But this morning, I'd like to know if you have had a revolutionary moment in your life

0:47.6

where you've discovered something that has given you a new lease of life. What have you

0:52.6

taken up later in life that brings you immense joy, a new hobby maybe, like pottery or painting

0:59.6

or a sport? Are you out there playing tennis in the sunshine? Or are you part of the

1:03.9

wild swimming gang that's happening up and down the country? Is meeting up with your

1:08.3

friends over a cuppa or maybe a pint of gin your new way of finding joy in your life?

1:13.4

You tell me, maybe it's dancing naked in front of the mirror. Share your new found way

1:19.0

of celebrating life. You never know, you might actually inspire someone else today. Getting

1:23.4

touched with me, the usual way you can text, it's 84844, you can contact me via social

1:29.3

media, it's at BBC Woman's Hour and of course you can send me an email through our website.

1:35.5

So what is it that you've discovered that brings you huge joy? Share that with me. Also

1:40.8

on today's show, Rebecca Humphries, who became an overnight feminist icon when she tweeted

1:46.2

a perfectly worded statement after her then-boy friend cheated on her with his strictly dance

1:51.4

partner. Well, four years on, she's written her first book looking at what made her stay

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.