Weekend Woman's Hour: Undercover Police Inquiry, Foster care expansion, AI boyfriends
Woman's Hour
BBC
4.1 • 3K Ratings
🗓️ 7 February 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The ongoing Undercover Policing Inquiry started again this week. It is believed at least 50 women were duped into intimate relationships with undercover officers over decades. Alison, not her real name, spent five years living with a man she knew as Mark Cassidy, who was in fact a married undercover Police Officer whose real name was Mark Jenner. She joins Nuala McGovern along with BBC London journalist Ayshea Buksh, who has been following this inquiry.
The government has announced plans to relax fostering rules and create 10,000 new places for vulnerable children in England. Roxy and her mum Judy, from the BBC’s recent Traitors series, join Nuala to discuss. Roxy was fostered until the age of five before being adopted by Judy. They are also joined by Sarah Thomas, Chief Executive of The Fostering Network.
Paula Varjack talks to Anita about her show Nine Sixteenths. It examines the fallout from the infamous Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake ‘wardrobe malfunction’ incident at the 2004 Superbowl and the backlash that almost ruined Jackson’s career. The play questions what this says about the demographics of who controls the media, the scrutinising of black women in the public eye and asks if anything has changed.
We hear a lot about ‘mum guilt’, but what about the guilt that can come along with not becoming a mother? Writer Ellen C Scott is child-free by choice but has recently experienced guilt towards her parents because she won’t be providing them with grandchildren. She recently explored the topic for Stylist magazine and was surprised by how much it resonated with other women. Ellen and psychotherapist Professor Hannah Sherbersky discuss.
AI companions are becoming increasingly common, with one in three adults now using them for conversation, advice and support. Now recent research from Bangor University has shown that many teen AI companion users believe their bots can think or understand. That research prompted Nicola Bryan, a reporter for BBC Wales News to investigate and acquire an "AI boyfriend" of her own in the process. Nicola talks to Anita about what happened next.
The Puppini Sisters are celebrating 20 years of their antique pop, neo-burlesque swing music. Their new album The Birthday Party marks two decades since their debut, Betcha Bottom Dollar, spent almost a year on the Billboard chart in the US. It became the fastest-selling jazz album in UK chart history, with their fans including Robbie Williams and King Charles. They join Nuala to discuss their music.
Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:12.7 | But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes, |
| 0:18.2 | The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and comedy specials |
| 0:22.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffel and Rommashranganathan. However, and maybe I'm biased, |
| 0:27.9 | it's really all about the traitors uncloked. So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and |
| 0:32.6 | podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. Hello, I'm Anita Rani and welcome to Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:40.3 | Just to say that for rights reasons, the music in the original radio broadcast has been removed for this podcast. |
| 0:47.0 | Hello and welcome to the programme. |
| 0:49.1 | Coming up, Judy and her daughter, Roxy, from The Traitors, |
| 0:53.2 | tell us why they're backing the government's plans to relax fostering rules and create 10,000 new places for vulnerable children. |
| 1:01.1 | I'll also be chatting to a woman who acquired, an AI boyfriend, ponder on that. |
| 1:06.4 | And if you don't have children and don't expect to, have you ever felt guilt that your parents |
| 1:11.0 | won't become grandparents will be exploring the issue? |
| 1:14.9 | And we take you back in time to the 2004 Super Bowl and the infamous Janet Jackson, Justin |
| 1:20.2 | Timberlake wardrobe malfunction and the backlash that almost ruined Janet's career. |
| 1:26.7 | But first, the ongoing undercover policing inquiry started again this week. |
| 1:32.1 | The inquiry was established in 2015 and subsequent hearings found appalling practices in undercover policing. |
| 1:39.7 | The inquiry aims to discover the truth about the tactics of undercover policing across England and Wales over the past 50 years and provide recommendations for the future. |
| 1:49.9 | It's believed that at least 50 women were duped into intimate relationships with undercover officers over decades. |
| 1:57.7 | Nula spoke to Alison, not her real name. |
| 2:00.4 | Alison, an ex-school teacher, spent five years living |
... |
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