Sugababes, Kate Summerscale & Kamila Shamsie, The History of Abortion

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, Personal Journals

4.2 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Sugababes started their music career together in 1998 but, after Siobhán left the band in 2001, it wasn't until 2019 that Mutya, Keisha and Siobhán came back together as the Sugababes. All three members join Nuala McGovern to celebrate the release of their brand new single, Jungle, just as they get ready for their biggest ever UK and Ireland tour – which kicks off in Leeds next month.

To mark the 30th anniversary of The Women’s Prize, Woman’s Hour is hearing from writers who have been longlisted in fiction and non-fiction this year, along with previous winners. Today Nuala talks to 2025 longlisted non-fiction author Kate Summerscale about her book The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place, and to Kamila Shamsie, whose novel Home Fire won the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Both books examine crime and punishment, and what happens when politicians and the media become involved in criminal justice.

A new book Abortion – A History, gives the long view of ending pregnancy. From ancient Greece to Roe v Wade, Mary Fissell charts changing practices of and attitudes towards abortion. Mary, who is Professor in the History of Medicine at John Hopkins University in the US, joins Nuala in the Woman’s Hour studio to explain why she wrote the book and what she has learned.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	He tells her that she will be sent to France as a secret agent, and if she's caught, she's going to be shot.
0:09.3	I'm Helen Obalam Carter, and this is history's secret heroes, where I shine a light on extraordinary stories from World War II.
0:17.6	What they wanted was someone to get themselves arrested and sent to Auschwitz.
0:22.0	Tales of deception and incredible acts of resistance and courage.
0:26.3	She was a born soldier.
0:27.4	She's a freedom fighter in its widest sense.
0:29.9	The brand new series of history's secret heroes.
0:32.8	Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:36.4	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:40.7	Hello, this is Neula McGovern, and you're listening to The Woman's Hour podcast.
0:46.4	It is indeed.
0:47.4	Hello and welcome.
0:48.7	Well, the original Sugar Babes, Kisha, Mutia and Chivon are back with a bang,
0:54.1	and they're opposite me in the Woman's
0:55.7	Hour studio this morning. We will chat to them in just a moment. Also today, the authors Kamala Shamsi
1:01.4	and Kate Somerscale in conversation about crime and punishment as we continue our series with
1:07.5	authors connected to the women's Prize for fiction and nonfiction.
1:12.3	And we want to help you decide whether you need to make additional national insurance
1:18.0	contributions to boost your state pension. That is coming up with lots of information.
1:24.1	Staying with money? This afternoon, the work in pension secretary Liz Kendall
1:27.9	will set out how the government intends to reform the health benefit system in a move
1:33.0	aimed at cutting the growing welfare bill. The government says its mission is to make
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -10 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

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.