Ashley James, Nancy Guthrie disappearance, Kinship carers

Ashley James, Nancy Guthrie disappearance, Kinship carers

Author: BBC Radio 4 February 12, 2026 Duration: 57:19

A story gripping headlines across the United States is the disappearance of 84‑year‑old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC News Today anchor Savannah Guthrie. Nancy was abducted from her home in the Catalina Foothills near Tucson, Arizona, in the USA more than a week ago, triggering a massive search and emotional appeals from her family. Clare McDonnell speaks to Claire Moses, a reporter from The New York Times, who has been following the story.

Broadcaster, model and activist Ashley James says she’s always been underestimated and often written off as a “bimbo”. But now she’s reclaiming the word as the title of her new book, which explores many of the judgmental labels used to describe women and their life choices. From 'bossy' to 'mumsy' to 'silly girl', Ashley joins Clare to unpack the impact such words can have on women and girls and why she hopes opening up about her own experiences will inspire others to stop shrinking and shake them off.

More than 141,000 children are in kinship care in England and Wales. According to new research from the charity Kinship, 40% of kinship carers are forced to claim benefits or increase their benefits when they step in to take on the care of a child from a family member. To explain why some kinship carers want the same parental rights as others in a parental role, like an adoptive parent, Clare is joined by the CEO of Kinship, Lucy Peake and carer Nash, who took on the permanent care of her sister’s children after her sister died.

A few years ago, Saaniya Abbas was working as an art director in an advertising agency in Dubai. Today, she is a rising star of comedy, after finding stand-up comedy helped her deal with the end of her marriage. Her tour, Hellarious, has just hit London and she speaks to Clare about writing material based on her life so far.

Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Rebecca Myatt


For decades, Woman's Hour from BBC Radio 4 has been a fixture in British life, creating a unique space where the experiences of women are centered and explored in full. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's a daily conversation that feels both urgent and timeless, tackling everything from front-page news and political shifts to intimate personal stories and cultural shifts. Each episode brings together a diverse range of voices-activists, artists, scientists, politicians, and everyday people-to dissect the issues that shape society. You'll hear nuanced debates on health, family, work, and identity, alongside insightful discussions on books, music, and ideas that are defining our moment. The podcast captures all of this, offering a thoughtful and often challenging listen that refuses to simplify the complexities of modern life. It’s where a headline is unpacked with depth, a personal struggle is given context, and inspiration is found in unexpected places. Tuning into this podcast means joining a long-running dialogue that consistently informs, provokes thought, and connects the personal to the political, all through the lens of women's lives and perspectives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Woman's Hour
Podcast Episodes
Riki Lindhome, Dutch appeal, Student loans, Author Lucy Apps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:41
Police in the Netherlands have taken the unusual step of launching a campaign on social media to track down women and girls who were blackmailed into sharing explicit pictures of themselves on line. Detectives have found…
Arrest of stalked woman, Endometriosis, Ageism at work, Egg donation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:35
Student Jodie Morrow talks to Nuala McGovern about her ordeal of being arrested after her stalker falsely accused her of stalking him. He has now been jailed after pleading guilty to harassment and perverting the course…
Children and happiness, Miscarriage leave, Extramarital pairings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:12
Women in Northern Ireland who have had a miscarriage - along with their partners - will now be entitled to two weeks paid leave. The government is planning to bring in at least one week of leave for families in England,…
Women and their relationships with light [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:38
Easter Monday in the Christian calendar means Christ is risen and symbolises a shift from darkness and death to life, hope and light. We’re also in the middle of Passover which signifies spiritual illumination, freedom,…
Childhood epilepsy, Pre-loved fashion, Mary Magdalene music [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:47
Childhood epilepsy, medical treatment, and the power of a mother and son working together. Filmmaker Emma Matthews and her son Louis Petit have created a new film, along with his father Chris Petit. D is for Distance foc…
Artemis II, Meg Jones, 'Battlefield techniques abuse' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:20
Nasa's Artemis II spacecraft has blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and is now orbiting the Earth in the first crewed mission to the Moon in half a century. If all goes well in the next few hours, it wi…
Women in Iran, Miscarriage cradle, Zoom bombing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:55
The week marks one month since the United States and Israel attacked Iran. We take a look at the impact the resulting war has had on the women and children of the country. Krupa Padhy is joined by BBC Chief International…
Moon mission, Miscarriages, Romania's Eurovision entry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:34
Christina Koch is ready to make history. She is one of the four astronauts of Artemis 2 which is set to head around the Moon in the next few days. During her career as a Nasa astronaut, she has spent more than 300 days a…