Sister Rosetta Tharpe was known as the ‘godmother of rock and roll’ and influenced countless musicians from Elvis to Johnny Cash. Now Olivier Award-winning performer Beverley Knight is playing Sister Rosetta in a new production, Marie and Rosetta, which has just opened at the Rose Theatre in London. It tells the story of Rosetta and her singing partner, Marie Knight, described as one of the most remarkable and revolutionary duos in music history. Beverley joins Nuala McGovern in the Woman’s Hour studio to discuss how the show hopes to restore these forgotten musical heroines to the spotlight.
The Government has announced that care workers will no longer be recruited from overseas as part of a crackdown on visas for lower-skilled workers. The care sector has criticised the plans as "cruel" and "short-sighted". To discuss this and what good care looks like, Nuala is joined by Gavin Edwards, Head of Social Care at Unison, and care worker Kathryn Faulke, author of the memoir Every Kind of People: A Journey into the Heart of Care Work.
It’s thought that around 3 to 4% of people in the UK, that’s one in 20, have ADHD - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However many women still remain undiagnosed for decades of their lives, with those in their 40s, 50s and 60s only now discovering they have it for the first time. Jo Beazley was diagnosed with ADHD just two years ago at the age of 49, after her symptoms worsened during the menopause. She joins Nuala along with Amanda Kirby, the former chair of the ADHD Foundation and a professor in the field of neurodiversity.
This week we'll be hearing different perspectives on the recent Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman under the Equality Act, and how it could and should be interpreted on the ground. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued interim guidance that, in places open to the public, trans women shouldn't use women's facilities such as toilets. Today Nuala speaks to Robin Moira White, a barrister who specialises in taking discrimination cases, and who is also a trans woman. Robin transitioned in 2011 and is co-author of A Practical Guide to Transgender Law.
Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Sarah Jane Griffiths