Main content

Sheila Dillon; British women and Islam; fatherhood; female composers

Jenni Murray presents the programme that offers a female perspective on the world, discussing cancer with Sheila Dillon, British women and Islam, fatherhood and female composers.

Food Programme presenter Sheila Dillon speaks about having cancer.

Why do British women convert to Islam? The University of Cambridge has surveyed 50 women - we talk to the report author and some of the women involved.

Brian Viner on bringing up teenage girls.

Helen Grime and Anna Meredith discuss careers as composers.

Available now

58 minutes

Sheila Dillon

Sheila Dillon has appeared on on Radio Four for around the past twenty years. So when she was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer鈥 that is multiple myeloma, 聽in December 2011,聽 she made it her mission to discover how we can control the cancer through what we eat. She was horrified that there was so little professional advice available and how it was not made a priority by the medical profession. On聽The Food Programme on Sunday, 19th May at 12.30pm, she speaks to experts on cancer and on diet and asks why, in her eyes, they are聽 too cautious, too ignorant or too busy to give dietary advice when what we eat makes such a difference? Jenni Murray speaks to Sheila, who is now in remission, about her experience of the disease and her views on how diet can affect recovery.

British women converting to Islam

This week聽a, examining the聽experiences of nearly 50 British women who have converted to Islam, is published by the University of Cambridge鈥檚 Centre of Islamic Studies, in association with the New Muslims Project, Markfield. It's聽a fascinating dissection of the conversion experience of British women in the 21st Century. To discuss some of the issues Jenni is joined by Professor Yasir Suleiman from the聽Centre of Islamic Studies at the聽University of Cambridge, who led the report, and by Anita Nayyar, who聽converted to Islam in 2000 when she was eighteen and by Batool Al Toma, director of the New Muslims Project UK and a convert to Islam.

The report is聽 'Narratives of Conversion to Islam in Britain: Female Perspectives'.

Britain鈥檚 New Generation of Female Composers

Helen Grime is聽Associate Composer for The Halle. She is the first woman to hold the post at the orchestra. 鈥楴ear Midnight', her first major Halle commission, will receive its 聽premiere at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Thursday 23rd May. As a forerunner to a special Woman鈥檚 Hour聽programme about the orchestra next month聽we celebrate the new generation of British women composers breaking through.聽聽Helen Grime and Anna Meredith tell Jenni about the challenges and highlights of making it as an established 聽composer.聽聽

A special edition of Woman鈥檚 Hour will be broadcast in聽 conjunction with the 91热爆 Philharmonic on June 21st . Tickets available from 31st May at

The trials and tribulations of Fatherhood

The trials and tribulations of fatherhood, that's the subject of new book; 鈥淭he Good, the Dad and the Ugly鈥.聽 Brian recalls bringing up his daughter and two sons and rising to the challenges of their teenage years 鈥 decisions about letting them have alcohol, his daughter and boyfriends and whether or not to let them go to music festivals. Stephen Falder is a businessman and inventor, who also has brought up three children, a boy and two girls. Jenni Murray asks Brian and Stephen about the best way to deal with tricky situations and teenagers.聽聽

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jenni Murray
Editor Amanda Hancox
Interviewed Guest Brian Viner
Interviewed Guest Helen Grime
Interviewed Guest Anna Meredith
Producer Bernadette McConnell
Interviewed Guest Sheila Dillon

Broadcast

  • Fri 17 May 2013 10:00

Follow us on Instagram

Get all the pictures, videos, behind the scenes and more from Woman鈥檚 Hour

Podcast