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Puccini’s opera, The Girl of the Golden West, is perhaps one of his least performed operas.Ìý Set in a gold-mining community on the American frontier during the California Gold Rush, it’s a story of true love and second chances. ÌýIt tells the tale of a love triangle involving Dick Johnson, aka the bandit Ramerrez, Sheriff Jack Rance and Minnie, the Girl of the Golden West who runs the Polka saloon.Ìý are staging a new production for the first time in three decades.Ìý We talk to the star of the show, Minnie, played by Soprano Alwyn Meller and the director, Aletta Collins.

TV presenter Charlie Webster has been speaking about the way that she was sexually assaulted as a child. 31-year-old Charlie decided to waive her right to anonymity as she is about to embark on a 250 mile run between 40 football grounds to raise money for the charity Women’s Aid. The assaults on CharlieÌý were carried out by her athletics coach when she was 15. He was later sentenced to 10 years in jail and put on the sex offenders’ register for life.Ìý Charlie says she wants to break the taboo surrounding issues like sexual abuse and domestic violence. She is doing fund-raisingÌýrun for to increase awareness of these issues.

Most of us feel we know the story of Jane Eyre. Even if we’ve not read it we might well have seen the film or television series. It’s considered by many to be Charlotte Bronte’s masterpiece.Ìý But according to novelist Lucy Hughes HalletÌý Charlotte Bronte’s final and less popular work, Villette, is her greatest novel.Ìý We’ll be discussing whether it’s possible to say which is the better novel. Sheila McClennan is joined by Lucy Hughes Hallet and Dr Lucasta Miller, author of The Bronte Myth, to discuss.

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Lucy Hughes-Hallett will beÌýgiving a masterclass on 18th January.

A private members Bill, which aims to put into law that the UK Government must consider the impact on gender equality in the allocation of international aid,Ìý is going through the Commons this morning (Friday, January 17th).This is the first Bill of its kind in the UK and if it gets through today, then it will go onto the House of Lords and may well become law. Sheila is joined by Dr Maria Neophutou, Executive director of the which advocates gender equality both in the UK and abroad. They are a key driving force behind the bill. Also to discuss the bill will be Dr Eleanor O’Gorman, senior associate at the and a freelance consultant who has worked with aid organisations on gender andÌý Tanya Barron,Ìý Chief executive of , a global children’s charity.