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Where Have All the Good Nuns Gone?

Jane Garvey on negative stereotypes of nuns on TV and film. Plus Cecelia Ahern on her latest book How to Fall in Love, and WH power-lister Mary Curnock Cook, chief exec of UCAS.

From Philomena to The Nun to endless smutty jokes, Roman Catholic nuns on film or TV are often portrayed as evil, repressed, bitter or a punchline. Writer Joanna Morehead and Sister Lynda Dearlove discuss why nuns are seen as fair game for drama and comedy and what it about the role of women in the Catholic Church.

Cecelia Ahern on her latest book, How to Fall in Love. Woman's Hour Powerlister Mary Curnock Cook, Chief Executive of UCAS.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on protecting girls and women in emergencies.

Presented by Jane Garvey
Produced by Lucinda Montefiore.

Available now

58 minutes

Last on

Tue 12 Nov 2013 10:00
±«Óătv Radio 4

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Clips

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Chapters

  • Lesbian Flirting on TV

    Will there ever be a time when gay women will be able to flirt like gay men on TV?

    Duration: 09:17

  • Mary Curnock Cook OBE

    Chief Executive of UCAS and Woman’s Hour Power-lister.

    Duration: 09:28

  • Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

    Executive Director of UN Women discusses Protecting Women in Emergencies.

    Duration: 06:35

  • Where Have All The Good Nuns Gone?

    Why are nuns fair game for drama and comedy?

    Duration: 09:13

  • Cecelia Ahern

    Author of bestselling ‘PS, I Love You’ discusses her latest novel ‘How to Fall in Love’.

    Duration: 05:31

Lesbian Flirting on Primetime TV

Watching gay men on television openly flirting after other men has become relatively standard viewing on prime time television. Think Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel Horwood on Strictly Come Dancing. Woman’s Hour looks at why rarely, if ever, you see lesbians excessively flirting with other women in the same way on similar popular programmes. Jay Hunt, now a short film producer but best known to our audience as the presenter of Would Like to Meet, and Gareth McLean, TV critic and writer, join Jane.

Mary Curnock Cook OBE

Woman’s Hour Power lister Mary Curnock Cook OBE talks to Jane about her role as Chief Executive of .

Call to Action Conference – Protecting Women in Emergencies

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women is in London for the Department for International Development’s “Call to Action” conference on protecting girls and women in emergencies. She’ll be talking to Jane Garvey about the problems faced by women around the world and what needs to be done to solve them.

Where Have All The Good Nuns Gone?

From Philomena to The Nun to endless smutty jokes, if you are a Roman Catholic nun on current film or TV it seems you can be evil, repressed, bitter or a punchline.  Why are nuns fair game for drama and comedy and what does this tell us about the role of women in the Catholic Church?  What are the real nuns doing and why are they so seldom seen or recognised?  Writer and Sister Lynda Dearlove of the  join Jane Garvey to discuss.

Cecelia Ahern

first novel, PS, I Love You, published when she was just 21, became an international bestseller as well as a major motion picture.  She has since written eight more books and sold 16 million copies of her books worldwide. Her latest novel, How to Fall in Love, combines Cecelia’s trademark upbeat style with a more serious look at the subject of suicide.  She joins Jane in the studio.

Credits

Presenter Jane Garvey
Interviewed Guest Mary Curnock Cook
Interviewed Guest Phumzile Mlamgo-Ngcuka
Interviewed Guest Joanna Moorhead
Interviewed Guest Lynda Dearlove
Interviewed Guest Cecelia Ahern
Producer Lucinda Montefiore

Broadcast

  • Tue 12 Nov 2013 10:00
    ±«Óătv Radio 4

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    Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire.