大象传媒

We鈥檝e had a female head of state for the last 60 years 鈥� the Queen, but women are still outnumbered by four to one at the political top table. With women still pushing towards equal representation in government, parliament and the devolved assemblies, who are the women who matter in UK politics? Jane is joined by Allegra Stratton, political editor of Newsnight.

The singer songwriter Beth Orton came to popular attention in 1996 with her Mercury Prize nominated album Trailer Park, when her voice and 鈥榝olktronica鈥� blend of folk and electronic sounds won her the moniker 鈥渢he comedown queen.鈥� She went on to win a BRIT award for 1999鈥檚 Central Reservation, and had a top ten hit with Daybreaker in 2002, but after her last album in 2006 she seemed to disappear. However now she鈥檚 back with a new album, The Sugaring Season, having since reached 40, become a mother to two young children, married, and left London for the Norfolk countryside. She joins Jane Garvey to talk about her personal and musical journey of the last six years, and to play live in the studio, along with her husband, the folk singer Sam Amidon.听

Sugaring Season is out now on Anti, and Beth Orton鈥檚 new single Call Me The Breeze is released on 3 December

David Lammy, whose own dad left when he was 12, has been finding out why absent fathers are such a big problem in the Afro Caribbean community, where 65 % of children are looked after by a lone parent, nearly always the mother.听听 Many dads are still teenagers when they father several children with several women, often as a result of one night stands and short term relationships.听 But what impact does their lack of interest and involvement have on the lives of their sons and daughters?听听听Lammy visited a parenting course for young fathers at St. Michael鈥檚 Fellowship in South London for a documentary 鈥楧ads Who Do鈥櫶�.听He tells Jane Garvey about the way these young Afro Caribbean men, with support and guidance, are turning away from gangs and crime and facing up to the responsibility of being a dad.听

Men like Shawn, a father of five who had his first son at 15 and spent 3 years in prison.听 Now he not only looks after his own children but runs a Saturday morning clubs for other young dads.听

Documentary Dads Who Do broadcast on Radio 4 on 13 November at 4pm