大象传媒

A Norfolk council leader and former mayor killed his wife last year after a decade of abuse that took place behind closed doors. The case illustrates how a public image of respectability can hide domestic violence. How do such cases continue to happen and what lessons do we still need to learn to stop them happening again?聽Journalist Steve Downes covered the case for the and聽Karen Ingala Smith is聽Chief Executive of , which provides services to end violence against women and children.

Woman鈥檚 Hour Power Lister, Dame Vivien Duffield is a philanthropist. She inherited a vast fortune in 1979 after the death of her father Sir Charles Clore, the retail tycoon who owned Selfridges, and became Chair of the Clore Foundation. In 2000 she merged this with her own organisation to produce the .聽 She is thought to have given over 拢200 million to charity projects.

For three decades 鈥� until her death in 1960 鈥� Constance Spry was the society florist, making聽 flower arrangements for the wedding of the Duchess of Windsor and for the Queen鈥檚 Coronation in Westminster Abbey. But Constance was more than just a florist,聽in the first half of her life she had been a social reformer and teacher which led to her passionate belief that floristry can be enjoyed by everyone. Mig Kimpton is a theatre producer and an enthusiastic florist who has co-produced a play about the life of Constance Spry called A Storm in a Flower Vase.

Guests: Mig Kimpton and floral designer Susie Edwards

This month Norwegians elected the centre-right leader, making her the second female Prime Minister in the country and the first conservative one since 1990. Solberg is currently negotiating a coalition with other centre-right parties and women are likely to bag some of the top jobs, continuing a tradition of excellent female representation in Norwegian politics. But what explains the rise of so many women to the top and will a move to the right impact the lives of women? Marie Simonsen, political editor of 聽 explains what鈥檚 on the horizon for Norwegians.

In her latest novel, writer Mary Morrissy tells the story of enigmatic beauty Bella Casey, sister of renowned Irish playwright Sean O鈥機asey. Bella features in her brother鈥檚 autobiography, but for reasons known only to him, Sean kills her off prematurely, at least 10 years before her actual demise.聽 Mary imagines what Bella鈥檚 life might have been like at a time when women鈥檚 daily lives were affected by religious hypocrisy, sexual disease and the demands of large families.聽She begins her story on the strife-torn streets of Dublin at Easter 1916 when the city is in social upheaval.