How The Last Showgirl illustrates the ultimate female paradox
"Feeling seen, feeling beautiful, that is powerful."
Only two years ago, 57-year-old Pamela Anderson went viral for her choice to go without make-up at Paris Fashion Week. “I'm make-up-free at home, so why not for Paris Fashion Week?" she told People magazine. "I really didn't know anyone would notice it, but I'm glad it became a positive message.” And people did notice, because since then, Anderson has continued to make headlines for a choice she sees as liberating, appearing at the Golden Globes, the Met Gala and even the Oscars in long, glamorous dresses, all while showcasing a fresh, minimally-makeuped face. "It's very freeing to be comfortable in your own skin," she explained. The act marked a shift for Anderson, who is best known for being a ‘90s sex symbol after her role as CJ Parker in Baywatch – and a face that became synonymous with red swimsuits. And just as any beautiful woman in the ‘90s, Anderson has long been scrutinised by the public eye, following her whirlwind marriages and a leaked sex tape that was stolen from her. It was only in 2022 that the most controversial and traumatic period of her life was dramatised for the Disney Plus series Pam & Tommy by a group of predominantly male producers who never even asked her if it was OK. Despite Anderson’s newfound approach to beauty, though, some still remain sceptical. “I’m not buying it,” I read recently in a long-form article, dismissing Anderson’s no-make-up look as nothing more than a publicity stunt for the cameras. “What’s so ‘ethereal’ about not wearing any make-up?” Her critics argue that, because of her past as a Playboy model and her decision to have a boob job, Anderson is somehow disqualified from presenting a look she believes liberates her. Anderson cannot win. No matter what she does, there will always be someone ready to criticise her. And that’s the problem. If we want to support women, we must support all women, and that includes the ones with pretty faces and fake boobs. Women are allowed to choose the identity they want – whether you like it or not. “She’s not the sort of woman I want to look up to.” Guess what? She didn’t ask you to. It appears this idea is mirrored in Anderson’s latest film The Last Showgirl, in which Shelly, a middle-aged Las Vegas showgirl (played by the star in truly heartbreaking form – a form that was snubbed by the Oscars, might I add), who must face a harsh reality when she learns that her beloved revue Le Razzle Dazzle is scheduled to close after 30 years. As the film unfolds, we begin to understand that Shelly has a strained relationship with her daughter Hannah (Billie Lourd), mostly because Shelly struggled to balance the career she adores with single motherhood. Hannah’s father, Eddie – the producer of Le Razzle Dazzle – has, meanwhile, never been present in her life, despite knowing of her existence and seeing his daughter’s mother work herself to death almost every day. Shelly has spent the majority of Hannah’s life trying to balance the career she loves with the daughter she adores, and, in Hannah’s eyes, her career always came first. And now, such career is faltering, because Shelly is getting older. “You were obviously hired at Le Razzle Dazzle because you were beautiful and young a long time ago,” a director coldly informs her during an audition. View oEmbed on the source website The Last Showgirl is a staunch reminder of the fact that women cannot have it all – a family, a career. It’s the ultimate female paradox. In the same way to the actress who plays her, Shelly can do no right to society. If she’s a dedicated mother, she must sacrifice her career, but if she focuses on her career, she sacrifices being the mother her daughter needs. And now, she has lost both. Her daughter resents her, and her career has been lost because she, no longer, is considered young and beautiful. But while The Last Showgirl may paint a sobering picture of womanhood, the fact the story is even being told by a 57-year-old woman carries significant weight. In fact, middle-aged women are increasingly reclaiming the spotlight, what with Nicole Kidman exploring her sexuality in Babygirl, Demi Moore proving her worth in The Substance and Renée Zellweger discovering new romance as a 52-year-old mother of two in the latest Bridget Jones film. After years of being a supporting character, the wife or the daughter or the mother of a much younger protagonist (unless they're a man, of course, who are almost always allowed to be older), women above 50 are re-entering spaces where they were previously called “old” and “ugly”. “But we still have a long way to go. All of these women are white and straight. They aren’t representative of us all,” yes, and of course there should be further room to tell every woman’s story. There is still a lot of work to be done in crafting a space for women who haven’t had it as ‘easy’ as Pam – but a win’s a win, for now, and there is no space to put one woman down to lift another up. “I’m beautiful. I’m 57, and I’m beautiful, you son of a b***h,” proclaims Shelly in the final act of The Last Showgirl, and this International Women’s Day, it’s about time we tell her she’s right. The Last Showgirl is available to watch in cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Without the women of Toxic Town, Corby's shocking true scandal would have remained buried
It's a fitting time to remember that the Netflix series wouldn't have had the same impact without the women at the heart of it.
Sitting at the top of the Netflix charts, Toxic Town has proven how a series of just four episodes may be small but can certainly be mighty. More than a week on from its release and now, on International Women's Day, it's important to note just how the story continues to reverberate through the country. But also how – without the core group of mothers at the centre of the real-life case – this infuriating tale may have never reached the dizzying heights of its Netflix adaptation. Since debuting on the streamer, more of the real-life stories of Corby have been given their rightful limelight. Alongside the release of the drama, BBC Radio Northampton launched its own podcast series, In Detail... The Toxic Waste Scandal, which has continued to dig deeper into the real-life events with the help of documents, interviews and court transcripts. Stories of babies being born "navy blue" have been publicised, as well as the barrister who represented Corby Borough Council speaking out about how cross-examining the mothers at the heart of the case was "the worst aspect of it all". Similarly, The Times podcast The Story featured a special episode with some of the Corby mothers, detailing how they hope that the Netflix series can help others join the dots if they think they too have been affected. It's a wide-spanning story that didn't get this level of national coverage at the time, and is for most viewers of Toxic Town the first exposure they're having to the Corby toxic waste scandal. But there's simply no denying that we wouldn't be talking about the real-life stories, the people involved or the eventual 2009 High Court case if it wasn't for the women who campaigned tirelessly for justice for their children. As we see in the series itself, the likes of Susan McIntyre, Tracey Taylor and Maggie Mahon were just some of the mothers who fought for their children's stories of being born with limb differences to be heard. The series leaves viewers wanting to bang their head against a wall a lot of the time, but the shocking nature of it all is enough to drive the momentum for a continued conversation around airborne toxins, national responsibility around our waterways and pollution. The Corby scandal is having its own major milestone moment, but there's no telling how far-reaching the impact of the renewed dialogue around it could be – and that's truly awe-inspiring. In the poignant video of the real-life mothers of the series meeting Jodie Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood, it's hard to get through it without a tear coming to your eye. For these women, it isn't a work of fiction, it isn't just a glossy drama with a catchy soundtrack and star-studded cast – it's their reality. View oEmbed on the source website They had to spend a decade campaigning for justice, doubting themselves and going through such a long process only for nobody to be prosecuted to this day. While the settlement is, of course, a cause for celebration for these families, that's something that many viewers have been left chewing over since the show's release – the fact that no one has had to answer for the levels of negligence involved in Corby's toxic waste management at the time. "At the end of the day, we were little people to these big men. But we were determined and that was it," Susan says in the video, only driving home the fact that it really was a David and Goliath battle of these mothers versus the local council. "We had to show that we were strong, independent women who were going to prove that what they did was wrong, and we were not going to be lied to," Tracey explains. The fact that these mothers had to go years thinking that the fault lied with themselves or that they were to blame for their children's limb differences is baffling and altogether upsetting. Their strength in their battle for the truth and justice is aptly portrayed in Toxic Town, bringing their stories to life with familiar faces like Whittaker, Wood and Claudia Jessie. But how do you remain hopeful when you were repeatedly gaslit and made to doubt yourself? As the series outlines – and should be celebrated everyday, in my humble opinion – women are capable of seriously wondrous things. And by clubbing together, these ordinary mothers got the answers they so deserved. It takes a village to make any production (including series writer Jack Thorne) but Toxic Town simply wouldn't be as impactful as it is without the sheer power of the real-life women at the centre of it. It's something that really should be celebrated as we continue progressing the conversations around Toxic Town and Corby further. On both sides of this coin, women are to thank for bringing the story of Corby to a level of national consciousness that is hard to ignore. While the Netflix series has the likes of Minkie Spiro in the director's seat and a stacked cast of formidable women, the real-life figures are the true reason why this important story is now being heard. Because without them, the scandal could have been one of Britain's largest unheard secrets – and that thought truly doesn't bear thinking about. Toxic Town is streaming now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Wheel of Time season 3 just boldly flipped the script with its depiction of female power
The show has always subverted gender roles – but perhaps never as clearly as this.
Before season 3 even begins, The Wheel of Time has given us one of its boldest depictions of female power yet in the early release of the brutal and bloody opening sequence. Now available to watch on Prime Video, the first 10 minutes of the new season go from 0 to 100 in the best way possible, during a meeting at the White Tower headed up by the Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo). As the most powerful Aes Sedai in the world gather, Liandrin (Kate Fleetwood) is questioned by Siuan about being Black Ajah. She quickly stops denying it and orders her sisters to join her, leading to about half of the Aes Sedai in attendance revealing that they too are Darkfriends and turning on Siuan. What ensues is one of the most bloody, brutal, and violent battles we've seen to date in The Wheel of Time - as showrunner Rafe Judkins put it, "a bunch of women in their 40s and 50s shredding each other". First of all, it's rare, even in today's TV and film landscape, to see an on-screen battle scene purely involving women, especially in the sci-fi and fantasy genre. From TV and film franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek to Lord of the Rings and The Avengers, sure, women may well form an important part of a battle sequence but they rarely don't involve men at all. In recent years, Avengers: Endgame was applauded for its "girl power" moment involving the female Avengers uniting to fight Thanos together - but that was only after the men had their moment. The Wheel of Time season 3's opening sequence is a far cry from that, and it's refreshing to see. In fact, the show goes one step further with a scene that shows the male warders literally locked outside, powerless to do anything other than pound on the door asking to be let in, which is perhaps the clearest and most explicit depiction so far of how The Wheel of Time subverts gender power dynamics. The sequence also isn't a gimmick, or a pandering way to show female power - it completely makes sense within the story, with the Aes Sedai, by nature of the tale, being the most powerful people in that world. It services the story immensely, quickly throwing us into the story of season 3 and telling us a lot about the characters we've been reacquainted with - for instance, seeing Siuan, the Amyrlin Seat, in a vulnerable position when she learns just how many of her sisters are actually Black Ajah, to seeing Nynaeve (Zoe Robins) struggling to channel, to that telling look Liandrin gives Siuan before she and her sisters flee the White Tower. Showrunner Judkins recently articulated this, telling RadioTimes.com: "One of the things I love most about the show is we have so many different female characters in power that we get to show a huge breadth of how these different women approach the power that they have. "I think it's one of the best things about our world, is the pressure of being what it is to be a woman in power is not present on our show, because almost all of the people in power are women, and so we get to see actually, much more clearly, who they are as a character, in the way that they exert their power in our world." The battle sequence also subverts various different tropes. Of course, the Aes Sedai are, at their core, witches - but with this scene, the show rejects the trope of the sexy or seductive witch, going all guns blazing into the grotesque, the gory, and the violent. View Green Video on the source website One of the Aes Sedai has a particularly gruesome and unfortunate demise as she's sliced in half in the midst of the battle. Another has her head repeatedly smashed in as the camera stays steadfastly trained on her. Liandrin certainly doesn't get away scot-free, as Siuan forces her to choke on and throw up her blood, and she exits the White Tower with a Joker-style smear of blood across her mouth. It's weirdly refreshing to see The Wheel of Time embrace such a brutal show of violence for the Aes Sedai and glorious to see them all able to unleash the full extent of their powers in the very place where they were trained. With this bold, subversive and memorable opening sequence, The Wheel of Time season 3 has kicked off in impressive style. Here's hoping it's a sign of things to come. View Affiliate Playlist on the source website The Wheel of Time season 3 will begin on 13th March on Prime Video. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what to watch tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Netflix's Adolescence: Women and girls will never be safe if we're not talking to men and boys
This International Women's Day, we're previewing Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne's upcoming drama, which should be mandatory viewing – particularly for men and boys.
Contains discussion of violence against women and girls that some readers may find upsetting. Carol Hunt, 61. Wendy Francis, 61. Maria Ricotta, 54. Sam Varley, 44. Tara Kershaw, 33. Zanele Sibanda, 28. Hannah Hunt, 28. Louise Hunt, 25. Claudia Kambanza, 22. Scarlett Vickers, 14. Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine. Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. Bebe King, six. Those are just some of the women and girls who were murdered by men and teenage boys in the UK in 2024. A woman has been killed by a man every three days on average in recent years, as reported by The Guardian. Then there are the survivors who must bear the physical and emotional scars of sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment and stalking. A report by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), published in July last year, "estimates that at least one in every 12 women will be a victim of violence against women and girls (VAWG) every year". That's 2 million victims. And "one in 20 men in England and Wales will be a perpetrator of VAWG every year". That's 2.3 million perpetrators. Offenders are also getting younger, according to the report, which cited extreme online material as a factor. It's a deeply concerning state of affairs, which has evidently been weighing on Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne. They've come together to write Adolescence, a Netflix miniseries about a 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller, who is accused of killing a girl from his school. Graham also plays the father of the accused, Eddie. The victim, Katie Leonard, was stabbed seven times in a car park, just a few feet away from a playground, and a short walk from her school. Her body was found with lacerations to her chest, neck, thighs and arms. It was a frenzied, deliberate attack. But you quickly grasp that this isn't a mystery thriller; Graham and Thorne clearly had no interest in writing a whodunnit. Instead, Adolescence is a call to action. As you watch it, alarm bells should be ringing. "One of our aims was to ask, 'What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?' Graham told Tudum. "And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over." The series isn't based on a single real-life case, but Graham confirmed that he was motivated to write this story after noticing a concerning trend in the UK. "The idea came as – over the past 10 years or so – we've seen an epidemic of knife crime amongst young lads, up and down the country," he said at a Netflix event earlier this year. "And for me, there were certain instances that really stuck out where young boys – and they are young boys, you know, they're not men – were killing young girls. "When I mentioned it to Phil [Barantini, director], it just really hit me hard. I just thought, 'Why? What's going on? What's happening? Why is this the case?'" Smart phones and social media play a central role in Adolescence. The words 'incel' and 'manosphere' eventually rear their heads; Andrew Tate is inevitably mentioned. "I've heard the boys talking about him," says a teacher. There's a whole online language – a secret emoji code – that Ashley Walters's DI Luke Bascombe, as seasoned as he is, doesn't know anything about. He's chasing his tail until his own teenage son Adam, who also attends the same school as the victim and the accused, educates him on the hidden meaning behind seemingly innocuous comments, in turn helping him to understand why a young girl was brutally murdered by one of her peers. With International Women's Day arriving just five days before Adolescence's release, it feels like as good a time as any to talk about the fact that women and girls are dying because so many men and boys do not have the tools to regulate and process their emotions, namely feelings of rejection, and the subsequent rage that can follow. And if we're being completely candid, why would they? That's not a demographic that has typically been encouraged to express how they're feeling – certainly not on a deeper level. But while there's been a concerted push to address that during the past decade, with countless charities and campaigns geared towards encouraging men and boys to talk, the embracing of individuals such as Tate, particularly by younger generations, proves that there's still so much more work to be done – from the government, the police, schools and social media companies, who have all been criticised for not doing enough to protect women and girls. But for parents of boys, that work begins at home. Bascombe's son hasn't really been speaking to him of late. There hasn't been a blow-up of sorts, more of a drifting. But as he learns more about what motivated the culprit to kill, you sense a very palpable and personal concern begin to take hold. Jamie could be anyone's son. Jamie could be his son. Following a visit to the school in the hope of obtaining crucial insight to support his investigation, Bascombe suddenly feels compelled to spend time with Adam. It's a matter of urgency for the detective because he's seen first-hand what can happen when parents aren't looking, really looking, at their children. He asks his son if he wants to share a portion of chips. They'll sit together and talk, properly, for the first time in weeks, about everything and nothing. No phones. No distractions. It might look inconsequential to passersby, but connection can save people from falling through the cracks. Did Mr and Mrs Miller talk to their son – and not just to tell him to tidy his room or eat his greens? As the investigation progresses, we learn that certain things had been weighing heavily on Jamie. Contrary to how he might have presented himself, certainly to his family, he had a lot on his mind. But was space created for him to share those thoughts? Would things have been different if he had been encouraged to talk about how he was really feeling? Would he have been able to make sense of his emotions? Would that have saved a young girl from dying? It's not about condoning or excusing the inexcusable. It's about peeling back the layers to understand what could drive someone to do the unthinkable – and using that insight to prevent similar incidents. Knowledge is power. "I haven't done anything! You've got the wrong house, I'm telling ya!" shouts Eddie when armed police burst through his front door. He cannot fathom what's happening. He knows they're not there for him, but he also knows they can't possibly be there for his wife, or either of his children. Definitely not his daughter or his son. What could either of them possibly have done? They are a normal family, after all. They live in a normal house on a normal residential street. They might look a lot like your family. You probably know countless families just like them. There is nothing untoward about the Millers. They are, from the outside looking in, an entirely normal family. And yet, Eddie's 13-year-old son, who looks exactly like you'd expect a 13-year-old to look, like a child, is arrested for stabbing a teenage girl to death. No, there is nothing normal about that. And yet, the deaths of Louise Hunt and Bebe King would suggest otherwise. The aforementioned NPCC report also speaks to that. Read more: Adolescence star Stephen Graham breaks down what it's like filming high-pressure, one-shot thriller Ashley Walters planned to quit acting after Top Boy – but Adolescence changed his mind The onus has continually been placed on women and girls to keep themselves safe. There has been no shortage of guidance from people in positions of power and authority about how women and girls should move through the world if they want to remain unscathed; if they want to survive. But ultimately, women and girls will never be safe until that onus is placed not only on men, but on boys too, before they become immersed in 'casual' sexism (can discrimination ever truly be casual?) and misogyny; before their understanding of what it means to be a man is twisted out of shape; before the male ego, or male fragility, whatever you want to call it, overrides everything in their orbit, including the happiness of others, the rights of others, the lives of others. Only then, when men and boys are at the centre of the conversation, will women and girls truly be safe. Adolescence will stream on Netflix from Thursday 13th March 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Best shows to watch to mark International Women's Day
The best shows to watch to celebrate IWD 2025, as picked by our team.
This year's International Women's Day is as important as ever, with 'accelerate action' being front and centre as the theme for 2025. As put by the campaign, Accelerate Action "emphasises the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality". The day, which falls on 8th March, is also an important reminder of the positive female representation that does exist in TV (albeit with improvements to always be made) that should be celebrated all year round. But if you're looking for an excuse to tuck into a new female-led show, then consider this it! From recent hits like The Marlow Murder Club which stars Samantha Bond, Jo Martin and Cara Horgan, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story or more fan favourite shows such as Fleabag, Sharon Horgan's Bad Sisters and Issa Rae's influential Insecure, there are a lovely selection of titles that boast stellar female talent both in front of and behind the camera. In honour of this year's International Women's Day, the RadioTimes.com team have put together a list of their favourite female-led central shows and where to watch them – so, happy IWD! High Potential (Disney Plus) High Potential stars Kaitlin Olson as a single mother with an exceptional mind, whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual and unstoppable partnership with a by-the-book detective. The new Disney Plus series is based on a popular French series called Haut Potentiel Intellectuel, and has a wealth of female co-stars including Javicia Leslie, Amirah J and Judy Reyes, alongside Olson. - Katelyn Mensah The Marlow Murder Club (U&Drama) Based on Robert Thorogood's novel of the same name, The Marlow Murder Club follows three women – Judith Potts, Suzie Harris and Becks Starling – who investigate a series of murders and are taken on as advisors to the police by DS Tanika Malik. The female-led series was a welcome introduction to the cosy crime drama, for audiences and the stars themselves, with Cara Horgan previously telling RadioTimes.com: "It's really important. [But] also to have a show where four women are at the centre, but they're not in competition with each other. And it's a multi-generational story." Amandaland (BBC iPlayer) The highly-anticipated spin-off to Motherland took viewers by surprise in all the best possible ways when it landed on BBC iPlayer earlier this year, with critics praising the new series. Spin-off shows can often be a bit of a tricky tightrope. To be successful, they need to find balance with the old and new, which is kind of apt, given Amanda's situation. Thankfully, Amandaland manages to achieve this in spades, providing a fresh twist on the familiar humour with a new gang, new location, and new phase of motherhood to deal with. - Tilly Pearce Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix) It’s not very often that a prequel series or spin-off is miles better than the original, but Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is an exception to the rule. Seen by many Bridgerton fans as simply a stop-gap between seasons 1 and 2, the Queen Charlotte spin-off is a magnificent period drama in its own right. Centred on Golda Rosheuvel’s formidable monarch, we get eye-opening insight into her younger years. Played by India Amarteifio as the young Charlotte, the series has the same whimsical and romantic feel as the original, but was decidedly more upfront about issues such as race and mental health. A special shoutout also has to go to Arsema Thomas as the young Lady Danbury, providing a performance that is all too memorable and crying out for a prequel series of her own. - Morgan Cormack For Sama (Channel 4) There's a reason why this documentary went down in history as the most nominated documentary in BAFTA's history, and went on to be nominated for an Oscar upon its release in 2019. An epic tale of love and loss, this film follows journalist and filmmaker Waad al-Kateab through five years of her life in Aleppo, Syria, before and during the Battle of Aleppo. From being an 18-year-old student at university in 2011 to falling in love and giving birth to daughter Sama, we follow Waad and her husband Hamza as they're forced to navigate the conflict that has engulfed their city, eventually having to decide whether to flee or stay in Aleppo to help others. - Morgan Cormack Lily & Lolly: The Forgotten Yeats Sisters (Sky Arts, Freeview and NOW) View Green Video on the source website This new docu-film shines an all important spotlight on the often forgotten story of the sisters of Irish poet and writer William B Yeats. Elizabeth and Susan Mary, who were known to their family as Lollie and Lily, were involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, achieving major success as independent Irish women back in the 1900s. The new film comes to platforms this IWD, but RadioTimes.com has an exclusive first look for you, giving us more of an insight into how the Yeats sisters would slot into modern thinking around feminism and the sister's use of the wider artistic network they had access to. - Morgan Cormack Insecure (NOW) We can’t have a conversation about modern comedies – female-led or not – without mention of Issa Rae’s Insecure. Not only is the series laugh out loud funny in every single episode (a hard feat these days), but it is also written by, directed by and stars Issa Rae. If that doesn’t scream inspiration for any writer or creative out there, then I don’t know what does. In following Issa and her best pals Molly (Yvonne Orji), Kelli (Natasha Rothwell) and Tiffany (Amanda Seales), the pacy, fresh comedy captures what it means to be a multifaceted Black woman living in America, with scenes and stories that will be relatable for many. Fledgling careers, unsuccessful relationships, sex, changing friendship dynamics and more combine in this LA-set series which ended on quite the Issa and Lawrence (Jay Ellis) twist, leaving fans (read: me) reeling from to this day. - Morgan Cormack Watch Insecure on NOW View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Dead Ringers (Prime Video) If you’re desperately in need of a darkly comedic body horror with a feminist twist this International Women’s Day, then Prime Video’s Dead Ringers is the show for you. Following the lives of co-dependent and often obsessive identical twin sisters Beverly and Elliot Mantle (both played by the Academy Award-winning Rachel Weisz in a criminally underrated performance), Dead Ringers explores the intricacies and importance of female sexuality, bodily autonomy and postnatal depression, and does so with staunchly accurate nuance. While it may have been influenced by the 1988 film of the same name starring Jeremy Irons, this version of Dead Ringers is entirely its own artistic, female body. With the guidance of an all-women’s writers room, including Weisz herself, Dead Ringers proudly reclaims the male-centred perspective of women’s bodies that the original turn led on, and as a result, serves as both a fascinating and, at times, horrifying comment on female reproductive health that is an entirely absorbing watch. - Chezelle Bingham Watch Dead Ringers on Prime Video View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Daisy Jones & The Six (Prime Video) "I’m not the muse. I’m the somebody," says Daisy Jones at the end of the first episode of Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six, as she makes it her mission not to become the source of a man’s inspiration. Based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 novel of the same name, the Emmy-nominated series follows the rise and subsequent fall of a fictional ‘70s rock band obviously inspired by Fleetwood Mac – and is filled with as much romance, madness and expertly crafted musical numbers as you’d expect from such a concept. Band frontwoman Daisy Jones, played by Riley Keough in a role that almost feels as if it were crafted solely for her, is the obvious standout. She wants to be a star – and refuses to let any man take that away from her. Besides Daisy, the series boasts two other female talents in the form of Camila Dunne (Camila Morrone) and Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse), and shines when it delves into the psyche of its female characters, examining both their strengths and their flaws. Daisy is drug dependent; Karen is defiant and hot-headed; Camila is tragically loyal – but in all three cases, these three women are placed at the forefront of their own stories and allowed to thrive in an industry that has historically back-seated them. Daisy Jones & The Six may not be the perfect book-to-screen adaptation, but it’s the love letter to female-fronted rock bands every music lover should watch this IWD. - Chezelle Bingham Watch Daisy Jones & The Six on Prime Video Bad Sisters (Apple TV+) Sharon Horgan is one of the leading women when it comes to creating and writing some of the most talked-about and hilarious comedies on British telly. Known for being one of the brains behind Motherland, Horgan is also in front of the camera in Bad Sisters, a standout comedic gem for Apple TV+. Would I say it’s reason enough to subscribe to the streamer? Most definitely. In this revenge fantasy tale of five sisters, we get effortless humour, regular flecks of genuine surprise and enough bluntness to keep you hooked. As well as being a feat in storytelling, absorbing performances from Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, Eve Hewson and Horgan will all (weirdly) make you want to be part of the Garvey sister clan. - Morgan Cormack Watch Bad Sisters on Apple TV+ Fleabag (BBC iPlayer) What list of female-driven television shows would be complete without Fleabag? Phoebe Waller-Bridge changed the game with the show's first, razor-sharp season, but her second instalment was nothing short of televisual perfection, earning her more awards-season hardware than she could carry (and gifting us the viral image of her triumphant, post-Emmys cigarette break). The world's attention mostly focused on her character's transgressive relationship with a Catholic priest, played by Andrew Scott (and dubbed 'The Hot Priest' by the internet). But the season's real love story was between Fleabag and her Type A sister, Claire (Sian Clifford). In the first episode of season two, Fleabag finds Claire miscarrying in a restaurant bathroom. It's a scene as raw and real as it comes, as Claire decides to carry on as if everything is normal – prompting Fleabag to cover for her, and paving the way for the once-estranged pair to become allies. Other highlights from their relationship include Claire phoning Fleabag for help following her 'pencil' haircut; Fleabag punching Martin after he made the "goldfish out the bowl" comment; and seeing the two sisters at the silent retreat their father booked them on. But the moment that had women reaching for their phones to text their own sisters and friends came in the final episode, when Claire told Fleabag: "The only person I'd run through an airport for is you." – Flora Carr Watch Fleabag on BBC iPlayer The Queen's Gambit (Netflix) It's the refreshing drama that has captivated millions of Netflix viewers the world over and sent sales of chess sets through the roof. Anya Taylor-Joy won a Golden Globe for her performance as flawed heroine Beth Harmon, a young woman who triumphs in the male-dominated 1960s world of chess in spite of – or because of – having grown up an orphan, mental illness and addiction. Beth’s birth mother died by suicide and her adoptive mother has her own demons to battle, so chess offers Beth a safe place where she can lose herself, and she is determined to gain mastery of the game to the point of dangerous obsession. Her male peers play supporting roles in the drama, coaching her to progress to levels they could not quite reach. The Queen’s Gambit is a tale of female grit to overcome adversity – adding it to your watchlist is a wise move indeed. – Helen Hackworthy, Listings and Platforms Editor Watch The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix Orange is the New Black (Netflix) When it comes to celebrating women, Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black does just that with its perfect mix of comedy and realism. Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, the seven-part series begins with Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) – a woman in her 30s who has been sentenced to 15 months in a women’s federal prison for transporting drugs for her girlfriend Alex Vause (played by Laura Prepon). During her time in jail, Piper comes face-to- face with women from all different walks of life as she learns the ropes within the racially segregated system inside. Along with the other inmates – including Laverne Cox, who plays trans inmate Sophia Burset, Selenis Laveya as Gloria Mendoza and Uzo Aduba as Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren – she learns to overcome the numerous struggles of prison life. Featuring flashbacks to significant events from various inmates’ and prison guards’ lives, this one is sure to pull at your heart strings while also having you in fits of laughter. – Grace Henry, Entertainment and Factual Editor Watch Orange Is the New Black on Netflix Broad City (Amazon Prime Video) When it comes to hugely underrated sitcoms, Broad City tops the list, with its fast-paced, eccentric style of humour and the electric chemistry between its two talented leads, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Executive produced by Amy Poehler, the Comedy Central series follows best friends Abbi, an aspiring artist working as a gym cleaner, and Ilana, an extroverted care-free layabout, as they navigate life in their 20s as Jewish American women in New York City. While the show came to an end after five seasons in 2019, Broad City is a fun, easily binge-watched series that highlights the importance of female friendship and entertains with Abbi and Ilana’s hilarious adventures, highly-quotable one-liners ("Four R's my friend: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rihanna") and outrageous sex lives. From tracking down an air conditioner in a heatwave to sneaking into a Lil Wayne concert, Abbi and Ilana’s ridiculous, raunchy and sometimes cringeworthy shenanigans provide the perfect escape. – Lauren Morris, Entertainment and Factual Writer Watch Broad City on Amazon Prime Video The Handmaid's Tale (All 4) Based on Margaret Atwood’s blistering dystopian novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale shows June Osborne’s battle against a religious patriarchy which sees women as one thing: child-bearing wives. In a terrifying world where a woman’s only function is to serve a man, Elisabeth Moss plays June, a ferocious female with a memory of the past and how American society should be – and she will stop at nothing to make sure girls growing up in fictional Gilead are given the same freedoms she had before the civil war. Hard-hitting, stark and at times a brutal horror, The Handmaid’s Tale serves up a timely look at equality of the sexes while also delivering superb performances from the show’s leading ladies. Moss is joined by the sublime Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) and Yvonne Strahovski (who plays the extremely complex Serena). – Helen Daly, Associate Editor Watch The Handmaid's Tale on Prime Video Gilmore Girls (Netflix) Over the years, I’ve found myself returning to Gilmore Girls and the small Connecticut town of Stars Hollow over and over again. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino (whose more recent shows include The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) gives us a dysfunctional but loving mother-daughter duo in Lorelei Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and schoolgirl Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), as well as haughty grandmother Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop) – and over the seasons, we see their relationships change and evolve with the characters. The show is funny, witty, charming, and utterly absorbing – even if not everyone enjoyed the recent Netflix revival. – Eleanor Bley Griffiths Watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix. WandaVision (Disney Plus) The MCU doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to putting women centre-stage in front of and behind the camera. Thankfully, that is beginning to change. WandaVision ushered in Marvel’s phase 4 with a weird and wonderful storyline that focuses on Wanda Maximoff, one of the Avengers’ most powerful – and underused – members. The result is a deft exploration of grief that transforms the rather neglected Scarlet Witch we know from the MCU into a well-rounded anti-heroine struggling to cope after losing everyone she’s ever loved. Borrowing inspiration from sitcoms across the ages, the Disney Plus series tells Wanda’s story in an unusual yet compelling way which sets it apart from the rest of Marvel’s offerings to date. Elizabeth Olsen brings plenty of range to the character, whether she’s fixing dinner in full 50s housewife garb or hitting rock bottom in her pyjamas. – Lidia Molina-Whyte, Freelance writer Watch WandaVision on Disney Plus Jessica Jones (Netflix) Before WandaVision, there was Jessica Jones. The second of Marvel’s short-lived forays into Netflix territory back in 2015 was the first to place a female superhero in the lead. Created by Melissa Rosenberg, it remains a powerful watch that skilfully tackles trauma after sexual abuse, turning the tired trope of sexual assault as a backstory on its head. Much like Wanda Maximoff, Jessica (Krysten Ritter) is an unapologetically flawed heroine with some pretty unhealthy coping mechanisms – but that’s precisely why she’s so relatable. Her love-hate relationship with her best friend, noir detective tendencies and dry sense of humour make her character a refreshing change of pace for the MCU and an entertaining watch on International Women’s Day. Plus, David Tennant as Killgrave is possibly one of the best (in the worst sort of way) baddies on TV. – Lidia Molina-Whyte, Freelance writer Watch Jessica Jones on Netflix. The X-Files (Disney Plus) As well as its cracking soundtrack, a creepy monster of the week and its mythology arcs, the FBI partnership that was Mulder and Scully was really at the heart of The X-Files’ success. Agent Dana Scully was on an equal footing in the partnership, giving us a strong feminist lead who saved Mulder just as often as he saved her. The pairing didn’t slip into the stereotypical gender roles either, instead having Scully as the voice of reason and logic and Mulder as the rogue believer. It’s no overstatement to say Scully inspired an entire generation too. In a 2018 university study, 50 per cent of women said she increased their interest in STEM; the phenomenon even has its own name, ‘The Scully Effect’. While Scully remains a complex female character, her empathy, resilience and intelligence remains as inspirational now as it did in the 90s. – Jo-Anne Rowney Watch The X-Files on Disney Plus Motherland (Netflix) Sharon Horgan's offbeat comedy Motherland is less interested in parenting itself than it is in its exhausting, bone-wearying effects. A satirical, almost ruthless portrait of middle-class motherhood, the series follows a group of women (and one token man), each one of them a parent at the local school. Line of Duty star Anna Maxwell Martin leads the cast as Julia, a frazzled businesswoman who struggles to balance work with parenting two kids (one can only imagine how she'd cope during lockdown – the storylines just write themselves). Motherhood is not a straightforward look at 'the sisterhood,' or even friendship. In fact, stay-at-home father Kevin (Paul Ready) openly worries about whether or not their gang are all truly friends, or "just friendly" acquaintances, their relationships born of convenience. Instead, the series zeroes-in on school-gate rivalries and alliances, and the sacrifices and pressure women face to "have it all", a theme the show leans into with the cast addition of Meg (played by Tanya Moodie) in season two. A high-flying career woman with a seemingly perfect blended family and brood of five, it turns out her coping mechanisms can all be found in her (probably custom-made) wine rack at home. When we last saw her during Motherland's Christmas episode, she's rocked up to the Nativity play smelling like "the carpet at a Wetherspoon’s". From the panic of (temporarily) losing another woman's child during trick-or-treating, to the carousel of world-weary quips delivered by Liz (Diane Morgan), the ever-relatable Motherland will have you both laughing and cringing. – Flora Carr Watch Motherland on Netflix Girlfriends (Netflix) In the mood for some lighthearted, female-led entertainment? Well, then Girlfriends is the one for you! The 2000 American sitcom was recently revived for Netflix and follows the lives of four friends in Los Angeles – Joan Clayton, Maya Wilkes, Lynn Searcy, and Toni Childs. From racial issues to love, dating, careers, and ageing, the series shows how the women handle various problems in their life while maintaining their strong friendships, which remain at the centre of it all. With episodes at just 20-minutes long, this is the perfect pastime for a lunch or tea break when working from home – Grace Henry, Entertainment and Factual Editor Watch Girlfriends on Netflix Call the Midwife (BBC iPlayer) This must be one of the most female-driven shows ever to air on TV – and it’s really something special. Based on the memoirs of midwife Jennifer Worth and adapted by Heidi Thomas, BBC drama Call the Midwife (now heading for its 10th season) follows a group of nurse midwives operating out of an East End convent in the 1950s and 60s. Current stars include Helen George, Jenny Agutter, and Laura Main. With stories about childbirth and disease, friendship and heartbreak, motherhood and love, each episode has the potential to wring and warm your heart in equal measure. – Eleanor Bley Griffiths Watch Call the Midwife on BBC iPlayer Killing Eve (BBC iPlayer) Women aren't always sugar and spice and all things nice – they can be killers, too. But not since Uma Thurman's Bride in Kill Bill has there been such a sublime female slayer as Killing Eve's Villanelle. Villanelle (Jodie Comer) puts the sass in assassin. Master of many tongues, she's smart, stylish and skilful, deftly despatching shady characters on the orders of the clandestine organisation for whom she works. But Villanelle can also be cold and unpredictable, often leaving her handler (Kim Bodnia) despairing in his vain attempt to control her. It's a light-hearted drama packed full of interesting female characters – from dogged agent and object of Villanelle's affections Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), to the unflappable head of MI6's Russia desk Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw). Admittedly, the quality of Killing Eve faltered in seasons two and three when head writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge gave up the reins, but season one is to die for. – Helen Hackworthy, Listings and Platforms Editor Watch Killing Eve on BBC iPlayer Shrill (BBC iPlayer) SNL star Aidy Bryant shines in BBC Three comedy Shrill, an empowering look at life as a plus-sized woman in a social media-obsessed world. Bryant stars as Annie, an overweight woman in her late 20s who decides to embark on a journey of self-acceptance after realising she’s constantly degraded by people around her. From a fitness instructor telling her there’s a small person inside of her “dying to get out” to the slacker she’s sleeping with asking her to leave his house via the backdoor to avoid meeting his friends, Annie decides enough is enough and realises she shouldn’t let society’s expectations of her weight define her with the help of best friend and flatmate Fran, played by the phenomenal Lolly Adefope. With the third and final season of Shrill airing later this year, this body-positive comedy is definitely worth a watch this International Women’s Day for its expert balancing of both heartbreaking moments and light silliness, as well as the stellar performances from supporting cast members John Cameron Mitchell, Patti Harrison, Daniel Stern and Julia Sweeney. – Lauren Morris, Entertainment and Factual Writer Watch Shrill on BBC iPlayer Diary of A Future President (Disney Plus) It can be difficult to find an inspirational – and even aspirational – female-centric show for the younger women among us, which is why Disney Plus’s A Diary of a Future President is such a breath of fresh air. The series follows Elena Cañero-Reed, a strong-minded and confident 12-year-old Cuban American girl who wants to be the future president of the United States – and, thanks to flash forwards, we know she achieves it. The series, created by IIana Pena takes us through the drama, and lessons, she learns in school, revealing how they prepared her to become the powerful leader. As well as being wholesome and entertaining, DOAFP creates a flawed and realistic female role model, showing you can really dream big and break down whatever barriers are in your way. And, even better, it's funny and family friendly, making it a great pick to watch together, whatever age you are. – Jo-Anne Rowney. Watch Diary of a Future President on Disney Plus View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Visit our TV Guide, Radio Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Women of Who: Doctor Who's iconic companions in Radio Times archive photos
This International Women's Day, we're celebrating the women of Who.
It's no exaggeration to say that Doctor Who wouldn't exist without the work of women. From the pioneering Verity Lambert, the founding producer of the show, and the female directors who have defied the odds to helm some of the most beloved episodes of the show, to Jodie Whittaker and Jo Martin, who became the first ever female Doctors and the dozens of incredible female companions over the years, women have always been at the heart of Doctor Who. This International Women's Day, we've delved into the Radio Times archives to revisit some of the iconic female companions who have paved the way for the modern age of Doctor Who. Carole Ann Ford, who played the Doctor's granddaughter Susan alongside William Hartnell, was the first ever companion on Doctor Who, paving the way for the dozens that would come after her. She's been candid about her thoughts on the character, previously explaining to RadioTimes.com that she wished her character had been more "interesting", pointing to Billie Piper's Rose Tyler as an example. However, over the past 60 years, viewers have resonated with Susan for a reason. Ford pointed out: "The idea of her, what I was told after I got the part, was she would be the eyes and ears of the young people watching it, that her reaction would be the perceived reactions of them, so, therefore, they would probably identify with her." Ford later returned to the show in the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, and the charity special, Dimensions in Time, but she's yet to return in New Who – however, she certainly has ideas of how it could happen, so watch this space (and time). Katy Manning starred as Jo Grant alongside Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. An operative of UNIT, it's safe to say Jo was underestimated by plenty of other characters – but that made her no less important as a companion. Manning faced plenty of villains during her run on the show, including the original Master, played by Roger Delgado, with her exit being one of the most emotional points of that era of the show. Chatting to RadioTimes.com, she reflected: "It was so touching because, when you look at it – and I don't watch things from the past, to be honest with you - but when I've seen that, I actually still feel the emotion, even talking about it." Since, Manning has returned to the show in The Power of the Doctor and Tales of the TARDIS. Elisabeth Sladen has already gone down in Doctor Who history as one of the best and most iconic companions of all time. Playing Sarah Jane Smith, she first served as a companion to the Third Doctor before staying to join Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor on his travels. In 2006, Sladen's own show, The Sarah Jane Adventures, premiered, running for five seasons until the actress's death in 2011. Also unforgettable is Louise Jameson as Leela. She first joined Baker's Fourth Doctor and left the show in 1978 – but not before making quite the impact. Jameson previously opened up about Leela's "questionable" costume and slightly underwhelming exit from the show. However, thankfully, she was able to reprise her role in an epic Blu-ray short, which sees her on the battle field. Janet Fielding joined Doctor Who in 1981 as Tegan Jovanka. A no-nonsense character, she has become a staple in the history of Doctor Who. While she departed the show in 1984, Fielding returned in 2022's The Power of the Doctor. She previously told SFX: “I’ve learnt that Doctor Who has a very rich culture. And a lot of people find it a really good place to escape to. "And what you find over time is that it’s meant a lot to people at various crisis points in their life. You occupy a place in their hearts for that reason. And that’s a very privileged place to be.” Sophie Aldred became one of the final companions of Classic Who, joining the Seventh Doctor, played by Sylvester McCoy, on various adventures. She returned in The Power of the Doctor alongside Fielding. Recently chatting to RadioTimes.com to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, Aldred said: "I just think it's brilliant, all these amazing casting choices that Russell T Davies is making. "So, I think we're just gonna have a whole new generation and a whole new fanbase for Doctor Who, which is very, very exciting." As Aldred mentions, Doctor Who is still groundbreaking in much of its representation (for example, in the casting of Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble), with showrunner Russell T Davies ushering the show into a new age. Meanwhile, we've got lots to look forward to when it comes to the women of Who, with Millie Gibson set to star as Ruby Sunday in season 14, and Varada Sethu being cast in season 15. Behind the camera, we know that writing duo Kate Herron and Briony Redman will be teaming up to co-write an upcoming episode of Doctor Who, while director Julie Anne Robinson will helm episodes in the new season. Doctor Who will return in May. Doctor Who is available on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
International Women's Day: 10 TV shows by women to look forward to in 2024
This International Women's Day, we're looking ahead to some of the most anticipated shows on the horizon from female writers – not that we need a special occasion to celebrate the wealth of female talent doing their very best work – but it's as good a reason as any. From Sally Wainwright's latest project to a delicious new offering from Big Little Lies' author Liane Moriarty, bookmark this page to ensure you don't miss a moment. Big Mood What: Maggie and Eddie are one another's ride or die, but life's many pressures place considerable strain on their friendship, particularly Maggie's bipolar disorder – so much so that Eddie is left wondering if they are good fit for one another. Who: Camilla Whitehill (Porters) has written the series, with Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls) playing Maggie and Lydia West (It's A Sin, Inside Man) starring as Eddie. Where: It'll air on Channel 4. Dinosaur What: Dinosaur follows Nina, an autistic woman in her 30s who loves living with her sister Evie. But when Evie unexpectedly gets engaged after just six weeks of dating, Nina is "floored". Being maid of honour is a "new challenge" she didn't anticipate, but it takes Nina on a "surprising journey of self-discovery". Who: It's created by Matilda Curtis and Ashley Storrie, who also stars as Nina. The cast includes Kat Ronney (The Royal Mob) as Evie, plus David Carlyle (It's a Sin), Lorn Macdonald (The Lazurus Project) and Danny Ashok (Roadkill, Capital). Where: It'll air on the BBC. Lady in the Lake What: The story, which is an adaptation of Laura Lippman's novel of the same name, unfolds in '60s Baltimore, where an unsolved murder prompts a humble housewife to become an investigative journalist. Through that, she meets a "hard-working woman juggling motherhood, many jobs and a passionate commitment to advancing Baltimore's Black progressive agenda". Who: It's written by Honey Boy director Alma Har'el and Dre Ryan (Colony). Lupita Nyong'o (Us, Black Panther) and Natalie Portman (Jackie, May December) star. Where: Lady in the Lake will stream on Apple TV+. Renegade Nell What: Renegade Nell tells the story of a woman who accidentally becomes an outlaw after being wrongly accused of murder – so it's a good job she has a magical spirit on her side to offer her protection in her time of need. Who: The series was written by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Gentlemen Jack, Last Tango in Halifax, Scott & Bailey). Derry Girls' Louisa Harland plays the title character. She's joined by Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed, Trigger Point's Adrian Lester, One Day's Joely Richardson and Line of Duty's Craig Parkinson. Where: It's airing on Disney Plus from Friday 29th March. The Jetty What: The crime drama follows a rookie detective who is looking into the connection between a fire at a holiday home, a missing persons cold case and a man who is abusing two underage girls. Who: Jenna Coleman (The Serpent, Wilderness, Doctor Who) stars as detective Ember Manning. The cast also includes Archie Renaux (Shadow And Bone), Ruby Stokes (Lockwood & Co, Bridgerton), Amelia Bullmore (Scott & Bailey, Gentleman Jack), Tom Glynn-Carney (House Of The Dragon, SAS: Rogue Heroes) and Weruche Opia (I May Destroy You). It was written by Cat Jones. Where: It will air on BBC One. Queenie What: Queenie Jenkins is a 25 year old Jamaican British woman from south London who has just come out of a long-term relationship and is "seeking comfort in all the wrong places" – before realising that she has to "face the past head-on" before she can move forward with her life. Who: It's written by Candice Carty-Williams (Champion) and is based on her book of the same name. Dionne Brown (Criminal Record, The Walk-In) stars alongside Jon Pointing (Big Boys, Plebs), Samuel Adewunmi (Secret Invasion, You Don't Know Me), Sally Phillips (Miranda, Bridget Jones), Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Tilly Keeper (You, EastEnders), Michelle Greenidge (After Life, Mandy), Melissa Johns (Grantchester) and Laura Whitmore. Where: It will air on Channel 4. Playing Nice What: The psychological thriller revolves around two couples who learn that their toddlers were switched at birth following a mix-up at the hospital, leaving them with a horrifying dilemma: what should they do? Who: Grace Ofori-Attah (Malpractice) wrote the screenplay, which has been adapted from JP Delaney's novel of the same name. James Norton (Happy Valley, Grantchester), Niamh Algar (Malpractice, Mary & George), James McArdle (The Mare of Easttown) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey, Harlots) all star. Where: The series will air on ITV. Joan What: Real-life jewel thief Joan Hannington is the subject of this series, which is based on her memoirs and explores her "meteoric rise from petty offender to highly talented diamond thief and criminal mastermind". Who: Anna Symon (The Essex Serpent, Mrs Wilson) is the lead writer on the series, with Helen Black (Time season 2) penning one episode. Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones, X-Men, The Staircase, Do Revenge) plays Joan. Other cast members include Frank Dillane (Fear the Walking Dead), Kirsty J Curtis (Match Not Found), Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (I May Destroy You, Top Boy) and Laura Aikman (The Split, Gavin & Stacey). Where: It will stream on ITVX. The Acolyte What: A mystery thriller that's set in the final days of Star War's High Republic era. A former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to look into a number of crimes, the developments from which prove to be far more unsettling than they expected. Who: Leslye Headland (Russian Doll) is the creator, showrunner and executive producer of the series. Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) and Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game) star alongside Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Nine Perfect Strangers), Dafne Keen (His Dark Materials), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim, Anne Boleyn), Rebecca Henderson (Inventing Anna), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll, Chicago Fire), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917, Game of Thrones) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix). Where: It'll stream on Disney Plus. Apples Never Fall What: Based on the novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies), the series examines the fallout from the disappearance of successful tennis coach Joy. Her husband Stan and four adult children don't know what to think, but when questions about Joy and Stan's "so-called perfect marriage" begin to emerge, uncomfortable truths come to light. Who: It's created by Melanie Marnich (The OA, The Affair). Annette Bening (Nyad, American Beauty, Being Julia), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Peaky Blinders, The Piano), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus, Better with You), Alison Brie (Community, Glow), Conor Merrigan Turner (Thai Cave Rescue) and Essie Randles star. Where: It will stream on Peacock in the US from March 14. It doesn't currently have a UK home. View Green Video on the source website Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Trailblazing female characters that changed the TV game
Celebrating the best of the best on International Women's Day.
It's International Women's Day, so there's no better time to pay homage to the female TV characters that have got a special place in our hearts. There's no cookie cutter image for portrayals on the small screen, but it's 2024 - so fewer tropes and stereotypes and greater inclusion is all we really ask for. While there's plenty left to do in the TV landscape for female representation, there are some characters that we continue thinking about on a regular basis. From newer series leads like Vinette Robinson's Carly in Boiling Point to the beloved Cristina Yang in Grey's Anatomy or Bella in I May Destroy You, there are so many examples of characters that keep us endlessly entertained and, crucially, emphasise just how much poorer television would be without female characters with purpose. We'd be here for a very long while if we were to list every single wonderful woman who has graced our telly with their brilliance, but RadioTimes.com has gathered together some of the top hitters who demonstrate the breadth of what women have to offer. With that, scroll on for some of the female characters that have changed the TV game. Carly - Boiling Point It's no easy feat leading an entire series off the back of the success of the original film, but in Boiling Point, Vinette Robinson's Carly Robinson is given a chance to shine in her own spotlight. While there may have been fans of the film that were hoping to see more of Stephen Graham in the BBC four-parter, the focus on Carly was actually a refreshing portrayal of a Black female chef in a male-dominated industry. A more receptive and understanding head chef, Carly's Point North restaurant goes through its own trials and tribulations - but as a leader of her own kitchen, Carly's very much in control, and it's wonderful to see. Carly goes on her own journey of identity through the series, suffering from levels of imposter syndrome that many women can sympathise with, while also battling personal issues relating to relationships and her mother. Sure, does Carly need a better work-life balance? Very much so. But in her character, we see how passion can be the driving force behind our career. Boiling Point doesn't provide us with clean-cut, picture perfect characters, but gives us a snapshot of reality and real issues impacting real people, demonstrating how even a seemingly level-headed Carly can be suffering behind-the-scenes too. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer Jaq - Top Boy It's in the title of the acclaimed show, so of course there's a focus on the main male characters of Sully and Dushane in Top Boy. But really, as any Top Boy fan will tell you, Jasmine Jobson's Jaq is the real MVP in this series. A complete force to be reckoned with, Jaq is the entrusted senior member of the Summerhouse gang - and while some decisions of hers may leave you wincing, she really does call the shots. Across the seasons, we see Jaq go from being near the top of the Top Boy food chain to being an indomitable leader, never failing to give her opinion or being scared of the consequences of her actions, even if season 5 saw her double-crossing allies and landing herself in some serious hot water. But amidst the drug deals, surprise deaths and confrontations, Jaq's arc as Lauren's sister and as Becks's girlfriend underline her as more than just a gang leader. In combatting a violent homophobic attack in season 4, having to deal with her sister's abusive relationship and her resulting drug habit, Jaq faced a raft of problems throughout the series. The most intriguing thing about Jaq, though, was that while she remained committed to her work, she eventually started to question - along with the viewer - her own place in that criminal world, and how she could use her skills elsewhere. Even so, I'm pretty sure Jaq pulled that fateful trigger in the show's closing moments, and if rumours of a spin-off are true, I'll be the first to tune in. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer Ellie - The Last of Us As a series (and of course, a video game), The Last of Us has rightfully been bestowed with praise, accolades and more since it premiered last year, meaning we're all now just waiting patiently for season 2. As Ellie, Bella Ramsey comes into their own in this role as the complicated and blunt talking teenager who is a complicated joy to watch. Discovering she could very well be the key to reverse engineering a vaccine that could save humankind is a lot for any person to wrap their head around, let alone a teenager, but Ellie takes everything in her stride. Ellie's evolution through season 1 is another example of never underestimating young female lead characters, with Ellie being able to hold a machine gun and deal with insurmountable amounts of grief that would upend any TV character. Like any familial relationship, Ellie and Joel (Pedro Pascal) face many bumps in the road with the two initially not even liking each other enough to go on a cross-country journey together. But by the end, Ellie really steps up to look after Joel with episode 9, When We Are in Need, really cementing Ellie's determination - and the fact that she's one of the characters on TV who keeps us on the edge of our seats. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Dre - Swarm In a totally polar performance from her role in Judas and the Black Messiah, Dominique Fishback leads Prime Video's Swarm as totally obsessed Dre, who would do anything for pop star Ni'Jah. The series is a frank look at the out-of-hand nature of stan culture, with many references to a particular megastar, but here we zone in on Dre, one character whose life is completely upended by thoughts of Ni'Jah. While there are many great things about this series, Dre is a character that, of course, isn't completely understandable or even likeable. But in her characterisation, we get something we haven't seen on TV before – a Black female lead who isn't merely the side character, isn't amiable and is, actually, a serial killer. In an age of shows obsessed with true crime and murder, it's glaringly obvious that those characterisations are exclusively white and male. Dre is an oddly refreshing subversion of the regular people we see in shows like these, bringing new meaning to a character that you can't understand yet feel deeply for, even if you're always fearful of what she'll do next. More messy female characters, please! - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer View Affiliate Playlist on the source website Mary Villiers - Mary & George While this Sky drama may have only landed on our screens this week, it's almost perfect timing for IWD, as Julianne Moore's Mary Villiers is the kind of duplicitous yet loveable character I personally can't get enough of. Turning tropes of female TV characters on their head, Mary is cold, unrepentant and hell-bent on bettering her family by any means necessary. It's a good thing, then, that she has a handsome son that she can mould to seduce the king. Based on the true story of the Villiers' ascent to becoming one of the most powerful families in the Jacobean era, Moore brings such an electrifying quality to the role, which makes it hard to look away as Mary plays people much like they're pieces on a chess board. You may say villain, I may say icon. However you interpret her character, the story and the history it brings to life, there's no denying that Mary embodies qualities that many would relate to – a desire for more, wanting a better life for her family and hoping to leave a legacy. And she does it all while balancing her own sexual relationships, serving serious looks and giving a new meaning to the side eye. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer Catherine Cawood - Happy Valley In the male-dominated crime drama universe that continues to persevere, Sarah Lancashire's portrayal of Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley was a beacon of light for many women. Sure, her career and investigations dominated much of her day and waking moments, but you can't deny that Catherine was damn good at her job. Often battling through the hierarchy in her station and not having her opinions respected enough as a middle-aged uniformed officer, Catherine was several steps ahead of most of her team time and time again. But outside of her job, Catherine encapsulated a tragic story of grief that kept her motivated to carry on with life, even though her heart continuously broke with memories of her dead daughter. There were many moments throughout the three seasons that would leave a lump in your throat, particularly in her final season's moments with grandson Ryan and sister Clare, as Catherine had to reckon with betrayal and disloyalty. Of course, Happy Valley fans want more of the show, but Catherine's end was one of those perfect bowtie moments that TV series and female characters often don't get. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer Arya Stark - Game of Thrones There are plenty of women in Game of Thrones that resonate with viewers, but Maisie Williams's Arya Stark is one for the books. Her character arc is one of the most impressive in the entire series, going from pure innocence to having an insatiable need for revenge and blood. And, you know what? Good on her. After seeing your father being beheaded, god only knows how we'd all react, but in this fantasy series, Arya's 'kill list' is precisely what keeps her going. Training as a Faceless Man, seeking retribution for the Red Wedding, mending her relationship with sister Sansa and killing many of those on her list, Arya eventually helps brother Bran ascend the throne as king and bids farewell to her siblings, setting off on an adventure of her own. Really, Arya encapsulates the kind of emotional journey, sacrifice and loyalty that underpinned Game of Thrones, and proved that no woman in this fantasy universe should ever be underestimated because of their gender, stature or age. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer Annalise Keating - How to Get Away with Murder Viola Davis is obviously known for a variety of acclaimed roles, and is one of few actors to hold the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) status. But it's her part as Annalise Keating in legal drama How to Get Away with Murder that I always come back to when thinking of Davis's sheer range as an actor. Annalise is going through it in this series, let's be frank, but the defence attorney and legal professor achieves celebrity status among her cohort of students – and rightfully so. She's at the top of her career, so smart she runs rings around her colleagues and has comebacks and dramatic monologues for days. But it's in the quieter moments of the series that Annalise really does blaze trails, and one scene in particular - season 1 episode 4, to be precise - of Annalise removing her wig, make-up and false eyelashes is especially poignant as we see the lauded character drop her armour and prepare to confront her husband with a shocking revelation. While there won't be any spoilers here, across the six seasons, we see Annalise combat a range of personal and professional fires, but remain determined in upholding her career status and protecting her students – even if it involves an unlikely murder cover-up. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer Cristina Yang - Grey's Anatomy Before Sandra Oh achieved international acclaim for Killing Eve, it was her role as Cristina Yang in long-running medical drama Grey's Anatomy that cemented her as an acting talent to be reckoned with. But the role itself will go down in Grey's history. Not only was Cristina part of the heady glory days of the show, she was the real star when much of the focus was on Ellen Pompeo's Meredith. As each other's "person", Cristina and Meredith's relationship underlined the importance of those female friendships we have in our lives that often serve as an emotional crutch, but Cristina herself captures so many facets in one TV character. She is no-nonsense, fiercely intelligent, goal-driven and blunt in a way that is so unapologetic, it's inspiring. You wouldn't catch Cristina sign off emails with "no worries if not" or apologising for taking up space, no sir. Often like a tornado cascading through the halls of Seattle Grace (as the hospital was formerly known in the series), Cristina is also a career-driven character that doesn't lack emotional depth and wasn't written off as devoid of romantic relationships. But in choosing herself and her career over troublesome entanglements with doctors like Burke, Marlow or Hunt, she proved that you can still thrive as a character who hasn't been written as merely dependent on their male counterparts. - Morgan Cormack, Drama Writer Arabella Essiedu - I May Destroy You Credited for changing the television landscape, the blistering, Emmy-winning BBC drama I May Destroy You dominated awards season on both sides of the Atlantic following its release, and owes a large portion of its success to its funny, watchable protagonist Arabella (“Bella”), played by the show’s creator Michaela Coel. The extraordinary series follows the Twitter celebrity-turned-author, when she is forced to confront her ideas of sexual consent after being drugged and sexually assaulted in a London bar. The show’s brutal examination of trauma comes from a place of real-life inspiration: Coel herself was a victim of sexual assault while working on the second season of her hit E4 comedy, Chewing Gum. The surreal Groundhog Day scenario in the finale sees Arabella pass through various stages of facing her trauma, from grief to anger, all the way to a kind of acceptance. Ultimately, the series is as strange and daring as its heroine. - Flora Carr, Drama Writer 13th Doctor - Doctor Who When Jodie Whittaker became the 13th person to play Doctor Who in 2017, it was a landmark moment for the franchise. She became the first ever female incarnation of the Time Lord, and even brought a non-gender specific costume into the fray. Whittaker’s role was a ground-breaking move for the iconic BBC series – it broke the mould for sci-fi narratives, many of which have historically relegated women to the sidelines as major characters and as sidekicks to their male heroes. Her role also seems to have paved the way for greater diversity when it comes to the casting of the Fourteenth Doctor (if the rampant rumours about who could be the next Time Lord are anything to go by). What’s more, the New Year special seemed to confirm that the Doctor and her companion Yaz (Mandip Gill) have feelings for one another, which was another great step in the right direction, even if it could have happened a little earlier on in their storyline arc. - Molly Moss, Trends Writer Fleabag - Fleabag ​​The forbidden, sexually charged relationship between Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag and the ‘Hot Priest’ may have proved one of the hottest pop culture talking points of 2019, but in reality, it’s the anti-heroine herself and her relationships with various women that make for the most interesting viewing. Fleabag, whose real name we never learn, is a sexually active and complex, furious woman living in London and coping with profound grief, while also attempting to keep her guinea-pig themed cafe afloat. She has a love-hate relationship with her perfect sister Claire (played by Sian Clifford), whose darkly funny, tragicomic miscarriage scene with Fleabag felt ground-breaking and unflinchingly honest (and was in fact inspired by a true story). The women’s stepmother, played by Olivia Colman, is toxic and controlling. Kristin Scott Thomas’s businesswoman Belinda delivers a searing soliloquy on the potential magnificence of menopause, a possibility that perhaps had never occurred to either our protagonist or indeed its millions of viewers. Fleabag blazes a trail, not only in the existence of its main character, but as an excavation of female desire, bodies, ambitions, anger, sisters, and its myriad on-screen female relationships. Rather than shying away from topics like miscarriage or menopause, the series confronts them head on. - Flora Carr, Drama Writer Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista - Pose Not only is MJ Rodriguez trailblazing a path for trans actors everywhere, having recently become the first trans woman to take home a Golden Globe for best actress, but her character is an icon that queer, trans, and cisgender people can all relate to. As the mother of the House of Evangelista, Blanca supports and builds up the LGBTQ+ people in her care to ensure that they can overcome the stigma and homophobia they face in society. Blanca’s character, and Rodriguez’ amazing portrayal, makes the audience feel deep empathy for what LGBTQ+ people went through during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and what many continue to face today. Blanca wants to make sure that her ‘children’ have the love and support they need to achieve everything she couldn’t because of the world she was born in – it’s not so different from the world many queer and trans people live in now. We are forced to confront the fact that today’s world is often not so different from 30/40 years ago, which is incredibly important. For queer people, having this powerful and strong female character face discrimination head on is incredibly empowering and makes us believe we can too. - Michele Theil The women of Killing Eve The first season of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s spy thriller Killing Eve landed on our screens back in 2018 – and challenged the rules of the genre. Waller-Bridge’s script, which is based on the series of novellas by Luke Jennings, reimagined several of the main male characters as female. But it refused to simply swap out the roles. Instead, it’s deliberately crafted from a female perspective with a feminist sensibility. In a TV landscape where women are usually foils to the male characters in charge, Jodie Comer’s unapologetic hitwoman Villanelle, Sandra Oh’s darkly comic MI6 agent Eve and Fiona Shaw’s no-nonsense MI6 operative Carolyn altered the way women in spy dramas are supposed to behave, offering us complex and dangerous female characters who are at times downright unlikeable, and who definitely aren’t defined by their relationship to men. - Molly Moss, Trends Writer Samantha Jones - Sex and the City Sex and the City’s many missteps have been discussed at length in recent years following a collective re-evaluation of the celebrated sitcom, and rightly so. But for all its faults, there’s no denying that the four women at its core, particularly Samantha Jones, paved the way for so many female characters that followed, and impacted how both women and men thought about women right here in the real world. To her enemies, Samantha was self-centred, abrasive, crude and spent far too much time rabbiting on about sex and men. In fact, one of the central criticisms levelled at the series is how much of the dialogue is dedicated to the latter. To those of us who admired Samantha, however, she was a revolutionary who certainly had all of those characteristics and then some. The most engaging, authentic female characters are two, three, four, five things all at the same time because that mirrors the reality of being a flesh and blood human being. There’s also the flip side to that condemnation of Samantha: was she as self-centred as some claimed her to be, or was it just jarring for her critics to watch a woman choosing herself, time and time again? Samantha Jones wasn’t perfect, and that’s exactly why she remains as beloved today as she was two decades ago. - Abby Robinson, Drama Editor Jessica Jones - Jessica Jones It took far too long for compelling female-led superhero stories to arrive in live-action, but Marvel and Netflix’s Jessica Jones went some way to making up for lost time. Krysten Ritter embodies the title role, playing the one-time vigilante turned alcoholic private investigator as she works through trauma endured while caught in the grip of mind-controlling abuser, Kilgrave (David Tennant). The trailblazing show paved the way for an explosion in comic book adaptations starring women – even pre-dating 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman – by telling a story that rang true with viewers around the world. Like most of the Marvel/Netflix collaborations, the show suffered from diminishing returns in later seasons, but the power of that stunning debut can still be felt to this day. - David Craig, Writer Sophia Burset - Orange Is the New Black The TV landscape looked markedly different when Orange is the New Black first premiered in 2013, certainly in terms of transgender representation. Laverne Cox played Sophie Burset, a black transgender inmate who fought for basic human rights such as access to healthcare in prison and stood up to bigotry from fellow inmates. Despite her unpleasant situation, Sophia was a refreshing and complex character, both falling into and subverting stereotypes surrounding transgender people. Cox wasn’t the first trans actor to play a trans role on TV, but she was the first to be nominated for an Emmy (for her performance in Orange Is the New Black) in 2014. Her mainstream role had a huge impact on transgender visibility on TV, arguably paving the way for the nuanced and complex portrayal of trans character we’re seeing today in shows such as Sense8, Pose and Euphoria. - Molly Moss, Trends Writer Clarissa Mullery - Silent Witness The TV landscape, while continuing to evolve for the better, has yet to achieve parity when it comes to disability representation, with disabled talent painfully absent from our screens. BBC drama Silent Witness is one of a handful of shows in British TV history which has contributed positively to the conversation with the casting of Liz Carr. Carr has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which has seen her use a wheelchair since the age of seven, but that’s just one facet of forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery. She’s not framed as a sad sap who relies on the benevolence of others to get by, nor is she framed as an inspiration, ploughing on in the face of adversity. No, Clarissa is just a woman who has a job to do, and she does it. Disability was, undoubtedly, part of her makeup – to pretend otherwise would be bizarre – but it doesn’t define her. She shares the very best – knows her own mind – and worst – a little too sharp, on occasion – traits with the other women on this list, which is why she quickly became a crowd favourite and why Silent Witness fans continue to mourn her absence. - Abby Robinson, Drama Editor Leslie Knope - Parks and Recreation Leslie Knope’s journey from local government grunt to Governor of Indiana in Parks & Recreation makes for one of the most hilarious and heart-warming watches on TV. The dedicated public servant, played by Amy Poehler, is hard-working, loyal and optimistic – all three to a fault. But the fact that she’s flawed is precisely why Leslie is so compelling. Not only is she “a massive, runaway steamroller”, as best friend Ann Perkins puts it, but Leslie’s relentlessness often puts her at odds with literally everyone in the hometown she loves so fiercely. Still, that doesn’t stop her from working tirelessly to improve it. Despite her firm commitment to her job and her loved ones, Leslie is no stranger to failure. In fact, some of her biggest career milestones are fraught with it. But she always picks herself up and dusts herself off. Leslie proves that a female character doesn’t need to wield a weapon to be strong. On the contrary, Leslie’s preferred method for taking down her enemies involves an unwavering passion for helping others, a trusty support network and a bucketload of waffles. Not as swift as a sword, but perhaps more impactful in the long run. - Lidia Molina Whyte Geraldine Granger - The Vicar of Dibley Although many viewers may now think of The Vicar of Dibley as cosy, inoffensive viewing, it was released just a couple of years after the Church of England permitted the ordination of women. Female vicars were still a complete, even controversial, novelty. Enter Dawn French’s Geraldine Granger, who dons both dog collars and yellow raincoats with similar aplomb. She’s a ray of sunshine, but her snobbish new parishioners in the sleepy English village of Dibley are less than impressed. “You were expecting a bloke – beard, Bible, bad breath,” Geraldine quips during the pilot. “And instead you got a babe with a bob cut and a magnificent bosom.” The sinfully delightful series (created by Richard Curtis) first aired back in 1994 and remains a joyful showcase of appalling knitwear and paisley waistcoats. But it largely (and surprisingly, for an almost 30-year-old series) still holds up, examining issues such as sexism and body positivity. And at its heart is Geraldine, the vicar with a filthy sense of humour and a heart of gold. - Flora Carr, Drama Writer Buffy Summers - Buffy the Vampire Slayer The beloved '90s show still has a large and dedicated cult fanbase 25 years later. In fact, today is the 25th anniversary of Buffy’s first ever episode, when we were introduced to this blonde cheerleader who could have easily been stereotyped into a damsel in distress with an LA accent, but had these kick-ass skills and a sense of courage we could all admire and aspire to. Buffy wasn’t exactly a superhero in the traditional sense, she was just stronger than your average girl. But she was a hero to thousands of young girls who felt like they couldn’t both be strong and vulnerable, or badass and feminine. She wasn’t the biggest or strongest person in the room in many fights, but she emerged as the victor because she believed in herself and in what she was fighting for – all while wearing an amazing outfit, trying to date, and pass her school exams. There was nothing that Buffy couldn’t do, and even though she had to deal with so much pain, death, and trauma, she showed how resilient she could be in overcoming those tragedies but never forgetting about the impact they had on her. Let’s be honest, we all wanted to be Buffy. - Michele Theil Ahsoka Tano - Star wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian Fans of The Mandalorian know Ahsoka Tano as a badass, double lightsaber wielder who has a mysterious connection to the Jedi Order. But what we’ve seen of Rosario Dawson’s live-action incarnation so far is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the beloved Clone Wars and Rebels character. One whose arc is probably the most compelling in the Star Wars franchise to date. Much like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke and Anakin Skywalker before her, Ahsoka starts out as a rather naïve padawan who often makes questionable choices. However, it doesn’t take long for her to grow into a skilled warrior respected by her peers. And when her faith in the Jedi Order wavers, she successfully does what they couldn’t: walk away and forge a new path. So, though she’s technically not a Jedi, Ahsoka embodies everything a Jedi should be. She’s brave, compassionate and level-headed. She fights for those who can’t and challenges those who abuse their power, including the Jedi themselves. And, perhaps most importantly, she understands that not everything is black and white, or rather dark and light. In a galaxy defined by such things, there’s nothing more trailblazing than that. - Lidia Molina Whyte Elizabeth Jennings - The Americans The classic American wife and mother is an image that most of us can probably conjure with ease, even if raised outside of the United States. The mythical apron-wearing, apple pie-making domestic goddess burned into our collective memory from decades of questionable media was turned on its head by gripping Cold War thriller The Americans, which painted an unassuming suburban couple as deadly KGB spies on an undercover mission. While co-star Matthew Rhys was undoubtedly excellent, many would agree that Keri Russell stole the show with her phenomenal performance as Elizabeth Jennings (known in her past life as Nadezhda Popova). Over six seasons, we came to understand exactly how this merciless operative was forged, making it all the more heartbreaking to watch her soul be chipped away by one gut-wrenching order after the other. - David Craig, Writer Devi Vishwakumar - Never Have I Ever Never Have I Ever might be considered a ‘teen drama’ but it deals with very poignant and interesting concepts, such as grief, coming-of-age, friendship, and family. No one is more representative of this than its main character Devi, who is the perfect anti-hero. She is not without flaws, and constantly makes mistakes, but that’s what makes her great. Devi embodies what it’s like to deal with family, friends, popularity, relationships, body image, and more during your school days – all while suffering through a moment of intense grief. For young people who have not lost a parent, Devi’s grief manifests in ways that might seem strange or inappropriate. But it is such an individual circumstance that there is no ‘right’ way to grieve, only what feels right to the person going through it. Plus, women of colour are often stereotyped and expected to be ‘perfect’. The way Devi lives her life offers a great sense of representation for all women of colour everywhere. She is messy, but that’s okay, because we are all a little messy sometimes. Devi’s depth and strength as a ‘difficult’ protagonist is what makes her a trailblazing character, even as a teen. - Michele Theil Maria Bamford - Lady Dynamite American comedian Maria Bamford spearheads an accessible discussion of mental health with Netflix sitcom Lady Dynamite, which is loosely based on her experience living with bipolar II and obsessive compulsive disorder. Developed by herself alongside South Park alum Pam Brady and Arrested Development’s Mitch Hurwitz, the show makes for mesmerising viewing with its distinctive brand of surreal humour. But look between the moments of absurd fun and you find an inspiring story of a person who overcomes severe adversity, with lessons to be learnt around the importance of self-care and stable support networks. Inevitably, Bamford’s style of comedy won’t be for everyone, but her originality is unquestionable and her ambition to raise awareness of sensitive issues should be applauded. - David Craig, Writer Looking for something else to watch? Check out more of our Drama, Comedy and Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Rachel Talalay: Doctor Who’s female directors have defied the odds
The director of Doctor Who episodes including Dark Water, Heaven Sent, and The Star Beast writes for RadioTimes.com this International Women's Day.
24 per cent of the highest-rated modern Doctor Who episodes were directed by women. As a filmmaker, a director of eight Doctor Who episodes and a research geek, I calculated that figure using IMDB’s 1-10 rating system. 21 episodes of Modern Doctor Who are rated 9.0 or higher — and five of those (24 per cent) are directed by women. Given that only 15 per cent of all Modern Who episodes are helmed by women, that’s punching above its weight, or more technically, highly statistically significant. This leads the maths geek in me to proclaim sensationally: "Proof! Women directors make better Doctor Who episodes than men!" Or, perhaps: "Women are better directors!" Or even: "Women are better than men – full stop." Wow, that was fun; that was cathartic, just writing those words. But the empiricist Talalay knows that things are more complicated. Let’s take a closer look at three of these fan-favourites: Blink, Midnight and Heaven Sent. Blink (9.8/10) and Heaven Sent (9.6/10) are actually the two top-rated episodes of Doctor Who on IMDB. Midnight holds its own with an excellent 9.0/10. I chose these three because they have something unexpected in common: each was conceived by the producers as a way to save money. And yet, their results were clearly not constrained by this. Much of that success can be credited to the directors. Blink is a standalone story where the Doctor (David Tennant) and Companion (Martha/Freema Agyeman) only appear in a very small percentage of the story. Fortunately, Carey Mulligan is the guest cast lead and, as Sally Sparrow, she absolutely owns the episode. But without the Doctor/Companion, the episode could have been a throwaway, missing its core. Not a chance. Not this script. Not with director Hettie MacDonald. Blink has its financial limitations. It introduces new monsters, the terrifying and beloved Weeping Angels. But instead of animatronic makeup FX or CGI monsters, they are inanimate stone sculptures, simply statues (…until they are not). Most of the shots are actors in stone-coloured make-up standing still with some freeze frame effects to stabilise them. Their movements are created by editing. From an economics standpoint, it doesn’t get much more affordable. Hettie MacDonald was the first woman to helm a Modern Who. I sometimes wonder how I would have responded if that had been me. Would I have felt pangs of disappointment that I was given a Doctor Who script with barely a Doctor? And to be handed a new monster that was simply a statue — really? You don’t think I can handle the CGI or Makeup/puppetry? How’s that going to work? That makes me feel even greater admiration for Hettie’s accomplishments. The shock cut editing and the beautiful lensing and score add up to the perfect shiver. Rewatching Steven Moffat’s early episodes reminds me what a master he is at creating a chilling atmosphere. Hettie’s direction relishes and enhances these moments – making them both terrifying and beautiful. Midnight is a ‘companion-lite’ episode and also a ‘bottle’ episode, which means it is set in a contained location/set in order to save money. Producers often believe that these episodes can be shot in less time and squeeze the schedule as well. In Midnight, 90 per cent of the episode takes place on a space truck/shuttle, which breaks down in the middle of nowhere and is attacked by a monster – which happens to be completely invisible. It’s a bodysnatcher and we never see it at all. Alice Troughton was given the immensely difficult task of creating rising tension in a small but open space with an invisible monster. There are no creepy corners to hide in. And no visible monster to wow the audience. No easy eye candy. The direction had to find ways to keep upping the fear and the claustrophobia. Alice adjusts the lighting, creates chaos with sound and editing, and makes lensing choices that keep growing tighter and more intimate, but also more skewed, as the monster takes over a passenger and then, to our dismay, the Doctor himself. Everything about this scenario is perfectly pitched in Russell T Davies's script. The Doctor, our expected saviour, is paralysed by the monster, leaving us without a hero. Our fear is enhanced by David Tennant’s impeccable performance. Even in paralysis, he shows sheer terror. If the Doctor is afraid, the audience feels hope is lost. As with the best science fiction, there’s a message underneath. The monster brings out the worst in the humans on board – their distrust of aliens, their irrational thought, their pack mentality, their reactionary decisions and delusions. And yet, humanity saves the day. It’s the perfect, and impeccably executed, locked room mystery. Saving money? Don’t even worry about it. My episode, Heaven Sent, was also originally conceived as a money-saver, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) was alone in a haunted house with Weeping Angels. One character and some stone statues that already existed. However, as Steven Moffat started writing, he re-worked the episode to take place in a clockwork, rotating castle, in the middle of a vast ocean of water, chased by a new monster, The Veil – a change which blew the budget out of the water. Instead of the simplicity of the original concept, Steven created an ever-changing puzzle box of an episode, a complex meditation on grief and a testimony to how far The Doctor will go to fulfil his duty of care — with Peter Capaldi’s brilliant acting at its core. The challenges were notable. Steven worried that this conceptual experiment might fall flat. He handed me the script and mumbled: “I’m not sure this can be made.” I knew I had a magical piece of writing, but could I bring it to life? Was it possible to make an hour of the Doctor alone compelling to watch? Would the audience go along with a deep, dark episode that lacked a traditional storyline, action, etc? It turned out the answer was yes. The episode is much-respected and continues to touch many viewers. It brings them to tears, then gives them the power to move forward with strength. View oEmbed on the source website So — did women directors make these episodes great? Yup. But why did they beat the statistical odds? One answer is that, with so few opportunities for women to direct between the years 2000-2015, we were forced to work harder. There was no guarantee of extra support and no room for failure. So we rose above the budgetary limitations instead of railing against them. Has that kind of success improved the situation for women directors? Certainly not enough. A recent academic study out of Germany, the UK, and Canada indicated that it would take 50 years for the UK to reach gender parity within crews. Discouraged? Shocked? But I am Tank Girl. In 1995 I directed a wacky, riot-grrrl-power comic book movie of this iconic character. It called out the patriarchy. Its b-storyline mirrors all the #MeToo harassment and bullying that was going on around us back then (and sadly continues). It did not break the glass ceiling for female action leads. It put me in movie jail. But it has found a wonderful cult following now. It has its acolytes. And, as happens with Doctor Who, fans tell me how much it means to them, how it empowered and energised and even saved them. In the late 1990s, the steady improvements in equity and diversity in the film business stopped dead. The industry circled the wagons and started squeezing the women out. Statistics for women feature film directors dropped to four per cent. It was devastating. Many factors led to the slow bounce back that was starting to take effect in the mid- 2010s. Working on Doctor Who in 2014 was one turning point for me. I found a work environment where I wasn’t a woman director. I was the director, a partner with the creatives and the crew. We worked together to make this show as great as its two hearts. In 2017, I was on set for IWD and we hit the 200th setup. As is tradition, every hundred slates, the camera crew creates art for the clapperboard. This time they turned the slate into an IWD celebration of women’s power. Every IWD, after I re-listen to Halsey’s 2018 poem-speech from the New York City Women’s march — and cry over its sorrow and its power — and give my daughters long hugs of support, I remember Halsey’s words “there’s a war to be won”. Then I look at that clapperboard and feel energised to pull on my teflon skin and continue the battle for all whose voices have been silenced or go unheard. “We are all stories in the end,” so says The Doctor. We need to keep fighting to make the great ones. See more of Rachel Talalay's work on her website. Doctor Who returns to BBC One in May. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Has female representation in TV actually improved, according to women in the industry?
There's an obvious focus on on-screen female representation – but what about behind the camera, too?
As International Women's Day 2023 gets underway, so too do important conversations about the state of equality and female representation in all industries. After a 2018 report from the Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) revealed a "shockingly low level" of female writers in prime time British TV, there has rightfully been a focus on ensuring representation behind the camera as well as on screen. The report showed women wrote 28 per cent of TV episodes over the span of a decade's worth of data and concluded that this lack of female writers just produced a "self-sustaining loop", reinforcing the systemic gender imbalance in the industry. The news grows even more dire when you look at the 2020 report on diverse writers in TV, which concluded that just 9.1 per cent of UK television writers are from BAME backgrounds, with figures dropping to 1.6 per cent for Black writers and even lower for South and East Asian writers and other minority ethnic groups. But now in 2023, what does the industry look like for the women who work in it? Particularly, what does it look like to be a woman behind the scenes and in the writer's and producer's chairs? For Emma Dennis-Edwards, the path to writing hasn't been clearly carved out. Going to drama school and training as an actor, she never considered herself a writer throughout those years and didn't "plan on doing it at all". But after the success of her plays Funeral Flowers (which won the Scotsman’s Fringe First Award in 2018 and toured the UK) and Bricks (which was shortlisted for the Alfred Fogan Award), she says that "it sparked an interest in TV people talking to me about what it is that I’m interested in writing and talking about". Dennis Edwards continues: "I think television – in this country anyway – there’s an openness to ideas and new voices that perhaps doesn’t happen so much in theatre because of finances and resources." Now, she is working on Boarders and Candice Carty-Williams's Champion, but has also most recently penned Channel 4 film Consent, which was a bold exploration into sexual violence, private schools and privilege. The one-off film saw Dennis-Edwards joined by up-and-coming filmmaker Nadira Amrani (Extraordinary), and executive producer and BAFTA Award-winner Aysha Rafaele (The Left Behind, Murdered by My Father). Working with a close-knit team led by women of colour "absolutely" benefitted the process of making Consent, Dennis-Edwards states. "I think the three of us – Asian, mixed Middle Eastern and Black – those very specific experiences we had were very useful in creating this script and telling it in the way that we chose. I felt really really privileged to work with two really incredible women whose work I really admired as well," she says. Writing a narrative centred around attending a private school was something that she knew nothing about, she admits, and was something she considered when approached by Rafaele. "But what I did kind of understand is what it is to be a Black girl in an environment which isn’t necessarily set up for you – which is kind of how I feel about television," Dennis-Edwards explains. This need for authentic storytelling and hiring the right people in order to achieve that is something that has been majorly lacking in the past but is thankfully becoming "more the norm", she shares. But while Dennis-Edwards can't recall a time when she's "been the only woman or the only Black person in the room", she does say the attitudes towards her perspective and conversations had within the industry need to shift. She explains: "In terms of working in television, a lot of the times when I am in a writer’s room where I am in a minority, essentially the perspective I’m brought in to give is the Black woman’s perspective, which can be quite problematic because I’m just one person who is often in those spaces representing an entire community." She says that was something that was "really cool" about working on Champion, saying: "Everyone in that writer’s room was Black and Candice is Black so essentially, I’m not there to represent the community, I’m just there to be part of the conversation – which is where I think we need to get to." While the most recent Ofcom report for diversity and inclusion in television and radio points to a minor increase in the overall representation of minority ethnic groups, when the data is broken down into specific ethnic groups, the stats get even lower. Across the eight broadcasters, the proportion of Black employees was 4 per cent at an all-employee level and 2 per cent at senior management level, compared to 3 per cent of all people working in the UK. The report also highlights a persistent underrepresentation of people from certain socio-economic backgrounds. Speaking about diversity efforts in the industry, multi award-winning British television producer and chief executive of Quay Street Productions Nicola Shindler OBE — who has worked with some of the most lauded names in television and created some of its most memorable series — said that "we're at the stage where there are a lot of people making a lot of effort to make it more possible for everyone to enter the industry". She continued: "I don't think we're in any way in a finished place, where there's equality. And I think it's something that we have to be very aware of. And the broadcasters and the streamers are really aware of those issues as well. They are all pushing for more diversity and for more people to have access to the industry. So it's there and it's in process, but I wouldn't say it’s anywhere near mended." With over 25 years worth of experience in television, Nicola has produced some of the UK’s most successful and award-winning dramas, including It’s a Sin, Harlan Coben’s The Stranger, Years and Years, Happy Valley, Queer As Folk and most recently Harlan Coben’s Stay Close for Netflix, No Return for ITV, and Traces for UKTV, to name just a few. Her latest drama series, the first Quay Street Productions drama, is Nolly, which is written by Russell T Davies and stars Helena Bonham Carter as the inimitable Noele Gordon. Shindler says that "Nolly is always relevant because she was so extraordinary". "And she was so ahead of her time." She continues: "She worked behind the scenes as well, she was a producer, she set up shows, she did astonishing things on screen before she went into Crossroads. There aren’t a lot of women like that now. And I think there is absolutely the probability that someone could get fired without any recourse. Nolly was an exception that no one could quite understand at the time. "There is a more understanding attitude towards women who want to have a career, so I do think that's changed slightly. But god, the way she was treated, and the lessons that we can learn from that, are totally relevant today." When she started off at the BBC as a trainee script editor, Shindler says: "The split was really clear when I entered the BBC, which was all script editors were women and all producers were men. And that's just the way it looked. "It wasn't that it was a rule or anything, that was just the way it had been and I think because men had been allowed to advance faster than women before that, they had got to the level of producer. But almost all those women who came in as script writers who I met have gone on to do things, to also rise up. It was the times before us when it wasn't considered normal to have a female producer." Renowned for her relationships with writers, Shindler has worked with an array of the UK’s most prolific and exciting writing talent including Davies, Sally Wainwright, Lenny Henry, Amelia Bullmore, Danny Brocklehurst, Sarah Solemani and more on series starring some of the world’s leading on-screen names. She says: "I should absolutely acknowledge that I was very lucky in all the jobs that I did, and all the people I worked for. So I worked for some really supportive men because I was working for producers." One of those early examples being her first assistant producer credit for Our Friends in the North, "which is really unusual in drama" but was because she was working with the "incredibly supportive" Charlie Pattinson who wanted Shindler to have a certain level of authority. But throughout her career, Shindler has been privvy to changing attitudes and has seen how things have changed over the years. In the early stages of her career, she noticed an "overwhelmingly" large amount of scripts from men and only in the last decade has seen "women writers come through and be nurtured in the same way". Prior to launching Quay Street Productions in 2021, Nicola founded RED Production Company in 1998, where she was Chief Executive for more than 20 years. She said that it "got to the point where I was aware when I was at RED [productions] that my development slate was not even close to 50/50". "And that's when we stopped – and that was probably around 2010 to 2011 – and went OK, this is ridiculous. There are brilliant women writers out there. Let's find them. And let's make sure we're at least equal. Now, I would say, we're very equal, if not more women than men, it probably is about 50/50. But it definitely feels like that took a concerted effort from me on the inside of the production company." While many would feel despair at the problems of the industry, Shindler says she didn't and just took on the responsibility "to make that effort". "I was embarrassed that I hadn't done it before really, that it needed to be said. All we do at first is just make sure that on every list for a prospective production, there would be at least one woman. And then from that it just grew," she explains. View Green Video on the source website "And all that meant was that I then made an effort to get to know more women’s work, writing and directing, and therefore I naturally wanted to work with more women. So it wasn't rocket science. It's just that it should have been happening all the time." As a whole, is the TV industry changing and improving for the women within it? Dennis-Edwards says that it is "slowly but surely", referencing the 2018 WGGB report, saying that seeing statistics like that can leave her asking "What is the point? or "Is this ever really going to work?" But it's something she snaps out of, she explains. "I just believe that ultimately the stories I am telling, although often are about the communities that I come from, are important and do matter. I think also what’s interesting about that is that for a lot of those women, it’s not for original ideas. There's IP from books, for example. "It’s interesting because I get asked to read a lot of books, I get asked a lot about whether I’d be interested in adapting this book or that book. I think a lot of the time, women’s IP isn’t very valued in the same way as male writers. When I talk to male writer friends, they say, 'No, actually, nobody’s ever sent me a book.'" Dennis-Edwards continues: "I guess when you’re still considered a ‘risk’ – and I think that’s what it is, the things that make you a risk in television are not being white and not being male. And I’m both of those things. It just means that actually an IP that already exists is a safer bet, right? Because if it’s a book, it’s already got an audience, people have already read it – it’s less risky to hand it over to somebody who might not necessarily be a white man. I think that’s what it is – mitigating those risk factors, particularly in commissioning. "It often falls on writers when people say there’s not enough older women, for example, in roles with people asking ‘Why aren’t there more Happy Valleys?’ and it’s not for want of us trying. I think we are absolutely pitching stories of women from different communities, older women and more but the decision does not lie on writers, the decision lies with commissioners – that’s the tricky bit." Shindler says that she's noticed a slight decline in female directors but still feels "that a lot of female writers are coming through", outlining that the biggest barrier for women in the industry is to make the "long working hours" and "inflexibility" work while having a family. "I think it's as basic as that really, and the demand for travel and being on set and physically being somewhere with absolutely no ability to get out of that, I think is really difficult. It is a physical, practical problem." As for the biggest changes she's noticed in her time in TV, Shindler states that "it's been incredibly positive in terms of women feeling safer, and more looked after, and more listened to". "There was an assumption when I first started that if someone was casually sexist, or came onto you, that it was just expected, and nothing could be done. And you just had to get through it yourself. And there was no one to talk to, and no one, in any way, would consider that you had any issues." But in the last 20 years, Shindler has seen that there are people to help and talk to, as well as "lots of men who are taking responsibility and acting in a certain way and making women feel more comfortable". Dennis-Edwards similarly talks of the hope of some of the recent "kindness and generosity" that she's experienced to continue, referring to the "real care" of production and actors in Consent. She says one of the major things she's noticed is that "those things are being thought of" and it's "really exciting". But when it comes to thinking of continuing writing for both stage and TV, Dennis-Edwards struggles to think of women who successfully do both. She says: "I look at writers like James Graham who I respect so much, who has just managed to do both. But when I think about women, I can’t really think of very many women who have been successfully able to do both, which is a shame." Her advice for any future female writers out there is simple and should involve thinking "about the unique perspective that you offer". Her hopes for the future of the industry and being able to write in projects are simple: make space for voices in an authentic way that doesn't treat women, especially Black women, as a monolith. For Shindler, she hopes that "we can create an industry where working and being a parent is possible, and that you don't have to compromise on family, and you can still achieve your goals in terms of your career". These conversations remain as vital today as they were when Shindler was first cutting her teeth in the industry. While both women have identified causes for celebration as the industry continues to evolve for the better, there's still so much more to be done. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Jessica Jones creators and stars discuss 'empowering' series ahead of International Women's Day season 2 launch
The Netflix and Marvel show has a female showrunner and female directors, and they have played a key role in shaping Jessica Jones and her story
The cast and crew of Marvel's Jessica Jones continues to be completely badass in a new featurette entitled "Empowered", showcasing the work of female directors, writers, producers and protagonists on the Netflix series. In the clip, we see stars Krysten Ritter, Carrie-Anne Moss and Rachael Taylor along with showrunner Melissa Rosenberg talking about the creative process behind the Netflix show and the vital issue of female inclusion both on and off screen. Marvel’s Jessica Jones hires all women directors for series two When is Jessica Jones season 2 released on Netflix? “It’s not necessarily about a woman’s perspective. It’s about a balanced perspective,” Rosenberg says in the clip. “A powerful female protagonist or a female director or a female showrunner – that shouldn’t be unique.” View oEmbed on the source website All 13 episodes of Jessica Jones season two are directed by women, a decision which Rosenberg says changed the dynamic of the series. “Because we have so many women as department heads, directors and writers, it has normalised it,” she says in production notes released by Netflix. “I was very cognisant on our first episode of a woman being at the head of the table at the production meeting and then right around the time we got to episode three or four, it just became a very normal thing. "It wasn’t a woman sitting at the head of the table, it was a director. It’s very much about normalising the work atmosphere, but the storytelling, whether from a man or a woman, is still going to always be about character.” Jessica Jones returns for season two on Thursday 8th March (International Women’s Day)
Emma Watson was a feminist Book Fairy for International Women's Day
The Harry Potter actress has been hard at work distributing some of her favourite books to the public
Emma Watson has had her fair share of amazing roles, from Harry Potter's Hermione Granger to Beauty and the Beast's Belle – but the one she seems to love most of all is "Book Fairy". The actress has launched an international project to distribute books in public places for people to enjoy. Having started out in London with the Books on the Underground project, it has now spread to 26 countries around the world, from Argentina to Paris to Berlin as the Book Fairies go global. And to mark International Women's Day on Wednesday, Watson (who has her own book club titled Our Shared Shelf) and the rest of the Fairies distributed books by feminist authors – including Caitlin Moran and Maya Angelou. Inside the books? A personal note from Watson herself. View oEmbed on the source website "The idea is make people love reading again and to spread the love, like random acts of kindness," she has previously said. View oEmbed on the source website Being in Manhattan, the actress took the chance to visit Eleanor Roosevelt's memorial... and the Harriet Tubman memorial... and the Joan of Arc memorial, too. It was a day of memorials to female icons. View oEmbed on the source website View oEmbed on the source website Cordelia Oxley, who runs the project, told the BBC: "I am so excited to see these amazing books popping up around the world. "We have a team of international book fairies, New Zealand to Dubai, who are going to share these Our Shared Self books today. "This is a great way to mark International Women's Day and we hope to have a lot of fun with it."
Australian broadcaster ABC to feature all-female presenter line-up for International Women's Day
However, Piers Morgan isn't a fan of the #BeBoldForChange campaign
Australian broadcaster ABC will be celebrating International Women's Day with an all-female line-up of presenters and broadcasters across all its platforms. “On 8 March, programs and content across radio, television and digital will reflect the day’s theme of #BeBoldForChange and focus on the need for change and gender equality in all communities,” an ABC press release explained. “Commencing at 6am with ABC News Breakfast an all-female line-up will lead the major radio and TV news bulletins and current affairs programs and present across the day on NewsRadio and News 24.” It’s a decision that’s been met with a mass of support, but some criticism from the likes of (surprise surprise) Piers Morgan. This morning he spoke about the day-long presenting shift on air with his Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid. After Morgan said he didn't understand the move, a disappointed Reid said: "I know why you're here, but I sometimes don't know why I'm here." Morgan replied: "You're a very independent strong woman; why are you sitting back and playing the victim?" Although it's clear Morgan wouldn't be a fan, should a British broadcaster take the same step next year?
11 funny and inspiring women who masterminded their own TV success
In honour of International Women's Day, here are some of TV's most successful females who created their own work — and took centre stage...
Unless you're from before the stone age or you just happen to live under a rock, you'll know that humour has nothing to do with gender. Men can be funny, women can be funny, trans people can be funny and so on. The world has moved past the whole Can Women Be Funny? phase. But, of course, that doesn't mean women aren't still struggling to get their work on-screen, or that there isn't still plenty of gender bias in parts of the entertainment industry. So in honour of International Women's Day, RadioTimes.com is celebrating some of the especially hilarious women who are making their name by writing and starring in their own shows. This is, of course, not an exhaustive list but a tribute to nine women causing a stir — and making it happen for themselves... Sharon Horgan Why she's inspiring: A master of writing and playing real women who aren't selfless and angelic — in fact, they're quite the opposite. Horgan created 2006 BBC3 sitcom Pulling, one of the few comedies where women were at the centre of the story, not just playing someone's girlfriend. And now she's tackled the very bleakest, funniest aspects of relationships and parenthood with Channel 4's Catastrophe, the sitcom she's co-written with Rob Delaney. At this year's Royal Television Society Awards, the show has been nominated in two categories; Scripted Comedy and Comedy Performance. What she says: "I never used to see anything on TV where the man was in the weaker position. It was always the female showing emotion, breaking down, being emotionally torn apart by men. And I just thought, 'Well, it's not always like that.' And I thought not only would it be good to show that, it would be funny." The Guardian Michaela Coel Why she's inspiring: Firstly, because she wrote this line for her character in E4's Chewing Gum; "My mum was gonna name me Alyssa, which means sweet angel in Indian. But when I came out, she looked at me and called me Tracey.” This made RadioTimes.com laugh for hours. Secondly, because Coel has made a name for herself with a sitcom which is both funny and manages to sharply elbow away stereotypes about women and working class life. What she says: Michaela told RadioTimes.com, “I do not sleep, I stay up and I stay upright and I type through the night. I am not an insomniac; I have got f****ng deadlines, man. I will watch waitresses come in and do their shift. I will go to a 24-hour café in Bloomsbury and watch them on Tottenham Court Road and I would write there. I have put a lot of work into this, a lot of fighting for creative control.” Lena Dunham Why she's inspiring: The Girls creator and star has been a sort of saviour for many twenty-something women who, for the first time ever, saw a show which revealed sex in all its possible grimness, non-conformist body types and the general sense of confusion that imbues millennial life. A proud feminist, Dunham has shown she's not at all scared to say what she really thinks – and Girls will be missed when it comes to an end later this year. What she says: “There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman. As hard as we have worked and as far as we have come, there are still so many forces conspiring to tell women that our concerns are petty, our opinions aren’t needed, that we lack the gravitas necessary for our stories to matter. That personal writing by women is no more than an exercise in vanity and that we should appreciate this new world for women, sit down, and shut up.” ― from her book, Not That Kind of Girl Phoebe Waller-Bridge Why she's inspiring: Unafraid of being brash and feminist, Waller-Bridge has written unpredictable, rude and fascinating females into her first sitcom Crashing (on Channel 4) in which she also stars. But her breakout was undoubtedly Fleabag. Frustrated about the scarcity of good roles for women, she'd already written her BBC3 show as a one-woman show about an anti-heroine, winning an Olivier award nomination and the Stage award for best solo performance. But Fleabag created a critical splash when it was turned into a six-part series for the on-demand service, making Waller-Bridge's name internationally and even propelling her towards a role in the new Han Solo spin-off. What she says: In an interview with RadioTimes.com, she said; "I love doing both things [writing and acting] so much the idea of doing both at the same time bordered on a fantasy for ages," she said. But shows like Pulling, Catastrophe and Drifters, which all featured the women who wrote them, made her realise it was possible. "Once I saw it as something that could really happen I was like, that has to happen now please. Mindy Kaling Why she's inspiring: The creator and star of The Mindy Project, Kaling is unapologetic, ambitious and passionate about writing good TV. And she's invented a star character who is a successful medic in a male-dominated field, who isn't instantly likeable or sweet — but rather flawed, funny and obsessed with sex. What she says: “It’s very nice to have a show at a time when a woman who is not traditionally beautiful having her own comedy show and being openly pro-choice is commonplace. Right now, all my favourite shows star women who, if not producing it, created it themselves. I’m glad I’m coming up at this same time.” The Guardian Tina Fey Why she's inspiring: The creator and star of 30 Rock, Fey's parodic character Liz Lemon was the sort of woman rarely seen on TV — struggling with a work/life balance, falling over rather a lot and saying things like, "women are allowed to get angrier than men about double standards.” As well as having serious success with 30 Rock, Fey was the first head writer on Saturday Night Live and, perhaps most crucially of all, she was responsible for Mean Girls, playing a teacher who tells The Plastics not to call each other "whores". More recently she wrote Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, starring Ellie Kemper. It was warm, smart and, thankfully, very funny indeed — and series three is on its way. What she says: "There are a couple of things I want to impart to ladies who want to be in comedy: One, you don’t have to be weird or be quirky to get your job done. And two, comedy skill is not sexually transmittable. You do not have to sleep with a comedian to learn what you’re doing. Male comedians will not like that advice, but it is the truth." [Bossypants, 2011] Miranda Hart Why she’s inspiring: After toiling on the comedy circuit for years, Hart got seriously famous when she created and starred in her semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom Miranda. It was a Marmite brand of comedy, earning a devoted following of fans who found her loveable, awkward, ungraceful persona a complete joy. She pin-pointed her insecurities and played them large — and for laughs. And it was her award-winning sitcom that won her the attention of Paul Feig, the Bridesmaids director known for creating meaty roles for funny women in Hollywood. Having seen her show, he cast her in his 2015 comedy Spy alongside Melissa McCarthy. What she says: “I will always write comedy, and I will always write it with women in mind, and in the back of my head I’m always writing as a feminist and casting women — but actually, I have to step away from it, because I don’t want my work to become an agenda.” - Time Jessica Knappet Why she's inspiring: Knappet wrote and starred in E4's Drifters, a sitcom about twenty-something women getting into all sorts of nightmarish situations, including awful, badly-paid jobs and awkward relationships with the opposite sex. She has always said that her aim was to have three women on screen being funny and making fun of each other — and for that we salute her. What she says: In an interview with RadioTimes.com, she said; "I’m really grateful for having been given this opportunity. But I think there’s an expectation maybe that, because there isn’t a lot of comedy written by women around, most of it isn’t going to be of a very high quality. There's an expectation there that I feel I have to overcome." Amy Schumer Why she's inspiring: The creator, co-producer, co-writer and star of the sketch show Inside Amy Schumer is hilariously and poignantly spot-on about sexism, double standards and body image. In 2015 she also co-wrote and played the lead role in rom-com Trainwreck. Refusing to be beaten down by her critics, Schumer reminds women to be fearless... What she says: "I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story — I will. I will speak and share and f**k and love and I will never apologise to the frightened millions who resent that they never had it in them to do it. I stand here and I am amazing, for you. Not because of you. I am not who I sleep with. I am not my weight. I am not my mother. I am myself. And I am all of you, and I thank you." - Amy Schumer's speech, Gloria Awards and Gala 2014 Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson Why they're inspiring: Their show Broad City, which started as a web series, was hailed in the US as one of the best new comedies to emerge in years, and it's got a cult following in the UK now, too. Glazer and Jacobson play Abbi and Ilana — two broke, desperate women who are full of confidence in themselves and each other. While on-screen females are often either perfectly in control or failures ashamed of their mess-ups, Ilana and Abbi are at ease with their chaotic lives. In a still rare (but increasingly common) example of truly feminist pop culture, Broad City's duo are pretty happy being imperfect in every way. What they say: Glazer: "it's new for TV to see two women be tender and it not be about a guy, or at the end of a big fight. I'm so grateful for Amy (Poehler, who produces the show) for encouraging us to stretch our wings in that way." Jacobson: "When we started making the web series, it came out of feeling very powerless in becoming what we wanted to become, not being able to get parts or get seen or heard as a performer or comedian. We both found ourselves in this spot where, when you want to make something like this, you have no other option but to go full-force or not at all." Interview magazine And full force they went...
8 exciting events at London's HeforShe Arts Week
From talks to screenings to comedy, here's the best of the next seven days...
The 8th-15th March marks HeForShe Arts Week – a string of events around London using the arts to evolve behaviour around gender equality. A new initiative from UN Women, it comprises performances, exhibitions, talks and screenings, such as... 1. A screening of Beauty and the Beast – before it's out in cinemas (15th March, 6:30pm) The Disney live action film – which is released in the UK on 17th March – stars UN goodwill ambassador Emma Watson who helped to launch the HeForShe campaign back in 2014 with a ">speech that went viral. With special guest appearances from those who created it, this is a chance to see what is already shaping up to be one of the biggest films of the year before anyone else. 2. Celebrate women in London (8th March, 7pm) 1000 Londoners' Century: 10 Women x 10 Decades presents ten film portraits about brave, pioneering, funny and unique women aged from 0 to 100. They include a Dame knighted for her work in race relations, a wild swimmer, a feminist studying to be a Rabbi and a body builder. The contributors will also take part in a panel afterwards to discuss 'Women and Ambition'. 3. Hear what it's like to be a female artist (10th March, 6:30pm) Kirsty Lang chairs this panel featuring British Museum project curator Catherine Daunt and art historian Griselda Pollock. They'll be discussing ways in which female artists from the late 1960s to the present day have demanded space for the female voice and body. 4. Get inspired by Hidden Figures (11th March, 11:30am) If you haven't already seen this uplifting film about three African-American female scientists working for NASA during the Space Race, you absolutely should. Why? Because they dreamed big. And even when (many) people tried to get in the way of their dreams, they persevered – making their mark on history in the most exciting way. And because the cinema is pricey, this screening is free. Yes, FREE. 5. Who are the women making waves? (11th March, 12pm) Yes, there are those women who we study in books or read about in magazines. But there are also those whose adventures and stories have been lost to history – women like Ching Shih (who may have been one of the most powerful pirates in history), Phillis Wheatley (the first published African-American female poet) and Jeanne Baret (the first woman to circumnavigate the world). Uncover their stories in a series of trails and workshops at Greenwich's National Maritime Museum. 6. HeForShe Gender Equality debate (13th March, 9:30am) Head down to Sadler's Wells for a panel to discuss the role of arts in promoting greater gender equality and how this benefits all of society. Among the speakers are ballerina Tamara Rojo, the National Theatre's artistic director Rufus Norris, Alistair Spalding, Sadler's Wells' artistic director and chief executive, and Laura Haynes – chair of UN Women UK. 7. Award-winning improvised musical theatre (13-15 March, 7pm) Netflix, you say? No, NOTFLIX. The multi award-winning sellout stage show is at the Kings Head Theatre from 13th-18th March. There's a musical, a live bang and... original, improvised songs. By all accounts, it's very, very funny. 8. A special night of comedy (14th March, 8:30pm) Dane Baptiste, James Acaster , Ellie Taylor and Kiri Pritchard-Maclean will be bringing the laughs during a special HeForShe comedy evening at the 99 Club. See here for full details of HeForShe Arts Week – and how to buy tickets
JK Rowling and Emma Watson shared a sweet moment on International Women's Day
The Harry Potter author and the actress are well known for having each other's backs
One is probably one of the most powerful authors on the planet, and the other is probably one of the most famous actresses and UN ambassadors of her generation. So when JK Rowling and Emma Watson join forces, something good tends to happen. Yesterday, on International Women's Day, the pair shared a particularly sweet exchange on Twitter, as Watson discovered that #HeForShe – her campaign for gender equality – had been given its own Twitter emoji. View oEmbed on the source website Rowling spotted Watson's delight and was quick to tell the young woman – who has been particularly busy of late setting up a feminist book club, interviewing feminist icon Gloria Steinem, and editing a very special edition of Esquire with Tom Hanks – that the pop culture accolade was well deserved. View oEmbed on the source website Watson returned the praise, paying her own little tribute to the woman who wrote the Harry Potter novels which inspired the films that put Watson on the path to worldwide fame. View oEmbed on the source website Still no word on whether or not she's joined Watson's book club, though.
Emma Watson is doing a live Q&A for International Women's Day
The Harry Potter star and UN Goodwill Ambassador will be answering questions on gender equality this afternoon - and you can watch it on Facebook
Emma Watson is taking to social media to celebrate International Women's Day. The former Harry Potter star will be taking part in a Q&A on Facebook this afternoon. Watson, who became a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women last year, won't be chatting Hogwarts and Hermione, or even her new Disney role in Beauty and the Beast. She'll be answering questions on gender equality instead. The 24-year-old actress launched the #HeForShe campaign in 2014, encouraging men to get involved in gender issues. Her work has encouraged the likes of Russell Crowe, Tom Hiddleston and Steve Carrell to pledge their support to the cause. Introducing today's Q&A on her Facebook page, Watson said, "Thank you so much for all of your support and participation so far. It's been absolutely amazing... You guys are really awesome", calling her campaigning role an "amazing adventure, journey, experience for me." Watson will be answering questions at a live Q&A in London. The event will be live streamed on her Facebook page at 5pm.