Weekend Woman’s Hour: Irish folk singer Cara Dillon, The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax, Maximalism

Woman's Hour

Cara Dillon won the All Ireland singing trophy aged only 14 and has gone on to receive countless awards and accolades including Album Of The Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. She has worked for Disney – singing the title song to the animated movie Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, and topped the charts with dance remixes. She joins Emma to discuss her book and a new album – Coming Home – in which she brings storytelling, poetry, and song, offering personal memories and stories inspired by her native Co. Derry, and exploring themes of family, identity and home.

The government in South Korea has said the country’s birth rate has fallen to a record low, despite it having spent billions on initiatives to encourage women to have more children. It dropped to 0.72 in 2023 - and for a population to hold steady, that number should be 2.1. Why are women in the country deciding not to have children? BBC journalist Yuna Ku in Seoul explains.

We continue our series looking at how porn in shaping our sex and relationships today by speaking to Dr Fiona Vera-Gray. She says that when we think about porn we still mostly think about men, men as the producers and the consumers and women as the product. Her new book, Women On Porn, details the experiences of one hundred women and their views on porn and she joins Emma in the studio.

For the first time, four mums are speaking out about what it was like to be at the centre of a conspiracy that went viral, even reaching the USA. Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax is a new documentary that looks at what happened to them. Director Emily Turner and mum ‘Anna’ (not her real name) join Emma Barnett to talk about why they wanted to speak out and share this story.

The Women's Six Nations begins later this month. Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy are taking part as well as England who are looking to build on the glory of 2023, when they sealed the grand slam in front of nearly 60,000 spectators at Twickenham, a record crowd for a women’s game. We'll continue to cover the Six Nations as it gets underway but to kick us off Emma is joined by England Rugby player Meg Jones.

In recent years, maximalism has been all the rage in the interior design world. Patterns on patterns and riotous colours. But what are the pros and cons of adding personality to your home? Pottery artist, Mary Rose Young and Kate Sandhu, interiors influencer and founder of Kate Sandhu Renovation, join Emma to discuss.