Rachel Johnson's Difficult Women

This week's difficult woman is the author and historian Anne Sebba. Her works, including Les Parisiennes and That Woman (the story of Wallis Simpson), shine a light on the lives of women who defied the odds and shaped the world in their own unique ways. With a focus on resilience, complexity, and untold stories, Sebba’s books offer fresh perspectives on the women who often get lost in history.

Dr. Suzanne O’Sullivan is a neurologist and award-winning author. In her latest book, The Age of Diagnosis, she tackles the growing crisis of overdiagnosis—how modern medicine's obsession with labels may be doing more harm than good. Drawing from her front-line experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, O’Sullivan reflects on how uncertainty, fear, and the urge to explain the unexplainable shaped her thinking and deepened her understanding of what it truly means to be “sick.”

Dr. Tessa Dunlop is a historian, author, and broadcaster known for bringing history to life. She’s the co-host of the new global podcast Where Politics Meets History with Iain Dale, blending big personalities with pivotal past events.

This week's Difficult Women is the award-winning Turkish author Elif Shafak. Known for her powerful storytelling that explores identity, cultural conflict, and feminism Shafak’s work resonates deeply with global audiences, especially in light of recent protests in Turkey. Her bestselling novels like The Bastard of Istanbul and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, she has won numerous awards, including the Prix Médicis étranger and the Lannan Literary Fellowship. An outspoken advocate for human rights and free expression, She continues to challenge oppression through her writing, making her a vital voice in both literature and activism.

Jude Kelly is a visionary British theatre director and producer, renowned for her bold, transformative approach to the arts. As the founder of the groundbreaking Watermill Theatre in Newbury, and later the artistic director of Southbank Centre, Kelly redefined the landscape of UK theatre with a focus on inclusivity, social change, and dynamic storytelling. Celebrated for championing female voices and championing diverse narratives, her work spans from large-scale productions to intimate, innovative performances. Kelly's impact extends beyond the stage, influencing cultural policy and empowering emerging voices in the arts.

This week's difficult woman is a sorely underrepresented group amongst the difficult women Alumni - a female adventurer. When she was at her lowest moment, Elise found comfort in the great outdoors and has made it her mission to highlight those brave women who have been forgotten by history. She now travels the world, tracing their footsteps, wearing the gear that would have been used at the time. 

Helen Pankhurst, born in 1960, is a British women's rights activist and the granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, the renowned suffragette. Continuing her grandmother's legacy, Helen advocates for gender equality, women's empowerment, and social justice. She has worked with organizations like CARE International and has written and spoken widely on issues affecting women and girls globally. Through her activism, Helen ensures Emmeline's ideals remain a source of inspiration for new generations of feminists. 

This week's difficult woman is the leader of Ukraine's Golos party, Kira Rudik. For three years her country has been under attack from an invading Russian army. For three years, her country has stood firm. Now there is a new face in the White House and the future of her country hangs in the balance. Slava Ukraini! 

This week I am joined by Welsh Labour MP and former international rugby star Tonia Antoniazzi. Before entering politics, her distinguished rugby career earned her nine caps for Wales and saw her compete in the 1998 Women’s Rugby World Cup.Elected as the first female MP for Gower in 2017, she has since championed everything from women's rights to medical cannabis. In 2024, she joined the Board of Directors for the Scarlets rugby team, reinforcing her lifelong commitment to the sport.With a career spanning sports, education, and politics, Antoniazzi continues to champion causes that make a real difference in people’s lives.

Anne Applebaum is an American-born historian, journalist, and author, renowned for her expertise in Eastern Europe, particularly the Soviet Union, and the impact of communism. Applebaum is best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning book Gulag: A History, her work often focuses on totalitarianism, historical memory, and the political transformations in Central and Eastern Europe post-communism.

Bonnie Greer is an acclaimed writer, cultural commentator, and trailblazing feminist whose work has left an indelible mark on the literary and social landscapes. Born in Chicago, Greer moved to the UK, where she became a force to be reckoned with in the realms of literature, television, and politics. Known for her unapologetic approach to issues of race, gender, and identity, she has long championed the voices of marginalized women and challenged societal norms.

Sally Clarke is a powerhouse in the world of fine dining, renowned for her unwavering resilience and culinary mastery. As the owner of the iconic Sally Clarke Restaurant in London, she has not only survived but thrived in the high-pressure, ever-evolving restaurant industry. With a career spanning decades, Sally's commitment to excellence and her ability to adapt have made her a respected figure among chefs and restaurateurs alike. She’s a true testament to grit, passion, and staying the course, no matter what the industry throws her way.

This week's difficult women is Mariella Frostrup. A renowned broadcaster, writer, and outspoken feminist - always ready with her sharp wit and deep commitment to social issues. With a career spanning television, radio, and print, she’s built a reputation as an agony aunt, offering advice with empathy and honesty. Beyond her media work, Mariella is a passionate advocate for women's rights, particularly focused on breaking the silence around menopause. Fearless in her pursuit of equality, she’s made it her mission to amplify the voices of women and challenge the taboos that still hold us back.

"I don't give a f*ck if I'm liked or not" - Tracy-Ann Oberman comes from a long line of Difficult Women, her very own aunt fled pogroms in Russia to fight fascists on the streets of east London. She is no less difficult, proudly standing up against antisemitism wherever she sees it. Tracy-Ann Oberman is joined by acclaimed actor Joseph Millson in the critically acclaimed production of The Merchant of Venice 1936, for its strictly limited West End season at the Trafalgar Theatre (28 December – 25 January) and subsequent UK tour in 2025.Tickets can be found at merchantofvenice1936.co.uk

Dr Helen Webberley has dedicated her career to protecting and advocating for trans rights. As the debate, both online and in the halls of legislature, becomes more toxic, I sat down with Helen to see if we could find some common ground on this most controversial of issues.

After Announcing her return to BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, Amy Dowden shares her journey in dance, living with Crohn’s disease, and her recent battle with breast cancer.Amy's book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancing-Rain-story-courage-resilience/dp/0349442045Amy's tour - https://www.amyandcarlostour.co.uk/

Shabnam Nasimi, a passionate advocate for Afghan women and human rights. From fleeing Afghanistan as a refugee to becoming a political activist, Shabnam shares her journey, the challenges Afghan women face, and the power of resilience.

Before her tenth birthday, Yalda Hakim had fled a warzone on horseback, learnt two languages, and was well on her way to becoming the world-renowned journalist that we know today. Listen as she explains just how difficult she had to be to get that first big break. 

This week's difficult woman is the Rwanda Dreaming, email leaking, bibby barging former home secretary Suella Braverman. Whatever your thoughts on this twice home secretary - I think we can all agree she certainly is a bloody difficult woman!

Laila Mickelwait is a mom on a mission, her tireless work has resulted in the removal of tens of millions of illegal porn videos and she's still not done. Her inspiring story is one of a woman and a mother who was sick of the ineffectual action on sex abuse and so took matters into her own hands.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson is one of the most highly decorated British Paralympians and truly worthy of the title of Difficult Women. She has spent her life knocking down barriers and fearlessly schooling anyone who dares stand in her way. Even from her earliest memories she has been advocating for not just her own life but for thousands of other disabled people who are routinely forgotten and pushed aside. Listen for an insight into this fascinating life.

This week's difficult woman is another member of British broadcasting royalty, Vanessa Feltz! With her signature blonde locks and no-nonsense charm, she’s been captivating audiences for decades, bringing a splash of sass and a whole lot of heat to the airwaves, always ready to tackle the juiciest topics with her trademark honesty. Of which she is certainly not lacking in this ripper of an episode!

This week's Difficult Woman is Donna Jones, the conservative police and crime commissioner for Hampshire, and the first female leader of Portsmouth City Council. This is a woman who knows how to get things done and makes no apologies whilst doing it. 

This week's difficult women is the loud proud and utterly brilliant Miriam Cates. Now the former MP for Penistone and Stockbridge, Miriam rocketed into the public eye as one of the spearhead figures of the NatCon movement. She now focuses her efforts on education and pro-natalism

This week's Difficult Women is the ceiling smashing Margaret Casley-Hayford. A successful businesswoman and lawyer, Margaret has now got her sights set on bringing diversity to the board room. She now aspires to be not just the first black person but the first woman to hold the title of chancellor in nearly a thousand years of the universities history.**Warning - this show does contain descriptive language of a racist incident which some listeners may find offensive.

This week's difficult women is Kate Weinberg whose covid journey is as compelling as her writing. With a fierce determination to understand the mysterious fatigue that doctors couldn't explain, Kate embarked on a personal quest for a diagnosis that would empower her narrative and inform her creative work. Turned away time and again by doctors dismissing her illness, she was reminded of the very same doubts that her mother was subject to before her untimely death...

This week's difficult women is the Gardening Legend Bunny Guinness. You will be most familiar with Bunny's voice as a regular on Gardeners Question Time but her immersion within the horticultural world goes well beyond her broadcasting career. We delve into everything from her hitchhiking through Europe to the Great Peat Debate!

When she was 16, Natalie Fleet was raped. More than 30 years later, she will now use her role as a Labour MP to ensure that rapists have no rights to the products of their crime. Listen as she describes her incredible journey of resilience 

This week's difficult woman is writer and podcaster Bibi Lynch. Owing to a combination of factors, Bibi has found herself childless and single in her late 50s - she's not had a boyfriend since Tony Blair was elected and she's come to the realisation that the world just isn't quite comfortable with a middle-aged childless woman. Listen as she talks through the personal reckoning that comes with such a realisation.

This week's Difficult Woman is Alice Hendy. In November of 2020, she received news that her only sibling had taken his own life. Alice found that he had been researching techniques to take his own life via harmful internet searches. To ensure more help and support is given to individuals searching for harmful content online, Alice set up Ripple Suicide Prevention. Listen as she talks us through that journey from tragedy to triumph.

“On Saturday 31st August, the IDF recovered the body of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. To many he was the recognisable face of the hostages kidnapped on October 7th. Earlier this year, we spoke to his mother. Listen back as the world mourns his loss”

This week's difficult woman is the brilliant author and journalist Eleanor Mills to discuss her new book, which dives into the challenges and triumphs of navigating life as a middle-aged woman. With her signature warmth and with, Eleanor shares her personal journey of grappling with societal beauty standards and the sexism that often comes with them. Listen as we explore the liberation that comes with embracing who you are, wrinkles and all.

This week's difficult women is Kat Brown, author, journalist, and guide to all things ADHD. Upon being diagnosed as an adult, Kat's whole life began to click into place. She has used this to try and help others to recontextualise their life in light of this new diagnosis. All of this goes without touching on her greatest love, Difficult Women alumni - Jilly Cooper!

This week's Difficult Women is Jennifer Ewing, wealth manager and proud republican living overseas, in the enemy territory! Given the ever present melodrama emanating from our western neighbour it felt appropriate to host an emergency American episode to find out exactly what it takes to be a difficult woman in the US. Listen as I press her on the Republican's decidedly anti-abortion stance...

The stalwart defender of women's rights, Harriet Wistrich, is this week's difficult woman. Responsible for keeping John Worboys locked up and the founder and director of the Centre for Women's Justice. Harriet has worked tirelessly for 25 years to advance and protect women's rights listen to her experience fighting the patriarchal mountain that is British law.

This week's difficult woman is probably more accurately described as difficult women! Lorraine Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Olivia Coleman, Ann Widdecombe AND Miss Piggy join me this week, all voiced by the wonderful Ronni Ancona. A long and storied career in comedy that is as fascinating as it is funny.

Ann Widdecombe is a titan of British politics. Wheather or not you agree with her, you cannot deny the monumental impact she has made on our political landscape over the past 35 years. Instrumental in bringing forth Brexit, Ann now works for the Reform party as once again she finds herself at the centre of political disruption.

A gala edition of Difficult Woman Live! with the author, influencer, glamazon, and daughter of one of the most fascinating families in Britain – the Sykes. Plum is descended from the grandest of Yorkshire grandees, Plum Sykes. Pack leader of the transatlantic glossy posse, working at Vogue both here and in New York and achieving international success with her first novel Bergdorf Blondes about blowdried airheaded Park Avenue Princesses, more novels, screenplays, marriage and children followed and Plum is now living with her two daughters and horses in a delectable manor house in darkest Gloucestershire

Fresh off the back of her tenure at the head of John Lewis, Dame Sharon White is at a bit of a loss. With Ofcom and the Treasury on her CV, there is very little she can't turn her hand too. Listen to this surprisingly candid interview from one of the UK's most successful businesswomen. 

If there is a man woman or child in showbiz that Rosemary Reed doesn't know, then they're not worth knowing! This producer/director is the mastermind behind some of the most insightful interviews of our generation. "The Power of Women" is her latest interview series, each episode pits two influential women in a room together and charges them to put the world to rights... Sounds like a good idea for a podcast I reckon... 

"Go forth and be fabulous!" Strap in dear listener for our most raucous episode yet! The inimitable Kathy Lette is this weeks difficult woman, done with her flirty fifties and well into her sexties, Kathy's new book explores the discrimination women face as the age, and how to have fun regardless!

I don't have a single bad word to say about this weeks difficult women... not least because she may well be listening! Gillian Reynolds, the Doyenne of Radio, has been a radio critic for over 57 years and what she doesn't know about this industry ISNT WORTH KNOWING. A woman who is nearly older than radio itself has quite the insights into everything from podcasts to the age old rivalry of Nick Ferrari vs James O'Brien...

"We are frozen in a trauma that has now become our reality" This week's difficult woman may well be one of the strongest I have ever met. The terror attack of October 7th changed thousands of lives; Rachel Goldberg is one such life. Her son, Hersh, was kidnapped and remains a hostage inside Gaza to this day. Our conversation was a fascinating insight into the daily turmoil that she has to reckon with, holding on hope that she will maybe, one day, see her son again.

When something goes wrong, you don't take it lying down" This week's difficult women is Patsy Stevenson. She is a writer and campaigner who was catapulted into the public eye after being arrested at the vigil for Sarah Everard back in March 2021. The stark image of her arrest was splashed across every paper in the country and for many, it laid bare the oppression they had been facing in silence for years. She has now pivoted her life to champion women in STEM as the AI revolution comes upon us. 

"He brought in a Psychiatrist to sedate me and handcuff me" From a Bareback Cossack to an abusive Russian Oligarch, Alexandra Tolstoy has lived one hell of a difficult life... Related to the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy, Alexandra has written of her many horseback adventures. She was also in a relationship with the Russian Oligarch known as 'Putin's Banker', with whom she has three children, though escaping his control proved to be her most difficult time yet... 

This week’s difficult woman is Newsnight's star booker Sam McAlister. A working class girl who’s mixed with princes and paupers, Sam has always known how to get where she needs to be. The story behind THAT Prince Andrew interview has now been turned into a blockbuster Netflix film, listen as I interview the woman behind the SCOOP

"Men get away with it because women don't want to report it" This week's difficult woman is author, producer, and screenwriter Daisy Goodwin. The brilliant mind behind Grand Designs, Victoria, and Diva, Daisy's multi-format career is impressive to say the least. Though you may be more familiar with her as the defiant voice who exposed Tory Mayoral hopeful Daniel Korski and derailed his campaign. Listen as she tells EXACTLY what went on that day. 

“People assume everything should be about making the adults comfortable and happy and forget about the extra risk that puts on children.” This weeks difficult women is Amanda Spielman. Former chief of Ofsted who stepped down at the end of last year amid the death of Ruth Perry. A death which has subsequently lead to a total overhaul of how we assess schools and the role Ofsted should play in that process. In her first interview since leaving the role, listen as we discuss the state of education and the future of Ofsted.

"The structure of marriage is a big part of maintaining the gender inequality between men and women" This week's difficult women is the Israeli leader of the opposition Merav Michaeli. Over her 12 years in Israeli politics, Merav has never struggled to make her voice heard. After recently deciding to stand down from her role as leader of the Labour party, we discussed her continued opposition to Netanyahu, a potential end to the war, and her decades long fight against the institution of marriage. 

"A barrister said I should be sectioned and left in a padded room" This week's difficult woman is Dr Charlotte Proudman, a fiercely defiant lawyer who isn't afraid to call a sexist spade a sexist spade. You will no doubt have first heard of Charlotte when she ousted a leering older colleague who had been making inappropriate comments about her linked in profile picture. A stunt that got her labelled an attention seeking feminazi. Dr Proudman has been no less difficult in the years that followed, always at the forefront of tackling misogyny when it rears its ugly head.