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Last broadcast on Thu, 23 Dec 2010, 10:00 on BBC Radio 4.
Synopsis
Presented by Jenni Murray. Rolf Harris on painting his vision of a Shakespearian dream. The government wants to get troubled families into work - are family champions the way to do it? The women in Pakistan who face giving birth in the aftermath of the floods - we hear from the charity Save the Children on challenges they face. MP and former international chessplayer Angela Eagle takes on the chess-master who has said there's never been a great female chess-player.
Rolf Harris’ Dream
He can paint, sing, dance and tell jokes.. do you know who it is yet? Rolf Harris is one of Britain’s best-loved entertainers and in his 80th year, between concerts at Glastonbury and Vancouver, he embarked on an ambitious project to paint his vision of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. BBC’s Arena follows him as he portrays actresses Dervla Kirwan and Emer Kenny and models Lily Cole and Lizzy Jagger along with his wife Alwen as Titania besotted by the donkey-headed Bottom.
Arena is on BBC2 at 9pm on 29th Dec
Giving birth in the Pakistani floods
At least half a million pregnant women have been affected by the floods in Pakistan, with an estimated 100,000 of them due to give birth in the coming months. As the winter sets in, many will be forced to deliver in temporary shelters or tents, with no access to clean water or healthcare, and often surrounded by contaminated flood water. Even before this disaster, Pakistan had a high infant mortality rate, with one in 20 babies dying before they were a month old - these new conditions are set to make matters even worse. Dr Fahad, Health and Nutrition Advisor for Save the Children and Amber Shamsi, Editor of BBC Lifeline Programme, join Jenni from Islamabad to update us on the situation.
Family Champions
Families who have never worked are to be given their own ‘family champion’ to get them into employment. Emma Harrison has been appointed to oversee a government backed scheme to provide individual support for what are described as ‘troubled families’ with a view to turning them into working families. 500 families are to be targeted initially, though David Cameron has said that by the end of this parliament he wants to turn around every troubled family in the country. Jenni is joined by Family Champion, Emma Harrison and by Helen Dent, who is chief executive of the charity Family Action which works with disadvantaged and socially isolated families.
Chess: A Masculine game?
The Women’s World Chess final concludes tomorrow, and it is sure to be as competitive as ever, but no woman has ever yet been crowned the world champion of both sexes. In fact, there is only one woman in the world top-100. Bill Hartson has suggested this is because women are fundamentally less good at chess than men. Angela Eagle, however, says the problem is social and not biological.
Chapters
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Chapter 1
Jenni talks Rolf Harris about his ambitious project to paint his vision of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and to Dervla Kirwan, one of the actresses he portrays.
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Chapter 2
Families who have never worked are to be given their own ‘family champion’ to get them into employment. Jenni discusses plan with Family Champion, Emma Harrison & Helen Dent of Family Action.
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Chapter 3
An estimated 100,000 women are due to give birth. BBC reporter Ali Hassan; Dr Fahad of Save the Children and Amber Shamsi, Editor of BBC Lifeline Programme, give an update on the situation.
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Chapter 4
Is chess a masculine game? No woman has ever been crowned the world champion of both sexes. Jenni discusses with William Hartson and Angela Eagle.
Broadcast
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Thu 23 Dec 201010:00
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