Weekend Woman's Hour: Navi Pillay, Women in tech, Caroline Hirons

Navanetham 'Navi' Pillay, a former International Criminal Court judge and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. She is the 21st female to win the award, and the first South African woman. Navi speaks to Nuala McGovern.

In the programme's 80th year, we’re reflecting on how women’s lives have changed in the last eight decades, and today, Nuala digs into the Woman’s Hour archive to find out how technological advancements have impacted women’s lives over the years. Nuala talks to Zoe Kleinman, the BBC’s Technology Editor and Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, an entrepreneur and champion of women’s visibility in the UK technology industry and author of book 404: Women Not Found.

Esmée Gummer recently completed her own Guinness World Record challenge, having run between every city in the UK, hosting free 5km clubs in each. An incredible achievement because when she was aged 18, Esmée woke up paralysed following complications during surgery - and she had to relearn how to walk and eventually run. Esmee tells Anita Rani about her passion to encourage people to connect through running, not racing.

How well do we know our mothers? The novelist Laleh Khadivi’s latest book Female Life on Planet Earth is about a woman who discovers her dead mother had a secret Iranian revolutionary past. Laleh joins Nuala to talk about her inspiration for the book.

Caroline Hirons has built a career in the beauty industry spanning more than three decades, from working on skincare counters to becoming a bestselling author, social media personality and founder of her own skincare brand. Now she's published a new book, Skin Rules, and joins Anita in the studio.

Nigella Lawson is back on our screens as a judge on The Great British Bake Off but has hit the headlines for taking big bites. So why are some people commenting on a woman actively enjoying food... on a baking show? Nuala is joined by body confidence activist and author Alex Light and personal trainer Laura Ghiacy.

Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Corinna Jones