"The women of Nottingham are legendary - everyone knows theyre the prettiest in the country - and there are more of us that elsewhere! " says producer Sarah Julian (who lives in Nottingham, funnily enough). A special programme called Nottingham - a womans place' will explore the origins of these legend, and meet the women behind them. The reason these sayings came about seems to be down to the high numbers of working women in Nottingham - industries like lace, tobacco, pharmaceuticals employ lots of women, who were earning money and looking good - giving rise to names like the players angels, the glamourous young women at the Players tobacco factory.
The programme looks at why the legend came about and whether its these working class women who gave Nottingham its special spirit.
We meet the players angels and the lace girls, follow a hen night and meet a modern day Nottingham business woman to contrast the experiences of older and younger women. Jenny Swindells takes walks around the city highlighting womens impact in Nottingham.
Listen to Jenny Swindells explaining women's impact on the city (28k).
Eva Broughton, who now lives in Clifton, was one of the players angels in the 1940s. She said they were well known for being glamourous.
Listen to Eva Broughton talk about the 'players angels' (28k).
These days young women are more likely to flock here for a good night out, particularly for hen nights, the city has become one of the most popular places in the country for hen nights. Mike Knight, owner of the Palais nightclub in Nottingham, says hen nights are still very popular.
Listen to Mike Knight discussing hen nights in the city (28k).
And Sarah Julian who produced the programme for Sense of Place experienced a hen night first hand:
"I thought that following a hen night around Nottingham would make great (if rather unusual radio). I found a group of willing girls who were from all around the country but chose Nottingham because it was central and has such vibrant nightlife.
"I watched them getting ready, drinking in the bar and dancing at the Palais. Im no stranger to girls nights out but I wasnt prepared for these girls marching around the city, shouting and singing through the streets!"
Listen to the hen party sing (28k).
The programme also looks at working women today - Are things very different for working women today?
Madi Sharma is a businesswoman in the city, she says it wasnt easy for her to make it in business.
Listen to Madi Sharma describe how she built her business (28k).
Listen to the audio documentary >>> | 
