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Lara Croft; Betty Buckley; Women in South Africa

Lara Croft and Rhianna Pratchett - the games designer who is reinventing the icon, plus Betty Buckley on life on Broadway, and violence against women in South Africa.

Lara Croft and Rhianna Pratchett - the games designer who is reinventing the icon; Betty Buckley on life on Broadway; violence against women in South Africa; Phyllida Law on dealing with her mother's dementia; artist Liz Atkin on how overcoming compulsive skin picking has influenced her work. Presenter Jane Garvey
Producer Karen Dalziel.

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58 minutes

Last on

Tue 26 Feb 201310:00
BBC Radio 4

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Clips

See all clips from Lara Croft; Betty Buckley; Women in South Africa(2)

Chapters

  • Why does South Africa have such a dismal record of violence against women?

    Barbara Kenyon, CEO of the charity GRIP discusses domestic violence in South Africa.

    Duration: 08:03

  • Rhianna Pratchett on the latest version of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider

    Is this the start of more realistic female characters for gamers?

    Duration: 07:56

  • Dementia

    The Alzheimer’s Society on its latest report on the state of care homes.

    Duration: 04:52

  • Phyllida Law on dementia

    The actress discusses caring for her mother who had dementia

    Duration: 04:20

  • Betty Buckley

    ‘The Voice of Broadway’ talks about the experience of performing songs written for men.

    Duration: 08:56

  • Compulsive Skin Picking

    We hear what it's like to live with the condition.

    Duration: 07:14

Why does South Africa have such a dismal record of violence against women?

On the evening of the 1st February 2013, 17 year old Anene Booysen was gang raped, attacked and left for dead. She had broken arms and legs and her stomach was ripped open. She was able to identify her attackers but died six hours later in hospital. Today those men appear in court for their bail hearing. But in a country were a woman has a greater chance of being raped than of learning how to read, will the death of Anene change anything? Jane talks to Barbara Kenyon - CEO of the Greater Nelspruit Rape Intervention Project, who works with victims of rape, and domestic violence in South Africa.

BBC News: Will South Africans ever be shocked by rape?

Lara Croft, Tomb Raider

Lara Croft, one of the most iconic female characters in gaming history is back but in a reworked more realistic form. In the new Tomb Raider game about to be released at the beginning of March, Lara Croft has been adapted by award winning games writer Rhianna Pratchett. Is this the start of more realistic female characters for gamers? Rhianna Pratchett and Belinda Parmar, CEO of Lady Geek join Jane in the studio.

Dementia

There are currently 800,000 people with dementia in the UK and coping with the condition can be extremely difficult. Today Jane Garvey speaks to the Alzheimer’s Society, which has released its latest report looking at those living with dementia in care homes. Are you looking after an elderly relative with dementia? Are you facing the decision about whether to put them into residential care? We want to hear your stories and experiences. You can contact us here or tweet us @BBCWomansHour.

The actress Phyllida Law has written a book about caring for her mother following her diagnosis of the disease.

Carer's Trust

Betty Buckley

Betty Buckley has been described as ‘The Voice of Broadway’. She is currently playing Countess Aurelia in Jerry Herman’s Dear World. Today she discusses the demands of the role, what attracted her back to the London stage, and why she has released an album of tunes that were originally written for male characters in musical theatre.

Compulsive Skin Picking

Imagine feeling compelled to pick at your skin to release tension, and not being able to confide in anyone because you feel too ashamed of your problem. Liz Atkin’s life has been dominated by compulsive skin-picking since she was 8 - she describes it as feeling like “ants crawling across her body” which she can’t get rid of. Her exhibition, “My Singular Fascination” has just opened at the Bethlem Gallery in London.

South London and Maudsley Anxiety Disorder Residential Unit

Anxiety UK - Compulsive Skin Picking

OCD-UK - Compulsive Skin Picking

Broadcast

  • Tue 26 Feb 201310:00
    BBC Radio 4

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    Women's voices and women's lives - topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire