Weekend Woman's Hour: Keira Knightly; Empathy; Sloths

Keira Knightley has swapped corsets for guitars, as she moves from costume drama to her latest role as a wannabe pop star in New York in rom-com film Begin Again. And in her personal life too, she mixes film and music, having recently married James Righton of the band the Klaxons. She speaks to Jane about singing on screen, dodging papparazzi, and her marriage in France last summer.

Begin Again is released on 11 July

As part of our Staying Sane series, we look at the role of empathy. There’s plenty of research indicating that being empathetic and altruistic is good for our mental health. But what exactly is empathy? Are we all capable of experiencing it and is it always a good thing? And is it possible to learn to be more empathetic? Graham Music, child and adolescent psychotherapist and author of a The Good Life: Wellbeing and the New Science of Altruism, Selfishness and Immorality, and writer Lesley Jamison, author of The Empathy Exams, join Jane in the studio.

The Good Life: Wellbeing and the new science of altruism, selfishness and immorality by Graham Music is published by Routledge.

Celebrities accused of child abuse have been all over the media for so long now, but what about the impact of this coverage on people who have been abused? A listener who was abused contacted us saying that she is exhausted by the constant barrage of news coverage. Jenni speaks to the listener and also with psychologist, Dr Nina Burroweswho specialises in helping victims of sexual abuse. 

NAPAC

The Survivors Trust

NSPCC

Dian Fossey gave her life whilst trying to conserve the natural habitat of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. Lucy Cooke is the zoologist who turned sloths into TV stars through her internet clips. From the Woman’s Hour Archive Collection, Sue MacGregor interviews Dian Fossey about her love of primates. And zoologist Lucy Cooke talks to Jenni about how she managed to popularise the sloth, her love of frogs, and her new programme, Talk to the Animals.

Why have triathlons become such a popular sport for women? When they first started in the States in the mid-70s, they were male-dominated ultra-endurance events, but now they’re becoming more accessible with competitions of varying distances springing up all around the country. Some criticise the sport as being a middle-class sport – but do you need to have a huge bank account for the bike, the tri-suit and the goggles and Chrissie Wellington’s calves of granite, or can anyone do a triathlon? We will hear from an oncologist who has become a professional triathlete and an excited newbie who is competing in her first Ironman competition in a few weeks’ time.

As the wedding season hits full swing, increasingly it seems the social kiss is becoming the standard greeting even on first introduction. But how many of us are truly comfortable with it? Jenni asks Kate Fox, anthropologist and author of ‘Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour’ and Lars Tharp, presenter for BBC Antiques Roadshow … Have things gone a ‘Mwah!’ too far?