Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Episode details

Radio 3,27 Oct 2009,45 mins

SeriesFree Thinking 2009

Free Thinking - Gwen Adshead

Night Waves

Available for over a year

Free Thinking 2009 As part of Radio 3's Free Thinking ideas festival, Philip Dodd introduces a discussion in front of an audience at the Sage, Gateshead about women's involvement in major crimes - including those involving children. From the infamous Myra Hindley to the shocking recent case of paedophile Vanessa George, society is both fascinated and horrified by the minds of women involved in these most serious crimes - especially when they involve abuse of children. How could a woman do such things? In a talk called 'the woman's right to be evil', Dr Gwen Adshead, consultant psychotherapist at Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital, who works with the violent and the mentally disturbed, attempts to confront some of the most uncomfortable implications of our attitudes to violent women This programme contains some disturbing images of violent crimes.

Programme Website
More episodes