Friendship

Available for over a year

Woman's Hour and Men's Hour collaborate on a programme about friendship; particularly the friendship that exists between men and women and the different way that the two genders approach platonic relationships. 25 years ago, the film When Harry Met Sally asked the question, can men and women ever be friends? So has anything changed in past quarter of a century or is this question as relevant as it was in 1989? Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison have been best-friends for ten years and join Jane Garvey, Tim Samuels and broadcaster Geoff Lloyd to explain the benefits of having a close friend of the opposite sex. Mark Vernon, author of "The Meaning of Friendship", and Relate Ambassador and relationship psychologist Anjula Mutanda join us to explore why friendship is so important to us and the factors at play when we choose our closest friends. And what happens when friendship is pushed to its limits? Simon Speakman Cordall explains why his friendship survived an extraordinary test and Vanessa Feltz examines why her friendships fell apart in the wake of her divorce. Presenters: Jane Garvey and Tim Samuels Producers: Laura Northedge and Will Cantopher.