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Episode details

Radio 4,12 Jan 2017,45 mins

Barbara Taylor Bradford, Teeth, Silent treatment, Thrift

Woman's Hour

Available for over a year

Barbara Taylor Bradford has written 31 bestselling novels and her first, A Woman of Substance, is ranked in the top ten bestselling books of all time. It was adapted into a Channel 4 mini-series in 1985 and the final episode drew 13.8 million viewers, which remains the channel's highest ever audience. A season of films based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's novels will begin on January 16th. Barbara talks to Jenni about the enduring popularity of her novels. In another item from the Woman's Hour archive, first broadcast in 1968, Kay Evans talks to women trade unionists about the position of working women during the centenary week of the Trades Union Congress. Cutting back is the latest in our New Year series on good habits. Jenni talks to the financial journalist Michelle McGagh, who set herself a challenge of not spending any money for a whole year and Helga Dittmar, a psychologist who conducts studies into the link between consumer-culture and happiness. Tooth decay is the leading cause of child hospital admissions. There were more than 40,000 operations under general anaesthesia to remove multiple teeth in children and teenagers last year. Jenni discusses the extent of the problem with Claire Stevens, NHS consultant in paediatric dentistry and spokesperson for the British Dental Association. A couple in Japan made news headlines when it emerged that they had not spoken for 20-years, despite bringing up children and sharing a house. The husband admitted that he had been "sulking" about the amount of attention his wife gave the children. Jenni speaks to Penny Mansfield, director of relationships charity OnePlusOne and to author Harry Benson about what happens when communication in a relationship breaks down.

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