Fatherhood, Laura Mulvey, Women’s football stadiums

As part of the Radio 4 Fatherhood season, Clare McDonnell and her guests discuss the role of fatherhood in men’s lives. Darren Harriott is a 37-year-old comedian and presenter of Father Figuring. Darren has now lived longer than his dad, who took his own life while in prison, and he is questioning would he be a good dad? What even makes a good dad? They are joined by Dr Robin Hadley who has written a book looking at why men, like himself, do not become fathers.

In 2016 Natalie Queiroz was stabbed 24 times by her partner while she was eight months pregnant. He is currently nine years into an 18 year sentence for attempted murder and attempted child destruction. Natalie and her unborn daughter nearly died. Earlier this year she learned that changes by the Ministry of Justice meant that her attacker could be transferred to an open prison many years earlier than she had expected.  She's been campaigning against this but has recently learned his application for a transfer has been approved. Clare hears from Natalie and Ellie Butt from Refuge.

Laura Mulvey, filmmaker and pioneering feminist theorist, first coined the term ‘the male gaze’. The British Film Institute’s Fellowship is a pretty starry list – Bette Davis, Martin Scorsese, Judi Dench, Tilda Swinton, Christopher Nolan, Tom Cruise....to name a few and now Laura has been added to that prestigious list.

Tomorrow Women’s Super League Football will officially unveil Design Guidelines for the Delivery of Elite Women’s Stadiums in England – a world first framework supporting clubs, local authorities, and architects in building or upgrading venues specifically for their women’s teams. They say the rapid growth of the women’s game has demonstrated that football venues, historically built and designed for male players and fans, need to be better equipped to cater towards the specific needs of female athletes and supporters. Hannah Buckley, Head of Infrastructure, Safety and Sustainability for WSL football and Suzy Wrack, women’s football correspondent for the Guardian discuss.

Presenter: Clare McDonnell Producer: Kirsty Starkey