Gillian Anderson; In celebration of aunts; Punk's influence on fashion

Next Monday Gillian Anderson stars as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson in The Fall, a new investigative, psychological thriller set in Belfast.  Written by Allan Cubitt, who also wrote Prime Suspect, she talks to Jenni about what attracted her to the role, her new US drama Hannibal and as The X Files celebrates its 20th anniversary why it was so successful. 

The Fall starts on BBC 2 starting on Monday 13th May at 9pm.

‘I have always maintained the importance of aunts,” wrote Jane Austen in a letter to her niece.  However, aunts in literature have always come in for a variety of treatments, some are warm and endearing but often they are seen as judgemental and intimidating.  As anthologist Anne Harvey’s selection of poems called “Ten Poems about Aunts” is published, Jenni Murray talks to Vona Groarke from the creative writing centre at Manchester University and Polly Atkin from the University of Lancaster about aunts in literature.  Are they unfairly treated by their creators or are they reflecting real life?

According to the United Nations Population Fund, at least 200 million women want to use safe and effective family planning methods, but are unable to do so because they lack access to information and services or the support of their husbands and communities. It is also known that a quarter of women who become pregnant each year have abortions but many of these are done in secret and are performed under unsafe conditions. Even though it is an economically sound investment, family planning has been losing ground as an international development priority.  To discuss the importance of family planning in development, parliamentarians from around the world are meeting at the Houses of Parliament today. Jenni is joined by two of the delegates – Baroness Jenny Tonge, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health and by Dr Hedy Fry, a former Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women in the Canadian government.

This week Hollywood stars embraced punk at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Gala in New York.  The ball was celebrating the opening of the museum’s fashion exhibition “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” at its Costume Institute.  It’s nearly 40 years since Malcolm McLaren’s boutique in the King’s Road called “SEX” and Vivienne Westwood’s clothes shaped the punk scene in Britain which was dominated by McLaren’s band, the Sex Pistols.  Yet although the punk era was short lived it’s influence on the fashion industry has continued to this day.   Oonagh O’Hagan from Central St Martin’s School of Art and Caroline Cox discuss punk’s enduring legacy.