Riki Lindhome, Dutch appeal, Student loans, Author Lucy Apps

This episode of Woman's Hour explores deeply personal and societal issues affecting women today. Rikki Lindholm, the acclaimed comedian and actor, shares the emotional journey behind her one-woman show 'Dead Inside,' which candidly details her decade-long struggle with infertility, the emotional toll of baby loss, and her eventual path to motherhood via surrogacy. Her story sheds light on the societal silence around pregnancy loss and the pressure women face to 'keep calm and carry on' without processing grief. The programme then turns to a harrowing international case in the Netherlands, where police launched a social media campaign to identify victims of a man who used sextortion to blackmail teenage girls into sharing explicit images—highlighting the urgent need for digital safety education. A powerful discussion follows on student loan debt, with Amy Brooker revealing her own £90,000 debt and explaining how women are disproportionately impacted due to lower earnings, time out of work for childcare, and longer repayment periods. Economist Kate Ogden adds context on the Plan 2 loan system, while listeners share their own anxieties about debt. Finally, author Lucy Apps discusses her debut novel 'Gloria Don't Speak,' a tender and complex portrayal of a woman with learning disabilities navigating love and abuse, challenging societal assumptions about agency and representation. The episode closes with a call to action for listeners to share their experiences with student loans as part of a government inquiry.