Women With Balls
131 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago - ★★★★★ - 20 ratingsKaty Balls speaks to women at the top of their respective games, about their passions, their battles, and what makes them tick.
Katy Balls is Deputy Political Editor of The Spectator.
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Episodes
The Emily Thornberry Edition
March 20, 2020 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBEmily Thornberry is the shadow Foreign Secretary and former contender for the Labour leadership. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her challenging childhood, what practising law taught her about politics, and her bid to succeed Jeremy Corbyn. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Prue Leith Edition
March 06, 2020 06:00 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBPrue Leith is a restaurateur, Bake Off judge, and advisor to the government's review on hospital food. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about growing up in apartheid South Africa, how she got her first Michelin star, and having breakfast with Boris Johnson in Downing St. Prue Leith will be live in conversation with her nephew Sam Leith (the Spectator's Books Editor) and her niece Peta Leith on the 24th March. Get tickets here. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Thérèse Coffey Edition
February 21, 2020 06:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBThérèse Coffey is the MP for Suffolk Coastal and the work and pensions secretary. On the podcast, she talks about her famous karaoke parties, the importance of her Catholic faith to her, and that picture from one Spectator party. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Ayesha Hazarika Edition
February 07, 2020 06:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBAyesha Hazarika is a journalist and comedian, and a former Labour advisor to Harriet Harman and Ed Miliband. On the podcast, she talks about growing up in Glasgow, vetting Ed Miliband for Prime Minister's Questions, and the stand-up jokes that bombed the most. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Joanna Cherry Edition
January 24, 2020 06:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBJoanna Cherry is the SNP's Justice and Home Affairs Spokesperson and a prolific QC, known for her successful legal challenge against the government over its decision to prorogue parliament. In the end, Boris Johnson's prorogation was declared unlawful. On the podcast, she talks to Katy about her Scottish Labour days, the misogyny she identifies in the current debate over trans rights, and taking the Prime Minister to court. Presented by Katy Balls.
Election Special: who would want to be an MP?
December 02, 2019 15:46 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBWhy would any woman want to be an MP in this general election? In recent years, parliament has been plagued by horror stories of abuse against MPs, especially female ones, with a number of them leaving the job before their time. So does parliament have a woman problem? Katy Balls speaks to a series of guests, especially a handful of the young women who are looking to join parliament this election. With Paul Goodman, Isabel Hardman, Inaya Folarin Iman, Rebecca Smith, Danielle Rowley and Clai...
The Nicky Morgan Edition
November 08, 2019 06:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MBNicky Morgan is the Secretary of State for Culture, and former Conservative MP for Loughborough. Despite her success in Boris Johnson's cabinet, she announced that she'd be standing down at this election. On the podcast, she talks about student politics in Oxford with Dan Hannan, filling in Michael Gove's shoes as Education Secretary under David Cameron, firing herself for Theresa May when the latter became Prime Minister. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Katharine Birbalsingh Edition
October 25, 2019 05:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBKatharine is the headmistress of Michaela Community School, dubbed by some as 'Britain's strictest school'. She talks to Katy about why she regrets speaking at Conservative Party Conference, her school's 'tiger teacher' philosophy, and why she would ban smartphones for everyone under the age of 18. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Lynn Barber Edition
October 11, 2019 05:00 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MBLynn Barber is an award-winning journalist known for her incisive interviews and her best-selling books An Education and How to Improve Your Man in Bed. On this episode, she talks to Katy about her lifetime of interviewing the great and the good, from Salvador Dali to Katie Price; the death threats she received from Rafa Nadal's fans; and her favourite (and least favourite) BBC journalists. Presented by Katy Balls.
Conservative party conference special: Liz Truss II
September 29, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MBLiz Truss is the Secretary of State for International Trade and holds the Women and Equalities brief. On the podcast, she talks about why Boris picked her for the job (having heard her speech about cheese exports), the limitation to trans rights, and how punchy language is all just a part of politics. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Margaret Hodge Edition
September 27, 2019 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.5 MBMargaret Hodge is the Labour MP for Barking and Dagenham, and well-known for her role as former head of the Public Accounts Committee, in which she scrutinised senior civil servants and politicians alike. She has also been one of the most vocal critics of Labour's anti-Semitism problem. On the podcast, she tells Katy about how boarding school made her rebellious, her remorse for supporting Tony Blair on Iraq, and what fighting the BNP on her own turf taught her about racism. Presented by Ka...
The Amber Rudd Edition
September 06, 2019 05:00 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBKaty talks to Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, about walking in Theresa May's shoes, No 10's SpAd jihad, and the government's whip withdrawal for the 21 Tory rebels this week. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Joan Collins Edition
August 16, 2019 04:00 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBDame Joan Collins is an actress, author, and entrepreneur. Her acting career spans three quarters of a century, including 1950s Hollywood movies, to her role as Alexis Carrington in Dynasty. In this episode, she talks to Katy about breaking into acting as a young woman, what she thinks about Love Island, and why she supports both Boris Johnson and Brexit. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Karen Pierce Edition
August 02, 2019 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBKaren Pierce is the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN. In this episode, she talks to Katy about her career ambitions when she was young, using Lewis Carroll to combat the Russians, and what day to day life is like in the UN. Presented by Katy Balls.
Lib Dem Special: Jo Swinson
July 19, 2019 05:50 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBJo Swinson is the current deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, but she's running to be leader against Ed Davey. With the Liberal Democrats' surge in the polls, Swinson's role in the coming months could be vital for Brexit. In this special edition of Women with Balls, she talks about losing her seat in 2015 after the coalition, problems with pairing in Westminster, and what she has in common with Boris Johnson. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Tracey Crouch Edition
July 12, 2019 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBTracey Crouch MP has earned a reputation for being independently minded. She has rebelled on issues from press regulation to fox hunting; and served as a sports minister until last year until she resigned over the government's stance on fixed odds betting terminals. In this episode, Tracey Crouch tells Katy about being the only student Tory in Hull, swearing at Philip Hammond, and why she's never told anyone what she voted in the Brexit referendum. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Jo Coburn Edition
June 28, 2019 05:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBBroadcaster and journalist Jo Coburn tells how German got her into journalism, what it's like to work with Andrew Neil, and what happened behind the scenes of that infamous Will Self-Mark Francois death stare. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Layla Moran Edition
June 14, 2019 05:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBLayla Moran tells Katy Balls about her childhood as a diplomat's daughter, the social life of an MP, and getting arrested at Lib Dem conference. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Claire Fox Edition
May 31, 2019 05:00 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBClaire Fox, left libertarian thinker, director and founder of the Academy of Ideas, and panellist on the Moral Maze, was this week elected as an MEP for the Brexit Party. In this episode of Women With Balls, she talks to Katy Balls about her disagreements with Nigel Farage, the prejudice she has received in green rooms, on the streets, and on social media, and the decadent perks of her new job. Presented by Katy Balls.
Nine years in Yemen - stories from a war reporter
May 17, 2019 05:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBIona Craig is an award-winning war correspondent who has been reporting from Yemen since 2010. On the podcast, Iona tells Katy about her near-death experiences, dealing with survivor's guilt, and why being a woman makes her job possible.
The Kate Hoey Edition
May 03, 2019 05:00 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBKate Hoey is a Labour MP for Vauxhall, having been in that role for 30 years. Hoey talks to Katy Balls about growing up in Northern Ireland, fighting to win her current seat in Vauxhall, and how she developed a reputation as a rebel in her party.
The Lionel Shriver Edition
April 19, 2019 05:00 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBLionel Shriver is an American journalist, author and Spectator columnist. Her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin – about a mother and her son who goes on to carry out a high school massacre – won the Orange Prize for fiction in 2005. Shriver talks to Katy Balls about why she changed her name age 15, the struggles new writers face in the digital age and what role the media plays in the gun violence debate.
The Victoria Atkins Edition
April 05, 2019 05:00 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBVictoria Atkins is a former barrister, a Conservative party MP, and a Minister at the Home Office. She talks about her legal career and her work at the Home Office creating legislation to protect women and vulnerable people. Hosted by Katy Balls.
The Kay Burley Edition
March 21, 2019 06:00 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBKay Burley is a Sky News founding member, host of The Kay Burley Show, and holds the record for hosting more hours of live television than any other news presenter. Kay tells Katy about how she 'knocked the rough edges' off her accent, her love for Jane Fonda, and why the BBC couldn't afford her these days. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Mary Curnock Cook Edition
March 07, 2019 00:00 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBMary Curnock Cook is an educationalist and former head of Ucas. On this podcast, she talks about leaving school at 16, how boys suffer from the real gender gap in education, and why it would be 'ludicrous' to abolish university tuition fees. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Andrea Leadsom Edition
February 22, 2019 00:10 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBKaty Balls talks to Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, about her childhood ambitions to prevent nuclear war, giving birth the night before a selection meeting, and going head to head with John Bercow in the Commons.
The Jess Phillips Edition
February 07, 2019 22:25 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBJoin Katy Balls as she talks to MP Jess Phillips about growing in an activist home, her life path before becoming an MP and her newfound Twitter fame. Hosted by Katy Balls.
The Sarah Baxter Edition
January 24, 2019 21:23 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBSarah Baxter is Deputy Editor of the Sunday Times. Katy talks to Sarah about what it was like to be a woman in the lobby before 'Blair's Babes', the best way to tackle sexism (she says, ignore it and go 'full speed ahead'), and whether Jeremy Corbyn is quite the Labour leader she hopes for. Presented by Katy Balls.
The Helena Morrissey Edition
January 07, 2019 17:02 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MBJoin Katy Balls as she interviews Dame Helena Morrissey - a financier, a campaigner for more women in the boardrooms, and the mother to nine children. How does she balance kids and a career? Why does she think men and women are fundamentally different? And what is the most effective way to get a raise?
The Liz Truss Edition
January 07, 2019 16:58 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBKaty Balls talks to Liz Truss, chief secretary to the Treasury, about her shameful Lib Dem past, why she loves cheese, and how The Thick Of It made her life harder.
The Emma Barnett Edition
January 07, 2019 16:54 - 29 minutes - 27.5 MBWith columnist and BBC Radio 5 Live broadcaster, Emma Barnett. Katy talks to Emma about stepping in for Andrew Marr, interviewing the Prime Minister, and how her granddad is her most loyal fan. Presented by Katy Balls.