Line-up

Thursday 10 October - The Exchange, Twickenham

For the first time ever, Jude will be interviewing her own daughter on stage. Caroline Bird is an award-winning poet and playwright and you can expect a funny and frank conversation on parenting and creativity. Jude will also be joined by stylist and sustainability advocate Aja Barber - who you might have seen at WOW Manchester - and inspiring local heroes, alongside a special reading by Academy Award-winning actor Vanessa Redgrave. Natalie O’Rourke runs Park Lane Stables, providing opportunities and a safe haven for people with additional needs, and tirelessly campaigned to raise over £1million to secure a permanent location. Jill Lorimer is Head of Campaigns for Women’s Equality Party Richmond, which hosts a monthly vigil on Twickenham Green calling for an end to violence against women and girls. Shashi and Pallu Patel run Meet and Deep Newsagents and are at the heart of their local community, offering a warm space and a personal connection to those who might not find it elsewhere. The line-up will also include a performance from bagpiper Millie Scott.

Friday 11 October - The Theatre, Chipping Norton

Jude will be joined by the Queen of Shops herself, broadcaster and businesswoman Mary Portas - a Cotswolds local! They will also be chatting to two incredible local women - Lisa Ward and Lela Burbridge. A survivor of sexual and domestic abuse, Lisa Ward has spent her working life attempting to improve the experiences of victim-survivors. Having previously worked at Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre she now works as a freelance consultant, amplifying the voices of others with lived experience of violence and abuse. Lela Burbridge is a Ugandan born author, and the founder of The Lela Initiative, a company that support aspiring women writers and promotes a reading culture within communities in Uganda. There'll also be traditional Levantine dancing with Lana Al-Shami.

Saturday 12 October - Brighton Dome Studio

Brighton local and beauty expert Sali Hughes will join Jude and writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch with a bumper line-up of local heroes from Brighton and the surrounding area. Joyce Coomber Sewell is a student at the University of Brighton where she mentors fellow autistic students, is a multi-generational carer, all whilst completing a PhD examining why it is so difficult for older women to obtain an autism diagnosis, and running two businesses which focus on the autistic community. Ceyda Tanc has established an incredible all female dance company which challenges traditional gender representation in dance and highlights the intersection of cultures in modern Britain, influenced by her Turkish heritage. Molly Mathieson is the founder of New Note Orchestra in Brighton, an award winning charity which support people affected by addiction, homelessness and challenging mental health through music, storytelling and dance. CarolynnBain was named British Bookseller of the Year in 2023. Her passion to see diversity in a city she loves dearly, and to change the narrative for many black and brown children, led her to create the award-winning bookshop Afrori Books in 2020, specialising in books by black authors.

Sunday 13 October - York Theatre Royal

For the final night of The WOW Show, Jude will be joined by Everyday Sexism founder, author and activist Laura Bates and writer and broadcaster Kieran Yates for an conversation covering everything from tackling misogyny on social media to the housing crisis. Local heroes Abigail Gaines and Shamim Eimaan complete the line-up. Abigail Gaines founded the award-winning ‘Make Space for Girls’ project, based in Rowntree park. The project aims to address the drop off in park usage as girls enter their teenage years, and to make them places where older girls and women are empowered to be themselves. Shamim Eimaan was a child refugee - she was born in Uganda, grew up in Birmingham and moved to York in 1986. Her desire is to empower under-represented communities, improve wider understanding of other backgrounds and cultures and to bring communities together. Her recent projects include Uganda50 York, Chat Adoption York, Refugee Week Traditional Ladies night, and the first ever York Health Mela. We’ll also have poetry by Sharena Lee Satti and a final bagpipe performance by Millie Scott.

This show will be BSL Interpreted.

Produced by WOW - Women of the World in partnership with esk Productions.

Please note, WOW events will cover a variety of topics, some that may address sensitive or adult themes. We ask that parents/guardians use their discretion when attending with children under the age of 14.