Woman's Hour - 08/04/2010

Presented by Jenni Murray. Jodhi May got her acting break at the age of 12, when a casting director came to her school. She was chosen for a role in the film A World Apart, and shared the best-actress award with Barbara Hershey at the Cannes Film Festival in 1988. She's also appeared in Last of the Mohicans, and lately in the TV drama Blood and Oil. She joins Jenni to discuss her latest theatre role - a woman living with a psychological condition - in the very dark comedy Polar Bears. The general election will see the largest turnover of MPs for more than six decades, with more than 140 MPs standing down. As they leave Westminster, we talk to women who've stamped their own mark on the national consciousness. Earlier this week, we heard from the independent Labour MP Clare Short, and in the second of our exit interviews, Jenni is joined by former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe to talk about 23 years in the House and life after Parliament. Next week we hear from Labour MP Ann Cryer. How much are we influenced by our parents' tendencies to angst about getting to the airport three hours before check-in, or their conviction that danger lurks around every corner? The writer Emma Kennedy joins Jenni to discuss how she's tried to shed some of her parents' pet fears, whilst psychologist Terri Apter explores the part worry plays within mother-daughter relationships. Last week one woman launched a billboard poster campaign showing her in her bra and using the phrase "Hello Boys" in a direct appeal to political party leaders. She was hoping to catch their attention for her cause - making help for those with autism feature on their election manifestos. This week we've seen Cancer Research and TK Maxx launch a campaign with naked celebrities asking us to give up our clothes. Polly Tommey talks about why she made her ad in the way she did, and Jenni is joined by communications professor Angela McRobbie and Joseph Petyan from the advertising agency J Walter Thompson to discuss how far is too far in getting your message across.