Woman's Hour - 16/07/2009

With Jenni Murray. The letters that John Keats wrote to Fanny Brawne over the course of their relationship are some of the most famous love letters ever written. Discovered following Brawne's death in 1865, they caused a furore among critics and admirers who were shocked at their candour. Jenni is joined by Jennifer Taylor, the actress playing Fanny in a production at Keats House in Hampstead, to discuss the letters and the couple's ill-fated romance. Why should you have to retire if you don't want to? Two charities are taking the UK government to the High Court to try and get the over-65s the right to stay in their jobs. Woman's Hour finds out more about the pitfalls and pleasures of working in your latter years. Celebrating the iconic black American singer 'Sister' Rosetta Tharpe, whose career was torn between her gospel roots and her crowd-pleasing performances. Also: Neil Jackson's childhood had already been rocked by a family accident, but his family were close and supportive and they pulled through. Then, in January 1976, the news came that his mother had been murdered, and the perpetrator was the man who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe. She was his second victim, and 17-year-old Neil had to endure the continuing news reports and publicity that covered many more victims. He also had to come to terms with the realisation that his beloved mother had turned to prostitution. A new book shows what happened to Neil once the lurid headlines faded away and tells his story, with the help of criminologist Jane Carter Woodrow. They both join Jenni.