Since 1882 Fenwick has proudly empowered generations of women through the circus of life. To mark our 140th Anniversary, we are launching a 10-part podcast series 'The Woman Who...' with narrator Zawe Ashton. The actor will be taking a deep dive into the lives of some of Britain’s most inspirational female trailblazers, uncovering the tales of the true pioneers of music, literature, performing arts and fashion. These women have defied convention, broken boundaries and pushed the outer limits of what is possible. They are the real influencers of their time.

The first episode will air on March 24th, with a new instalment unveiled every Thursday. Each 10-minute episode will focus on a British woman who lived during the 140 years with Zawe talking you through their accolades and inspiring achievements. Written by an acclaimed writer, Hannah Jewell, every episode is a chapter of a storybook that could inspire anyone to realise their unique potential.

###### Episode 1: Lucy Christiana - The Woman Who…Conquered the catwalk These days hundreds of fashion brands compete for our attention…and our business, but in the early 1900s there was one name in women’s fashion that had truly global appeal. The label was Lucile, and the woman behind this burgeoning couture empire was Lucy Christiana. In the first instalment of this series, we discover how a penniless single mother rose to become the foremost fashion designer of her day, how she dreamed up the pre-cursor to the modern fashion show and how a fateful trip onboard The Titanic almost derailed her career.

###### Episode 2: Michaela Coel - The Woman Who…Knows Her Worth Michaela Coel is a creative force to be reckoned with. Award winning screenwriter, actor, producer, singer, and with her genre shattering TV series ‘I May Destroy You’ she is also a distinctive voice who has made audiences on both sides of the pond, sit up and take notice. In this episode we’ll discover how a shy young girl from East London made history as the first black woman to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series and who turned down a million dollar deal so she could keep creative control.

###### **Episode 3: Daphne Oram - The Woman Who…Made Music Electronic** Without Daphne Oram, most of the music we hear today would not exist. Through her ground breaking sound experiments working as a BBC Studio Engineer in the 1950s, Daphne became the founding mother of electronic music. And in this episode we discover how a mystical experience set her on the path to musical greatness and how the establishment resisted her progress every step of the way...

###### **Episode 4: Ruth Hansom - The Woman Who….Cooked Off the Competition** Cookery and competition aren’t easy skills to master but Ruth Hansom has perfected both in her brief but stellar cooking career. In this episode we’ll be turning up the temperature as we explore the rise of one of Britain’s youngest cooking prodigies: from cookery contests as a teenager to working at the Ritz, creating ‘makeaways’ during the pandemic to running her own kitchen. And all of it before the age of 25.

###### **Episode 5: Helena Normanton - The Woman Who…Changed the Courts** As one of the first female barristers in the 1920s, Helena Normanton blazed a trail through the courts. The first woman to lead a case at the high court, the first woman to obtain a divorce for her client, the first to prosecute a murder trial. And in this episode we discover how Helena’s achievements improved the lives of generations of women despite a hostile press and suspicious male colleagues who threatened to scupper her meteoric rise.

###### Episode 6: Margaret Busby - The Woman Who…Gave Writers a Voice In 1960s London, the publishing industry was a closed shop until Margaret Busby came along and started making waves. In this episode we discover the remarkable story of Britain’s first black female publisher who after meeting her business partner at a party, set up the A&B publishing house, and went on to launch the careers of dozens of writers, and over the next 40 years becoming one of the most influential publishers in the UK.

###### **Episode 7: Ellen Terry - The Woman Who….Took Centre Stage** Ellen Terry was the most celebrated actress of her age. Starting as a child actress in the late 1800s Ellen went on to steal the limelight in dozens of theatre productions in the UK and America. Terry was a leading lady for over 30 years but her private life was almost as colourful as her professional one. In this episode we explore the remarkable life of one of Britain’s first celebrities - unlucky in love but adored by the masses.

###### **Episode 8: Vivienne Westwood - The Woman Who…Pioneered Punk** From working class primary school teacher to international fashion icon, Westwood’s rebellious style has made her a defining force of British style and culture for over 50 years. In this episode we’ll discover how Dame Vivienne Westwood burst onto the scene with her shop SEX in late 70s and how her provocative designs helped to define the punk scene, eventually cementing her place as an architect of British cultural history.

**Episode 9: Lilian Bland - The Woman Who…Flew to Great Heights** At the turn of the century, whilst wealthy women were preoccupied with socially acceptable pursuits such as needlework and gossip, Irish journalist Lilian Bland was busy hunting, fishing, practising jujitsu…and building her own plane. In this episode we uncover how a postcard from her uncle inspired the unconventional and fearless Lilian to construct The Mayfly (as in it may fly) the first plane in the world to be built and flown by a woman.

Subscribe to 'The Woman Who...' podcast series [here](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-woman-who/id1612825720?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=podcast_box_link) and follow our social channels for new episode announcements as we reveal one incredible woman at a time.