Radio choice Charlotte Runcie

 All this week, Woman’s Hour is examining the menopause and how it affects women’s lives. The discussion are centred on the results of a poll on the impact of the menopause on women’s work, relationships and health, which are released tomorrow. Jane Garvey and BBC Radio Sheffield’s Paulette Edwards will discuss the results in a live simulcast on that day. Today, Garvey and Jenni Murray speak to experts about ways of managing this life stage, then throughout the week they hear from listeners about their own experiences. How to Survive the Roman Empire, By Pliny and Me

RADIO 4, 10.45AM

 Actress Joanna Scanlan (The Thick of It) is among the cast for this week’s serial drama, written on a Roman theme by the talented radio dramatist Hattie Naylor and based on real events. Captured in Wales during the Roman conquest of Britain, Venta (Nigel Barrett) is now a slave in the household of Pliny the Younger. This follows his exploits at the hands of his master and the other members of the household and builds an eccentric yet atmospheric portrait of the hustle and bustle of daily life in ancient Rome.