Women in Hollywood seem to have it all. They’re rich, successful and usually gorgeous to boot. But look closer and you’ll see that even these apparently blessed people are fighting an uphill battle against sexism. The revelations of #metoo and #timesup shook Hollywood to its foundations – but behind that obviously appalling sexual predation and low pay there’s an entire, insidious belief system designed to keep women sidelined in filmmaking: they comprise fewer than 20% of lead characters and only about 10% of directors. In a good year. The figures for LGBTQ+ women, non-white women and women with disabilities are far, far worse.

Women Vs Hollywood is a new podcast that aims to explore how and why we got into this situation, and how we can make moviemaking more representative for everyone. Isn’t it embarrassing that there are fewer female screenwriters now than there were in the silent era? How can we still be arguing about whether women can lead action movies, when they led enormously successful action serials in the 1910s?

With the help of a fascinating roster of filmmakers, actors and experts, film journalist host Helen O’Hara aims to delve into the real problems faced by women in the film industry. Based on her non-fiction book of the same name, a Radio 4 Book Of The Week earlier this year, O’Hara and guests examine how far sexism in Hollywood goes, and how to change the picture.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.