Over its long history women have been mostly excluded from the Tour de France. Until recently.

In 2022, after a long campaign by some of female cycling's biggest names, the Tour de France Femmes was introduced. So how is it doing? And will it ever be on a level footing with the much older and long-established men's race?

We hear from competitors, sponsors, broadcasters and race director Marion Rousse.

Produced and presented by Lexy O'Connor

(Team Jumbo Visma rider Marianne Vos wears the yellow jersey during 3rd stage of the first Tour de France Femmes in 2022: Getty Images)

The 'pink pound' or 'pink dollar' is believed to be worth billions of dollars, and tourism is one sector looking to benefit. We find out how the industry is trying to attract LGBT travellers, with countries like Nepal taking steps to be a more appealing destination.

Plus, we head to the coastal town of Sitges in Spain, where gay people have been holidaying for more than 100 years.

Producer/presenter: Daniel Rosney

(Photo: The Nomadic Boys in New Zealand. Credit: The Nomadic Boys)

Ireland has just launched a scheme to charge a deposit on bottles and cans which is refunded when consumers return them to recycling machines in supermarkets.

The Irish have set up a non profit making company to manage the scheme, funded by the drinks making firms, which should avoid the financial problems that have dogged the industry in the United States.

Many privately owned American recycling companies are in danger of going out of business because the fee they get from state governments, under the Bottle Bill, has not been increased for years, even though their costs have soared.

Produced and presented by Russell Padmore

(Picture: Reverse vending machines for Ireland’s new deposit return recycling scheme)

We speak to the Armenian entrepreneur behind the popular photo editing app used by millions on Instagram, and by businesses too.

Mr Avoyan tells us about his childhood, growing up in a country which only gained independence when he was in his 20s. He tells us how this liberation set free his entrepreneurial spirit, and why he relocated his company from Armenia to the US.

Produced and presented by Dougal Shaw

(Image: Hovhannes Avoyan)

As modest fashion week starts in Istanbul, we look at the growth of this area of the fashion industry.

Long considered a faith-based choice, it is gaining in popularity, proven by the modest-friendly options that many leading brands now offer.

We hear the thoughts of retailers and designers on why more women are choosing to dress modestly. And content creator Maha Gondal explains how she's bringing her take on modest fashion to her thousands of followers.

Plus we look at what can go wrong when brands try to cash in on what they see as a lucrative market.

Presented and produced by Megan Lawton

(Image: Woman wearing a maxi dress with long sleeves, standing in front of a wall covered with foliage. Credit: Getty Images)

What happens when your favourite movies and TV shows fall off streaming sites?

We find out why, speaking to industry insiders, and those preserving our film and TV titles.

Plus, we speak to a US-based writer whose programme has disappeared to find out what the impact is on creators when their work no longer exists online.

(Image: Man watching TV next to a dog. Credit: Getty Images)

Presented and produced by Matt Lines

Earlier this year, on International Women's Day, the Irish electorate was asked to vote in two referendums on changing Ireland's constitution regarding family and care.

One of those questions was whether they wished to remove a reference to the role of women in the home, which some view as being out-of-step with modern Irish society.

A lot has changed since the constitution was written in 1937. Ireland is now among the highest-ranking countries in Europe for gender equality. However, in both referendums, voters rejected the bid for constitutional change.

In this programme, Leanna Byrne travels back to her home city of Dublin to explore Ireland's story when it comes to women, the family and work; speaking to Irish women about their experiences over the decades to now.

(Image: From left to right Niamh O'Reilly, Lorraine Lally and Rena Maycock, who spoke to the BBC World Service in Dublin in March 2024.)

Presented and produced by Leanna Byrne

More of us are searching for cheaper and efficient ways to power and heat our homes.

As energy prices remain high, what about taking matters into your own hands and putting solar panels on your roof, or putting a small wind turbine in your garden?

Produced and presented by Rick Kelsey

(Image: A wind turbine on a roof of a house in Amsterdam. Credit: Getty Images)

It’s estimated that 90% of traded goods travel over the oceans. But for the seafarers who make that happen, it’s not always an easy process. Thousands of incidents of corruption within the industry have been reported to the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, who in this episode, tell Ruth Alexander what they’re doing to help the problem. Seafarers can often be put in an impossible position, and one former captain tells us how he was arrested at gunpoint after refusing to hand over a carton of cigarettes to officials.

(Picture: A bird's eye view of a container ship at sea. Credit: Getty Images)

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Izzy Greenfield

As India enters election season, we look at the crucial female vote.

For decades, the number of women turning out to vote in India has been low, but that’s changed in the last decade.

Now, political parties are deliberately targeting policies at women, to try and win over this key group.

We hear from a group of women about their priorities in the 2024 general election - for the workplace, in business, and their day-to-day lives.

(Picture: A group of women in India lining up to vote. Credit: AFP)

Presented and produced by Devina Gupta

We depend on online reviews for everything from hotel and restaurant bookings, to what products to buy, and as we hear in this programme, medical and cosmetic procedures.

If a customer feels unhappy with a service they've paid for, they might want to leave a bad review. But what happens if the company they're complaining about doesn't like it?

In the UK, a cosmetic surgery company, Signature Clinic, is taking some of its former patients to court after they posted negative reviews or comments on support groups. We hear from some of them.

(Image: A surgeon putting on surgical gloves. Credit: Getty Images)

Presented and produced by Ed Butler