Philippa Perry, Antisemitism, Undiagnosed children, Simone Pennant

Philippa Perry, Antisemitism, Undiagnosed children, Simone Pennant

From Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

April 30, 2026 · 57 min

About this episode

Philippa Perry discusses her novel and the rise of antisemitism in the UK, along with the challenges faced by undiagnosed children.

Shrink Solves Murder is the first novel by the artist and psychotherapist Philippa Perry. She talks to Anita Rani about her new book and protagonist Patricia Philipps, who like Philippa is also a psychotherapist. However the similarity ends when Patricia turns sleuth after one of her patients turns up dead. Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green in north London yesterday, in an incident police are treating as a terrorist incident. The attack took place in an area with a large Jewish population and comes amid a wider rise in antisemitic incidents across the UK. The government’s independent adviser on terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, has said attacks targeting Jewish people now represent "the biggest national security emergency" in almost a decade. To talk more about the impact on families, children and communities we are joined by Debbie Fox, the chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, which represents the largest Jewish organisations in the UK. The NHS says there are around 6,000 children born each year in the UK with genetic conditions so rare they remain undiagnosed and unnamed. This group of children, known as SWAN children, Syndromes Without A Name…

People in this episode

Host: Anita Rani

Guests: Philippa Perry, Debbie Fox, Anna Jewitt, Lucy Michaels, Tali Drumgoon

Topics covered

  • psychotherapy
  • antisemitism
  • undiagnosed children
  • community impact
  • crime fiction

Keywords

  • Philippa Perry
  • antisemitism
  • undiagnosed children
  • psychotherapy
  • Golders Green

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jewish Leadership Council

Books & works: Shrink Solves Murder

Places: Golders Green, UK

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