Margaret Thatcher tops BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour Power List; Queen Elizabeth II, Theresa May miss out

BBC’s radio program ‘Radio 4’ has released its prestigious ‘Woman’s Hour Power List’ which has been topped by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The list also features stars like singer Beyonce, feminist academic Germaine Greer and a fictional character, Bridget Jones.

Surprisingly the list misses out the Queen herself Elizabeth II of the UK. The list also doesn’t feature current UK Prime Minister Theresa May.  

The Radio 4 Woman’s Hour Power List aims to celebrate seven women who’ve made the biggest impact on women’s lives over the past seven decades.

The formal announcement will be made in a programme recorded at a Buckingham Palace reception attended by The Duchess of Cornwall for marking Woman's Hour's 70th-anniversary celebrations on Wednesday.

This year on the power list, women no longer living were also considered for a place on the list for the first time. This time woman other than from the UK were also considered for the list if to see if their impact in the UK could be demonstrated.

In finalising the top seven names on the list, the judges considered a woman’s body of work or her role as a catalyst for change over the past 70 years with also keeping in mind their impact on the society at the present time.

The judging panel for the 2016 list has been once again chaired by Emma Barnett, journalist and presenter of BBC 5 Live Daily with other judges comprising Karren Brady, business leader and life peer, Ayesha Hazarika, former Labour adviser and commentator, Abi Morgan, award-winning screenwriter, Jill Burridge, former editor of Woman’s Hour; and Julia Hobsbawm, Founder, Editorial Intelligence.

The Woman’s Hour Power List, which launched in 2013 have featured 100 most powerful women in the UK and had been headed by the Queen.

In 2015, the theme of the list was ‘The Power to Influence’ with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon heading the list.

The 2016 Woman’s Hour Power List is as follows:

1. Margaret Thatcher

2. Helen Brook

3. Barbara Castle

4. Germaine Greer

5. Jayaben Desai

6. Bridget Jones

7. Beyoncé