Ageism on TV still exists

We are too obsessed with age. Read any newspaper report, about absolutely anything, and it will report the age of everyone concerned when it's totally irrelevant! e.g.
Cat stuck up a tree: Mrs Bloggs, (63) phoned the Fire and Rescue service to help a cat, Tibbles (three years old) down from a 100 year old oak tree. The cat's owner, Mr Jones (37) was very grateful to Fire Officer Tracey (25) for her bravery.... Yada, yada, yada...

Who cares how old these people are? Everyone! That's who! We all want to form an idea of who people are and judge them according to our preconceived ideas of how people of any age should look and behave.

But so many of us fall into that trap. We say we're too old to do this or that. We start wearing old lady clothes and get our hair permed!

Rant over ?

I would be quite happy to be like Jen's mum. The other one is an interesting character. I think the programme people have got it right.

I didn't watch 'Cold Feet' but your post has really given me food for thought. I'm writing a book about 3 women, one in their 20's, another 40's and Alma who is in her mid 60's who form an unlikely friendship. Alma's husband has left her just as he was about to retire and she is unable to accept it to the extent that she actually stalks him. After reading this post, I've decided that the other women will give Alma a makeover and introduce her to other forms of dating. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them. I'm 72 but still young at heart!

wasn't the programme highlighting the, possible, symptoms of a stroke? Mother wasn't getting drunk she was leading up to this event - something we should all be aware of.

Brilliant programme - execellent observations of life and all it throws at us

In 2017, Tory MP Rachel Maclean asked 'what is wrong' with women aged 65 starting an apprenticeship (on £3.50 an hour). Guy Opperman (Pensions sec) said there were plenty of apprenticeships for over-60 women. Another suggested that post-Brexit, pensioners (instead of E European labour) earn their pension by picking fruit.
We're figures of derision indeed

I also didn’t like the depiction of the mothers in Cold Feet
last night, in fact there was a rather nasty remark Karen made to her mother that made me wince.

Sitcoms rely on stereotypes, though. They have half an hour or so to get through the storylines, and do it by using short-cuts to make their points. Young people, men, women, gay people etc also get stereotyped.

What I find a lot worse is in more general programmes such as Jeremy Vine (on TV - I don't listen to him on the radio). He constantly refers to boomers, millennials etc, and distances himself from the 'boomer' category, although he is about 5 years younger. 'As a millennial, Storm . . ' comes up in most of his shows. Storm is an intelligent young woman who can think for herself, not 'as a millennial'.

All of this suggests that people behave in line with others of their generation, when a cursory glance at places like Gransnet shows that there are as many differences in opinion/lifestyle/outlook as there are similarities.

When news media portray WASPI women, they attach a photo of women who look a lot nearer 90, very wrinkly, old-lady clothes. I promise though I'm close to 70, none of my contemporaries look like that

TV sitcoms have to be the worst when it comes to portraying the elderly although there are without a doubt many we can recognise in every day life.It makes me look at myself thinking ' hope I don't get like that then in the same instance thinking maybe I am like that.

Well good luck to all those who joke of the elderly because there is no surer thing, they will be one of them in time.

Something else comes to mind. My mum decided to go back to work when she was 50. She went for a job interview in an office. The young man said he could offer her the job but thought she would be like a fish out of water working with young people. She completely lost her confidence at that remark and didn't take the job. What a s**t he was.

Silly me, Theresa May!
Not a comedy act at all.

The Graduate was a good film
And good books were Collette's Cheri and The Last of Cherie.
On radio we had Lilian in The Archers, who had a toy boy some time ago. But I think Brenda, Mike's daughter lured him away. Those examples are all quite a while ago. I am trying to think of anything more recent.
Older women being respected though and in powerful jobs...Mrs Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir.
Oh, Elizabeth Warren is 70. If she made it and won....

I saw something on Facebook where people take the Micky out of those that appear in local papers. One guy commented "I know we like to make fun of the wrinklies, but in this case he had a good point". I thought that said it all. Older people are figures of derision.

I absolutely agree with you Hollysteers.
I watched ‘Cold Feet’ on Monday and by the end of the programme I felt really angry and vowed never to watch the programme again.
The older mothers were portrayed as pathetic and stupid.
I especially hated the scene where Karen and Jenny have to go back to the petrol station because they have left Jenny’s mother behind...presumably because she had spent too long in the loo.
She was collected like some piece of old rubbish. Both women thought they were so funny making derogatory patronising comments about their mothers.
Awful...just awful...cringe making and not at all funny.

Coronation Street has very good older characters

I think that some writer's ideas of how elderly people behave is a good few years out of date!
I can remember my grandmother, at the time in her 60s, behaving like the two mothers when shopping. I also had a great aunt that as she got into her 70s and beyond, had absolutely no filter - her mouth often worked quicker than her brain!

"All Those Women" BBC Radio 4Extra is currently running (on Sundays) and is a non-patronising/non-insulting/non-stereotyping gentle comedy revolving around 4 female generations of the same family finding themselves living under the same roof due to uncontrollable circumstances.

Recommended.

Ageism is not new. When I started a new job , one of the young girls I worked with informed me all old people should leave jobs for younger ones. When I asked her what age she regarded as old she replied 40. She wasn't the least bit embarrassed when I told her I was 43.

I watched Cold Feet and didn't get that impression at all. Karen's mother was portrayed as being really horrible not as a blithering idiot. Jen's mum was having a great time dancing with her daughter. However I have seen other programmes whereby older people are treated as stupid and I think it is an accepted fact that as you get older you get more stupid which is true in some cases. I went on a coach trip a few years ago and there were lots of old people on it who laughed at nothing and kept shouting out silly comments to the driver. It was so cringeworthy I vowed never to go on another one! On the other hand the young people I work with don't treat me or my older colleagues any differently and seem to like hanging out with us. We always go on nights out together etc. When I was young my friends and I would never consider socialising with older people. But if someone sets up an "Oldies Lib" I'll be up for it!

And the mothers-in-law in particular are always singled out, their arrival a calamity!

My daughter makes comments about my IT skills. Which aren't perfect. I don't find intuitive IT intuitive, for example.

BUT I am a qualified Apple teacher and use tech everyday in my teaching. As opposed to sitting on a mobile phone. I don't bother arguing. One of us is earning a fortune, the other isn't.

I agree about Cold Feet. I found the way the two mothers were portrayed uncomfortable and found myself wondering if that's how my two daughters thought of me. When we used to visit from Spain we stayed with them and now I wonder if they thought us a nuisance and were glad to see us go.

Exactly Calendargirl! Well said M0nica I too think it's time we have some 'Older people's lib', all the other groups are getting recognition except us!

And of course, ageing male actors, quite hunky in years gone by, still in parts where they have a very attractive wife/girlfriend half their age. Whereas ageing actresses are portrayed as sad old things scraping by with the occasional toy boy or gigolo.