The Real Marigold Hotel

Where son lives alcohol isn't exactly banned - there's a posh hotel there where you can buy beer and wine, but at a price, and most people are too poor .
What is easily available though are drugs like tranquillisers and sleeping tablets, there was a small kiosk in the village where you could get those without prescription. Which I was glad of - I slept badly at first, a sleeping tablet sorted that out.

You're welcome Wilma

Thanks for correcting me rubylady, I must have misheard. I thought the narrator said Rosemary was the youngest at 65. Mind you, I want to call Rosemary Audrey for some reason, so there's no hope!

Patti Boulaye is the youngest at 61.

Jan lived near us many years ago and she had a nice but fairly ordinary cottage - and a very snazzy sports car!
DH used to say 'ooh, that's Jan Leeming in front of us'! and speed up a bit.
Very glamorous. (Unlike me).

merlotgran some Indian states ban alcohol altogether and I don't think wine drinking is very widespread so I suppose you could buy it but perhaps it wouldn't be that easy to come by.
I expect rich furriners could source some decent Merlot and they could afford it!

Eloethan The average age is 73 and Rosemary is the youngest at 65. Bobby used to be enormous and lost weight years ago on a reality show about celebrities dieting (DH watched it), but he's put some back on. I thought Jan looked quite frail when they were outside. They don't look the healthiest bunch of oldies!

The idea of the programme is they sample the retired life, they're not pretending that they've retired there.

I doubt if they're all wealthy. MM definitely is and Bobby, Wayne, Patti and Sylvester are probably pretty comfortably off. But I doubt if Jan is and we heard Rosemary say she could not afford to retire yet. Not sure about Roy, but I suspect most of them see it as a free holiday.

Jalima Why would there be a relative lack of a glass of wine or have I misunderstood your post?

In the days of the Raj, British families decamped to cooler regions during the summer months so if you have the means to retire to another country why would you choose somewhere that's stiflingly hot?

I really enjoyed it too. I liked the chap who was the darts player - I thought he made some very insightful remarks.

My husband went to India for the first time a few years ago and found it quite a culture shock and not as he had expected. He hadn't realised that Delhi has such a cold winter or that the air quality is so bad. I have never been keen to go because almost everyone I know who has been there has been ill. I don't have much of a spirit of adventure!

My Indian friends all say that the heat at the height of summer is absolutely unbearable. I don't think I could stand it. I don't think I would want to live somewhere where the gap between rich and poor is so overwhelmingly unjust.

The celebrities on the programme weren't really that old and yet several of them seemed to be very overweight and in quite poor health. I'm wondering whether it might be quite dangerous to be exposed to such high temperatures when you're carrying all that extra weight.

I met MM when she gave a reading at our library and she was great fun, a real one off.

If you enjoy the occasional glass of wine with an evening meal, the relative lack of it could prove to be a stumbling block if you're thinking of retiring there.

sorry,

I think the squits would get me down [-grin]
(my own, I mean)

Bobby George looks as though he is at death's door - I hope the heat and the squits do not finish him off!

Just watching the recording. It is clearly very contrived; but it is interesting to see the scenery etc. Let us hope it does not just become a sort of Indian big brother.

Thoroughly enjoyed the first episode. Not too sure about retiring there, although I'm fascinated by the culture and history of India and would love to visit. Looking forward to the next one.

For a start, most of them have spouses or partners.

We aren't supposed to believe that they've really retired there...

A party of wealthy celebs, who have probably amassed more than enough dosh to support themselves adequately in the UK, are unlikely to feel the need to retire to the Third World, unless the idea of having a host of subservient cleaners, drivers, and other domestics to wait on them hand and foot gives them an undeserved feeling of superiority.
MM must have someone looking after all her needs if she refuses to do anything for herself. Someone must rince out her knickers and vacumn round once in a while.
Afraid I thought this was pure fantasy, giving some aging celebs the chance to earn a last few quid, to enable them to support their declining years in the UK.

Yes I enjoyed it, as much for the mad characters as for the beauty a and contrasts of India. MM is very eccentric, a real Dickensian .I understand she is a Dickensian expert ; seems to have rubbed off. Rosemary would drive me mad....a person who insists on over organizing regardless of the talents of others. Shall watch again.

Good programme, varied mix of celebs. Loved the colour and warmth aspects and seeing the yoga and relaxation some tried out. I'll definitely watch again.

I missed the programme, so can't comment on the characters - it will be interesting to see how it develops.
Our second son lives there, and I've visited twice. They're up in the mountains in the SE. The Indian people I met were lovely, and they seem to have a similar sense of humour to the British. All those I met spoke english.
But the climate is difficult - apart from the heat, many areas have the monsoons, nonstop rain for weeks.
And the class differences I found upsetting - a level of poverty we have no concept of in the West. About the level of the Calais "jungle."
Personally I wouldn't want to retire there - son has said we could come and live with them, but they have no room, and it's very "different."
But I would love to go back.

I've had to catch up with it on iPlayer so I'm half way through.

Aren't the bedrooms lovely?

I went to India to visit my son in the 90's and it doesn't look as though much has changed! I don't think I'd like to retire there, really.

It'll be interesting to see how all the characters get on as the weeks go by. I guess they're sort of 'honeymoon happy' for now.

One of my dd's and I went to see MM speak about her new book last year. As others are saying here, she was fascinating to listen to but I was not sure I liked her.