That's Esther ...

By Tony Watts - Editor - 08/08/2008

Arguably no-one has done more for consumer power than Esther Rantzen. After cutting her TV-journalistic teeth on “The Braden Beat”, she became part of our staple television diet on “That’s Life” which ran for a staggering 21 years – drawing in audiences of more than 18 million.

What was fascinating about the programme was the balance it achieved: footage of Alsatians drinking soda water one minute, taking electricity boards to task the next, then searing coverage on life and death issues. Anyone who watched the coverage of young Ben Hardwick’s poignant fight for life as he waited for a liver transplant with dry eyes was lacking tear ducts.

There were some other elements of the programme that never failed to entertain, and one of those was the ubiquitous interview with Annie Mizen. Somehow Annie, then in her eighties, was always in Shepherd’s Bush Market when the TV crew turned up looking for opinions on the issues of the day. But why was she the one Esther always picked on? As she writes in her new book “If Not Now, When”, she was one of life’s naturals. “Youngsters were no good for my purpose. They were too self-conscious: if I asked them a question they either giggled or ran away. The middle aged were no better: they were too self-important and busy to stop for me.

“So I concentrated on the over sixties, who had time to talk to me, and were guaranteed to tell me exactly what they thought, without fear or favour. They had opinions on every subject, and if other people disagreed, so much the worse for them. Why should they care what anyone else thought? They were original and entertaining, and our viewers loved them.”

As someone who receives hundreds of letters and emails each month from older people - in turn moving, captivating, opinionated and inspiring - I can only concur.
So now Esther is on a new mission: to persuade older people to feel good about themselves. Her new book is a celebration of what we can achieve and contribute in later years, while the new website which she is helping to promote – www.fiftyforward.co.uk - has been developed by the largest e-learning network of its kind in the world.

 

It recognises that people can easily divide after 50 between those who are optimistic about the future and ready for new challenges, and those who are fearful about what life holds next. The site provides information and inspiration designed to help both sides of the divide.

So why make this stand now? “It’s exactly what I’m feeling at the moment,” says Esther. “On the one hand we really need to pay closer attention to the needs of people aged 50 and over and understand our real value in these ageist times. But we also need to seek out fun, excitement and challenge - and get more out of life.

 

“Part of the problem is how we see ourselves – our own self-image can stop us feeling positive. But that’s also partly because everything is so focussed on younger people. We end up thinking we’re invisible, past our sell-by date. But older people are in a position to do so much – and to give so much back. And the website goes into the opportunities there are for doing that.”

 

She points out the huge numbers of people pursuing new hobbies and pursuits, taking degree courses and doing volunteer work.

And she too has a new string to her bow. She has trained to become a counsellor on Childwatch, the charity she set up herself following the programmes she made highlighting the frightening extent of child abuse – in all its forms – in this country. So does she look back at this as her greatest achievement? “It’s something I was very delighted to be involved with,” she says modestly.

“And yes, it’s a tragedy that the charity is still needed and is still struggling to cope with all the calls that comes in every day. But it’s wonderful to see just how many of our volunteers are over 50. The child-grandparent relationship is very strong and older people really can play a big part in gaining the child’s confidence.”

She readily agrees that the problem of abuse is not confined to the young. “Many elderly people suffer it too,” she says, “and once again it is often at the hands of those closest to them – the people they are dependent upon. The Age Concern helpline [Action on Elder Abuse helpline on 0808 808 8141] does an excellent job in trying to help these people, who are frightened and calling out for help.

“But there are other ways in which they suffer too. I was in a hospital recently and watched as an elderly patient struggled to open a plastic sauce packet. There was no-one on hand to help. I’d love to see more volunteers in hospitals at mealtimes, helping to give patients back their dignity as well as making sure they don’t suffer from malnutrition.

“Let’s stop looking at older people as ‘the problem’ but as the solution, helping others with their life skills and experience - mentoring and so on.”

Part of her inspiration comes from the programme she made called “Never Too Late”. “I expected it to paint a depressing picture of old age. After all, the media shows older people as victims of crime, poverty or injustice. It wasn’t like that at all. The over 55s who lived alone often told us that they did so because they chose to. And where a younger person would have found that life boring, they said ‘absolutely not’.”

She remains critical of TV’s policy on youth – not just the fact that older presenters find it hard to keep working, but also its relentless pursuit of the younger audience, reflected in the mindless reality programmes that now fill the schedules. These days, she has the luxury of being able to pick and chose the programmes she takes on. And one coming up that promises to be fascinating is her forthcoming appearance on “Who Do You Think You Are”.

This is a programme that saw TV hardman Jeremy Paxman in tears, as he discovered how tough life must have been for his forebears. Surely she must have suffered the same fate? “My lips are sealed,” she smiles. “But it is an emotional experience. You’re standing where someone in your family stood all those years ago. That sense of location is really important. You’re linked, physically.”

Her new book looks at issues which affect so many older people’s lives – and deals with them head on … and positively. And one of those is bereavement. She, of course, had to endure her bereavement in the public eye when her husband Desmond Wilcox passed away. But she managed to turn the experience into a positive one for others who have gone through the same experience by making a programme on bereavement, challenging the attitudes that society holds towards death.

It’s still a taboo subject,” she says, “when we should be talking about it and focusing on something which will happen to us all. Yes of course people are afraid, so we need to think about having a ‘good death’ – and encouraging the wonderful work done in so many hospices. Taking away the pain and indignity where we can and replacing this with compassion. There are some excellent examples of good practice out there, such as the work done by Marie Curie and places like the Liverpool Hospice.”

But before we go too far down that road, Esther is determined to make the very most of her life. The title of her book, “If Not Now, When” is a rallying call for all older people to look at ageing positively - and for the rest of society to respect the talents, experiences and contribution of older people.

Fittingly, her book ends with Jenny Joseph’s wonderful poem that should be learned by heart by everyone determined to grow old disgracefully:

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth…”

But the last words of this article should be another telling quotation from her book, from Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for myself, then who will be? If I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?”

If not, indeed.