0:00:02 > 0:00:04I reckon we won't last till we're 73.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07It would be cruel. It would be almost criminal.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10How those four men in their 70s were doing a full day's work in there,
0:00:10 > 0:00:11I just don't know.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14I thought I was in a Russian Gulag.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18In our 60s, most of us now look forward to a pension
0:00:18 > 0:00:20and the chance to put our feet up,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22but that's all got to change.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26So we'll have airline pilots at 76 landing jumbo jets.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31As the pension age soars and we have to work into our 70s,
0:00:31 > 0:00:32will we be slow...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Why has that stopped?
0:00:34 > 0:00:36..forgetful and unreliable?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Ooh, ow. I haven't got a grip of it.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41When you get older, people think, oh, I don't need him.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44They can manage without him. You're just cast aside.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49Even if we are still raring to go, will anyone want to employ us?
0:00:49 > 0:00:52I think you need to be a younger person to handle the job.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Now, to give us a taste of the future,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00we're putting these pensioners back to work.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10How will they cope under pressure...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12- John, we need some main course plates, please.- Yeah.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Can you get onto it urgently, please?
0:01:14 > 0:01:15..with new technology...
0:01:15 > 0:01:17- Oh, my word.- Modern-day mixer.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18Oh, my word.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20..young competition...
0:01:20 > 0:01:23You don't think any job might be boring?
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Not THAT boring.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25I felt he was a little bit cocky.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28She's one of those people that doesn't like to be wrong.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30..and failing health?
0:01:30 > 0:01:33I really had to come to the conclusion, she's past it.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38In the end, who will survive,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42and will their bosses want to keep any of them on?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51I'm Margaret Mountford.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53And I'm Nick Hewer.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57As we and our friends grow older, I've begun to worry.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02As people live longer, they're going to have to work longer.
0:02:02 > 0:02:03So what does that mean?
0:02:08 > 0:02:09We've come to Preston,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13a typical city in the North West, to conduct our experiment.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20So, Roy, do you think it's reasonable to ask people to keep on working beyond 65?
0:02:20 > 0:02:21No way.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24You'll get one or two that can do it,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26but the majority,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28they'll have done enough.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Your confidence is not like it was when you were 30, is it?
0:02:31 > 0:02:33- When you could jump across a ditch. - Absolutely.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36You'll have to have wardens rounding them up, won't they,
0:02:36 > 0:02:37so they don't wander off?
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Some aren't keen, but others need to work for the money it'll bring in.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46If I had a job, I'd save the money
0:02:46 > 0:02:50to go and visit my grandchildren more often.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Definitely.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56I like the good things in life. I like a cigarette, I like a drink.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59And if you don't work, you can't afford it.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03The Government hasn't told us just how high the pension age
0:03:03 > 0:03:04is likely to rise.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08But we're meeting someone who's worked it out.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Recently, the Government published
0:03:10 > 0:03:14a study which suggested that a third of people born today
0:03:14 > 0:03:16might live to 100.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21That's quite scary, actually, because it's still quite rare for people to live to 100 nowadays.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Well, yes, and the question is, who's going to pay for them?
0:03:24 > 0:03:28So how high will the pension age have to go in order to cope with that?
0:03:29 > 0:03:31If you take a newborn today,
0:03:31 > 0:03:36it's quite likely that their state pension age may have to be 77.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38And I stand here in front of you at 68
0:03:38 > 0:03:42and the thought of that for me - fairly healthy sort of bloke,
0:03:42 > 0:03:47hasn't had a particularly onerous life - is daunting.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50In fact, more than daunting. It's horrifying.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53It potentially gets even worse than that,
0:03:53 > 0:03:54because if you think on to
0:03:54 > 0:03:58our children's children, or your grandchildren's children,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01their state pension age could easily be into their 80s.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04I think it's shocking.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08It'll be people in their 70s, maybe even in their 80s,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10having to fend for themselves.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13I think that a lot of people can fend for themselves longer than
0:04:13 > 0:04:18we've been requiring them to do and I don't think it's a bad thing
0:04:18 > 0:04:21to say, you're perfectly fit and active, you can go on working
0:04:21 > 0:04:25for another few years, so you should go on working for another few years.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And when somebody's worked all their life, I believe they have a right
0:04:29 > 0:04:35to a dignified old age, supported by the state if it's necessary.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39Old people may have to work on,
0:04:39 > 0:04:41but it isn't easy to find bosses who want to employ them.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45At San Marco, one of Preston's leading restaurants,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48owner Carlo doesn't think the old could cope.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53This is a tough job. From the moment you walk in
0:04:53 > 0:04:55in the morning, you're sweeping, you're mopping.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58It's physical. You're constantly under pressure.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00It's a fast-working environment and it's hectic.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04So, pensioners are not people that you would normally even
0:05:04 > 0:05:05contemplate taking on?
0:05:05 > 0:05:09I don't think they would get a second look-in if they sent a CV through, to be honest.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I don't think it's the ideal environment for them
0:05:12 > 0:05:17and I'd be surprised if they managed to keep up with the workload
0:05:17 > 0:05:19that's going to be put onto them.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21He's running this place. It's his show.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Early 30s, he doesn't think they can do it.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28On the building site, they think workers in their 70s would really struggle.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30There are very few people in the industry
0:05:30 > 0:05:31over 70 years old at the moment
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and I certainly don't know of any.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37They're just not capable, physically, of doing the job.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41But along with the chocolate factory, the health centre
0:05:41 > 0:05:46and the estate agent, they're going to join our town that never retires.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58It's Monday morning in Preston
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and the first early start in years for our pensioners.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Have a nice day.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28The first to arrive is 73-year-old Sheila,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32who worked as a nurse and midwife for 55 years.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Good morning, Dr McCraith's surgery.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40The clinic where she'll be working has 20,000 patients on the books.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42It opens at 7am.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I'm not nervous about the actual work.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50It's quite exciting, going back to work.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Practice Manager Gwen greets her with a modern-day induction.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56This is the job description of a healthcare assistant,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00- and this is for you to take away and keep...- Right.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03..so that you know what the duties are and what's expected.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13Oh, excuse me. I think it's caught up with me, lack of sleep.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Next, it's the patient database.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20Click onto the password.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Sheila was more used to patient records written by hand.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Just try again.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29This is where I have problems.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Just click in the box till you get your cursor flashing at you.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38'I do miss the banter and the company.'
0:07:38 > 0:07:41You make a lot of friends amongst your patients.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46I miss the companionship, as well as the work. It were a great crowd.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I'm hopeless with this. This is what gets me all...
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Sheila's really struggling with the computer side of things,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58because she is not computer literate.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02She's not even familiar with mouse clicks or anything like that.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06It's not our role to teach people basic computer skills.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09We would expect anybody coming into any post nowadays
0:08:09 > 0:08:10to be computer literate.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13So she may really struggle because of that.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19I'm computer illiterate. Always have been!
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Over at the local building site, they're running late on a block of 45 apartments.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31They need to plaster, plumb and wire them.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Now, a team of retired builders has arrived
0:08:34 > 0:08:36to take over two flats for the week.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Going back to work will be Alan, a 72-year-old electrician,
0:08:43 > 0:08:4573-year-old George, a plasterer,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49and Roy, a plumber aged 71.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50Get yourself kitted out.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- OK, thank you.- Hat, gloves, high vis.- Gloves!- Jumper.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59OK, chaps, shall we continue on?
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Roy, the plumber, hasn't worked for ten years.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10If I had to wear all this gear now,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13all the time, I'd go and be a taxi driver.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Normally, I just have a pullover on and I've never injured
0:09:17 > 0:09:20myself in 50 years, have I?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I feel like Chris Bonington with all this lot on.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28When I started out in plumbing, everybody were getting
0:09:28 > 0:09:31a bathroom and hot water, what they'd never had before.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Things have moved on, haven't they?
0:09:33 > 0:09:40There's new methods, new materials that I'm not familiar with.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I'll not be able to hold my end up, and I know that. I'll do me best.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- Roy, what do you think about this plastic plumbing?- Rubbish.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Why do you think it's rubbish?
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Because I've had to take the kitchen ceiling down
0:09:51 > 0:09:53because the bathroom has been put in
0:09:53 > 0:09:55with plastic fittings and every fitting has leaked.
0:09:55 > 0:10:01I mean, I've put things in 45 years ago, solder, and they're still there. They don't leak.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Right. It's here to stay, mate.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07These guys are here to do a job and they've got to turn out
0:10:07 > 0:10:08a quality job for us.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10If they don't turn out a quality job,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13what it means is that it's got to be ripped apart and redone.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23To help him do a quality job, retired plasterer George
0:10:23 > 0:10:26brings his own handmade tools along.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Not seen one of these in a long time.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32No, indeed. That's for mixing my mix.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Stand above it, and you...
0:10:34 > 0:10:36There's no problem with using that sort of kit, George.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39I think you still might be mixing while they finish the flat.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41It's a speed thing these days.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43- Of course, it's speed, yes. - You know?
0:10:43 > 0:10:47The fact that George makes his own tools is quite interesting.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49But I suppose that comes with the era he comes from.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52They didn't throw anything away in those days.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54George, I'll get Lee to bring his tools in.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Here we go, George.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- Oh, my word!- Modern-day mixer.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Oh, my word. That is a tool.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I would say mine's the Terminator. Press the button, and away you go.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Yeah.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14While many of our pensioners are reluctant to go back to work,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16others already want or, indeed, need jobs.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19So you actually want a job now? You want to work?
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I would. Yes, I would like a job.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24A purpose to get up in the morning
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and go out and do a job.
0:11:27 > 0:11:33I lost my husband, so there are days when I think, right, what today?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35You're going to be a waitress for two weeks.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37How do you feel about that?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39I'm really looking forward to it.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Later, Ruth and two others are joining the team of
0:11:43 > 0:11:48waitresses and washer-uppers at one of the town's busiest restaurants.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53They may want jobs, but owner Carlo thinks there's no way
0:11:53 > 0:11:58they can meet the high standards his 300 discerning customers expect.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04I think age will certainly be a factor. My worst fears...
0:12:04 > 0:12:06I suppose that they'll slow down the service
0:12:06 > 0:12:08and they may make mistakes, forget things.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Ruth's working alongside 70-year-old Sheila.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Yeah, after we've served a bit of food,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15we'll get you silver-serving some of the vegetables -
0:12:15 > 0:12:17we silver-serve our veg here.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21I tend to scoop it on the fork like that.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Have a go.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26I want to get two together. Difficult, isn't it?
0:12:26 > 0:12:27So excited.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I'm really looking forward to getting going, you know,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32and the place, it couldn't be better.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34I'll have a go.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Right. Everything?
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Yes, please, everything.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Now, I'm struggling with these. Please bear with me.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Just use the spoon. They're terrible.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- Can I give you more? - Oh, yes, please.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47- More potato?- Yeah, yeah.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Oh, well done.
0:12:48 > 0:12:49You can pile it on there!
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'I was trying to get that fork in the right place.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54'I can't just get it right.'
0:12:54 > 0:12:56"Just serve it with the spoon," she said.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57I said, "No, I've got to learn!"
0:12:57 > 0:13:01After I'd retired, I did feel as though, gosh,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03where am I going from here?
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Ruth worked as a receptionist before she retired.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13I want to work, even though I'm 76. I want to do something.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- How's it going in here?- Fine.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17- All good?- Yeah.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- Still up to speed?- Yeah.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Retired manual worker John is working as a kitchen porter.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26He's pleased to have the chance of a job, as he needs the money.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Anything we could change?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- More pressure in your jet. - More pressure in my jet?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34That's the first time I've heard that!
0:13:37 > 0:13:40He'll be on his feet for long shifts in the heat and steam,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42hosing down piles of dirty plates.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47- Do you want to give me a hand unloading this van?- Yeah.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Another one?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50No.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- Can you manage that? It's quite heavy, that.- Yeah.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Oh... Hang on. I haven't got a grip of it.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Oh, my back's starting to break. Trying to kill me!
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Now, unfortunately, we'll be going back to a mountain of mess.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12It's not too bad. I had a look.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15You can either go back and check it out and see what it's like...
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- I had a look when they were in. - Is it all right?- Not too bad. - Quick fag, it is.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- Yeah...- John?- Yeah?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- You know you said it was all right in there?- Yeah.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Come and take another look. Getting a bit hectic.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36I've begun to worry that some of the jobs
0:14:36 > 0:14:39we've placed these old people in are just too hard.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41We need to make sure that they can cope.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47In a practice that looks after 20,000 people here in Preston,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50in your experience, could people really work properly
0:14:50 > 0:14:54if the pension age was popped up to 75, even 80 years old?
0:14:54 > 0:14:59By the time you're 70, your concentration,
0:14:59 > 0:15:05your ability to learn how to use a computer is going to be affected.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08From my own point of view, at 68, I get tired, absolutely.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12And the thought, actually, of clocking on in a factory or something
0:15:12 > 0:15:18at 8:30 in the morning and working until six, I would find impossible.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21You know, I'd want to have a little lie down somewhere.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24You might be lying down with your P45, in that case.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Yes, that's true. That's very true.
0:15:26 > 0:15:33Any employer is going to think very carefully about who is given the job,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37dependent not just on age, but fitness as well,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41and fitness and age are interrelated,
0:15:41 > 0:15:42however you wrap it up.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Next door, it's a tough relearning curve for Sheila.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I think I'll just have to see how it goes.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Literally, everything is computer.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57They've got everything that they do actually on the computer.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Everything to do with the patients, the results, tests they have,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05tests they need, etc.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10And I'm not computer literate, really, at all.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Back at the building site, handling modern technical equipment
0:16:17 > 0:16:20is proving tough for the builders too.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Either that's blunt, or I'm weak.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I'm weak.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33OK, we'll leave that, and I'll try another one.
0:16:35 > 0:16:4072-year-old award-winning electrician Alan is used to being the boss.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42He's not used to taking orders from younger workers.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Certainly, if somebody has to give me orders to what to do,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51I will be thinking, that doesn't feel quite right.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Alan, I think we'd better stop. You're struggling with that one.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Well, it's blunt, isn't it?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I don't think we've got a blunt drill bit, have we?
0:16:59 > 0:17:01With the cutter, feel it through. Don't push on it too hard.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07I don't feel you're safe, because we have a duty of care.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Well, listen, I make the judgement and I will risk-assess that.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13No, I'll make the judgement. Let's just get one thing right.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Right. Well, OK, we'll stop, then.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Because it's me that's doing it, not you,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and if I feel any danger, any unsafety, we won't do it.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23- But it is my site...- Right.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- ..and I will make that final decision.- Right, right.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I'm not here to be trialled.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I didn't come to be trialled.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38I don't feel there's any point in me staying on site any longer.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40So, I will call it a day. Thank you very much.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43'The task that Alan was given'
0:17:43 > 0:17:45wasn't special in any way.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48It wasn't set up in any way to make him look foolish.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Now, clearly, that was one aspect of the job that Alan clearly couldn't do.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56In the end, Gary comes up with a compromise, and Alan stays on
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and agrees to let a younger worker drill the holes for him.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03I'm happy with it if he's willing to do the drilling for you.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05So I have no problem at all with that.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11Our recruits are nearly 40 years older than the average builder on site,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and they have three more days to prove that they can keep up.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27It's day two.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Four pensioners are working at this 90-year-old factory,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33supplying luxury chocolates to retailers countrywide.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The workers have to sort fillings for chocolate coating,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43then pack them into assortment boxes, keeping up with the rolling belts.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Factory floor supervisor Ray
0:18:47 > 0:18:50employs up to 50 workers and will soon need more.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53But he's never tried the over-60s.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55I'm open-minded.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58My first thoughts were - no,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00there are jobs out there they won't be able to do,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04but there are possibly jobs out there they could do.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06All we can do is try it
0:19:06 > 0:19:08and then you'd be able to evaluate against the targets
0:19:08 > 0:19:11that you should be hitting and whether you could hit those targets.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The older workers need to keep up with the line,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17but they're already one down.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Irene's missed her first day at work for a medical appointment.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22This morning, I'm going to
0:19:22 > 0:19:25the hospital to have my eyes checked up,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28because there's cataracts.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31And if you would look at the bottom of my ear.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33Good. OK.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37She struggles to make ends meet on a combined state and work pension
0:19:37 > 0:19:39of around £200 per week.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44'That pays for everything in the house'
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and a little bit over
0:19:47 > 0:19:53to buy clothes, buy a bit of extra food.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Now she has a week to prove herself to supervisor Ray.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Barbara, who did make it in, is already beginning to enjoy herself.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06How old am I?
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Yeah.
0:20:08 > 0:20:0930.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12I mean, it's hardly hard work, is it?
0:20:14 > 0:20:17She wants an application form to have a proper job.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18Full-time.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21She wants to work here full-time.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Barbara misses working and has applied for jobs,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27but she's been turned down.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28She really wants this one.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Where I worked, I worked with
0:20:31 > 0:20:34a lot of people and I sort of felt, hmm, I miss that.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40There's a supermarket nearby and they were advertising for staff,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44so I thought I'd apply, because I'd done all these jobs in supermarkets.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48But I didn't get the job.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Barbara seems to be doing the right speed up the other end.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Just as Barbara's getting the hang of it, disaster strikes.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01Oh!
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I'm sorry about that.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07It was a full tray.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12I think I'm going to get sacked.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Well, that's probably cost us 25, £30-worth of ginger,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22that obviously has gone on the floor and had to be put into the bin.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24That's about two thirds of a day's wage.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28For the over-70s, it's a long day.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I'm looking forward to going home.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36I didn't expect it to be this hard, no.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Ann, can you use both hands for that?
0:21:38 > 0:21:39- Yeah.- Thank you.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Oh, I wonder what I'm having for tea when I get home?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49My husband's making it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:50Do I get a job here now?
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Ask me in a fortnight.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I'm feeling absolutely shattered
0:21:56 > 0:21:59and I feel like I just want to get home and have a cup of tea.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05And I thought, "Oh, you'll have tea ready when I get in."
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Well, if I'd known what time you were coming home...
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Yeah.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11- What am I having?- Thai green curry.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13I thought so. Yeah. Thai green curry.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18It was quite good. We was given our overalls and silly hats.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21I nearly got sacked at one stage, but still.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22Eating too much?
0:22:22 > 0:22:26No, no, you couldn't eat them, no. I quite enjoyed it. I'm doing a different job tomorrow.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It's a new day, and as the builders arrive on site, gale-force winds
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and driving snow make conditions appalling.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49This might be my last day, I think.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50Or it might kill me off.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52I reckon if we come on job at 70-odd,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54we wouldn't last till we're 73, would we?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57This will sort the men from the boys.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- That's right. If you drop down on the job.- Yeah.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06The extreme weather means work on the building site is slowing down,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10as the temperature drops to well below zero.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Young man of 25, 30,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15I could tolerate this, possibly all day long.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17But I found it hard-going today.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21It's dreadful. Completely and utterly dreadful.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24It'll kill old people off. I don't think they can cope.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27I mean, you're all right serving in B&Q, but not on a building site.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Well, it'll be dangerous for everybody, won't it?
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Back at the health centre,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Practice Manager Gwen wants to test our retired nurse's medical knowledge.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49Sheila practises on one of the regular nurses before she's allowed to treat real patients.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- Do you smoke, Sheila?- I do.
0:23:51 > 0:23:52- You do?- I do.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Right. How many do you smoke?
0:23:56 > 0:23:58About five or six a day.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04So, you're more or less a social smoker?
0:24:04 > 0:24:05Yes, I am, really, yeah.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Just see if you can stop.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11If you can't, just keep it to the five a day.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- Yeah.- All right?
0:24:15 > 0:24:16What about alcohol, Sheila?
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Yes, I'm afraid so.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20You drink?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Yeah, I'd say a bottle and a half a week.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24- A bottle and a half?- Yeah.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28So, perhaps it might be a good idea to cut that down a little bit.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Maybe, you know, one or two glasses at night.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36And then at the weekends, you could probably have a little bit more.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41What do you drink, actually? Red wine or white wine?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43- It's red wine.- Red wine.- Yeah.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Actually, it's quite good for you. Yeah, so see how it goes.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- I'll try and change.- Yeah, yeah.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54I want to give you some feedback on how I felt that went.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56I think at the moment,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58if we brought a patient in,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01the advice that you would give them, maybe regarding alcohol,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03not be as quite up-to-date as what we would need you to be...
0:25:03 > 0:25:05- As what you want it to be, yeah. - ..able to tell them.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10It's possibly just been something we've presumed you would be aware of
0:25:10 > 0:25:13with your nursing background, but these guidelines change all the time.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16As I say, I suppose I was over-sympathetic with
0:25:16 > 0:25:19the patient in some respects, if that's the right way of saying it.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26I think the next stage for her is going to be to study
0:25:26 > 0:25:27the guidelines
0:25:27 > 0:25:32as quickly as she can to see if she can absorb that knowledge,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and then we'll look at it again
0:25:35 > 0:25:41and see if we can put her with a patient once she's up to scratch with that.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Until then, it's not appropriate for her to be actually doing
0:25:45 > 0:25:48a consultation with a patient on her own.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52With the weather still terrible, we've come to check on our builders.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- Oh!- This is beastly.
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Hold on tight, Margaret.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Well, Gary, how are they getting on?
0:26:03 > 0:26:06I think they're finding the weather a little disturbing this morning.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09The cold weather as well. They're doing quite well, actually.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12The knowledge is coming out. The skill sets are coming out.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14They're doing a full day's work?
0:26:14 > 0:26:17They're doing a full day's work, just like the rest of the guys on site are doing, yeah.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19They're really getting on with it.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21They're lasting the day and lasting the course,
0:26:21 > 0:26:27so we'll wait and see at the end of the two weeks just how well they're looking then.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- Well, George, I've been watching you.- Yes, yes.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33How's it doing?
0:26:33 > 0:26:36It's not so bad. OK. And I'm quite enjoying it at the moment.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37- This is tough work. - It is tough work.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41- This is heavy stuff. - Very physical, it's very physical.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Yeah. I mean, this is pulling on my shoulder,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46and you were filling this, I reckon, probably every minute.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Minute maybe, every minute. Oh, yes.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50How many of these would you go through a day?
0:26:50 > 0:26:52- Six to eight tubs. Maybe more. - This is hard work.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55It's quite hard work. Maybe ten tubs some days.
0:26:55 > 0:26:56- Yeah.- It's quite hard work.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Are you all right now?
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Was it as bad as this yesterday and the day before?
0:27:06 > 0:27:09No. Cold yesterday, but not as bad as this.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11But apart from the cold, how do you think you're doing?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Reasonable. Reasonable.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15Are you enjoying it?
0:27:15 > 0:27:19Six o'clock is early in the morning for this young man.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22- Is that when you have to get up? - Yeah, quarter to six.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23- It is a bit early, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25- When are you on site?- Eight o'clock.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28- Eight o'clock, until...?- Five.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29- Five.- Long working day.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31It is a long working day, yeah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38- Whoa.- So, how are you coping? - It's early days yet.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40How are the old knees going?
0:27:40 > 0:27:42My knees are quite good, really.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43And working overhead?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Yeah. I'm managing that as well.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Well, I think I was colder in there than I have ever been,
0:27:50 > 0:27:54and how those four men in their 70s were doing a full day's work in there,
0:27:54 > 0:27:55I just don't know.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I thought I was in a Russian Gulag.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- No, really! It was impossible, and yet they're doing it.- Yeah.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07And they're doing it from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon.
0:28:07 > 0:28:14I said to George, the plasterer, I would prefer to eat my own leg
0:28:14 > 0:28:17than to be asked to do this on a permanent basis.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Impossible. And yet, he loves it.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Well, what shocked me was how well the two I spoke to were managing.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27I mean, it's a long day, it's a cold day. They were keeping up.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31One said he couldn't quite handle some of the heavy aspects of the work,
0:28:31 > 0:28:32but he could do everything else.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35They were both holding their own with the youngsters,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38doing a full day's work. It's incredible.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41The builders may be battling the elements...
0:28:41 > 0:28:44And Sheila's struggling with modern medicine.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48..but perhaps an estate agent's is somewhere the over-70s can succeed.
0:28:50 > 0:28:55Two pensioners, Marie and Jim, will need their people skills
0:28:55 > 0:28:56to sell and rent houses.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Good morning, Garside Waddingham. Can I help you?
0:29:00 > 0:29:03There are 120 properties on the company's books,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07and their boss, Kevin, expects staff to close seven or eight deals every week.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12A young couple come in and are confronted, you know,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16by somebody that looks remarkably their granny, you know.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Is there a natural sort of, what do they know?
0:29:19 > 0:29:24I think that it's fair to say that some young people will look at
0:29:24 > 0:29:29the older generation as if they're a different species to themselves.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34But I think that most people will react favourably to anybody who
0:29:34 > 0:29:38provides them with the information they want in a positive way.
0:29:40 > 0:29:41Now, down to the nitty-gritty.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43We want you to go out
0:29:43 > 0:29:46and to show properties to a variety of applicants.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50The objective, quite simply, is to win us some business.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51So, you'll be going out separately.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53We've got two cars lined up for you.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57They're both with our company logos on, so they're nice and recognisable.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01Both manual cars, so hopefully, that's OK from your side.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05Not for me, quite honestly, because I'd rather drive an automatic.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07You'd prefer to. OK, that's fine.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09- If that's OK? - You've got your car here.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Marie has a two-bedroom house to let.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16The viewers are arriving in ten minutes.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20As she's using her own car, she runs into problems,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23as there's no map or sat nav.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I have no idea where it is.
0:30:25 > 0:30:32I'm just going to try and hopefully follow what I think is the right...
0:30:34 > 0:30:36- If you go straight down...- Yeah.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40..through the first set of lights, you'll see a petrol station on your right-hand side.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44Well, I now have to go back along Newhall Lane,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49find a garage and turn right.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Meanwhile, Jim arrives at his property.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01There's no garage at the traffic lights.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04We're near the town centre now, aren't we?
0:31:04 > 0:31:05Oh, how are you?
0:31:05 > 0:31:07You all right? Nice to meet you.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09- My name's Jim Hewitt. - Nice to meet you.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10Garside Waddingham. Come in.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13I have a copy of the spec, if you just want to walk around with it.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Cheers. Thank you very much.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Completely lost. I should be in that lane.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21Hi, Julie. It's Marie.
0:31:21 > 0:31:28I've got a bit lost because I've come a different way than what was originally planned.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29Where is that from here?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32- Thanks very much. Appreciate it.- Thanks a lot, now.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34- Nice to meet you. Thank you. - And you. Bye-bye.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Viewing over, Jim heads back to the office.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Marie finally finds the property,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42but mistakenly drives down a one-way street.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Oh, gosh, are you all together? Hi, I'm Marie.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48After keeping everyone waiting for ten minutes,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Marie tries to show them into the house next door.
0:31:51 > 0:31:52Oh!
0:31:57 > 0:31:59No wonder I couldn't get in number 52.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03You've got a mirror in there, which is useful.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Do you want to have a look yourself? Have a look round.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07Thank you.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10'I don't like being late for an appointment.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11'You're on edge'
0:32:11 > 0:32:14before you get in there anyway, because of the fact that you're late.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20You just have to apologise and hope that they understand,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22and they were very understanding.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Give us a ring if you've got anything you need to ask.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30OK. That's brilliant. Thank you.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33All right. You're welcome. Bye-bye, now.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Oh, that was so embarrassing!
0:32:45 > 0:32:49I met them and introduced myself and then directly went to next door
0:32:49 > 0:32:52instead of the door I should have gone to!
0:32:52 > 0:32:55To be honest, I thought it was a bit unprofessional,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57especially when they've got numbers they can ring
0:32:57 > 0:32:59and let people know that they're going to be late.
0:32:59 > 0:33:00But she was only ten minutes late.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03I was more shocked that she come the wrong way down a one-way street.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10That's the most disastrous viewing I have ever done.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Marie's had several jobs during her working life,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19including a short previous stint as an estate agent.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Nowadays, though, with a husband still at work,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26she tries to fill her time with hobbies.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33I don't think I wanted to retire, but I just felt that
0:33:33 > 0:33:38I couldn't really keep up as well as I did when I was much younger.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46The job would make me get up in the morning thinking, right,
0:33:46 > 0:33:51you've got to make yourself look presentable to go out and work.
0:33:51 > 0:33:56One achievement I want to do next week, it will be to sell a property.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59That would be absolutely wonderful.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Factory worker Ann is used to getting up early,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14as she takes her grandchildren to school every day.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19I miss having my grandchildren
0:34:19 > 0:34:23and it's a big part of my life to have them in it.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25The fact that I'm going back to work
0:34:25 > 0:34:30is going to make things very difficult for my daughter.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33She will either have to have some
0:34:33 > 0:34:37time off work, or her partner will.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Irene is at work now, after her hospital appointment earlier in the week.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50She's working on ginger fillings.
0:34:52 > 0:34:53- Are you all right, Irene?- Yes, yes.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56Irene needs to sit down, which is OK,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00but the speed does need to improve.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04The factory supervisor was one of the few bosses who thought
0:35:04 > 0:35:06old workers could be in with a chance.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10We've come to find out whether he still feels the same.
0:35:12 > 0:35:13Can you do it?
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Of course I can! I'm younger than you, you know.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19It's like how you do a horse. Put your foot up, come on.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23- There we are. See how easy that was? - Thank you.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27Smell that chocolate.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29It's busy, isn't it? Very clean.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32- How's it doing?- Not so bad.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33You enjoying it?
0:35:34 > 0:35:35Yes, it's lovely.
0:35:35 > 0:35:36Lovely, is it?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39You're having to break strips of mint...
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Break them neatly, Ann, I don't want any breakages.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44..and then you put them...
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Six in a section.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48- Yeah. That's quite fiddly work. - It is.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Yes, I'm doing two at a time.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52- How many are you doing at a time? - Five.
0:35:52 > 0:35:53Five?!
0:35:53 > 0:35:56And you reckon you could carry on doing this and be happy at it?
0:35:56 > 0:35:58I wouldn't like to do it for a long time, though.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01I bet you don't normally get up at 6:30, do you?
0:36:01 > 0:36:02No, I don't.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Because I take my grandchildren to school.
0:36:05 > 0:36:10- You're doing a service to enable your daughter to go to work.- Yeah.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Who's going to do that when you're working till you're 78?
0:36:13 > 0:36:18Well, I speak to loads of grandparents at school, if they're collecting their children,
0:36:18 > 0:36:21so there is a lot of us doing it.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23- How's it going?- All right.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25- You enjoying it?- Oh, yes.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27- What have you enjoyed most?- This. - This one?
0:36:27 > 0:36:29- This one.- And why is that?
0:36:30 > 0:36:34I'm sat down all the time. I'm not stretching. Because of my ankle.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37- What have you done to your ankle? - I broke it in three places.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41So obviously, walking around is more difficult, then.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44- So a sitting job is easiest.- Yeah.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46And how about you, Barbara? How are you getting on?
0:36:46 > 0:36:48- Oh, I'm enjoying it. It's great fun. - Are you?
0:36:48 > 0:36:50- Yeah, great fun.- Great fun?- Fun.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55And do you think this is a suitable place for people in their 70s to work?
0:36:55 > 0:36:56- Yes.- Yes.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Both of you think that?
0:36:58 > 0:36:59Yeah.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01When I walked into that factory
0:37:01 > 0:37:02for the first time,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05I thought to myself, an elderly person could work happily in here.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07It was chummy, it was sociable.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Well, there did seem to be a general level of optimism that they'd be able to hack it
0:37:11 > 0:37:13and keep up and, after a few more days,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16you know, they'd be on a par with the rest of the workforce.
0:37:16 > 0:37:21Well, what sort of puzzles me, in a way, is that Ann told me
0:37:21 > 0:37:25that she takes the kids to school, the grandchildren to school, twice a week and picks them up.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28What's going to happen in the future? Who's going to do that?
0:37:28 > 0:37:31A lot of younger people, they often expect the grandparents
0:37:31 > 0:37:34to work, in effect, full-time, looking after grandchildren...
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- Yeah.- ..so that the children can go out to work.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Maybe in the future, the young parents are going to have to
0:37:41 > 0:37:44pay their parents to look after their grandchildren.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53At the building site, the development is still running behind schedule.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59We, as a company, have got a profit margin to maintain,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02and these guys have got to show that they can turn the work out
0:38:02 > 0:38:03to meet those profit margins.
0:38:03 > 0:38:08Can the older workers catch up and finish their jobs on time?
0:38:09 > 0:38:13George has one day to plaster the living room.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18What we're not sure about at the moment is how fast you can go,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- whether you can keep up to our production standards.- Oh, right.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25We'll leave you alone to get on with it, and we'll come back and see how far you've got.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26I'm fairly confident, actually.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Just a question of whether my energy lasts. That's the main thing.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Not knowledge or skill, it's the energy.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33But determined, yeah, I'm pretty determined.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Roy has four rooms to plumb.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38- So I'll pop back and see you a bit later.- Very good.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40- Cheers, Roy. - If I've not done a runner!
0:38:40 > 0:38:41See you later.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43I'm under pressure.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46And Alan's task is to wire the reception rooms.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48I know we'll make it. Never lose on my team, you know.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Belly pork, pig's cheek, one salmon, sauce separate.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Can I get you something to drink?
0:38:57 > 0:39:01As the lunch service gets under way at San Marco, we've come to see
0:39:01 > 0:39:05whether our three pensioners can change owner Carlo's mind about older restaurant staff.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Do you want the sweet menu?
0:39:09 > 0:39:10Er, no.
0:39:16 > 0:39:22I'm going to have vanilla ice cream with walnut and maple.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23Walnut and maple, right.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26- I'll just have an espresso, please. - Oh, right.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31- Well, she looks pretty good, doesn't she? - And she's got that wonderful...
0:39:31 > 0:39:34charm you find in people of her age.
0:39:35 > 0:39:36Well, not everybody has it.
0:39:36 > 0:39:37Oh, Nick!
0:39:37 > 0:39:40- Is that for me?- That's a pleasure.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41Have I got to eat all this?
0:39:41 > 0:39:42- My goodness!- Enormous!
0:39:42 > 0:39:46When we met Ruth a couple of days ago, she was really excited about starting to work
0:39:46 > 0:39:48and she struck us as a really warm,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51friendly, active person, and that's what she's like here, isn't she?
0:39:51 > 0:39:53I think she's great.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Fits in perfectly. Looks right.
0:39:56 > 0:39:57Only question, I guess, is,
0:39:57 > 0:40:02is she still on her feet at the end of a long day?
0:40:04 > 0:40:07And what about the pace behind the scenes?
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- So, John, how's it going? - It's going pretty well.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15It's a bit hectic at the moment, because they're busier than yesterday.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18This looks like bloody hard work, John.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22It looks hard, but really, it's not as hard as some jobs I've done.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29Coming back from retirement after years away from work is tough for most of our pensioners.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37But at the estate agents, it's personality that matters.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40We were worried about Marie's chances earlier in the week,
0:40:40 > 0:40:44so has she improved enough on the viewings to make a deal?
0:40:45 > 0:40:47Come on, Margaret.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51So you've been briefed now. You can answer any question?
0:40:52 > 0:40:54I'll try my best.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58Right, would you like to come through? This is the living room.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01- Quite spacious, isn't it?- Yes.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02- Have you got the brochure?- No.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04- Oh, there you go.- Thank you.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Right, shall we go on to the kitchen next?
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Now, what you see is what you get.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12I mean, have you got washing machines, fridges?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Because I don't think they're included.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19I think her manner is very nice and I think that's important.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21And I think that young couple trusted her.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22Why are you moving?
0:41:22 > 0:41:26- We live in a shared house. - Oh, right.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29And it's our first place together.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- Oh, nice. Oh, that's lovely. So, you work locally?- We do, yeah.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Yeah. OK. This is the bedroom.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39She engaged very well with those young people.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42The negative side of it is that she was a facilitator.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45She was showing them round without any attempt to persuade them
0:41:45 > 0:41:47this is just the place for them.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Chop that off and you'll have a walk-in wardrobe.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55Well, if there's any questions, just ring the office, or you can ask me now, if you want to.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59I don't think there's any questions. Have you got any questions?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Will Marie thrive in today's world?
0:42:02 > 0:42:04I think she may well be able to,
0:42:04 > 0:42:07and I think agents need to make people trust them,
0:42:07 > 0:42:12and if they try to sell in too pushy a way, that puts a lot of people off.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17To persuade somebody that it's right, and they actually accept what you're saying and do a deal,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19is what generates the business
0:42:19 > 0:42:23and the income for that company, her company, and pays her wages.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25And I thought that, to be quite honest with you,
0:42:25 > 0:42:26there was no attempt...
0:42:28 > 0:42:29..to seal a deal.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34I actually thought that she handled that aspect of it quite well.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37But then I hate things being sold to me,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40and if somebody tries to push something to me, I won't buy it.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Ruth, our waitress, is determined to convince the restaurant
0:42:48 > 0:42:50she's right for the job.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52After a long shift, she's practising at home.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58Slip out of my hands, actually.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Anyway, as long as I get them in.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20It's the final day of the first week of our experiment.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26Before they started, the bosses doubted older workers would be able to hack it.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30But in the next ten years, nearly half today's over-50s
0:43:30 > 0:43:33will have to work into their 70s to make ends meet.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38So, do our employers want to keep anyone on, or will they choose
0:43:38 > 0:43:41to send our over-70s back into retirement?
0:43:43 > 0:43:48To help him decide, factory boss Ray wants to judge how the recruits
0:43:48 > 0:43:50are affecting his production quotas.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53This morning, we hit 584.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57I've got a target for the day and if I'm not reaching my target,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59I get a bit of grief.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02I'd expect to get 1,000 cases through today,
0:44:02 > 0:44:04or 1,000-plus, actually.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Just watch this girl.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10If everybody in her team's going at that speed, then I'll get the figures that I need.
0:44:10 > 0:44:15On the peppermint crisp packing line, the pace is still slow.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18I've put four ladies on packing mint crisp
0:44:18 > 0:44:22and, so far, not so good.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26I'm not really getting into the swing of it.
0:44:27 > 0:44:33Not very good at this, am I? Wait a minute. Just put another in. Right.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38People do go at their own speed, but normally, it would be a quicker speed.
0:44:38 > 0:44:39Just my ankle, that's all.
0:44:39 > 0:44:44I broke it in three places, so I've got arthritis in it now.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46- Through falling down a manhole. - Oh, heck.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48Aching all the time.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50Can you have a new one?
0:44:50 > 0:44:53My regular girls are packing as well,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56just to try and keep it going a little bit.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59This has been the most frustrating job.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03There's more chocolate in this bin than there are in the boxes.
0:45:03 > 0:45:04We're wasting product,
0:45:04 > 0:45:09which means there might not be enough for the order that it's been made for,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12which means someone's got to run that machine, make the chocolate again.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15Just more cost all over.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17I'm going to go get some more baths.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20I feel as though I'm slowing,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23so it's giving them twice as much work to do.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25And I felt guilty about that.
0:45:25 > 0:45:31I watched those girls work and, really, they are like lightning.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35But over on strawberry creams, one worker, Barbara,
0:45:35 > 0:45:36does seem to have cracked it.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40I prefer this than downstairs.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Because downstairs, you're sat on your bum, and my bum aches.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55At the start of the week, site manager Gary
0:45:55 > 0:45:58had low expectations for our over-70s builders.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02Now, let's see whether they finished their tasks on time.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09- How we doing, George? - OK. Not doing so bad.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11You've got about 35 minutes left now.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13I know, I know. It's close. It's very close.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15What's your chances?
0:46:15 > 0:46:17Oh. Evens. Possibly.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19- Evens?- Yes, yes.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Provided I don't tire, I'll be OK.
0:46:21 > 0:46:22I'll see you in 35 minutes.
0:46:22 > 0:46:24No pressure there, then(!)
0:46:24 > 0:46:27There's method in making it right on the dot to the last minute,
0:46:27 > 0:46:31because if I finish 15 minutes early, you might say, come on, another job for you.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33I think you need at least ten minutes cleaning up.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36Oh, dear me, we didn't say that when I started. Oh, crikey.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40A job's never finished, George, until the place is cleaned up.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42- Morning, Al. - Oh, morning, Gary. How are you?
0:46:42 > 0:46:44- How you doing?- I'm all right.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46We'll be finished on this one by lunchtime.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48- You think you'll make it, then? - I know we'll make it.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51I'm glad that Alan did stay and he stuck out the week.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54He's a great, positive attitude.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56I thought he was a little bit down earlier on in the week
0:46:56 > 0:46:59after that incident with the drill.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02But he's took it on board, he's bit the bullet, he's come back,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04and he's sort of proved us all wrong, I think.
0:47:04 > 0:47:09I got me own little drill out. Beautiful, that, isn't it?
0:47:09 > 0:47:10And you're managing better now with it?
0:47:10 > 0:47:13- Oh, three seconds per hole. - Three seconds a hole.- Yeah.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16- Proves it, then, doesn't it? - Absolutely, yes. - Horses for courses.
0:47:16 > 0:47:17- Roy!- Hello!
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Have you got a minute, bud?
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Yep. I'm coming. Coming.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24I think you completed the laundry, the guest suites
0:47:24 > 0:47:28and the toilet. So how've you found it?
0:47:28 > 0:47:30Because you didn't really use the pipe work, did you?
0:47:30 > 0:47:32No, I've never used this sort.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34- Plastic.- Plastic. We've always used copper, you see.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36You just get into it, don't you?
0:47:36 > 0:47:40Yeah. Well, we're really pleased with what you've done for us. Well done, cracking job.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Yeah. I've enjoyed it. Some good lads on here.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44- Can't pull you on the quality whatsoever.- No, no.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48- Are they going to fire me off, or what?- For nothing else, you're entertainment value.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51Yeah, yeah. I thought it might be something like that.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55I must admit, I'm pleasantly surprised.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58I've been grafting, but it's a new technology for me, and new material.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00I think you've done bloody well. Really pleased.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02- Oh, thank you.- Great job.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04We're really, really pleased that he's hit the targets
0:48:04 > 0:48:07and he's done very, very well.
0:48:07 > 0:48:08I can't say no more than that.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Job well done. I always thought I would achieve the target.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13At one stage, it was touch and go.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15I thought, no, at the end of the day, if I keep pressing on,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18knowledge and skills, ability to learn,
0:48:18 > 0:48:19I don't think you lose that ever.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Not until you get, you know, really old age.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23But it's your physical wellbeing that tends to suffer.
0:48:23 > 0:48:28He's performed really, really well, he has.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31I think he's put a lot of effort into it.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Whether he could carry on doing it every day would be a different matter.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38I don't know. But what he's done so far, he's tremendous.
0:48:38 > 0:48:43He's keen, he's eager, and he's a good bloke.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48The builders may have regained their boss's confidence,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51but what about Sheila at the clinic?
0:48:53 > 0:48:55Just take a seat, Mr Flanagan.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58Today, she's doing her first patient consultations.
0:49:01 > 0:49:0320 are booked into five-minute slots.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08We'll check your blood pressure next week.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09So, make an appointment for one week.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12- OK. All right, will do. - All right. Lovely to meet you.
0:49:12 > 0:49:13- Thank you.- OK. Take care.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17Next, they're letting her do blood tests.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19First, she practises on a member of staff.
0:49:20 > 0:49:23So I need a brown and a pink tube.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25So, Gwen, how has she been doing?
0:49:25 > 0:49:28I expected her to be able to do blood tests
0:49:28 > 0:49:33and just have to learn our templates for doing the checks.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Put the needle on, but you never pull the first one back.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38It's only the second one that you pull back
0:49:38 > 0:49:39because the blood's flowing.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Yes, it's coming back a little bit now.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46I just hope we've got some good veins, have we, Lorna?
0:49:46 > 0:49:48It's going to be hopefully
0:49:48 > 0:49:49just a small scratch.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Yeah.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Holding on to it.
0:49:57 > 0:49:58- Easy. Just move it slightly.- Yeah.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00She should just flow.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Now, why has she given up?
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Just press on there, love.
0:50:06 > 0:50:10Well, why has that stopped? Look, it wasn't out, was it?
0:50:14 > 0:50:15What went wrong?
0:50:15 > 0:50:18I think a lot of it was dexterity with her hands.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23I think she knew the techniques, but it was physically very difficult.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25Main thing I found difficult, I think,
0:50:25 > 0:50:29was the fact that everybody was watching me.
0:50:29 > 0:50:30I'm very much out of practice.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33Do you think that's age-related in some way?
0:50:33 > 0:50:36I do. She has mentioned that she's had a couple of operations on her hand...
0:50:36 > 0:50:40- Right.- ..and I think it's limited what she can do.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44I've had a carpal tunnel operation on my right hand
0:50:44 > 0:50:47and it is a little bit stiff.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Not blaming that, but I think it makes things a little bit
0:50:51 > 0:50:55more difficult, because I haven't as much movement in it.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58So, in terms of her being a healthcare assistant here,
0:50:58 > 0:51:04she can't do the full range of activities that you expect someone to do.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07So do you think that, with a bit more time,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Sheila will be able to do all these things?
0:51:10 > 0:51:13Personally, I don't.
0:51:13 > 0:51:14Sheila might have another opinion.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18She might feel that she could hone her skills again.
0:51:18 > 0:51:23Gwen is 59 herself, but continuing in work means she's kept up-to-date.
0:51:23 > 0:51:28Coming back from retirement means Sheila hasn't been able to keep up.
0:51:29 > 0:51:34I really had to come to the conclusion that at 75...
0:51:34 > 0:51:36she's past it.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39She would never learn.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42She would just rely on what she's picked up over the years.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45That's not good enough any more. What could she do
0:51:45 > 0:51:47if she can't come back and work here as a nurse?
0:51:47 > 0:51:51I sort of thought about it and, you know, I don't know.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55Ten years from now, 12 million people will have to work well into their 70s.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Because I'm older, I found it a lot more exacting than it was
0:52:00 > 0:52:02when I was younger.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06I appreciated why they didn't allow me to do any more,
0:52:06 > 0:52:11but I've enjoyed it very much.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21But at the restaurant, has the owner changed his mind about older workers?
0:52:23 > 0:52:27It's the busiest night of the week at San Marco, so the pressure is on.
0:52:28 > 0:52:35Tonight is the night. I've been told by Carlos that there are 300 booked.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Oh, I'm shaking.
0:52:37 > 0:52:38Can I take your order?
0:52:38 > 0:52:40- Deep-fried brie, please.- Sorry?
0:52:40 > 0:52:41The deep-fried brie.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44- Deep-fried...?- Brie.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Brie. Right.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50Fettucine...
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Table nine is away.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57Back in the kitchen, John, who wanted a job for extra cash, has been
0:52:57 > 0:53:01on his feet all evening, washing piles of pots, cutlery and plates.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- John, need some main-course plates, please.- Yeah.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Can you get me some urgently, please?
0:53:07 > 0:53:10Be really careful. They're hot.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14Call her a doctor!
0:53:18 > 0:53:21- Thank you very much. Perfect.- OK.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23What time are we on? Nine o'clock.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25We've probably done about 250 people already.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29- Ruth, what you doing? - I am, I really am!- No!
0:53:29 > 0:53:31Sitting down on the job. You can't do that.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35- He insisted. - He insisted? You have to refuse.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38- What do you think of her? - Yeah, she's bang-on. Delightful. - She's lovely.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42She just sort of doesn't look right on a busy evening like this.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45She'd be perfect for Saturday afternoon, when my mum comes out.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47Yeah. She sticks out a bit, I suppose, because we are a young crowd.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49I think she's doing really well,
0:53:49 > 0:53:51considering it's a hectic, hectic place to work
0:53:51 > 0:53:57and even a lot of the young people that work here really struggle.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00I can't believe that she's 75. That's unreal.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03I'd be happy to work by her side, if she got a job here.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06She's been very good. Nice to chat to,
0:54:06 > 0:54:10you can get along with her, as well as work properly with her. She'll do her job straightaway.
0:54:14 > 0:54:15John is an absolute legend today.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18He's really stepped it up.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20He's stepped up to the mark. He's been under pressure.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22The plates have been piling up
0:54:22 > 0:54:25and he's been coping like someone who's been there for a long time.
0:54:25 > 0:54:26He's like a whirlwind.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29It's just been great. I seem to have managed it all.
0:54:29 > 0:54:34Well, I knew I would get tired because I'm not a late person normally,
0:54:34 > 0:54:38but I think you can go to a point and you get over that point.
0:54:38 > 0:54:39But, normally, I wouldn't
0:54:39 > 0:54:43be up at this time, I'd be in bed, like, two hours ago.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45I didn't think Ruth would do as well as she has done.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47She's found her confidence.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50Everyone speaks highly of her, the staff and the customers.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52She's been great. A breath of fresh air.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03Well, it's the end of the first week and what have we learnt?
0:55:04 > 0:55:08That we've got a bit mixed bag and, frankly, some of them can't hack it.
0:55:08 > 0:55:09They're really struggling.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14Don't be such a pessimist, Nick. Some of these people are going to succeed.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17They want a job and I think they're going to prove they can do it.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Week one, Margaret, only week one.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26Let's see who's still standing at the end of next week.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29To find out if older workers really have staying power,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32our bosses wanted to try the best for a second week.
0:55:35 > 0:55:40It's time for them to choose which of the elderly they'll keep on.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44At the estate agents, has Kevin been impressed enough to keep on
0:55:44 > 0:55:45either of his older workers?
0:55:47 > 0:55:48I think Marie, a lot of people said to the staff afterwards
0:55:48 > 0:55:52that they were very pleased to be dealt with by yourself.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54We just feel that maybe you're slightly more keen to
0:55:54 > 0:55:57get into the employment side.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00I think maybe I should ask you to stay with us next week
0:56:00 > 0:56:04and ask Jim to enjoy his continued retirement.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08I've certainly enjoyed doing it for a short while.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12In reality, I wouldn't like to do it on a full-time basis, no.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15I'm quite emotional about it, quite honestly.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19I didn't think I was going to be able to manage it.
0:56:19 > 0:56:20I feel a different person, actually.
0:56:20 > 0:56:25No-one at the factory has matched the regulars. Will any be kept on?
0:56:26 > 0:56:30Sheila, you did go faster today than you did the first day.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Barbara was the fastest of you all and did a good job.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38- Ann, we're going to let you go, today.- That's great!
0:56:38 > 0:56:43I've enjoyed it, but, yes, I'm glad to be going. Yes.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46I think a week working was long enough for me.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Irene feels she's too tired to continue.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51I wanted to work.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54I wanted to prove to myself I could do the job,
0:56:54 > 0:56:59but my body was starting to tell me I'd done too much.
0:56:59 > 0:57:03At the restaurant, have our pensioners done enough to impress the bosses?
0:57:06 > 0:57:10- So, Ruth, you did Saturday night service. We did 300 covers on Saturday night.- That's right.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12We thought we'd give you a bit of a test,
0:57:12 > 0:57:15- and I think you passed it with flying colours.- Oh, good.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18John, Saturday was the test for me and the way you performed,
0:57:18 > 0:57:19it was brilliant.
0:57:19 > 0:57:25'It's success. The most reluctant employer is keeping two of his retired staff for another week.'
0:57:26 > 0:57:29On the construction site, Gary has been genuinely surprised
0:57:29 > 0:57:34by the performance of our retired builders, but does he want them to stay?
0:57:37 > 0:57:41Some of us thought you might have struggled a bit, but I'm glad to say you've proved us all wrong.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43Unfortunately, we can only keep two of you.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47George, the work you've turned out has been second to none.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49Roy, we can see that you've got all the skill sets there
0:57:49 > 0:57:50and the knowledge.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53- It'd be great if you'd come back and stay with us for another week. - No problem.
0:57:53 > 0:57:58You sad to be going home, or are you quite relieved about it, really?
0:57:58 > 0:58:00I'm sort of, I'm glad I'm going home. I'll meet the wife again.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07Next time, those who are staying
0:58:07 > 0:58:09face young competition.
0:58:10 > 0:58:12I think an older person would struggle massively.
0:58:12 > 0:58:15Do you not think any job might be boring?
0:58:15 > 0:58:16Not THAT boring.
0:58:16 > 0:58:17How will they compare?
0:58:20 > 0:58:22She's doesn't like to be wrong.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24I thought he was a bit cocky.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26And who will the bosses want to hire?
0:58:26 > 0:58:27In my eyes, she's a waste of time.
0:58:53 > 0:58:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd