Episode 2 The Town That Never Retired

Most of us look forward to retiring in our 60s,

but as the pension age rises, that's all about to change.

I've got five grandchildren, and are you seriously telling me

they're going to have to retire in their late 70s?

It potentially gets even worse than that.

To see what this future looks like,

we sent a group of pensioners back to work.

From building apartments...

Shouldn't be doing this at my age. Ridiculous.

-Oh!

-'..to selling them.'

That's the most disastrous viewing I have ever done.

A factory production line took its toll.

75. She's past it.

Be REALLY careful, they're hot.

But the restaurant worked out better.

Oh, my God, bless!

It's just been great. I seem to have managed it all.

Now the pensioners left standing face real-life competition -

young jobseekers desperate for work.

The employers should employ the younger people.

I think with an older person, they're going to struggle.

'How will they compare?'

I felt he was a little bit cocky.

She's one of them people that doesn't like to be wrong.

-Do you not think any job might be boring?

-Not that boring.

And who will their bosses want to hire?

In my eyes, she's a waste of time.

Unfortunately, we wouldn't be offering you anything at all.

One week in, only half our pensioners are left,

but many of those remaining are hoping to land REAL jobs

at the end of this week.

I certainly do feel well.

For some unknown reason, although I've been working every day,

I seem to have more energy.

'My life before was quite quiet.'

This has completely opened my eyes to something else.

Well, listen, so far, so good, Margaret.

These OAPs may have lasted this long, but I have serious doubts

whether they're going to be able to hack yet another week of those early mornings. I'm not sure.

Well, I don't agree. They've had a lifetime of getting up early, they're used to it,

and I think some of them are really serious about getting back into work long-term, despite their age.

But there's a big "if", isn't there?

Will ANYBODY offer them a job at the end of all this?

That's the question.

To see if our pensioners really can cope in the modern workplace,

we're going to introduce some competition.

This week, they'll be up against jobseekers

who are desperate to get into work.

With youth unemployment at record levels,

their main rivals in the real world just happen to be 50 years younger.

In Preston, almost one in three youngsters can't find work,

so these volunteers are glad of the chance.

-Hi, Ashley.

-Hi, you all right?

-Come and have a seat.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you, too.

-Good. Good to see you again.

-Are you hard-working?

-Very hard-working, yeah.

I'm the sort of person who'd love to do 60-80 hour weeks if I could.

I want to show people I work with that I'm willing and I can work

and that I'm as capable as anyone who's got 20 years' experience or 40 years' experience,

and that's what I'm hoping to put across.

-Nothing wrong your CV, Margaret, do you think?

-No, it's a very good CV.

I've worked in nightclubs very late at night,

I've worked milk rounds in the morning, day jobs, 13-hour shifts.

I've been looking for work since November. I've never had feedback off a CV that I've handed out,

or a phone call I've made, or an e-mail being sent.

The thing about CVs, actually, Jodie, is that

you should try spell-check from time to time.

-That's actually embarrassing, that.

-Do you know what I mean?

What are you offering a prospective employer?

I'm going to turn up and I'm going to be on time and get the job done.

-Are you punctual?

-Erm...

I'm not great at keeping time, but I'm organised,

I'm all that kind of stuff.

Do you really want this opportunity that's coming this week?

Yeah, I've put a lot into trying to find a job, and now I've got this, I need to put 110% into it.

And if you're offered a job at the end of this week, would you take it?

Yeah.

Straight away.

The big difference immediately apparent is that the pensioners

know what's expected of them in the workplace.

They know how to behave, they know how to dress.

Some of these ones have got a steep learning curve.

If I were an employer and I was confronted by that young group,

and by the pensioners that I've met, what would I think?

I think some of those pensioners

are going to give these youngsters a run for their money.

-DOG BARKS

-Dawn, Monday morning.

The factory workers are due in first at 7.50.

I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.

I was nice and cosy in bed, and my body was saying,

"No, have another five minutes!

But I got up.

Two of our pensioners are returning to work on the building site.

-HE MUTTERS

-It's just absent-mindedness.

We'll be there in about seven minutes, I reckon.

I don't drive like a 70-year-old, if you know what I mean.

I still drive like I were when I were a young lad.

At the factory, returning pensioner Barbara will be competing against two young men.

18-year-old Lee is the first to arrive.

I'm very desperate to get a job right now,

because, it's like, I just want a job, really.

-OK, morning.

-Hiya.

Right, Lee, you've got to pick your ginger up,

put it on in all these gaps, as many pieces as you can.

Just keep it full, all right?

Lee left school at 16.

His last job was stacking shelves in a supermarket.

All right, I'm going to leave you for five minutes

-and then I'll come back and check on you, all right?

-Yeah.

-OK.

'At the building site, the first young man to arrive is aspiring plumber, Ashley.'

The job market in plumbing at the moment is...there isn't one.

'No-one seems to be actually taking anyone on.

'It's a very tight sector at the moment.'

'He's not keen on the elderly taking jobs he could have.'

'It's just wrong.'

With an older person who's doing it, they might be a bit grumpy cos they're having to be at work

'and they're not as energetic cos they're slow-moving,

'and they're going to struggle, struggle massively.'

Young people have an awful lot to offer.

'You're open-minded, fresh, and you bring a lot of energy to site.'

But at the chocolate factory,

our second youngster, Sam, arrives 40 minutes late.

Right, young man, and you are?

Nice to meet you. Sam.

-I'm Ray.

-Nice to meet you.

-Little bit late, Sam!

I didn't know what time I was starting, to be honest.

If you just want to come through a minute and we'll get you sorted out.

-Not a very good start.

-I know.

Not a very good start at all, you know, obviously.

Let yourself down a bit.

Your mate's here on time and you're not. OK?

'We'll see how he goes on.'

He's started on minus points, if you know what I mean, really.

He's got to sort of turn it round, create a good impression.

All right, Sam?

-I'm going to show you what job you're going to be doing.

-Cool.

Sam is 19. He left school three years ago and still lives at home.

-Geraldine, this is Sam.

-Hello, Sam.

-Sam, this is Geraldine.

He's going to be working with you, helping you on cases.

'Sam and Lee have every chance to land a job here.'

The first week revealed this work suits younger workers better than the over 70s.

Barbara is the ONLY pensioner who's returned this week.

Oh, God!

The others couldn't cope with the fiddly nature of the tasks,

and even Barbara still needs to improve.

If you just try...

'I'm trying, I'm trying.'

Got to give me points for trying!

Despite being late, Sam's speed allows him to catch up rapidly.

'He's doing very well.'

Youngsters do pick things up quicker.

So, yes, he has picked it up quick.

I think he'll do great.

I'm really looking forward to working in the chocolate factory.

It's going to be a really good experience for me.

Some people might think working in a chocolate factory for years on end is like a life leading nowhere,

but I don't see it as that.

I'm doing the hours, I'm getting paid from it.

I can buy a flat, I can buy a car, I can...

I've always got that behind me then.

'And I'm not going anywhere at the moment.'

Today, over one million young people are looking for work.

The highest number since records began.

Will this problem get worse if older workers keep their jobs for longer?

So, Steve, do you think that the economy is now able to

-take on huge numbers of older workers?

-I don't believe so, no.

And actually, I don't believe it's a good thing

that the older age group of 70-year-olds, as an example,

are essentially forced back into work.

It will stop the younger age group getting their first jobs,

earning some money, buying their first house.

The economy, generally, will, in the long run, suffer.

In here we have our CVs.

Most people who come to me for jobs are between the ages of 18-24.

You've got a whole generation of youngsters

who are genuinely desperate and keen to work.

At San Marco's, an Italian restaurant,

the owners had never dreamt of employing workers in their 70s, until now.

The oldest person they had ever hired was in their 40s.

Need to put me a big veggie in as well.

But now, they've got 73-year-old John starting his second week

as a kitchen porter.

Steak Diane...

John's been a warrior. He's been relentless, he's not stopped.

His work ethic, his dedication, his pace,

and he's like a trooper, there's no stopping him.

Right, a few of you.

-Everything OK?

-Yes, thank you.

-Fine, thanks.

-Good.

Last week, 76-year-old widow Ruth

found she preferred working here to being at home.

-It's great and I just like meeting people.

-Yeah. Lovely.

-You know, it's great.

Can I bring you the menus, for a sweet? Do you want a sweet?

-Oh, go on, then!

-SHE LAUGHS

You know, I'm still enjoying it, I don't want to pack it in,

you know, not yet!

-Let me get it for you.

-No.

-No, no, no, no, no, it's dangerous.

-No, no good, no.

-Shall I carry one or not? Or will you take it for me?

-I take for you.

-OK, 14.

-14, I go with this for 14, yeah?

-Right.

I think I'm a little weakling. I can't carry that tray like that.

SHE LAUGHS

I'd like a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Is that OK?

Yeah.

Carlo is more used to hiring people like new arrival, Jodie.

I used to work in a cafe and I did enjoy it.

I like meeting new people and obviously

people are in and out all the time

so you get to see new faces constantly.

But she still has plenty to learn.

Meringue, panettone and...

Tiramisu. Tiramisu, panettone.

-Tinamisu?

-Tiramisu.

-Tinamis...?

-Correct.

-Mousse, yeah, tinamousse?

Jodie's not eaten out too often in establishments that are

mid to high end, I don't know.

Ti-na-mousse?

Ti-ra, rah.

-'But she's keen to learn.'

-Tira...

Slowly, slowly, she'll get the hang of it.

Tira-mousse, -misousse?

Tiramisousse?

SHE CHUCKLES

Thank you.

There's one thing Carlo's NOT thrilled about.

Can that lip piercing come out? Does it unscrew or does it go?

It does but it might close up.

-Right, OK. You've never taken it out before?

-No, not this one.

-Right.

Particularly myself.

I like to treat everyone the same. A couple of girls have nose studs and take them out for work.

If there's a mirror, then I can try.

I don't even know if I'm going to be able to do this.

I really can't.

Jodie promises to sort it out after her shift.

So what we'll do, we'll get Ruth to get hers done as well.

JODIE LAUGHS Then you won't stand out!

-How you doing, kid?

-I'm all right, actually.

I feel like, you know, a bit out of place at the moment.

Well, nah, don't worry, don't worry, cos I did at first.

-Yeah.

-Being that much older.

It's the end of lunchtime at the factory.

I'm just going to check in changing rooms. Is anyone in?

Sam, who was late this morning, has now vanished.

We are missing a member of the team. Sam hasn't come back after dinner.

I don't know his reasons for leaving,

because he hasn't said anything to anybody.

We discover he's gone back home.

DIRECTOR: What happened this morning, Sam?

What are you going to say to people who are like,

"I'm just not sure if I believe you or not?"

To be quite honest, I just found the attitude surprising.

I just expected that he'd come in and he'd be willing to give it a go,

and, as we've explained to him,

there are vacancies later on in the year.

The first day is nearly over at the building site.

OK, Michael, you'll soon pick it up.

-But, like, measurements, add up other measurements?

-Yep.

Retiree George has been asked to mentor teenager Michael this week.

-One there.

-Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yep, one there, we'll have to reach it.

They're working on a two man job constructing the ceilings.

This is Michael's first ever job.

He was kicked out of school after falling out with a teacher.

My teachers were all not really the cleverest of people.

They didn't do their job properly, so I don't regret that part,

but I do regret coming out with no GCSEs.

I'm pretty desperate for a job cos it's annoying being skint

all the time, so I am pretty desperate for a job.

If you tuck the drill tight to your body,

so all your muscle here is tight,

you'll find it's less stressful on your arm.

Considering the age difference and we didn't know each other

from today, he's got on quite well.

So I think he'll be OK. I'm certain he will.

I think we'll make something of him, this lad.

Down the corridor, the new plumbing team's teenager Ashley...

..and Roy.

They have to fit water pipes across two flats by the end of the week.

On a scale of one to ten,

my motivation on this job is definitely 11.

I need, I want to impress, I want to show that I'm capable.

You know, if I am offered a job at the end of it,

then I'll be more than pleased with myself.

There's no way I'd do this in my 70s.

I wouldn't reach...

I'm 71 now, I don't think I'd reach 72.

They'd put be putting me in a box, wouldn't they?

It's ridiculous.

Anyway, I'll see the job through,

and then you'll see me cartwheeling through the entrance.

In the future, there may be many more people like Roy

who don't want to work into their 70s, but have to.

He's a widower who lives alone.

And by the time I get home at night,

obviously I'm tired, so I can't do what I would normally do,

and my house is not up to usual standard, it's been neglected.

I'm going to be living like a peasant if I keep working here.

I'm going to get evicted by the council!

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

That's brilliant, mate, yeah.

Well done, mate, yeah, very good.

Belting.

All right, crack on.

I've enjoyed working with you today.

I've enjoyed working with you, as well, George.

-Yeah, a bit of fun.

-I know, yeah.

I've not really been at work for a while, but I have enjoyed it,

like, it's been a good day.

One thing's certain - I can't finish this roof

without you being here, it's as simple as that. You're part of the team.

-Yeah, we should get it done tomorrow.

-Yeah.

Right, that's grand, that's good.

Work's over at the factory.

After losing one new recruit so quickly,

the supervisor wants to check the other is still happy.

I'm just wondering, now you got to the end of the first day, how's it gone?

-Boring.

-Boring?

-Yeah.

Do you not think any job might be boring?

Not that boring.

It was pretty boring.

No matter what job you start in life,

-there will be boring parts...

-Yeah, I know that.

..and you've got to be willing to put up with the boring parts.

-We've all been the same.

-Yeah, I know.

We've all started from rock bottom.

No matter where you start,

you have to be willing to do the boring things.

And it's only by doing the boring parts of the job

-that you get somewhere.

-Yeah, I know.

You show the right attitude towards doing them,

then you get a chance to move on, and somebody else, hopefully,

comes in and does the boring jobs.

-But everybody has to start at rock bottom.

-Yeah, I know.

-OK?

-Yeah.

-I look forward to seeing you in the morning.

-Right.

Bright and early, OK?

It's another early start.

Builder George is enjoying coming out of retirement.

Sometimes when you get older, people think,

"Oh, we don't need him, we can manage without him."

You're just cast aside.

See you, then.

-Right-o, right, toodaloo. Toodaloo, toodaloo.

-T'rah.

'But I felt suddenly needed. I thought, I'm contributing here,

'so I have a reason to get up and go to work.'

But when George arrives on site,

there's no sign of his young apprentice, Michael.

I expect to see him.

He already knows I need him.

He knows what we're doing's a two-man job

and he knows I need him here, so hopefully that's just going to

spur him to come to work and not to let me down.

At the restaurant, they're preparing for the lunch service.

Here there's a similar mystery.

No sign of Jodie.

No phone calls, nothing. No sign whatsoever.

Don't know what's happened to her, if she's decided it's not for her,

or she's ill or something's happened - I've no idea.

Ruth was here at 10 o'clock this morning.

She wasn't meant to start till half ten.

It's not a good start, is it?

At the chocolate factory, we've come to find out what happened

to the young man who fell mysteriously ill yesterday.

He came back in this morning,

but as far as we're concerned, that was the end of it.

You didn't feel he deserved a second chance,

since he did turn up and apologise?

No, maybe if it had just been one thing,

but the fact to turn up late and then just to disappear off-site

without letting anybody know,

we wouldn't tolerate that with anybody.

So what was his excuse, then, when he pitched up this morning?

That he'd gone for his dinner at dinnertime

and got a beef burger, and the beef burger was a bit dodgy,

and after half an hour he was starting to feel ill.

That's very quick for a beef burger, isn't it?

Must be a very speedy food outlet.

Must've been very fast-acting food poisoning.

Time to see if Barbara is up to speed.

I go as fast I can.

Do the others go faster, do you think?

Oh, they do. Oh, definitely.

Cos they've been here longer, or because they're younger?

I think it's because they've been doing it for years

and I wouldn't expect to be as fast as them or faster.

Not when I've only been here a few days.

But have you speeded up over the four days?

Yes, I'm getting better, I'm getting better.

The main thing I had problems with was the black trays.

I couldn't separate them.

And, anyway, they've just shown me another way of doing it,

and, believe it or not, I can do it now.

Youngster Lee has been on the boxes.

Getting the hang of it?

-Just, yeah.

-You've got to keep up with people.

And these are all yours, too?

There's quite a lot of them, yeah.

Well, I think you're ahead of the game, aren't you? Let me have a go at that.

Yeah, you stick it there, pull it round, then over the edge and then twist it.

-You've got to get it on the...?

-About there, start from there.

Oh, see, I've made a balls of it already.

You've got to press it down.

Ah, OK.

-Not so easy, is it?

-No.

-What?

-No.

Oh, my God!

It looks easy, but it's not that easy.

I know, yeah.

How's he getting on?

With Lee, what certainly came across yesterday

was he found the work very boring.

As far as his ability to do the work,

every job that we've put him on so far, he's done quite well,

so it's just a case of...

just carry on as he is.

At the moment, it's him and his sellotape machine,

which I tried and couldn't do, so I wouldn't get a job there, either.

No, you could get a job tasting.

You're the one for a chocolate factory, Margaret.

Not if they want to make to make a profit.

Bittersweet chocolate, Margaret, bittersweet chocolate.

Across town, it's the second morning at the estate agent.

Today, they need to draw up particulars for new properties,

but 75-year-old Marie is still finding her way

round the computer system.

-Down.

-Oh!

THEY LAUGH

Oh, you are so patient!

Oh, dear.

Now she's got competition.

21-year-old Sam has mastered the technology in a morning.

Right, that's great, so that's that one done.

Right.

It's gone good this morning. I've picked up the programme that they use here,

which, like, finds all the properties.

Pretty easy, to be honest.

I'm not sure what I'm feeling about working with somebody younger.

We'll see how it goes.

Sam and Marie are heading out to make a floor plan

of one of the new properties.

Well, we'll do,

do the measuring and photograph each room as we go on.

Yep, yeah, yeah.

Marie was trained on the room measurer last week.

Best to do it from...

Oh, it's not showing anything.

No, that's better.

Can't be 112 metres, that.

Can't be 112.

Can't be. I don't think it'll be 12, either.

It was easier than this last time I did it.

Probably been easier with a tape measure.

That's 3.04.

Do you want to do that wall again?

-Just to...

-Just to check that one?

-Yeah.

Maybe do it just underneath the windowsill and point it.

Yeah, do you not think we should take the recess, no?

-No, because...

-Because it's not the actual... Yeah, I see what you mean, yeah.

5.52.

Back at the office, Marie's figures don't seem to add up.

It should be the same as the kitchen.

Should be the same as the kitchen, shouldn't it?

No, it's not the same as the kitchen.

The living room was bigger than the kitchen.

Yes, but it should be the same that way, shouldn't it?

No, I'm not with you.

If this is the living room, it's a different room.

But it's going to be the same width, isn't it?

Because that's...

That must be where the stairs are.

But the stairs went, like, up here and then up here.

Oh, I'm sorry, I can't get my head round this.

You know more about it than I do.

I think we got the width of the kitchen right,

it's just we've obviously made a mistake with the width of the...

I was sure I did all the measuring correctly,

-because we checked, didn't we?

-Mmm.

We both checked the measurements before we wrote it down.

So, quite honestly, if we would just get on and try

and get some people that are interested.

I'm not too sure, to be honest.

Not too sure?

No. I think we need to get the right sizes,

cos obviously that brochure's incorrect.

Cos all the sizes are on each picture, so...

'Working with Sam's frustrated me very much.'

He seems to have picked up things very quickly,

but, um...

I just felt he was a little bit cocky.

She's one of them people that doesn't like to be wrong,

so if you say something that she disagrees with,

then you've just got to agree with her to satisfy her.

I enjoyed what I was doing last week

but it just seems to have gone a bit wrong today.

And I've felt a bit, um...

..old, at times.

At the restaurant, they're in the middle of lunch service,

but they're still missing a waitress - Jodie.

A glass of rose, table two - write it down.

Write it down, yes? Sure.

SPEAKING ITALIAN

San Marco?

The mystery is about to be solved.

Jodie, hi, it's Carlo.

Right, OK.

Have you been to the doctor already, or are you going to the doctor?

Yeah, OK.

Couple of things - it's important, if you're not going to come in,

I know you've only just started,

but it's essential to give us a ring to let us know,

because we need to replace you if you're not coming in.

Obviously, we're counting on you as a member of staff to be here,

and we're quite busy,

so, if you can't come in tomorrow, you need to give us plenty of notice.

-Excuse me?

-Sorry.

-Can I have a glass of ice water, as well, please?

-Yes, certainly.

As orders mount up, it's Ruth who has to cope with the extra pressure.

Barbara's doing the food orders in there.

-Sorry, where am I going?

-Table three, thank you.

Take that and come straight back, I've got something else to take out.

-I just need to do a couple of coffees.

-Right.

Getting a little bit behind on sweets here.

-OK, 48, 48.

-Thank you.

They're making me work hard today.

Come on, chop-chop, Ruth!

I'm just doing it, yeah.

Can you take them the sweet menu? Thank you.

'It's been really, really hard work.'

We've all had to run and pull together as a team.

Jodie's let us down in a big way.

We could really have done with her here, and it's unacceptable.

I don't know if she's genuinely ill or not.

If she's not genuinely ill,

then in my eyes, she's a waste of time.

She might as well have not come in yesterday

if she wasn't intending to come back,

because what do I do spending two, three hours

showing her the ropes for her not to turn up?

It's a waste of my time, it's a waste of everybody's time,

and then you let the side down, as well.

Ruth - brilliant, can't fault her.

Listens to everything I tell her, works hard,

put's it all into practice, fantastic.

The end of service.

Oh, that's good.

'If somebody doesn't turn up, you have to get on with it, haven't you?'

You've just to do it.

So, yes, it's been busy, but I have enjoyed it.

Once again, I have enjoyed it.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

Ruth came into this week

hoping Carlo would offer her a job at the end of it.

I want to work, even though I'm 76. I want to do something.

She was a receptionist until she retired eight years ago.

In fact, my immediate boss wanted me to stay.

She said, you know, they were happy with everything I'd done

and they would really, really like me to stay on.

The only reason she left was the fear

she was standing in someone else's way.

I didn't want to retire,

but I felt I had to make way for a younger person.

I felt it was right, you know? I'd done my stint, if you like.

I did miss the job terribly.

But was Ruth right to retire?

We've come to ask an economist.

If old people stick at work, are they effectively blocking

a young person's chance of going into employment?

No, it's not true either in theory or in practice.

Whenever we see the employment of older workers going up,

we see the employment of younger workers going up, not going down.

I'm slightly baffled on that.

You would've thought if somebody creates a vacancy,

that will be filled, no?

As an older worker leaves a job,

their spending and their saving is going to change.

They will potentially spend less,

they may be more reliant on benefits,

they're going to contribute less to government revenues in terms of taxes.

If you think about thousands or hundreds of thousands

of older workers stopping work,

it could shrink an economy by really quite a lot.

So it's too simplistic to look at it and say, "One out, one in?"

Absolutely.

If it were really true, then we would've expected

some effects of men on the huge employment rates

that we've seen of women on the last 30 or 40 years.

You know, the increase in employment rates of women

have been 50% over the last 40 years,

and yet it had absolutely no effect on the employment rates of men.

It's the same question that crops up when you think about male/female,

or older versus younger, and it comes down to the same point.

Everybody can benefit from having more productive individuals in society,

regardless of whether they're young or old.

If James is right,

then Ruth should never have retired in the first place.

I thought it was extraordinary.

There's no point in the elderly making way for the young,

because it in no way improves the chances of the young getting a job.

But if they want to work,

the young still need to prove that they're job-worthy.

We've come to check on the building site.

Hello.

Ashley! I'm really pleased to see you here.

Thank you.

-Are you enjoying it?

-Yeah, absolutely brilliant.

-Really enjoying myself.

-And were you here on time?

Yep, always am.

-Working hard?

-Indeed.

OK, so tell me Ashley, out of the two of you, who's faster?

Me!

Who's faster?

Him!

Why's that?

He's younger.

But George's new apprentice Michael is still missing.

Where's your young man, then?

Well, I've lost him today, I think.

-This is disappointing.

-I am disappointed.

He does a day, and he doesn't bloody show up, doesn't even ring you.

-It's not good, no.

-It's really sad.

Bit disappointed. The day's gone now.

This morning, I thought we'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

Might be a problem at home, transport maybe.

The thing is, the proper bloke's here. I'm proud of you.

Yeah. Well, it's so disappointing for George as well.

He's let himself down, and he's let others down, too.

He has, really. He has, actually, yes.

Day two for the youngsters to be at work,

and half of them aren't there, half of them have given up.

What does this tell us?

It tells us they need a kick up the backside, if you ask me.

I'm worried, actually, that so many youngsters, young kids,

think there's some sort of short-cut to prosperity.

Let me tell you, and I'm not showing off, I worked for a company

and they had a concierge that used to come round and chuck us all out

of the office at seven o'clock, right,

and I used to, and I'm not bragging, I used to lock myself

in a cupboard until he had gone and locked the offices,

and then I would emerge from the cupboard to finish what I was doing

cos it had to be done, and then I would climb out of a window,

cross the rooftops and down through a fire escape,

because you had to finish the job.

I don't care if it was midnight or two in the morning!

9.00am.

Jodie lives at home with her mum,

and today, she's hoping to get back to work.

I'm actually scared. I don't know what to say.

What if he goes mad?

Hello, is this Carlo?

Hi, Carlo, it's Jodie.

I'm all right today, actually. Lucky enough, it was only a 24-hour bug.

No, I actually couldn't get out of bed because I was that ill,

but it's all brushed off today

because I got in the bath yesterday and it made me feel a lot better.

Yeah, I'll definitely be in tonight,

and I'm sorry again for yesterday for not informing you early enough.

Right. Make sure you look smart, presentable.

'I will do.'

Brilliant, all right. I'm glad you're coming in, OK?

'Thank you, bye.'

We'll see you tonight, thank you, bye.

At the building site, Michael's back.

He says he was absent yesterday for a personal matter

he'd rather not discuss.

We're not going to crucify you for one day.

Everybody deserves a chance,

but a wee bit disappointed that you didn't phone in.

Everybody phones in.

Uh-huh.

If you're having time off, let us know.

If you was to have any more time off without phoning in,

it would then become a disciplinary matter.

Last week, our pensioners shrugged off freezing weather

and gale force winds.

This morning, it's rain.

Without a roof, the whole site soon floods and everyone is wet through.

How's he doing, Roy?

It's not him you should be bothering about it, it's me.

I'm going to die with pneumonia.

In these conditions, like, it's very trying, isn't it?

Don't like rain, do you?

Not when I'm doing this.

Being a plumber, I thought you'd be used to water.

The water goes in the pipe, not all over me.

LAUGHTER

Gradually, your clothes get wet through

and it seeps through all your outer clothes onto your inner clothes,

and you feel a bit - not saying miserable -

you can still carry on working,

but it's very unpleasant working conditions.

I suppose a good hot bath tonight just might remedy the situation.

It may not. We'll wait and see.

If I've stiffened up by tomorrow,

that's me done for the rest of the week,

but we'll see how that goes.

As a young lad, I might've done it.

I need an half-inch off here. Hold them while I bloody saw it.

It's frustrating this lot, isn't it?

He feels the cold a lot more than maybe I do,

and he's not moving around as much as I am.

He can't cope on his own, really. He keeps shouting me every five minutes

so there's no point me doing another job cos he needs my help,

so I might as well just stay with him and help him out.

Our bloody performance is slipping here, isn't it?

Hey, yours is, not mine. Come on.

Now they're only working at half speed,

but that's not Roy's main concern.

I might not be here in t'morning. I might've died off.

You don't know, I'm pretty wet! Honestly, I'm wet through.

It's unbelievable.

Both our pensioners may be struggling in this environment,

but will the 70-year-olds of the future

be in better physical condition?

Some people think they might.

Looking to the future, new treatments for diseases,

new ways of preventing diseases,

it's just going to make such a huge difference.

Do you think we're aging more slowly?

Undoubtedly, yes.

People are now far more aware of the importance of lifestyle.

GPs have been hammering away at people to try to stop smoking,

take some exercise.

We do regular blood tests to make sure people's cholesterol's OK,

and I think all of this is going to just snowball.

If the doctor's right, today's new-borns will cope better

with working into their 70s than our group of pensioners have.

What I think is happening is that people are living longer

and longer and longer and therefore the age at which one becomes old,

if we can call it that,

seems to be moving forward.

People deserve a pension,

but to say society should fund that for 20 or 30 years

may be unreasonable.

Mmm, you may be right, Margaret. You may be right.

But I still have a feeling, you know,

that just because one lives longer one is just as, sort of,

incapable of doing a full-time job.

Maybe we linger on longer.

But one person determined to prove she can go on working,

is would-be estate agent Marie.

Do you know, I'm completely lost? I've lost my bearings.

She's been sent out to win some business.

Well, there is a car park there but I don't know how you get into it.

Maybe I have to go further up the road.

She's up against her younger rival, who has exactly the same mission.

Yeah, I'm hoping for a deal on a property.

Hopefully, if all goes well, I'll hopefully get a sale.

If I can get one, that'll be great. If I can get two, even better.

I think we'll just have to risk it.

Parking doesn't seem to be her strong point.

Oh, that's quite a good size.

Yeah.

But this part of the job is all about people skills.

Well, I'm hoping that I'll get a few completions this week.

I'm hoping, I'm hoping.

It would be great if that could happen this week.

You could get some old rugs and put them out there, couldn't you?

Yeah.

You've got solar lights all the way round.

Be nice to see it lit up at night, wouldn't it?

Yeah, and put up a barbeque.

Yeah. Getting excited?

Yeah!

This is nice, isn't it? We like it, don't we?

Do you know, it's the best view in Preston?

Yeah.

Right, you've got two options.

I can give you a quick tour round or you can have a look round yourself.

-Yeah, we'll just have look round?

-Yeah.

Yeah? Is that cool?

Yeah, no problem.

Youngster Sam has a more hands-off approach.

Hiya, nice to meet you.

You've got two options. I can show you room for room,

or you can have a scout round on yourself

and then ask any questions you need?

-Do you want to show me round?

-Yep. Right.

Obviously, this is your living area.

It's got, erm... What's it called...

Electric fire?

Yeah, it's got electric fire. It's got the aerial plug there.

Quite a blank canvas there.

Right.

Bit of... Maybe a bit of decor to do.

OK.

It's a little bit of storage for your clothes, letting 'em dry.

Obviously two windows.

There's a bath with a shower, a toilet

and, obviously, your sink basin.

Yeah.

OK?

And then there's a brochure if you want to take that away with you.

Yep.

At the factory, pensioner Barbara is at work as normal.

But she's the only one.

The second youngster, Lee, never returns.

I think that times have changed dramatically.

Nowadays, people just feel that you can,

I don't know how to phrase it but, you know,

you can just have the job you want, really.

I mean, we would just have to reward people willing to do

the sweeping streets, doing any job that comes along.

It wasn't a disgrace or anything doing work,

and they were making money.

Well, I'm mad, really. I'm mad that he hasn't give it, you know,

like, we're, like, older here, we're willing to slog away.

I know there's... I would like to go into another job

but I know there's not other jobs out there.

There's days I don't like it and it can get boring,

but you just carry on with it.

It brings you in a wage, it pays your bills,

pays your mortgage and you do it.

That's what we've been brought up to do.

It's our final visit to the restaurant.

Are you all right? OK?

This evening, young waitress Jodie did make it in,

but she hasn't got off to the best start.

I just spilt a drink. It didn't spill on him but...

Did you not get any on the customer?

You're really lucky, then. Really lucky.

For you, sir. Thank you.

Good evening.

What happened yesterday?

Well, I was sick, I just weren't feeling well.

You had a bad tummy?

Yeah, and with it being a food environment, I just thought...

-And you feel better today?

-Yeah, I feel a lot better.

It's nerve-wracking but I feel better.

-Well, maybe it was a bit of nerves, then, but you're OK?

-Yeah, yeah.

Hello, Ruth. How are you?

I'm fine, thank you. How are you?

Very well. You're looking all right.

I'm very warm, that's why!

Are you keeping up?

Yes! Oh, I'm so enjoying it. It's unbelievable.

-Are you?

-Yes.

-I'll open it for you, all right?

-Yes, please.

Make sure we do it.

We ask Ruth for a bottle of red wine.

Oh, brilliant.

-So they've opened the bottle for you?

-Yes.

I've tried two or three times and I can't get a grip.

It's one of those tiny, tiny corkscrews.

Jodie has still got a lot to learn.

What are you taking?

You just said the mussels are ready.

They're not mussels.

-What are they then?

-Oysters.

-Soz.

-They won't bite you.

If you were Carlo and you'd a vacancy for one waitress,

who would you choose?

Ruth, we all love Ruth,

but I would go for the kid.

She'll be faster in the long run, she'll have more stamina.

She's got a greater life expectancy in the waitressing trade,

and with a little bit of training,

and a little bit of - another year under her belt,

I think she's made for this business.

Ruth can do much more round the restaurant generally,

and she's just so enthusiastic. She's really enjoying it still.

Jodie, she's been here for two days, cos she missed one

cos she says she wasn't well.

We don't know whether that was genuine or an excuse.

Are you all right?

In the kitchen, a mountain of dishes is being washed by one 73-year-old.

Hello, John. How's it going?

OK.

Still standing?

Still standing, yeah.

I wouldn't like to do it on a permanent basis.

-You wouldn't?

-No.

'John has done manual jobs much of his life,

'but retired eight years ago.'

If they begged you to stay on, John, what would you say?

There must be somebody else younger than me who could do it.

I can't say I blame you, John.

He's tired. He's 70 whatever it is,

he's in there, in the steam and God knows what else,

and he's tired. He doesn't want to do it anymore.

And it's relentless in there, isn't it?

Well, I don't blame him. I don't blame him.

I think he should be released.

Today, everyone IS being released.

Come five o'clock, I'll be through that gate like Linford Christie!

HE LAUGHS

Before she leaves, Marie does get a letting.

Sadly, Sam doesn't.

-Bye, nice meeting you.

-Nice meeting you.

-You take care.

-You, too.

I'm just a recycled teenager.

LAUGHTER

Now, we're bringing our employers together.

Do they think the over 70s can thrive in the modern workplace?

And would they give any of them a job?

When we started this experiment, we wanted to see how you would

all feel about employing people well into their 70s,

and we really just wanted to, I guess, explore with you

what sort of experiences you've had.

We've had a very good couple of weeks.

Their skill sets were all there, their experience, the knowledge.

Were you surprised at how well they did?

Yeah, I was, but their time's up, I think.

The last day, it was getting a wee bit tough on the old bones

and muscles.

Ray, how did they get on in the factory?

Their work ethic was fantastic.

They certainly put to shame the younger element,

but I had to be brutally frank. She did everything.

She was brilliant, she has a fantastic personality,

but she wouldn't achieve the speed that I wanted to achieve.

The productivity would suffer with that older workforce.

It would.

Is that something you would agree with?

Generally, I would agree with that.

I think for maybe one or two weeks, they could probably keep up the pace

but once you got beyond that, I think they'd slow down a wee bit.

And how about an estate agent?

Did you feel that they were as productive as younger members of staff?

The older person has, of course, built up a wealth of job skills,

and it's sad to say that the level of courtesy and common sense

seems to be diminishing in the younger generation.

So an older workforce, generally,

will have the skills that we would prefer.

How did they get on with you?

I think they did brilliantly.

We didn't have a benchmark to set it against

cos we never really employed anybody over the age of mid-40s before,

but you were getting added value from the older person, I thought.

And yeah, they do stand out because they're not the run of the mill

person you would employ, and you've got your regular customers

and they know what they're used to seeing, but positive comments.

They thought the service was wonderful,

they had good conversations with the older members of staff.

They had a lot more to talk about.

I don't think any of the older people that have been employed

over the last two weeks want to return to full-time employment,

but quite a few of them would've been interested in having part-time jobs.

Would you, as employers, be able to facilitate part-time working

for, what I might call, the elderly?

I think Agency has always been a flexible business

and there's always been, within our business, people who work part-time,

so I don't think, actually, it'd be difficult at all for us to do that.

I think my views, my personal views, would be

you would love to take on the younger end.

You always want to be bringing in the younger element which are going

to be the next line supervisors, and the future of your company.

It would be something new for us, but I think

we could certainly accommodate an older member for our team.

I second that. I think we'd definitely find a job,

part-time at least, for an older person.

At the chocolate factory, Barbara isn't offered a job,

but she leaves with head held high.

I think the fact that you're still here fills us,

to a certain degree, with admiration,

and I think you've come from a generation where

if you make a commitment, you fulfil that commitment.

APPLAUSE

At the building site,

both pensioners are told they still have the skills to work

if they want to, but neither fell over themselves to apply for a job.

So if there was a job going, you two guys,

would you be tempted to come back?

I've still got the knowledge and the skills,

but whether physically I can continue, I'm not sure about.

It's not for me.

-Not for you.

-I want to live a bit longer.

LAUGHTER

Ashley is told they would like to offer him work.

Every report I'm getting back is absolutely superb.

Michael is told they wouldn't.

At the estate agent, they're not hiring right now,

but Kevin knows who he'd pick if they were.

If I was in a position to offer a job to either one of you,

I'd have to be employing Marie.

It is an experience and age thing.

I don't think that's a criticism of Sam.

And at the restaurant, John is offered a job,

but firmly turns it down.

Jodie is told to stay in touch.

Ruth is called over for a meeting.

I'd rather finish the job, actually.

-Ruth, you got a minute?

-Me?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Have a little chat.

-Last shift.

-I know, it's sad.

-Are you sad?

-I am, I really am.

I am, to be honest.

We threw you right in at the deep end.

You've been taking the orders fantastically well.

It's been a pleasure working with you, and I'm asking you honestly -

if it's something you feel that you'd want to do,

we'd love to have you back, even one shift a week.

I would love to, yes.

I get a buzz doing it, I really do, which is so good,

and I think at my age,

I think it's a really nice thing to be able to do, you know.

To offer me the job in the first place is just superb,

and I know now I've something I can really, really get my teeth into.

Thank you very much. Thanks so much for having me.

-Do I get a kiss as well?

-Yeah, yes.

I hope that I can carry on doing it because I have such a lot of energy,

and I cannot sit in a chair and do nothing.

I'm so pleased it's come along.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I'm good at what I do and I finally proved it,

and I feel a lot better now, and I think it's going to open up

a lot of job opportunities for me and I really hope it does.

He actually has said to me

that he's going to ask round his restaurants in Preston

if there's anything going,

and hopefully, fingers crossed, I will get a job.

Bit of bad feedback but it was overall a good time.

On the basis of what we've seen over the last couple of weeks,

it's the young people I'm worried about.

Some of them have got no work ethic at all.

We sent 14 OAPs back to work and at the end of it all,

only one took a job,

and if the whole country is going to be expected to work

well into their late 70s,

well, frankly, the future doesn't bode very well, does it?

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