BRITAIN: Meldrew actor says old are 'disregarded'

EDINBURGH (The Sunday Times - Scotland), April 9, 2006: THE man known as Britain’s grumpiest pensioner has voiced his concern at what he sees as a growing prejudice against old people in Britain. Richard Wilson, the actor who played the archetypal grumpy old man Victor Meldrew in the sitcom One Foot in the Grave, claims many senior citizens are shown no respect and made to feel worthless. Wilson, who will celebrate his 70th birthday in July, said: “As you get older you can’t fail to notice a lot of ageism in our society. I feel it especially when I am out and about in the way I am treated. Then people recognise me and are nice. “But there is a real sense of people disregarding you because you are old, or not even thinking that you are worth passing the time of day with.” Despite playing the bad- tempered antics of Victor Meldrew for laughs, he insisted the character was a positive role model. “He was always complaining — but mostly because he had something to complain about,” he said. Wilson also expressed concern that many residents in care homes were not adequately looked after, arguing that they needed to be provided with mental stimulation as well as having their physical needs being cared for. Having recently penned a radio play about the difficulties faced by a man whose wife is in a care home, he said: “I dread to think about going to one. “One of the most terrible things is that there is no thought about how best to entertain them or keep them [mentally] alert. They are just allowed to sit there and vegetate. There is no point in keeping people alive with modern medicine if we are not going to work at giving them a decent quality of life.” Wilson, who is directing Rainbow Kiss — a play about a young man who uses drink and drugs to numb feelings of despair — at London’s Royal Court theatre, said he has no intention of retiring. “I’m in a very lucky position because I am still doing something I love. But a lot of pensioners have a really hard time,” he added. Now spending much of his time directing new writing, Wilson claims that working with young playwrights and actors helps to keep him “in touch”. He also claims that the younger generation are less ageist than their parents. Wilson is currently in talks with Vicky Featherstone, director of the National Theatre of Scotland, about directing a play for the theatre’s new season but claimed he is unlikely to reprise his “favourite” role as Eddie Clockerty, the infamously dour band manager in John Bryne’s stage adaptation of the hit 1980s series Tutti Frutti. Wilson is the latest high-profile figure to complain about ageism. Feminist Germaine Greer recently launched a scathing attack on British actresses such as Julie Walters for their negative portrayal of older women in characters such as Mrs Overall, and Sharon Stone recently complained that Hollywood tries to “erase” women over 40. Kate Jopling, policy officer for Help the Aged, said Wilson’s experience of ageism was all too common: “Sadly, this type of ageist attitude is one that we are well aware of.” By Karin Goodwin