Britain is a country where old men can contemplate the reflections of old men who have gone before them

Tom Stoppard our 73 year old playwright has said : 'Age is a high price to pay for maturity'.


What other insights can other old British men give us ?



















1. I am getting to an age when I can only enjoy the last sport left. It is called hunting for your spectacles.
~Edward Grey, died 1933

2. There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward. ~John Mortimer, died 2009

3. Regrets are the natural property of grey hairs.

Old Time, that greatest and longest established spinner of all!.... his factory is a secret place, his work is noiseless, and his hands are mutes.
~Charles Dickens, died 1870

4. The idea is to die young as late as possible.
~Ashley Montagu, died 1999

5. There was no respect for youth when I was young, and now that I am old, there is no respect for age - I missed it coming and going.
~J.B. Priestly, died 1984

6. Is that a birthday? 'tis, alas! too clear;
'Tis but the funeral of the former year.
~Alexander Pope, died 1774

7. Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life.
~Herbert Asquith, died 1928

8. We grow gray in our spirit long before we grow gray in our hair.
~Charles Lamb, died 1834

9. Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.
~Robert Browning, died 1889

10. Every man desires to live long, but no man would be old.
~Jonathan Swift, died 1745

11. Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.
~Benjamin Disraeli, died 1881

12. Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. ~Quoted by Francis Bacon, died 1626

P.S. Can you put the names to the pictures ?

Britain is a country whose depressed old men might be cheered by the comedian in Tommy Cooper while turning a blind eye to his failings as a man

I came across a study published in 2004, entitled :

Depression among older people, men and women, in Europe aged 65 years and over living in the community.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414664/

The results in themselves were depressing and the levels of 'depressive illness' were: Iceland 8.8%.
Liverpool 10.0%.
Zaragoza 10.7%.
Dublin 11.9%.
Amsterdam 12.0%.
Berlin 16.5%.
London 17.3%.
Verona 18.3%.
Munich 23.6%.

If we cut the figures in half for men it means that nearly one in ten of old men in London is depressed.

I found the perfect antidote to depression in the comedy of Tommy Cooper, who died at the age of 63 in 1984 :
Magic Cloak :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHYnahPkJI8


I decided to investigate Tommy, expecting to find a cheery story, the result, however, was depressing when I found that he :

* collapsed and soon after died from a heart attack in front of millions of television viewers, midway through his act on a live television variety show.

* was a heavy drinker and smoker who experienced a decline in health during the late 1970s and by 1980, his drinking meant that Thames Television would not give him another starring series.

* would leave a taxi, slipping something into the taxi driver's pocket saying, "Have a drink on me" and 'that something' turned out to be a tea bag.

* asked a retired variety pro who had seen better days, and was advised to walk on at the beginning, put a parafin heater down in front of the audience and say, "They told me to go out there and warm them up" .

* got an uproarious reception but offered not a word of thanks to the old pro when they met and when on he asked if Tommy's driver could give him a lift home was told by Cooper : "I'm not a f....... taxi service."

* had a wife who several times called his agent and manager to say she was leaving him after he had struck her in front of the children.

P.S.

In a 2005 poll, 'The Comedians' Comedian', he was voted the 6th 'greatest comedy act ever' by fellow comedians and is commonly cited as one of the best comedians of all time.



P.P.S. A statue him was unveiled in his hometown of Caerphilly, Wales in 2008 by fellow Welsh entertainer Sir Anthony Hopkins, who is patron of 'The Tommy Cooper Society'.

Anyway, after all that, if want some more laughs :

Glass Bottle Trick :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9UMvfKBaZI&feature=related



>

Britain is a country which says "Come back Morecambe and Wise", we need your mirth making today

Budget will cost 1.3m jobs - Treasury Exclusive: Leaked Government data
Guardian Newspaper.

Treasury to demand 40% budget cuts
...told to draw up “doomsday” budget cuts of 40% and slash bureaucracy...produce plans for extreme spending cuts by the end of this month. The...most ministries, is a spending cut of 25% in real terms over four...ringfenced from real-terms cuts. Education and defence will...
Sunday Times Newspaper

Treasury experts expect up to 600,000 jobs to go in the public sector and up to 700,000 in the private sector by 2015. Their dire warning came in a presentation seen by Mr Osborne in the days before the budget.
Daily Mirror Newspaper

The Prime Minister in the House of Commons :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10463517

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10463517


Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise were a comedy duo who worked together from 1941 till Eric's death at the age of 58 in 1984. Ernie died at the age of 74 in 1999. They may no longer be with us, but they still have the power to make us smile and laugh at their comic genius.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFgdhZGLJrY

Britain is still a country where many, who are young boys today, will look back on a poverty stricken childhood when they are old men

I had a chat with the man who came to read the water meter today. He was about 60 years old and we got talking about baths in the 'old days', which for us as kids, meant a tin bath full of hot water, for our weekly scrub in the 1950's. I said the rule was that the oldest child got in the bath first and the youngest first. He said that in his family he had 2 younger sisters which meant he got into the bath last.

Like many working class families in the 1950's we didn't live in poverty, but we didn't have much. That being the case, it is dispiriting to find that, 60 years later the Government-sponsored 'Millennium Cohort Study' has found that 20% of British seven-year-olds live in 'severe poverty' with both parents together earning less than half the average national income.
That means that 1 in 10 of 7 year old boys shall look back, when they are old men in the 2060's, with memories of poverty-stricken childhoods. Tracking 14,000 children born at the start of the century, the Report built a picture of how family circumstances determine a young person's education, health and happiness in Britain and found that, despite Governments having spent billions to eliminate child poverty since 1999, it still exists.
Researchers discovered that children born into single-parent families, homes with unemployed parents and from some ethnic minorities were more likely to be living in poverty.

"The number of children living in poverty is likely to be rising", said Professor Heather Joshi, the Study's Director.

"Our study captures how things were in 2008. This is not encouraging for child poverty today because worklessness is the most common indicator of poverty and our unemployment rate has gone up since then. Poor housing, low levels of qualifications among parents and low family income tend to be the key indicators of disadvantage."

Children play on a burned-out car in Benwell, Tyneside, north-East England, where 40% of seven-year-olds live in poverty, according to the Study.

Britain is a country whose old men have lost their champion Claire Rayner

Claire Rayner, who has died aged 79, was probably Britain's best known and best loved 'agony aunt'.

Two years ago she wrote an article in 'The Guardian' entitled :
'Take every chance you can - on what women can teach men about getting older'.

She said :

* she remembered one letter she got in the 1980's which said : 'I'm 81, I'm very energetic and healthy but so lonely since my wife died. I'm a clean and tidy old man, and I'd love to meet another lady.'

* it was 'heartbreaking', but 'not uncommon' and she got many letters from men in their 70's and 80's who had been desperately lonely since losing their wives.

* these men knew they weren't eating properly and it was because they didn't know how to cook and their attitude was 'why bother?'. Many didn't see family or friends any more.

* she got letters from men who were divorced and desperate to see their children, or grandchildren.

* her advice was : 'when you lose your partner, not only have you lost your life companion, a whole lifetime of memories have gone.... accept every single invitation that comes your way, because otherwise people will stop asking. It's easy to get out of the habit of being sociable - you can lose it very quickly, especially if you're grieving. If you don't have a circle of friends, then force yourself to meet new people'.

* and take every chance you can. Join local interest groups, dating agencies, look in your favourite paper or magazine at the contacts column. Many men in their late 70's and 80's still have healthy libidos.

Claire, what a treasure you were.

The BBC obituary for this remarkable woman :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQv61l9-8YU

Britain says "Happy Birthday" and raises a glass to two rich, kind old men called Sir Roger Moore and Sir Cliff Richard

Sir Roger Moore who is 83 today, is best known as an actor portraying British secret agent James Bond in 7 films from 1973 to 1985. However, he first came to attention as Simon Templar in the T.V. series, 'The Saint', which ran from 1961 for 6 series and 118 episodes.
Here he is making his debut at the age of 34 in 1961 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agkGEgKyb40

What is less well known about Roger is his humanitarian work.

* In 1983, his life changed when filming his 6th film as James Bond in India. Shocked at the poverty he found, he became interested in the 'Third World Humanitarian Effort'.

* His friend, Audrey Hepburn, had impressed him with her work for UNICEF and he became a 'UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador' in 1991. He was the voice of 'Santa' in the UNICEF cartoon The 'Fly Who Loved Me'.
http://www.unicef.org.uk/theflywholovedme/

* When in 2003 he became 'Sir Roger' in recognition of his humanitarian work he said that it "meant far more to me than if I had got it for acting. I was proud because I received it on behalf of UNICEF as a whole and for all it has achieved over the years".

* In 2003 he received the 'German Federal Service Cross' for his work battling child traffickers as special representative to UNICEF.

* In 2005 he was given the 'UNICEF Snowflake Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award'.

* In 2008 received the 'Dag Hammarskjöld Award' from the UN.
http://www.mefeedia.com/watch/22979181

Sir Cliff Richard is 70 today is best known as a singer whose career started in the 1950's and led him to become the biggest selling 'singles' artist of all time in the UK, with total sales of over 27 million and more than 260 million records worldwide.

Here he is at the age of 23 in 'Summer Holiday' in 1963 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQRytgGffV4

What is less well known about him is his charitable work in which he :

* through 'The Sir Cliff Richard Charitable Trust', helps over 50 independent charities, with a total of £500,000 a year with priority given to medical research, children and the elderly and the physically and/or mentally disabled.

* is Vice President of 'The Cliff Richard Tennis Foundation', a charity involved in taking tennis into state primary schools and which has given over 200,000 children a chance to try their hand at playing.

* is a Patron of the 'Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation' and 'The Alzheimer's Research Trust'.

* Was knighted for his charity work in 1995
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eETfBOnJPA

Britain says "Happy Birthday" to Chris Farlowe

Chris Farlowe the singer who made his name in the 1960's is 70 years old today.

Some things you possibly didn't know about Chris, that he :

* was born John Henry Deighton, in Islington, North London.

* was inspired by Lonnie Donegan and started 'The John Henry Skiffle Group' in 1957.

* joined 'The Thunderbirds', who went onto record five singles for the Columbia label.

* released a cover version of 'Stormy Monday Blues' under the pseudonym of 'Little Joe Cooke' which perpetuated the myth that he was a black singer.

* moved to Andrew Loog Oldham's 'Immediate' label, recorded 11 singles, 5 of which were cover versions of Rolling Stones songs and it was his 'Out of Time' which reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1966.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNyAzuB1-rE

* recorded four more singles, the best known of which is Mike d'Abo's 'Handbags and Gladrags'

The have been a number of recordings of this song but for me, this 1967 version, featuring Dave Greenslade's trademark piano blues-scale riff and Chris' voice, was the best. He was, at 27, convincing as the Grandfather of an errant Granddaughter.

Ever seen a blind man cross the road,
Trying to make the other side?
Ever seen a young girl growing old,
Trying to make herself a bride?

So what becomes of you my love,
When they have finally stripped you of,
The handbags and the glad rags,
That your poor old Grandad had to sweat to buy you.

Once I was a young man,
And all I thought I had to do was smile.
Well you are still a young girl,
And you've bought everything in style.

So once you think you're in you're out,
'Cause you don't mean a single thing without,
The handbags and the glad rags,
That your poor old Grandad had to sweat to buy you.

Sing a song of six-pence for your sake,
And drink a bottle full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds in a cake,
And bake 'em all in a pie.

They told me you missed school today,
So what I suggest you just throw them all away,
The handbags and the glad rags,
That your poor old Grandad had to sweat to buy.

They told me you missed school today,
So what I suggest you just throw them all away,
The handbags and the glad rags,
That your poor old Grandad had to sweat to buy you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSh1iR7SDHc

Judge for yourself, whether the old Chris, now no doubt, a genuine grandfather, still has the voice, he has however changed 'Grandad' to 'Daddy'. I prefer the concept of Grandad :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqPnYJRUbgo

P.S.
His version of Solomon Burke's 'This is a Man's World' :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8yZjIVNPKA

If Britain is no country for old men, neither is Japan

Apparently, like the results of a mysterious plague, the oldest of the old in Japan are suddenly and rapidly 'disappearing'. The reason, however, is not disease, but oversight and inadequacy in social welfare which has created an unexpected social issue.

The problem started near the end of July this year when local government authorities went to congratulate a Tokyo resident on his 111th birthday because, according to records, he was supposed to be the oldest man alive in the city. However, after his family suspiciously turned the officials away, police were brought in to investigate. The old man was not found in his home, but his mummified corpse was and he had reportedly been dead for 30 years.
It was reported that his family had received over $100,000 worth of widower’s pension in his name after his wife died six years ago.

In the wake of that situation, officials started to investigate other centenarians and by August the whereabouts of more than 30 centenarians had now been brought into question.
This is not a new problem. In 2005 there were 52 cases of people over the age of 100, who were thought to be alive and were found to be either dead or missing.

The Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world and in 2009 there were believed to be 40,000+ individuals over the age of 100 and the welfare of the old has become a problem as resources to track their well being are limited.

Having said that, the Japanese take strong pride in their longevity, have a national holiday celebrating the elderly.

This 'might' make you laugh :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET9aFN12jPw

Britain is a country where it is not surprising to find that rich old men live longer than their poorer counterparts

'How Fair is Britain?', a definitive 700-page report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on discrimination and disadvantage in British society, charts inequalities from birth, through education, into the workplace and on to retirement.

The most comprehensive study ever conducted into inequality in Britain has revealed a country in which boys struggle academically, disabled children face shocking levels of bullying and progress towards pay equality for women has stalled.

It also found that men and women from the highest social class can expect to live up to seven years longer, on average, than those from lower socio-economic groups, based on life expectancy at birth.

Britain is a country where two youngish comedians called Enfield and Whitehouse make money by being nasty old men

Harry Enfield, age 49 and Paul Whitehouse age 52, are 2 British comedians who have created a sketch based on Two 'Old Gits' described as 'an obnoxious pair of old men who take great delight in persecuting younger people, although they do branch out their cruelty on other groups of people, so as not to discriminate'.
The word 'git' is mild bad language and means a silly, incompetent, stupid, annoying, senile elderly or childish person. It first appeared in print in 1946 but originated in 'get', a shortening of 'beget' dating back to the 1300's, which insinuated that the recipient was misbegotten offspring and therefore a bastard.

Personally, I don't find them funny, since I think the essence of comedy is for you the viewer to have an affection, no matter how small, for the character being portrayed. I found I had none here, but you can judge for yourself :

Visiting hours :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Io1imJ97aA

Conversation :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=caeXUgw7bwY

Britain is a country where young , middle aged and old men and women take part in the annual 'Great North Run'

This is my good friend Del Boy taking part in the world's most popular half marathon,'Great North Run' on September 19th and crossing the Tyne Bridge.

He makes the run every year and this year, was sponsored by family and friends to raise money for the 'Alzheimer's Society' charity. He tells me that his running name 'Del-Boy', based on his real name Derek, 'goes down well with the crowds of the Newcastle Geordies' who, 'immediately connect me as coming from the South and call out!' (see the note at the bottom of this page)

In his e-mail to me he pointed out that it:

* is a great British event with fantastic organisation for the large number that take part plus all the spectators and 'camp followers' like H.(his wife)

* it had an emotional note when they play 'Abide With Me' and everyone goes silent as they are there for 'someone' with lots of photos of friends and family members on the back of their running tops or 'something' like the charity for which they are raising money.



Some things you probably didn't know about the Run, that it was :

* devised by former Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator, Brendan Foster who was inspired after running in the 'Round the Bays Race' in New Zealand in 1979.

* first staged in June 1981, when 12,000 runners participated and advertised as a 'local fun run'

It is :
* one of the biggest running events in the world and the biggest in the UK with only the 'London Marathon' coming close to attracting similar numbers of runners.

* and this year more than 100,000 people tried to gain a place, 54,000 were successful and nearly 40,000 actually took part.


* and had Jim Purcell or 'Jarra Jim', who at 89, was one of the oldest participants aiming to complete his 24th consecutive run, who only started running at the age of 65 and over the years has raised thousands of pounds for charity, taking part in marathons and running events all over the British Isles.

The runners crossing the Tyne Bridge :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Tm5H2ezm8

The route in under 2 minutes :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/things_to_do/newsid_8192000/8192869.stm

Note :
To understand the significance of the name,'Del Boy', see my posting for Sunday, 12 September entitled : 'Britain is a country of old men who remember 'Only Fools and Horses with affection'.

Britain is a country where old men remember the pretty, young Margaret Thatcher and discover that she also had human weaknesses

Mrs Thatcher who is 85 years old next week was once a very pretty aspiring politician.
Simon Hoggart, a political journalist who writes in 'The Guardian', has some very amusing stories about her. I am quite prepared to admit that, although I didn't share her political views, she was with Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, the third in the trio of greatest Prime Ministers of the last century. Simon's anecdotes about come as a pleasant surprise and I see her in a new light and as someone who was both human and unworldly at the same time. See what you think.
He makes the following points, that she :

* like many people, held in the grip of their own convictions, had trouble understanding the thoughts and words of others.

* was, and no doubt is, a kindly woman and her staff were always pleased when she remembered their birthdays, even more, when she remembered their children's birthdays.

* could be tolerant of other people's way of living, even when she did not understand or sympathise with it

* kept any sense of humour well hidden.

Examples :

* when the Liberals adopted a stylised yellow bird as their logo and one of her speech writers produced a passage based on 'Monty Python's' parrot sketch with the lines : "this parrot is no more, it has shuffled off this mortal coil and gone to join the choir invisible ", had to be persuaded that the lines were funny, and would be recognised by the audience.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xoh8j_monty-python-dead-parrot-sketch_family

* when Peter Jay, the son-in-law of the then Prime Minister Jim Callaghan, had said that Callaghan saw himself as 'Moses', leading his people after long travails into the 'Promised Land' and her writers wrote a line for her party conference speech:

"My message to Moses is: Keep taking the tablets", she didn't get the joke and tried to change it to "Keep taking the pills."

* was the source of much 'unwitting' humour and on being asked in the Commons about pacifists handing out leaflets outside an army barracks said to outright laughter from the Labour side and surreptitious giggles from the Tories :
"I'm sure soldiers will know exactly what they can do with those leaflets!"

* when at a training centre in Putney and introduced to an extremely large youth who was working with a giant wrench, said : "Goodness," I've never seen a tool as big as that!"

* saved the best of all for her victory tour of the Falkland Islands where, when taken to inspect a large field gun and asked if she would like to fire a round, said :
"But mightn't it jerk me off?" and apparently the soldier struggled manfully to keep his face, indeed his whole body, straight.

* when at a weekend summer barbecue at Balmoral with the Queen, insisted on doing the 'washing up' which was traditionally done on this occasion by the Queen and when she was overruled by the Queen, did not realise she was proposing to deprive her monarch of one rare and valued contact with the real world, as lived by her subjects.

As a reminder of her in her prime, here she makes her most famous conference speech :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ-M0KEFm9I&feature=related

Britain is a country with some good news for old men in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease

The 'Daily Mail' newspaper announced some good news for old men today :
Hundreds of thousands of people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s will no longer be denied crucial drugs that slow the devastating disease.
The paper reported that :

* its 3 year campaign ended in victory yesterday when the National Health Service 'drug rationing body' reversed a ban which had been condemned by doctors, patients and their families.

* before yesterday patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, who knew they were losing their mind, faced the situation of waiting for their condition to deteriorate before being prescribed the three drugs which cost only £2.50 a day.

* around 465,000 people live with Alzheimer’s in the UK and 62,000 people are diagnosed each year, yet fewer than 50,000 patients are currently prescribed drugs.

* although the drugs are not a cure, up to half of patients respond with ‘life-changing’ improvements with their symptoms lessened and the progression slowed.

Is Britain is a country where old men want to live until the age of 144, like Dr Nakamats ?

The 82 year old Japanese Dr Nakamats is the world's most prolific inventor with over 3.000 registered patents and he intends to live to the age of 144.

"I was curious about how I could extend my life span, I found that we are eating too much. That is what makes life short."

He concluded that one meal per day is ideal and it should be low in oil and around 700 calories and the number of sleeping hours should be limited to 6. He encourages a steady intake of 'Rebody 55', a dietary supplement of his own invention composed of 55 grains and other elements.

Here he speaks for himself :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_w9XMTJnpM

If I am right and Britain is no country for old men today, it will certainly be no country for ancient men in the future.

Britain is a country whose old men can still benefit from the laughter induced by vintage 'Candid Camera'

What are the benefits of laughter for old men ? Apparently it :

* is not only 'the best medicine' for you, but also relieves your stress.

* exercises your internal organs, increases oxygen to your brain, boosts endorphins, strengthens your immune system and brightens your moods.

* is infectious and when you share it, binds you to others.

* brings your mind and body back into balance.

* leaves your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes.

To enjoy some of these benefits, I tuned in again to 'Candid Camera Classics' from over 40 years ago. What was funny then, is still funny now. They made me laugh.

Wrong floor again :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeTc2uHQ_34&NR=1

Goldfish delicacy :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92DPi1Idz3E&feature=related

Parcel delivery :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-h10x0XG4o&feature=related

Goats milk :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dGCRkhshE0&feature=related

Ballet lessons :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbsDElh2IPw&feature=related

Britain is no longer a country for Norman Wisdom

Britain says "Goodbye" to Norman Wisdom.




Like all baby boomers, I grew up in the 1950's and the days were grey. These were the years of Post-War austerity. There wasn't much prosperity and entertainment at home consisted of programmes by the BBC on the radio. The weekly visit to the cinema on a friday night was something we kids looked forward too. It was magic : soft, comfortable seats, warmth, the 'B' film, Pathe News, Adverts, the main film and a choc ice.
I have fond memories of those nights in that gentler, less wealthy age and Norman Wisdom is part of my nostalgia.

What I didn't know about Norman was that he :

* was born to a chauffeur father and a dressmaker maker mother in Marylebone, London, in 1915.

* spent time in a children’s home, aged nine, when his parents split up.

* ran away and became an 'errand boy', before walking and hitching to Cardiff to become a cabin boy in the Merchant Navy.

* later joined the Army, honed his talent for entertaining and learnt to play 11 instruments.

* was a champion boxer during his time in the Army.

* during World War II, worked in communications, connecting telephone calls to Winston Churchill.

* co-wrote Vera Lynn classic song :'There'll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs Of Dover'.

* got his showbiz break in 1945, performing in 'The Successful Failure' as a clown character which would be typical of the character which would become his trademark.

* had a fan in Charlie Chaplin who told him in 1950: “You will follow in my footsteps.”

* made his film debut three years later and went on to star in 19 films.

* was a cult figure in Communist Albania which banned all films from the West except his

* was given freedom of the city of Tirana and had an orphanage named after his cinematic alter ego, Norman Pitkin.

* was mobbed on holiday in Moscow in 1963.

* was, in the early 1970s, personally invited by Mao on a month-long tour of China.

* on tv, made 4 series of 'A Little Bit Of Wisdom', before displaying his straight acting talents in 1981 BBC play 'Going Gently', about a dying cancer patient. In later years he was a regular in 'Last of the Summer Wine'.

* In 2000 he was awarded a knighthood and tripped as he left the ceremony, reportedly to the amusement of the Queen.

* said: "My comedy is for children from three to 93. You do need a slightly childish sense of humour and if you haven't got that, it's very sad."

His films :

A Date with a Dream (1948)
Trouble in Store (1953)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ9HzlXMaOA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbwS9qcpi0k
One Good Turn (1954)
As Long as They're Happy (1955)
Man of the Moment (1955)
Up in the World (1956)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyYzwukAvL0
Just My Luck (1957)
The Square Peg (1958)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Mp4HC09S0
Follow a Star (1959)
There Was a Crooked Man (1960)
The Bulldog Breed (1960)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIv-RWiBb-g
On the Beat (1962)
The Girl on the Boat (1962)
A Stitch in Time (1963)
The Early Bird (1965)
The Sandwich Man (1966)
Press for Time (1966)

Biography Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8
SNcocqFwp8

Biography Part 2 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BRotialo1E

Biography Part 3 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBJX70TSjgI&NR=1

Britain is perhaps, a country where the 'country' may have changed, however, the 'people' have not

I maintain that these clips from 'Candid Camera' of 40 to 50 years ago, still display traits in the reactions of the Brits, which could be seen 'then' and would still be seen 'today'.

Technology may have transformed the Britain where old men now live, but the way 'most' people behave has not changed much in those 50 years.

New tulip :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHcbKK9awWQ&NR=1

Bournemouth landlady :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOWU3CSPRog&feature=related

Snookered :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=676rUN4U_r0&feature=related

Invisible Man :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW5_-Hj1N9M&feature=related

Change for a cuppa :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiGQXtHKm5g&feature=related

Gotta pick a poket or two :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqyQdQnVb8Y&feature=related

Change of name :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uFcnbtNtaE&feature=related

Arthur's alibi :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jg_rKeWfSo&feature=related

Is Britain, at its extremes, no Country for Old Men ?

I was looking for evidence that this country is no place for old men, so I went on a 'Google Search'.




I put in : 'old men attacked on the streets' and gratifyingly, it only came up with the following 4 stories over this year :

1. Man, 62, attacked on Lancashire street.

: 23 Sep 2010.

A 62-year-old man has been left in a critical condition after being attacked in a Lancashire street.
* * * * * *
2. A 72-year-old man has been brutally attacked by robbers.

: 13 Jul 2010.

A 72-year-old man brutally attacked by robbers outside his home in The Square, Weelsby Street.
* * * * * *

3. Burglar who attacked 69-year-old man is jailed for up to 11 years

11 Sep 2010.

http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/news/Thug-did-got-deserves/article-2631506-detail/article.html
* * * * * *
4. 102-year-old man attacked in his own home.

St. Helens, Prescot.
* * * *