Life

TV review: The world can be your playground when you retire

Billy Foley

Billy Foley

Billy has almost 30 years’ experience in journalism after leaving DCU with a BAJ. He has worked at the Irish Independent, Evening Herald and Sunday Independent in Dublin, the Cork-based Evening Echo and the New Zealand Herald. He joined the Irish News in 2000, working as a reporter and then Deputy News Editor. He has been News Editor since 2007

Bobby George, Miriam Margolyes, Wayne Sleep, Rosemary Shrager in the Real Marigold on tour - (C) TwoFour Productions - Photographer: Production
Bobby George, Miriam Margolyes, Wayne Sleep, Rosemary Shrager in the Real Marigold on tour - (C) TwoFour Productions - Photographer: Production Bobby George, Miriam Margolyes, Wayne Sleep, Rosemary Shrager in the Real Marigold on tour - (C) TwoFour Productions - Photographer: Production

The Real Marigold on Tour, BBC 1, Monday at 9pm

First there was a hit movie, then a TV show where celebrity retirees went to live in India and now a new series where some of the original cast try life in different countries around the world.

Mostly people retire to the nearest bit of sea and sun they can find (if you’re on a civil service pension that is).

So for us it’s Donegal, or if you’re on a senior civil service pension it’s the south of France or Spain.

The Marigolds? They chose China. In particular Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province which borders Tibet.

But despite being a long way from cosmopolitan Beijing, Chengdu is no backwoods. It’s a city of 14 million people and boasts a modern and highly impressive transport system and a eight storey shopping mall which would impress New Yorkers.

Unfortunately it didn’t much impress one of the British pensioners.

Miriam Margolyes is a little bit difficult to please. She hated the swimming pool in the super modern shopping centre and proceeded to tell the lifeguard how much she hated it, albeit he hadn’t a clue what she was saying.

Miriam didn’t care much for the food either.

“I’m not really interested in experimentation. Experimentation is for scientists,” she said.

She did, however, love the trip to the Panda sanctuary. Chengdu is the world centre for these rare creatures and Miriam was very moved by getting up and close with them.

“So beautiful,” she sobbed as she fed one a carrot. “So, so beautiful.”

To be fair to Miriam, she is aware that she is a bit difficult and not unreasonably puts it down to adapting to new things at her age.

“When you’re young, it’s all amazing and all a thrill,” she says wistfully.

And that alone made The Real Marigold on Tour worthwhile. It allowed the viewer to imagine a retirement which didn’t necessarily include rainy Tuesdays in November in Ireland.

As we live longer and the world gets smaller there is no reason, cash and health allowing, why you can’t tour the world in your dotage.

China might not be to everyone’s tastes but there are lots of places in the world where the sun is warm and the beer is cheap.

So long as you have that civil service pension of course.

****

Charlie Bird: After The Headlines, RTE 2, Tuesday at 9.35pm

News reporter Charlie Bird didn’t cover himself in glory when he was covering the United States for RTE, but you don’t become one of the nation’s favourites without being able to connect with people.

In the first episode of this new series, Bird went to the fishing village of Dunmore East in Co Waterford to mark ten years since the loss of two trawlers on the same night, the Pere Charles and the Honeydew II.

Seven men died and two were rescued after 18 hours in a lifeboat.

It was a deeply moving programme as Bird interviewed witnesses, relatives and locals on the effects of the tragedy.

It’s easy to forget just how treacherous a life at sea is.

A memorial in Dunmore East, a village of a couple of thousand people, carried the names of 200 men who had been lost at sea as they tried to make a living from fishing.

Other fishermen Bird met in the harbour all had stories to tell about friends and relatives lost and the time they thought they were gone themselves.

Nonetheless, they were readying themselves to return to the sea. It was both troubling and inspiring.