Radio Times: Review by:; Alison Graham

Apprentice buddies Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford patrol this experiment, part of the BBC’s ageing season, to see if men and women in their 70s can still cut it in the modern workplace, in a world where the minimum retirement age is expected to rocket. From the outset, Nick isn’t convinced. Won’t the pensioner guinea pigs get tired? Margaret is made of sterner stuff and has more faith.

As for the pensioners, they’re a delightful bunch, determined to do their best. They are placed, variously, in a chocolate factory, an estate agent’s, a restaurant, a building site and a busy GP practice.

Some are happier than others - the builders aren’t keen on the
early starts and the modern tools. Whereas Ruth in the restaurant thrives on the pressure. Concludes tomorrow.

About this programme

1/2. Former Apprentice colleagues Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford reunite to present this two-part experiment testing how well OAPs can cope in the modern workplace. They pluck 14 people out of retirement in Preston, Lancashire, and send them back to full-time work at a building site, a chocolate factory, a restaurant, a health clinic and an estate agent's. Over the course of the week, the employers cut the older workers no slack, while most of the pensioners seem stuck in the past, with their outdated knowledge and antiquated tools. But some undergo personal transformations as they embrace new techniques and the cut-and-thrust of the workplace. At the end, the bosses decide whether to keep any of them on for a second week, or send them back into retirement.