Viewers in tears watching Old People's Home for Four Year Olds at Christmas
The Channel 4 Age UK special reunited pre-school children and older people for a special Christmas carol concert – and it was simply wonderful
Channel 4's lovely Christmas special Old People's Home for Four Year Olds left viewers in tears on Monday night.
The documentary took a group of pre-school children and moved their nursery to an old people's home, uniting the generations in a special experiment organised in partnership with Age UK.
The series first aired six months ago, but young and old reunited again for a special Christmas carol concert, before everyone went outside to play together in the snow.
In one scene, 89-year-old Hamish delivered a speech about what it feels like to be lonely as an older person at Christmas.
"As we approach Christmas, there's little doubt that loneliness, which grips your heart at all times, becomes far more acute when you look around and see everyone else enjoying themselves, meeting up with different people for parties – and here you are stuck on your own," he said.
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"It is extremely sad," he continued. "Loneliness can be relieved if we go out of our way to try and meet people, and bring a little joy to their lives."
Judging by the reaction online, it's safe to say the message hit home, with celebrity fans including Doctor Who star John Barrowman and One Direction's Louis Tomlinson just two of the people left in tears by the end of the episode.
"Channel 4 I hate you right now – but in a good way," Barrowman said. 'These stories are just too much, but if you're watching this you'll know what I mean."
The episode is now available to watch on All4, and if you want to find out more about the experiment or how you can help, go to the Age UK website.
