Channel 4 returns to the Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds
Category: News Release
“Heart-breaking and uplifting all at once” – The Guardian
“Wonderful” – The Times
“What an extraordinary piece of television Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds is” ***** – Daily Mail
“One of the most important shows of 2017” – Stylist
Channel 4 today announces a heart-warming return to the BAFTA nominated Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds.
In 2017 an experiment inspired by a revolutionary American scheme brought together the very young and the very old for a six week period to attempt to prove scientifically that these two generations can transform the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of the older volunteers for the better.
A team of geriatric specialists medically tested the impact the children had on the older group and the results demonstrated significant improvements in mood, movement and mobility of the older group. The first series had such a considerable impact that St Monica Trust in Bristol announced they would be establishing a permanent nursery at one of their sites.
The Broadcast Award winning five-part series will once again create a nursery within a retirement community and this time the action will move to Lark Hill Village in Nottingham, the largest retirement community in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. The experiment will be extended to a ten week period as the expert team set out to create an activity driven model that will aim to deliver even more evidence of the positive impact on the older group and hope to create a longer-term template for others to follow in a bid to transform the care of the elderly across the UK.
This time round, the younger group will also be observed to see how they benefit from the interaction with the older adults.
Residents at Lark Hill Village range in age from 60 – 102 and those taking part in the experiment include a 97 year old karaoke loving Dunkirk veteran, a glamorous tap dancing Essex girl, a 91 year good Samaritan who’s spent her life helping others, receiving an MBE for her efforts, and a cheeky former Kodak film spooler.
The team of experts; Gerontologist, Professor Malcolm Johnson, Consultant Geriatrician, Dr Zoe Wyrko and Physiotherapist, Dr Melrose Stewart; will also be returning and will be joined by Biogerontologist Dr James Brown and Early Years specialist Alistair Bryce-Clegg.
The ten older adults and ten four year olds will share daily activities designed by the experts who will measure and analyse the older groups’ physical and mental progress throughout. As well as analysing frailty, memory and mood, there will also be a series of new tests.
Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds was commissioned by Channel 4 Acting Head of Factual Entertainment Lucy Leveugle. The 5 x 60 series will be made once again by CPL Productions, a Red Arrow Studios company, with executive producers Murray Boland, Danielle Lux and Trish Powell. Benjamin Leigh will Series Produce and Direct.
Channel 4’s Acting Head of Factual Entertainment, Lucy Leveugle said: “We are absolutely delighted to be supersizing Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds by taking it to the UK’s largest retirement community for a longer period of time. The continuing legacy of this series is testament to the universality of the issue of social isolation and loneliness. Both the older residents and the children’s stories are compelling and heart-warming and we are so grateful to them for sharing them with us.”
Creative Director for CPL Productions, Murray Boland said: “We are so proud to be making a second series of Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds. It is the most important programme that any of us have ever made”
Red Arrow Studios International distributes Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds worldwide.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About CPL Productions:
CPL Productions is one of the most successful independent TV and radio production companies in the UK. The company’s output spans primetime entertainment, comedy, factual entertainment and scripted drama. An impressive roster of hit shows includes Sky One’s BAFTA-winning A League Of Their Own, ratings-busting spin-off A League of Their Own US Road Trip and the return of Harry Hill to our screens in Harry Hill’s Tea-Time. ITV1’s Off Their Rockers, All Star Mr & Mrs, Harry Hill’s Alien Fun Capsule and the popular drama Brief Encounters. Channel 4’s Married At First Sight, Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds and the recent How Did You Get So Rich? as well as BBC One’s Decimate. CPL have also produced a number of Game of Throne related series for Sky Atlantic including Game of Thrones: The Story so Far and Game of Thrones: Greatest Moments featuring interviews with the cast and crew.
CPL Productions is part of Red Arrow Studios
About The Extra Care Charitable Trust:
Lark Hill Village is operated by The ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a registered charity since 1988. Our vision is better lives for older people. To deliver our vision we essentially do three things:
· We develop new villages
· We operate villages and schemes
· We support our villages, schemes and our ‘extra-care’ model through fundraising, advocacy and research
Each village or scheme has 5 to 18 social, health and leisure facilities that are accessible to our residents, volunteers and local people representing all age groups living in surrounding communities. Our Charity Shops help fund care and well-being services for older people living at our each of our locations. www.extracare.org.uk
For further information: Richard Tower: M: 0772 055 3658. richard.tower@extracare.org.uk