Derren Brown trains four pensioners to steal for latest TV show Derren Brown: I think were not geared up to respect the older generation in the way other cultures do. Illusionist Derren Brown is hoping to change the way older people are viewed with his latest TV show, in which he trained four pensioners to steal a painting by the Chapman brothers from a London art gallery. However, as the training involved teaching them how to steal chips and resulted in their arrest after graffitiing a wall with a picture of a large pair of breasts, it remains to be seen whether Browns Channel 4 show improves the image of older people. Brown said he wanted to show pensioners in a new light and draw attention to their invisibility in The Great Art Robbery, which involves a £1 bet with art collector Ivan Massow that a painting by Jake and Dinos Chapman will be stolen from a London exhibition. He added that after last years controversial Channel 4 show Apocalypse, in which he persuaded a man into believing the world had ended after a meteorite shower hit earth, he wanted to do something warmer – what he describes as a caper. Brown said he could have used younger people in his programme, which airs on Channel 4 on 13 December, but that using pensioners made more of a point worth making. Its not a group thats highlighted that much [on TV] so its worth doing, he added. It was about changing the way people see them, about not making them invisible ... You dont stop being interesting just because youre 65. I think were not geared up to respect the older generation in the way other cultures do. Its a shame, because thats us [in future]. During the programme, one of the contributors, 74-year-old retired violin dealer Rachel, says: As an old woman you become more invisible. Brown said older people had richer stories to tell and pointed out that there are about 10.8 million people over 65 in the UK. His comments come just after Channel 4 was cleared of age discriminating against racing pundit John McCririck. But the issue of older faces on screen remains a hotly debated topic as the repercussions of former Countryfile presenter Miriam OReillys ageism case victory continue to be felt. Speaking after a screening of The Great Art Robbery last week, Brown said public perception of pensioners was not something thats going to change overnight but its nice to do something that might help other people. He said he had originally planned to carry out the heist – which is based on the theft of the Mona Lisa – but became interested in stereotypes of pensioners after realising his parents were getting older and chatting to a neighbour about the adventures he had had in his life. All four said they had enjoyed the experience and that it showed pensioners in a new light and gave 68-year-old former maths teacher Tony the confidence to move house after his wife died. Brown denied the four had gone on to commit any further crimes and said: They ended up being really quite inspiring. In this show they get a huge amount out of it.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Nov 2013 13:01:55 +0000
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