First there was The Only Was Is Essex. Then there was Made in Chelsea. At some point there was Geordie Shore. And now BBC4, the BBC’s home of culture and high art, will jump on board the “structured reality” bandwagon with a show featuring Bournemouth pensioners.
Close to the Edge will feature a cast of 60, 70 and 80-somethings in the resort on the south coast of England, including a former brothel madam turned Ukip fundraiser and a comedian on the dating comeback trail.
Like The Only Way is Essex, they are ordinary people rather than actors but will be asked to improvise their way through staged situations set up by the producers.
BBC4 channel editor Cassian Harrison said the six-part series will “reveal the passions, predilections and prejudices that beat as strongly in the hearts of the over-60s as any other generation”.
The programme’s executive producer Karl Warner said: “Television about old age tends to be focused on single issues, but Close to the Edge combines drama and documentary to help give a voice to a broader range of stories being lived out by the over-65s.
“The cast are complex, funny and outspoken – and, like most things in life, get better with age.”
The series is a departure for BBC4 which has had its budget cut in recent years with a sharper focus on arts, culture and documentary programming. It promises a “different approach from the more typical youth-orientated scripted reality shows”.
