TV shows treat elderly women as ‘figures of fun’ and ‘subject of jokes’

London -  BBC shows like ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ exploit older women as “figures of fun” and the “butt of jokes”, a new survey of viewers has revealed.

‘Question Time’, ‘Mock the Week’ and ‘QI’ were also criticised for failing to include enough female faces on the screen.

Dramas, comedies and light entertainment were said to have a tendency to feature older people as “props for other stories” rather than as central characters, the survey commissioned by the BBC and the Cultural Diversity Network has found.

The Serving All Ages report was carried out in the wake of a growing belief that the corporation was too biased towards youth despite a growing elderly population.

It came a year after former ‘Countryfile’ presenter Miriam O’Reilly won her landmark ageism case against the BBC after she was axed from the Countryfile rural affairs show.

Overall many viewers felt that the over 50s were stereotyped as “moaners” who refused to move with the times.

They also felt that there were not enough middle-aged and elderly women on our screens compared with their male counterparts.

When they did appear on shows such as ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ they were “exploited” as figures of fun and as the subject of jokes.

“Whilst ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ was commended as a programme that included contestants from a range of ages it was also felt to sometimes mock and at worst be exploitative of certain older contestants,” the Telegraph quoted the report as saying.

Viewers highlighted Ann Widdecombe who they said had been on the talent show “just for a laugh”.

“We didn’t like older people making a fool of themselves on telly, producers and directors are taking advantage and are using it for entertainment,” said a 72-year-old viewer, one of the 180 interviewed.

“An example of this would be Strictly Come Dancing. It’s just embarrassing. I don’t like seeing older folk being exploited,” she said.

Broadcasters were also criticised for dropping women newsreaders and entertainment presenters who lost their jobs allegedly due to their age.

The report said viewers felt these presenters had been treated unfairly, “particularly when they had been replaced with what people felt were less qualified but younger, more attractive women”.

Viewers said older women were treated differently to older men, such as Sir David Attenborough, Sir Bruce Forsyth and a “host of newsreaders” for whom their age “appeared to be seen as advantageous”.