Anger at ‘corpses’ slur on elderly by Paxman...aged 66
PRESENTER Jeremy Paxman has been accused of insulting the elderly and being in denial about being a pensioner after describing old age as “incontinence and idiocy’’.
The former BBC Newsnight host, 66, said the older generation are “virtual corpses’’.
Paxman made the remarks after picking up a copy of Mature Times – a free publication directed at people over 50.
He said “mature” means being “on the verge of incontinence and idiocy’’ and “peevish valetudinarianism’’ – being irritably and excessively concerned with one’s health.
Paxman also labelled the magazine “cheeky’’ for including anyone his age as “mature’’. But Andrew Silk, publisher of Mature Times, hit back saying Paxman is in denial about his age.
Mr Silk also says the University Challenge presenter’s remarks are offensive and have insulted the 21 million over-50s in Britain.
He believes the political presenter is turning from Jeremy Paxman into former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson – “without the charisma’’. In an article, Paxman wrote: “At the reception desk of a hotel to which I checked in this week was a pile of free copies of Mature Times, which calls itself “the voice of our generation”.
“Oh God, I thought, the cheeky b ******* are including me. Back off. For this must be the most unfashionable publication in Britain. Who wants to be called “mature”, like an old cheese?
“We all know that “mature” means, on the verge of incontinence, idiocy and peevish valetudinarianism.
Winceyette
“They might as well have named it the Surgical Stocking Sentinel or Winceyette Weekly” – winceyette being a fabric used in nightwear.
He added: “The paper is adorned with advertisements for hearing aids, recliner chairs, copper insoles, stairlifts, devices to help you in and out of the bath and Your Life After Death, a book written by someone called Joseph who, apparently, is dead. I should rather be keeping company with Joseph than looking forward to any of these products.
“Why do the people who run these dreary publications assume that, apart from a cruise somewhere in the company of other virtual corpses, this sort of stuff is all we want?”
Mr Silk said: “He is 66, so he obviously does not see himself as one of the people he wants to poke fun at, which is irrational.
“This could be his Gerald Ratner moment,” he added referring to the jeweller who once rubbished his own products.
“I see similarities between him and Jeremy Clarkson. He could be Clarkson without the money. Clarkson has made a living from being offensive.
“Paxman tries to be the intellectual one but he’s lacking the charisma of Clarkson.”
Mr Silk said: “I suspect that with the high-media profile enjoyed by Mr Paxman comes a massive ego as well.” He called on Paxman to apologise.
Mature Times is the largest free publication targeting the over-50s, with 200,000 copies published monthly.