Parsons’ lasting legacy...winning the ageism fight
ASHINING light in British broadcasting has been extinguished. A national institution has gone. This week Nicholas Parsons, an icon of entertainment and comedy, died at the age of 96.
During his remarkable career, he became a household name for his roles such as chairing the much-loved Radio 4 panel game Just A Minute and presenting ITV’s Sale Of The Century, one of the highest rated programmes in TV history.
His enormous appeal was based on a host of factors, including his suave geniality, his mastery of improvisation, his unstarry willingness to mock himself, and his easy fluency in front of the camera or behind the microphone.
His verbal dexterity was all the more impressive, given that he had suffered badly as a child from dyslexia and a stammer.
But what was also astonishing about Parsons was his longevity.
From his earliest days on the stage in wartime, he never stopped working. His dedication was epitomised by Just A Minute, which he fronted from its beginning back in 1967 right until the end of his life.
In more than five decades, he missed just two recordings.
Recalling a performance with the show at Bristol in 2008, when Parsons was already 84, one critic wrote: “He had the energy and acuity of a man 30 years younger.”
PARSONS’ record is a powerful rebuke to all the negativity about the employment of older people. Here was a man who magnificently continued with the career he adored well into his mid-90s.
Yet so many others, full of vitality, are denied the same opportunities because of the insidious belief that those of advancing years should invariably shuffle off into the twilight of retirement. Age discrimination was meant to have been outlawed by legislation in 2006, a move reinforced by the Equality Act of 2010. But bias is still widespread.
According to a large survey in 2018 by the pollster YouGov, almost a third of respondents aged over 50 claimed to have been turned down for a job because of their age, while 29 per cent said that their workplace does not value older workers.
In the same vein it is estimated that almost one million jobless people aged over 50 are keen to work.
Sometimes, despite the law, discrimination can be overt. An official Parliamentary inquiry in 2017 highlighted the case of a man above the usual retirement age who visited his local jobcentre in the quest for work, only to be “summarily and brusquely thrown out” with the words: “We don’t deal with people like you.”
This kind of hostility is based on a number of misguided theories, like the ideas that older workers are less productive, or cost too much, or are unwilling to learn new skills, or will only give a few years of service. But this is all mythmaking. Hesitant employers should take comfort from the case of Monica Evans, who in 2017, marked her 70th anniversary with the Warwickshire aircraft components firm Kigass.
Having joined as a 19-yearold accounts clerk in 1947, she kept fully up to date with online technology and internet banking. In the course of processing an estimated 42,000 payments during her career, she has made just one mistake, back in 1959 when she failed to account for a two penny deficit.
“She is an inspiration. She goes beyond the call of duty,” said her boss Joanne WardmanSmith, while Monica herself declared, “I love my job. I love the people I work with. It has been my life.”
Discrimination against older people is damaging for both our economy and society.
It not only represents a chronic waste of skills and experience, but also makes pensions less affordable by encouraging premature retirement at a time when life expectancy is lengthening significantly.
With the number of people over 65 set to reach 17 million by 2036, we simply cannot afford to ignore this vast and valuable pool of talent.
Nor is enforced, unwanted retirement good for the health and well-being of individuals.
LAST October, 80-yearold Savile Row tailor Andrew Gomez, who has made 16,000 jackets during his career, explained why he was reluctant to quit the job he loved. “I wouldn’t have anything else to do. I don’t want to stay at home and be bored.” Many others feel just like him.
Fighting age prejudice has not become a fashionable cause like the battles against racism, homophobia and sexism. Yet it is just as important. We should value age diversity in the workplace, welcoming the contributions that people can offer, whatever their maturity.
Nicholas Parsons left a wonderful legacy, but it will be all the richer if his achievements help to reduce discrimination.