Love and understanding that spans generatioons

MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT

Monday, BBC Two

OLD PEOPLE’S HOME FOR 4 YEAR OLDS

Tuesday, Channel 4

Towards the end of the Second World War, a pair of British army officers meet and fall in love. Unfortunately, their dreams of a blissful future together are compromised by two major stumbling blocks.

The first, of course, is that homosexuality won’t be decriminalised in Britain for another 22 years. The other, more immediately pressing problem is that one of them is engaged to be married. Life is never easy, is it? Bestselling author Patrick Gale examines this complex situation with an appropriately heavy heart in the twopart drama Man In A Orange Shirt, his screenwriting debut.

Michael and Flora look like the

perfect middle-class 1940s couple. He’s a handsome, charming member of the establishment, she’s a pretty schoolteacher.

However, their passionless “lie back and think of England” love is sharply contrasted with the more torrid secret encounters between Michael and his best friend, Thomas, a confirmed bachelor.

Michael, a sensitive gentleman, loves Flora and doesn’t want to hurt her. But he’s truly in love with Thomas. Things go from bad to worse when, just a few months into their marriage, a pregnant Flora discovers a stack of her husband’s eloquent love letters to his male paramour.

Gale’s drama unfolds in a grim world where gay men were vilified and imprisoned for their so-called crimes against nature.

When an understandably shocked and upset Flora discovers the truth about Michael’s sexuality, she describes him as “repellent” and asks whether it’s safe for him to be around children.

She’s not a bad person, just a product of her time and another unwitting victim of prejudice.

She eventually, tearfully, decides to stay with Michael, despite her heartbreaking knowledge that he can never love her in the way she loves him.

Gale also includes the character of Thomas’ loving mother, played by Frances de la Tour, who knows her son is gay and wants nothing but the best for him. Human beings, despite their oppressive societal trappings, have always been capable of love and understanding.

Sensitively written and performed, Man in the Orange Shirt is another sad reminder of a time, not so long ago, when life for homosexuals was unbearably difficult. It also reminds us that, for once, society as a whole has actually made some positive advancements in recent years.

However, as we’ll see in part two, being gay in our smart, progressive modern world still isn’t a bed of roses. The octogenarian Flora, now played by Vanessa Redgrave, must come to terms with her grandson’s homosexuality.

A commendable social experiment from Channel 4, Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds sought to challenge the way we look after the elderly by gently forcing a group of care home residents to interact with some young children. Would their mental and physical health be improved by the experience? Answer: a resounding yes. Slowly but surely, the inquisitive, nonjudgemental nature, imagination and energy of the kids brought the elderly adults out of their bored, depressed and lonely shells. Watching these two generations, separated by decades, interacting so warmly was both poignant and informative. The positivity of children really does work wonders on stagnated adult spirits.

Intergenerational therapy is a common practice in the US, so why has it taken so long to arrive over here? Hopefully, this responsible piece of public service broadcasting will raise some much-needed awareness.