TUESDAY

100 YEAR OLD DRIVING SCHOOL

STV, 9pm

This three-part series began last week and follows on from the 2014 documentary 100 Year Old Drivers, which met some of the elderly people who didn’t see why age should be a barrier to getting behind the wheel.

In the process, it drew many viewers’ attention to the fact that an ageing population means more elderly people on our roads – there are currently more than 200 drivers over the age of 100 in the UK. Although motorists over the age of 70 must reapply through the post for a driving licence every three years, they are not automatically retested.

Many of us would like to think that we’ll know when the time comes to take a back seat and give the wheel to someone else, but are we always the best judges of our own abilities, especially if giving up driving means sacrificing some of our independence and freedom?

This series meets the older drivers who are willing to take the plunge and sit an assessment overseen by examiners from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) to find out if they are still roadworthy.

In this second episode, the RoSPA have set up shop in a biker cafe in Surrey, where the local leather-clad motorcyclists are surprised to encounter a procession of OAPs.

Among those taking the test are 95-year-old John William Quince, who has spent the last 30 years driving in Spain. He wants to prove to his children that he can also navigate the English highways, but his main challenge might be remembering to drive on the left.

At 105, Eileen Ash, pictured above, is one of Britain’s oldest drivers and is keen to keep it that way. She prepares for the test with a yoga workout, but will the assessors agree that she’s safe in her beloved Mini?

Don Showell, 101, isn’t taking the test alone – his beloved wife Joanie is coming along for the ride. He decides to be assessed close to home on the back lanes of Devon, but will it give him an edge?

Peggy Wolfe, 96, has been volunteered for the test by her daughter, who is concerned about her driving, but Peggy is determined to prove those fears are unfounded.

Finally for this week, we meet Bomber Command veteran George Dunn, now 94 years old, who has an added incentive to do well – he’s the last of his RAF mates still driving and has become their unofficial taxi service.