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Dispatches: Britain’s Forgotten Pensioners (Channel 4 Wednesday 7 June 2023)

Published

4 months ago

June 5, 2023

Dispatches: Britain’s Forgotten Pensioners airs Wednesday 7 June 2023 on Channel 4.

There are 2.1 million poor retirees in the United Kingdom. Dispatches portrays four seniors intimately and movingly as they endure the winter months while trying to make ends meet despite soaring energy costs and inflation.

John, the lone survivor of his immediate family, turned 76 this year. He now spends his days alone in Sunderland at the house he once shared with his family, including his parents, brother, and sister, all of whose graves he visits daily. His refrigerator is devoid of food and turned off. John doesn’t turn on the lights at night because he’s too concerned about paying the energy bill.

Doreen, 68, who lives a few miles away, has only had two guests in the 38 years she’s been there, so she heads to bed early to keep warm. And in rural Leicestershire, 82-year-old Harry and 77-year-old Christine are cutting costs by skipping meals.

For financial reasons, Harry has also had to forego his greatest interest. Putting a human face on the isolation, loneliness, and stress of living on the brink of survival, the stories of John, Doreen, Harry, and Christine bring to life the difficult decisions facing pensioners on low incomes in Britain.

Dispatches: Britain’s Forgotten Pensioners airs Wednesday 7 June 2023 at 10.00pm on Channel 4

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4

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