Kathy Burke: Growing Up Episode One (Channel 4 Wednesday 8 March 2023)

Kathy Burke: Growing Up airs a new episode tonight Wednesday 8 March 2023 on Channel 4.

Episode One After examining such topics as what it means to be a woman and the function of money in society, famed actor and director Kathy Burke now turns her attention to the topic of getting older.

Kathy, who recently turned 58, thinks a lot about growing older and the differences between being old and being young as she prepares to celebrate her milestone birthday.

Kathy asks, over the course of two hilarious and eye-opening episodes, whether we should resist or accept aging. Is it simpler or more complicated to be a young person today?

She enlists the support of her celebrity friends, such as Jennifer Saunders, Bill Bailey, Charlotte Church, and TikTok star Francis Bourgeois, as well as some ordinary folks with exceptional lives and perspectives on being young today and aging, in her search for self-discovery.

In this episode, Kathy explores aging and her fears for the future, and she hears from people who are challenging stereotypes about old age and who are content with their lot in life (gray hair and all, aches and pains notwithstanding). Bridget, now 85, became a popular model in her 70s, and when she meets her, she discovers that despite her pride in her appearance and self-assurance, Bridget is angry about the realities of aging. Could anger serve as a secret weapon for getting old gracefully and ignobly?

Kathy talks to Jennifer Saunders and Bill Bailey on their attitudes toward aging and whether or not they are actively fighting the clock. She also talks to sociologist Rania Hafez, who says that the stigma against the elderly stems from the misconception that they are no longer economically valuable as they age.

How one dominatrix just keeps becoming busier and busier in her 70s and beyond. And in Croydon, Kathy finds an unusual funeral home that sheds light on how far some may go to avoid facing their own mortality.

Airdate: Wednesday 8 March 2023 at 10.00pm on Channel 4.

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4