The world of television technology is moving at a fast and furious rate, and we have now hit the ‘age’ of High Definition and widescreen - a term that Joan Collins must hate! Gone are the days of soft filtering to make us look youthful and flawless; it’s now all about the detail. But at what expense to the well-loved presenters that have graced our TV screens for years, who aren’t so flawless now, but are human and do not have the perfect widescreen figure?
Recently, popular TV presenter Selina Scott, 59, has taken umbrage over the fact that the prospects for “presenters of a certain age” are fewer and that large broadcast companies such as the BBC are replacing “older” presenters in favour of younger, fresher faces, because of a perceived “obsession with youth”. So I ask the question: do we need to become mutton dressed as lamb in order to keep our careers?

Follow up:

I must admit I made numerous phone calls, both to agents and directly to presenters, while researching this piece, and seemed to get the same answer to the majority of my calls: “NO COMMENT”. Which leads me to the worrying conclusion that, yes we do need start looking like ageing dropouts from High School Musical. I myself find this a very difficult pill to swallow as a presenter hitting 29 (less Botox, divided by one nose job, to the square root of liposuction in the cheeks, plus a lifetime of dieting as the camera puts on ten pounds, equals 40): I would rather been chosen for my expertise and personality than the Barbies and Kens that can so often be seen on our television screens these days. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that we all suddenly become frumpy and un-groomed - as a very dear friend of mine once said to me: “Darling, with age may come wisdom – but also the high price of maintenance!” Never a truer word spoken! For the ageing presenter, prep time is lot more than just a couple of hours in the gym every day – it’s about looking after your skin, your hair (if you still have your hair - unlike me), and most importantly your image. Our brands are now what sell us, not just our faces!
I notice though that it is easier for men to sustain their careers than women. Look at Bruce Forsyth - at 82 he is still going strong: put him in an M&S suit and a pair of green cross pumps and he is ready to go! Terry Wogan will go on for as long as his hair piece can carry him, and let’s not forget Dale Winton - one more face lift and he will start looking like a mammoth. Yet week after week they grace our television screens during prime time. For the female presenters it’s a different story - they can’t hold the prime slots anymore. Once the flaws start to show they are replaced by younger faces and get shifted to daytime, and that Loose Women desk is getting increasingly bigger!
We cannot get away from the obsession with youth, or even that technology is becoming more unforgiving onscreen, but what we can get away from is trying to be overtly youthful when we clearly are not. I recall watching a Christmas Celebrity special of Mr and Mrs, which Philip Scofield and Fern Britton were presenting together. Two very strong presenters but the stylist seemed to think that Fern would look great in a bronze pleated outfit with modern rounded shoulder pads! Well on my widescreen she looked like a metallic Dalek! As a result the viewing became uncomfortable as it was obvious that Fern was feeling awkward in what she was wearing. So in a situation like that do we get rid of Fern who is a much loved TV personality, or replace her stylist who clearly did not consider what the presenter would look like on screen?
What we wear is important as it provides us with a frame – however we need to be comfortable and confident in the outfit. I find it amusing that we have to dress out of our age groups in order to appeal to ” the viewer” and while doing this we still get shot down in flames by the executives rather than the general public - who actually watch us for our personalities rather than just our clothing! So even dressing as lamb doesn’t seem to do the trick. So what is the answer - is it a chicken and egg situation?
Which brings me back to Selena Scott, and numerous other female news readers and presenters who are losing their jobs because of their age. Now call me old fashioned, but I would rather watch the news being read by a presenter who shows her maturity with lumps, bumps, creases and all, than an expressionless goldfish!
I spoke to Dene Chin, a presenter of a “certain age” (40+) who currently presents a red carpet show. Now I had never met her before and when I sat waiting for her to arrive I tried to picture what she would look like. I was kind of expecting a twin set and pearls sort of woman, but what I was presented with was a beautiful, dynamic blonde whose style was so clearly her own as it portrayed her personality perfectly. She was wearing a stunning all-white gypsy chic outfit with a short deconstructed summer jacket. Her face looked fresh as her make-up was natural and there was no pretence in trying to hide her age. During the conversation she did say that for women it is so difficult to draw that line, as you are expected to have a certain look. But for her it seemed to work as many of the celebrities that she interviews will talk more freely to her because she is an older woman who portrays a funky motherly figure! Not mutton, not lamb – just a woman who dresses to suit her personality.
Currently we have very few strong personality-driven presenters – what we do have is a small pool of regulars that are overexposed to the point of saturation, and young fresh faced presenters that are divorced of personality. So it seems to me that the only way to keep our careers afloat is to start looking like Joan Rivers!