A 77-year-old actor has accused television producers of leaning on “insulting” stereotypes for older characters as a new industry report found millions of Britons aged 55 and over feel ignored by contemporary programming.
Chris Conil, who has worked as an extra on shows including EastEnders, Silent Witness and The Bill, said older people are too often shown as “grumpy, feeble or comic relief” while broadcasters chase younger demographics. His remarks come alongside The Upper Third report from the Freeview channel group Great!, which says that many mature viewers feel left behind despite watching more television than any other age group.
The report, which Great! said was compiled using a survey of 2,092 people aged 18 to over 75 and an additional sample of 2,060 people aged over 55 in August 2025, found that 32 percent of the U.K. population is aged 55 or over — roughly 22 million people. More than a quarter of those mature viewers, 26 percent, said they feel forgotten by today’s TV producers, and the group watches an average of three hours and 42 minutes a day.
The Upper Third also found that 85 percent of over-55s felt they were not portrayed positively on television, rising to 89 percent for women over 75. Sixty-three percent of respondents believed older actors in modern dramas tend to play “offensive,” “doddering” or other stereotyped roles and are often made the butt of jokes, the report said.
Conil urged writers and producers to present older characters with “proper stories, not cardboard cut-outs,” saying that ageing “is a chapter, not the final page.” He praised programmes such as BBC’s Happy Valley and The Vicar of Dibley for strong writing that appeals across generations and pointed to Netflix’s adaptation of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club novels as a step toward broader opportunities for older actors.
A former baker who trained at the National Bakery School and ran a retirement home for 14 years, Conil said television plays an integral role for many older viewers, keeping memories alive and providing company. He is the face of a new series of ads for Great! TV and described the over-55s as “the nation’s biggest TV viewers” who nonetheless feel underrepresented.
Great! has positioned The Upper Third as the centrepiece of a relaunch aimed at viewers the network says feel neglected by mainstream broadcasters. The group’s channels — Great! TV, Great! Action, Great! Mystery and, from September, Great! Christmas — began relaunch programming on Freeview channel 34 on Thursday, Sept. 4, with a lineup that includes Rising Damp, Murder, She Wrote and the Carry On films.
“Britain’s most loyal TV viewers are ‘not young,’ and so they’re being routinely ignored by broadcasters,” Great! marketing director Kate Gartland said in a statement. “Our core audiences are telling us loud and clear they feel left behind and want somewhere to watch their favourite shows — and that’s exactly what we’re giving them at Great! We curate our channels to celebrate the shows our audiences want, just how they want them.”
The report noted that, in the previous week, the five terrestrial channels screened just nine classic shows, representing less than 5 percent of total programming. Great! said its relaunch is intended to prioritise “much-loved and classic, high-quality TV series and films” for audiences who feel overlooked by modern schedules focused on younger viewers.
Industry observers and public broadcasters have in recent years acknowledged a tension between attracting younger viewers and serving older audiences, who still account for a large share of total viewing hours. Broadcasters say commissioning decisions reflect a mix of audience research, advertising considerations and streaming competition.
Conil, who has combined regional acting work with roles in community life as a former local councillor and hotel manager, said he wants drama and comedy to reflect the depth and variety of older people’s lives rather than relying on one-dimensional characterisations. He said reality is often “funnier, richer and more moving” than the portrayals that present older people as mere comic relief.
The findings in The Upper Third add to a growing conversation about representation and programming choices as the television market evolves, with some networks experimenting with targeted channels and acquisitions geared toward older audiences while others invest in new formats aimed at younger demographics.