Live Life Team
Debuted in 2003, ‘Grumpy Old Men’ is a conversational-style, British television programme that became popular in Europe. It is narrated by Geoffrey Palmer and features a number of widely known middle-aged men, including comedian and writer Arthur Smith and keyboard player Rick Wakeman. The men talk about modern life issues which annoy them, including the rapid increase of unneeded road signs and too loud cell phone conversations.
The success of the programme called forth another television series ‘Grumpy Old Women’, which was first shown as a Christmas special in 2004 and then as a full series in 2005. Just like its forerunner, it features well-known, middle-aged women, including journalist Jilly Cooper, controversial Australian academic Germaine Greer, and actress Sheila Hancock, all talking about their pet peeves. In June 2006, ‘Grumpy Old Men’, together with ‘Grumpy Old Women’, started a series titled ‘Grumpy Old Holidays’, where they talk about the irritations of airplane travel.
As a companion book to the popular series, ‘Grumpy Old Men’, ‘The Secret Diary’, written by Stuart Prebble, was published in 2005. It was followed in 2006 by ‘Grumpy Old Christmas’, also written by Prebble,. The first series, as well as the Christmas special, was released on DVD, and an audio book of the first two series was also released.
Because of the success of ‘Grumpy Old Men’/’Women’, television producers, Liberty Bell TV, have produced several series with a similar format, including ‘Grumpy Old Holidays’, ‘My Appalling School Report’, and ‘The Meaning of Life’.
