Actress sues Amazon over her age on its IMDb site

[CaptainWaggett]

Apart from Pertwee I thought they were the best two versions.... but you must remember when they took on the role "60" was deemed ancient, whereas today - despite the annoying obsession with youth - you see 70 year olds in track suits etc and don't really consider them "old"

Capn' W's point about "why should it matter?" is a pertinent one - it shouldn't, so why be coy about it?

I think wec has put his finger on it: the public are just plain nosy and like to know these things. Notice on the news whenever a celebrity passes on, one of the first things they announce is their age. Those who try to fudge, mask or hide it merely fuel the intrigue...

There was a brief but interesting debate about ageism recently on Newsnight. Sadly whereas advanced years were once respected as an accumulation of experience and wisdom, in today's stress-propelled 100mph instant-fix society if anyone can be bothered to pause and even acknowledge the elderly it's more often than not to patronise them. Which is a bit odd when you remember we're mostly living longer and the population's getting older.

Why should it matter? Well, it's not me who is saying people should be debarred by their age from taking on certain roles?

Fell will know this - did the studios fall over themselves to publcise Sally Thompsett's real age when she made the Railway Children? My assumption would be no...

[Tonch]

It shouldn't matter because there should be roles for all age groups

Miss Marple should never, for example, be a flighty young girl (unless of course you're making a dramatisation of her fictional life and that period is covered as part of the biopic).

What I'm proposing (in a rather hopeful but mostly tongue in cheek way) is a reversal of this cult of youth for certain popular roles. But I suppose I'm wrong because two wrongs don't make a right, which is why I've always been against the oxymoron that is "positive discrimination" (or "tit for tat" as it's always been more properly known).

[Fellwanderer]

Why should it matter? Well, it's not me who is saying people should be debarred by their age from taking on certain roles?

Fell will know this - did the studios fall over themselves to publcise Sally Thompsett's real age when she made the Railway Children? My assumption would be no...

You're quite correct, Capt'n. She was banned from smoking, drinking and driving for fear that her age would become common knowledge. I would guess that was more to avoid spoiling the illusion for children who watched the film.

[CaptainWaggett]

You're quite correct, Capt'n. She was banned from smoking, drinking and driving for fear that her age would become common knowledge. I would guess that was more to avoid spoiling the illusion for children who watched the film.

I remember when I was a youung 'un that her age was one of those factoids shared in the playground with great amazement. Celebrity gossip was much tamer in those days

[didi-5]

Curious though that Sally Thomsett's age should have been such an issue when by the time she did The Railway Children Jenny Agutter had already got up to much worse in Walkabout!

[Fellwanderer]

Curious though that Sally Thomsett's age should have been such an issue when by the time she did The Railway Children Jenny Agutter had already got up to much worse in Walkabout!

Walkabout wouldn't have been an issue at the time as it was not released until after​ The Railway Children so I doubt if much, if anything, was known about it.