You can’t help wondering what the millions of unemployed youth in Britain are going to make of Mary Portas’ latest show. In Mary’s Jobs For Life, the retail guru and TV personality Mary Portas acts as an advocate for OAPs and sets out to demonstrate that UK industry is lacking the skills and experience that only OAPs can bring to the workplace.

Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor Rich Evans told The Telegraph “I can’t wait to see Mary bring the agency to life in her own, inimitable style. She passionately wants to give the older generation the opportunity to go on providing the services and skills sadly lacking in today’s marketplace.” We’re sure she’s got a point but it’s safe to say that Mary’s Jobs For Life has the potential to spark some serious discussion, in a country with such huge unemployment rates and increasing numbers of young people making use of food banks, as they struggle to feed themselves on the benefits they receive.  

Having worked her retail magic in her previous Channel 4 series Secret Shopper and Mary’s Bottom Line, Mary’s new series aims to turn her hand to the recruitment of over-65s and trying to utilize their skills and experience in order to get them back to work. The show is due to be aired later in the year and is being made by Plum Pictures. 

Mary Portas
Mary Portas: we're hoping this picture's nothing to do with the new series