"John Ronson, retired." "Old miner, old soldier, old gardener, old-age pensioner, widower, no children." "He has been on his own for nine years." "When his wife died, the worst time was coming home at night after a day's work." "Two wars had taught him to accept the act of dying." "But when she died, he had to try and learn all over again." "They were both out working all day." "When they were together at the weekend, he would have the flat cleaned by the time she got back with the Saturday shopping." "And on a Sunday, like today, they would go out or just enjoy the double quietness of each other." "Now, a single silence." "Good boy, good boy, there." "Good boy, Peter." "Good boy." "Good boy." "Come on." "Come on, then." "One advantage of growing old, there aren't nearly as many letters to answer." "For this Sunday, just one, to his sister-in-law in America." ""Dear Johnny, I received your nice letter" ""and was glad to hear from you." ""The boys were all dolled up for Easter, nice suits." "They looked nice." ""And Paul coloured eggs, which looked very pretty." ""I hope you are well." ""I was up to Helen's house for a week." "It was a change." ""Her house is very nice." ""We have been busy." ""Flo had all her top teeth out and has a new set." ""They look very nice." ""How is your weather now?" ""We are house cleaning and very busy." ""I often wish I could run in and see you, but I guess I never will." ""Take care of yourself." "With lots of love, Bea. "" "When he was a child," "Sunday lunch was the only chance the family had to sit down and eat together with their father." "John and his brothers and sisters all had to be in, washed and quiet by 1:00, clean collars on and shoes cleaned, because their mother used to say, "You never know who might come."" "He was one of seven children, four boys and three girls." "He was born where England and Scotland join, to breathe the dust of old wars and grow to fight in newer ones." "But it is the one before that haunts him most." "That day, the rats moved, fast and frightened, out of no-man's land into the trenches." "When the gas came, there were no masks, just your woollen hat to be shoved into water and tied around your mouth, so the orders said." "And if there wasn't any water, you had to use your own." "Enough has happened since for it all to be well covered up by now." "But his memory prods him like a bayonet." "Towards the end of it all, the shell bursting amongst them in the trenches." "And the next thing, someone digging you out." "And the peaceful days, while your wounds healed." "Good boy, good boy." "Good boy, Peter." "Good boy, Peter." "Come on, then." "Good boy." "We can all be irritated by the old." "They're too slow, too full of the past." "And those of us who aren't old secretly believe that we'll be different when it happens." "The old are an army of strangers we have no intention of joining." "But it is not that simple." "If we don't care, who will learn to care?" "She chooses Persil." "She chooses it because she knows Persil is just that much better." "Persil gets things that important bit whiter, the bit that shows." "A mum knows you can't trust a boy to stay clean for long." "But for whiteness that shows, she can depend on Persil." "Persil washes whiter and it shows." "Now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for Beat the Clock." "Hello, Sally, how are you this week?" "Very happy." "Very happy?" "Oh, you had a happy week." "Good." "We have a return couple, haven't we?" "Yes, Mr and Mrs Keen from Morden." "From Morden, I see." "Oh, on the Morden Line." "Your first name?" " Ada." " Ada." "I knew you were an Ada." "As soon as you walked up there, I said," ""There's an Ada." How are you?" " And you, sir?" " Bernard." "And Bernard." "Bernard, charming, yes." "Right." "Ada and Bernard, come over here." "How long have you been married, you two?" " 23..." " Oh, you're the 23 years up the top there." "Oh, good." "That's it." "Now, where's the middle?" "That's the middle, isn't it?" "No, we need another one." "All right, John?" "That's it, fine." "Done." "Step up on here, will you?" "You face that way, dear, you face the other way." "Now." "All right, now, when I say "step", you step onto the next block, you see, but you must step together." "Then again, you step onto the next block together, then the third block together." "And then you pick up the wooden cylinders at each end and then you step back again together." "Everything must be done..." "Yes, you step back backwards there, but you must stay on the blocks." "If you go on the ground, you have to start again." "Oh, we do have fun." "Right, you have 60 seconds to do this little bit of nonsense." "Starting from now, then..." "Hold on, hold on!" "Ada, if you're going to make a farce of the whole thing." "I said together, dear." "Togetherness." "You've been doing it for 23 years." "What do you want to start for now?" "Stop it!" "Oh, if you're going to be like that, take it, then." "Oh, the jackpot!" "Oh!" "The jackpot." "Now, then." "This is your chance to win £900." "Right, we want you to roll these along the ground, floor or whatever you like to call it, along the ground." "Up!" "We want you to get one in the top one, one in any of those two there, one in any of those three, any of those four, any of those five, any of those six." "Okay?" "To win £900." "You all ready?" "You have 40 seconds to beat the clock, starting from now." "John Ronson, retired." "Old miner, old soldier, old gardener, old-age pensioner, widower, no children." "He has been on his own for nine years."