Listen up TV bosses, mature women are better now than ever

Two women I admire this week made statements that I found disappointing and sad.

First of all, Denise Van Outen, who made her debut in EastEnders last month, said she thinks her TV presenting career is over at the age of 40. She said offers dried up when she hit the big 4-0 last year.

Denise also claimed that, as women get older, there are fewer opportunities for them.

She has been canny enough to go back to her first love of acting and it looks as though she will be a long term regular on Albert Square.

That’s good news for her, but because she happens to be in her fourth decade, that hasn’t suddenly made her unemployable in her other job as a TV host.

In fact, she’s better now than when she was a young ‘ladette’ back in her Big Breakfast days.

Later in the week we had actress Amanda Redman who you’ll know from TV’s New Tricks and movie Sexy Beast claiming that TV drama bosses portray women in their 50s as “boring”.

She added that the available parts for women her age are namby-pamby and simply not interesting enough.

Amanda, who is 57, was praising actresses like Sheridan Smith and Keeley Hawes (both in their 30s) for the parts they have landed recently, but she said the really juicy roles for women simply disappear when they hit their 50s.

What a sorry state of affairs.

Women in their 50s and beyond are in their prime these days. I am 55 and have never felt better.

Like Denise, Amanda looks just as good and is probably an even better actress now than she was two decades ago.

She even recently won a Bafta nomination for her role as Tommy Cooper’s wife in ITV’s drama Cooper.

Amanda hit the nail on the head when she said it’s all about getting more women behind the camera. They need to be writing good roles for mature women as well as producing and directing shows.

There are, however, pockets of enlightenment and hope.

I have never experienced any form of ageism and if you look at daytime TV as a whole, it is a positive advantage for women to be a bit older.

You have Ruth Langsford on This Morning and the Loose Women team includes Janet Street Porter, Nadia Sawalha and Judy Finnigan.

Many female newsreaders have served their apprenticeship and are mature journalists who, again, are far better at their profession because of their years of experience.

And dramas like the hugely successful Last Tango in Halifax prove viewers want to see older actresses in leading roles.

Recently it was claimed that middle age now begins at 60 and people who take care of themselves are looking so much better and living far healthier and happier lives these days.

Clearly there are those decision-makers in TV and film who still have to wake up to the fact that Helen Mirren, Lulu and other older women are reflecting the rest of society and that we actually want to see more mature women on our big and small screens.

In one way it’s good that Denise and Amanda have expressed their opinion and got people talking, but I really hope they are proven wrong in the long run.