The last few days’ sports reporting on BBC TV have been full of 59 year old US golfer Tom Watson, oh so nearly winning the British Open Championship.  What inspiration Watson will have given older golfers teeing off in their Sunday four-balls. Bravo to Tom and the BBC for covering it so well!

But wait a minute – here’s a story of the same BBC axing Arlene Phillips, a 66-year-old judge of Strictly Come Dancing, in favour of the much less experienced, 30 year old Alesha Dixon. Mumbles of “age discrimination” are uttered, not least from the Minister for Equalities, Harriet Harman herself.

This is all somewhat déjà vu and there is too much smoke not to suspect age prejudice smouldering somewhere in the heart of the Aunty Beeb - as indeed the media more generally. Bring on Anna Ford who, at the age of 62,announced her departure after 30 years of presenting the news.  “I think they (the younger broadcasters) are being brought in because they are younger… that’s specifically one of the reasons why they are being employed,” she said. Damning stuff.

You could say. Does it really matter? Arguably, Anna Ford and her ilk have, after all, benefited from past predilections of programme makers for young, beautiful females to fill our screens. She who lives by the ageist (and sexist) sword might expect to die by the same.

I beg to differ. The media, television in particular, must surely provide positive windows on society, including having seniors of both genders read the news and judge talent shows.

Television has such an ability to influence our values and perceptions; it cannot be allowed to run amok, pandering to prejudices and feeding stereotypes in programmers’ pursuit of ratings.

In one study in the USA, researchers looked at perceptions of heavy viewers of TV programmes and found they saw older people as unhealthy, in bad financial shape, closed minded, sexually inactive and not good at getting things done. The researchers linked these negative perceptions with the portrayal of older people in TV dramas, etc.

They found that TV soap opera shows depicted most older people as absent minded, befuddled or at worst, feeble minded, irrational and out of touch with reality. Research into the UK media would not necessarily produce the same results, but a quick skim through cast lists of The Bill, Casualty, Neighbours, Home and Away and the rest gives an impression that might well confirm the US analysis.

Split personalities, not to say duplicity, are common. One minute an older person is a grand old hero, next moment snide whispers are heard off stage. Take Saturday’s Guardian for example: page 3 carried a fulminating account of the Arlene Phillips/Strictly Come Dancing story, whilst a sports writer remarking on Tom Watson’s progress commented, “It looked for a moment as though the old man was going to cry – until he remembered to smile along with all those who were looking on.” I may be over-sensitive, but is this not a trifle patronising?