Review: Rose Ayling-Ellis’s documentary Old Hands, New Tricks reveals the power of learning BSL at any age

The first episode of Rose Ayling Ellis: Old Hands, New Tricks aired last night on BBC1 (watch it on catch up via BBC iPlayer here) and I think it’s safe to say it’s going to be in contention for a number of awards.

It had everything you could hope for: charismatic presenters and relatable, sympathetic contributors (Pam was wonderful), moving emotional moments and a strong social message – that learning BSL can have a huge benefit for older deafened people.

For the elderly people living at Hughenden Gardens Retirement Village – most of all 92 year old Eric – we saw how learning some BSL helped them bond with their fellow residents, become less isolated, and connect with younger family members, as seen when Eric taught signs to his great-grandchildren.

Best of all, the group reached out beyond their retirement home to connect with the deaf community itself, visiting a deaf centre, starting to use the few signs they knew (and learning a few new ones) and meeting deaf BSL users (even flirting!) over a game of bingo. They then went on to visit the Jewish Deaf Association, meeting elderly deaf BSL users.

The documentary revealed benefits of learning BSL that go beyond solely the fact of learning a new language and connecting with new people. Learning BSL together helped the residents forge strong bonds and open up with one another, partly by being pushed out of their comfort zone into visual communication. It showed how learning the facial expressions that accompany signs, and using your hands and body descriptively seems to bring some people to life – the change in Eric’s demeanour from the start to the end of the episode was truly remarkable.

A brilliant – and very moving – moment in the episode came when Sue, a visually impaired resident meets Michael a deafblind man who communicates using hands-on sign language. After he tells her not to give up, she finds a new determination to learn braille.

All of this was led by Rose Ayling-Ellis, with Marios Costi joining her to lead the BSL lessons. Rose has a way with people – as seen in how she related to the BSL learners and members of the deaf community in the programme – with a kind of gentleness and humour underpinned by a focus and determination. She also has a way of articulating her thoughts and feelings that is completely clear to the audience – not a skill to be underestimated when it comes to deafness, which so many people have little idea about.

Marios added a cheekiness to the programme – most clearly seen when teaching the group the sign for sexy! Like Rose, he also showed an ability to immediately relate to the BSL learners, patiently teaching them how to sign, and also pushing the narrative further when he took his teaching to the retirement home staff, with the aim of making life a lot better for future deaf residents.

The next episode airs next week (and is already on iPlayer), with a lot more elements to the journey: the synopsis says that we’ll see deaf children meeting the residents, Rose launching a ‘Sign Only Supper’, and the residents visiting a Deaf Rave, with what promises to be an emotional ending. I’ll definitely be tuning in for that.

Review by Charlie Swinbourne. Charlie is the editor of Limping Chicken and is a photographer and award-winning screenwriter and director.