A season of programmes dedicated to understanding life’s twilight years begins on BBC Four.

Giving fresh insight into the matriarchs and patriarchs of family life, the season includes: Getting On, a comedy drama about life on a geriatric ward, starring Jo Brand; the trip of a lifetime in Liz Smith’s Summer Cruise; observational documentaries about grandparents; and a behind-the-scenes look at an innovative old people’s home.

The season begins with Grandparent Diaries, a series of three documentaries looking at the relationships between three very different sets of grandparents and their grandchildren.

The first film introduces North Londoner Ian Batten – fashion designer, father of four and grandfather of seven. In this warm, insightful film, Ian takes all of his seven grandchildren – ranging in age from toddler to teenaged – for a weekend by the sea, for the first time.

As a Sixties dad who brought up his own children up in the liberal spirit of the time, Ian’s approach seems to be a hit with the children. But do Ian’s own children recall their upbringings as similarly idyllic, and how has it influenced their own views on parenting?

Through interviews spanning three generations, the family’s archive footage and observation, the film looks at how the philosophies of the Sixties influence Ian as a grandfather.

Wednesday 8 July
9.00-10.00pm BBC FOUR