Nearly 2,000 people die in the UK every day, yet death has been sanitised and shut away. Richard Wilson – Two Feet In The Grave investigates the processes, traditions and taboos surrounding death to discover if there’s a better way to approach the end of life in 21st-century Britain than by ignoring it.

At 72, actor Richard firmly believes life is for living, but he also wonders why, when it’s life’s one certainty, we have such difficulty discussing death. Driven by Richard’s interest in exploring people’s reluctant and often bizarre relationship with the inevitable, this engaging programme is packed with facts and insights into attitudes to death in this country and seeks to break some of the taboos surrounding it.

Infused with Richard’s inimitable humour, the programme sets out to discover just what happens when people are facing death, what happens when they die and the different ways people deal with death and grief.

New rituals such as roadside memorials and “ghostbikes” are regular sights on our roads, alongside some very old traditions. Richard meets some of the army of people whose jobs bring them into daily contact with dead people and follows the elaborate processes that bodies go through as they are passed from pathologist to embalmer, funeral director to crematorium. He also explores the role of memorial photography through history and explains why people should be making choices about their own deaths while they can.

Tuesday 29 September
10.45-11.45pm BBC ONE

Richard Wilson – Two Feet In The Grave is co-produced by The Open University and accompanied by a free booklet, which explores the traditions and taboos surrounding death. To order a copy, viewers can phone 0845 366 80 16 or visit open2.net.