Many years from now

The young may not want to admit it, but even they will grow old one day. Few think about what it will mean to them, but one 30-something decided to discover just what his future held.

The average UK citizen has never been able to expect such a long, healthy life.

Medical advances, improved diet and the like mean a man can now expect to see his 75th birthday, while a woman can realistically hope to celebrate her 80th year.

Nick spent hours having make-up applied

For many young people, a time so distant rarely crosses their thoughts. Warnings of pension shortfalls and overstretched hospitals mean little to most teenagers and young adults.

Often the result is that there is an almost complete lack of understanding about what it means to be elderly in the UK.

But one man who can now offer more than a little insight is 32-year-old Nick Sydney, who disguised himself as a man more than twice his age to discover what it was like to be old.

On 29 occasions over the course of three-and-a-half months, Nick spent up to five hours being disguised by a Hollywood make-up artist so he could pass himself off as a pensioner.

'Sad old man'

It was on a salsa dancing course in southern Spain that the painter and decorator learned what it felt like to be the single pensioner among a group of young people.

There were a lot of people being more patronising, speaking more slowly because I was an old man

"A lot of them were on their own looking for a bit of love," he said of the holiday makers. "The boys were there looking for the girls and the girls did not want anything like me."

Everyone steered clear of him. "They thought I was a sad old man."

Things only got better when, out of necessity, he asked a young woman if he could take her arm during a trip to Granada's Alhambra Palace.

Fitted with contact lenses to mimic the effects of deteriorating sight, everything was a blur and it was a matter of asking for help, or falling down the steps.

Despite some initial reluctance about getting too close to the scary old fellow, the woman and 70-year-old Nick quickly struck up a rapport.

"We had a proper chat about all sorts of things and got a bit more friendly," said Nick. "We found a way of getting past the way I looked and everything was okay."

Nick's transformation was dramatic

It was with the help of his grandmother, who introduced him to her day club, that Nick was able to get an insight into the daily lives of pensioners, including a blue sense of humour.

Trips to fish and chip shops were punctuated with dirty laughter at any mention of sausages or melons, he says.

Such enjoyable outings were not the norm though - one raffle he attended had a tin of value supermarket spaghetti hoops as a prize.

The low esteem in which many British people hold their elderly country men and women was highlighted for him on public transport, with passengers often failing to offer him a seat.

Then there were those people who thought his apparent old age meant he must be dull-witted.

"There were a lot of people being more patronising, speaking more slowly because I was an old man."

Good health

When he started the project Nick had no career plan, pension or savings. He described himself as a typical "Jack the lad".

Now he knows he wants to reach old age in good health, with a bit of money and a partner.

He also believes that the UK needs to spend less time pandering to the needs of the young and more thinking about what its elderly citizens need for an enjoyable life.

"In this country we don't seem very happy dealing with old people. I think they're shunned a little bit," says Nick.

"A lot of people I spoke to were relying on the state for their food, entertainment and so on and they seemed a little bit cut off from society.

Trading Ages is on BBC Two at 2100 BST on Tuesday, 10 August, 2004 and concludes on Wednesday, 11 August.