A NEW reality show focusing on the lives of Bournemouth pensioners is set to air tonight.

Close To The Edge follows the lives of a group of friends in their 60s, 70s and 80s much like The Only Way is Essex features clubbing tan-obsessed youths and Made in Chelsea super-rich socialites.

There are eight central characters including former Sooty puppeteer John, who's looking for love after losing his wife, and Vanessa Coleman – a former brothel madam who was jailed in 2006 for admitting two charges of running venues for prostitution but is now a UKIP fundraiser.

But executive producer Karl Warner said the series is about trying to uncover the character's rich stories rather than glorify dim and distant scandals or match-making.

Like this? Read these >>>

Karl Warner, executive producer, said: "The whole reason for doing that was that just because you're older in your life, it doesn't mean you don't have the same breadth of stories. In fact you have probably got more to tell. It doesn't mean you're desires and ambitions flutter away. They are as hungry and ambitious for life as everyone else and this gives them the chance to tell their story."

Another character – 65-year-old Babs – is an entrepreneur, at an age when most people might start thinking about retirement.

"She started a new business and most people might have the assumption you're winding things up but this group of people aren't at all," Mr Warner said.

"It's really funny and full of life and it's to remind audiences that you're not getting to a sleepy stage at all.

"While forms in this area, like TOWIE or Made in Chelsea – which will be compared to this either helpfully or unhelpfully – feature young casts of about who's going out with who, these people have lived such long lives they have got so many stories to tell. They're much richer and deeper.

"I hope it's really entertaining and lots of people get to know the cast but gives another element to reality shows."

Commissioned by the BBC and produced by ElectricRay, the first two episodes will be broadcast at 10pm on BBC Four.