I AM 87, I complete my jobs each morning and spend most afternoons and evenings watching television.

Am I alone in being absolutely fed up with having to watch repeat after repeat programmes, some from the 1940s, 50s and 60s or all the cookery, gardening, competitions etc. and so many American programmes?

Nearly all the more recently made programmes are full of gratuitous violence, and appalling and unnecessary foul language.

There are, thankfully, some enjoyable programmes, mainly on the commercial and Freeview stations, however here the afternoon advertisements are mostly from charities or funeral pre-payment companies.

I am repeatedly asked to contribute regular amounts from £3 to £30 to worthy causes which, if each were responded to, would commit me to over £90 a month.

I already support local charities that don’t spend money on advertising or executives and management salaries.

Then there are those continuous and upsetting reminders of how much my funeral will cost, probably over £4,000 and rising six per cent each year.

I should now consider pre-payment arrangements immediately. However, not me as they only accept customers up to 79 years old.

Having become increasingly frustrated and disenchanted with television I am now listening more to classical music and the radio.

Unfortunately, television is still more companionable when you live alone, especially under the present coronavirus restrictions.

I certainly do not relish the idea of having to pay a BBC licence fee to cover the exorbitant salaries paid to BBC management and so-called personalities (like whiskery boring old Mr Lineker) and repeat fees to watch the same programmes over and over and over again all day.

I now know every Murder She Wrote, Poirot, and Miss Marple by heart.

I do wish members of parliament would step in and remind the BBC of their social responsibilities in this matter. Also give much more consideration to the elderly who are not claiming additional social benefit payments and will, therefore have to pay the totally unwarranted BBC licence fee.

Mary Watson, Thirsk.