A new series will arrive on SBS this month, and it’s creating bold and fearless conversations. Tell Me What You Really Think brings people together for honest conversations.
Over a three course meal Marc Fennell guides participants through a discussion focusing on topics ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obesity, menopause and ageing.
Across, the series the guests are athletes, drag queens, artists, doctors and everyday, yet extraordinary, people, with little in common except the one health condition that binds them.
The dinner party becomes a space for empathy, disagreement, laughter and catharsis – where brain fog, body image, libido and late-age diagnosis are discussed as easily as wine is poured.
In the third episode of the series the topic of ageing is tackled. Sitting at the table is artist Lindy Lee, sexologist Dr Linda Kirkman, dementia advocate Gwenda Darling, and drag performer Stan Munro and Geriatrician Dr John Ward – who was New South Wales Senior of the Year in 2024.
During the conversation Lee notes that while the Baby Boomer generation have had a tendency to focus on materialism growing up in the post-war period they’re also the first generation to tackle many social issues.
“Baby Boomers were born from parents who had experienced war, deprivation, so the moment any sense of prosperity came on, of course people are going to buy houses because it was affordable, so that’s kind of a natural thing.” Lee says during the dinner conversation. “But we also had to contend with misogyny, racism, homophobia, so my generation I think have fought hard for inclusiveness.”
Eighty-four year old drag performer Stan Munro shares his frustration about how call centre operators speak to older people, as well as lamenting his lack of sex life.
“I haven’t been laid for about fifteen years,” he says, “It’s shocking.” Leading to some of the other attendees to suggest that all the action is happening in care homes.
Stan says that on the gay scene, ageism has always been a big factor, and it only gets worse the older you get, which kicks off a discussion about the differences between relationships, intimacy and pleasure.
As Australia’s population ages, people live longer and work longer attitudes to ageing and how to live your life are rapidly changing. While people used to retire in their sixties, now many people continue to work, and Dame Stan has no plans to stop performing. He currently delivers a show called Vintage Drag in Mint Condition.
Heartbreakingly, Stan also shares his fear of getting older and having to go in to care, where he fears he may encounter homophobia.
Across the series many interesting and prominent Australians appear including true crime podcasters, advertising experts, prison reform advocates, mental health experts and reality TV show champions. Plus there’s food writers, Olympians, influencers, famous authors, doctors, fashion designers and journalists.
The four-part series will be available to stream on SBS On Demand from Tuesday, 14 October, and air weekly on SBS, Tuesdays at 8.30pm.
