Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father (2024) s01e04 Episode Script

1
Quite a small fire chief
coming to deal with the fire.
We have to hope it's quite a small fire.
Hello? Yeah, you want the fire chief.
Hang on a sec. It's for you, Jicks.
Time really does fly.
Jack!
Ah
As I've grown, I've come to realize
every moment spent
with my father is precious.
Couple of boys having a swing.
We're fast!
And becoming a dad myself's made me
realize I need to look after myself more
so I can be around for Elsie
as long as possible.
God, it depresses me that I make
that noise when I sit down now.
When you become a father,
no one prepares you
for the whirlwind of emotions
that come with it.
Like, holding my own daughter in my arms
for the first time ever insane.
And now I've experienced these things,
I don't want to miss out on any moment.
Walking her to school for the first time,
teaching her to ride a bike,
and make any potential suitor
to my daughter
completely shit themself in my presence.
So, the next step
on my fatherhood journey,
is to find the answer
to one of life's biggest questions.
How long can I live for?
The quest for immortality
can be traced back
to humankind's oldest mythology.
Kings and Emperors search
for the Fountain of Youth
and the Philosopher's Stone.
Most died in their thirties.
Today, the longevity industry is
much more than which elderly billionaire
can achieve the tumescent erection.
The titans of tech are determined
to beat the grim reaper.
From biohackers who believe
they can hack their own DNA
to experimental procedures
and supplements,
the market to increase your life
is worth $25 billion dollars
and could be the answer I was looking for.
First stop on my longevity journey, Italy.
Home to the world-renowned
medispa, Palazzo Fiuggi.
A resort which offers
a series of treatments and therapies
that promise to prolong your life.
But could they do anything
for a man that drinks gin for breakfast
and a woman that has to live with a man
that drinks gin for breakfast?
Difficult to get
in and out of these vans.
My main concern today
is Michael Whitehall's behavior,
and namely him pooh-poohing what
he refers to as all of the "cod science."
-Pretty swanky, right?
-Very nice.
This place could buy you
another ten years.
Have you ever asked me the question,
"Do I want another ten years of this?"
Yeah, that's true.
Charming!
-Thank you very much!
-Kissy?
I'd never thought that something
that little Definitely cut that out.
-What?
-That could take ten years off my life.
Well, it wasn't a tongue kiss.
It was just a lip one.
-Oh here we are.
-Oh here we go.
Good morning, family Whitehall.
Welcome to Palazzo Fiuggi.
- Thank you.
- So, let me give you your tracksuits.
Oh nice. Very natty.
-Very you, Daddy, that.
-No, not for me. Merci.
Merci? We're in Italy.
All our guests wear tracksuits.
-Yes.
-Not this one.
You're dressed like a member of staff.
They're all in beige suits!
Do I look like
a member of staff?
In that suit you do. Are you crying?
No, I'm not crying!
Come on, Mike. Don't be shy.
The hotel offers each guest
a tailor-made package
to keep them as healthy as possible.
Starting with a consultation with
one of the spa's in-house medical team.
Or "quacks," as my father
insisted on calling them.
- Oh, hello. Dr Fabrizio?
- Hello. Hi! Yes, please.
- Hi, Jack, how are you?
- Nice to meet you. Fabrizio.
- You can take a seat.
- Thank you.
So, how can I help you?
Well, I have just had a kid,
and I want to be around
for as much of her life as possible.
So, I would preferably
like the full works today.
Yes.
She, I think, could maybe do
with some red-light therapy.
And this guy over here
is absolutely gagging for a colonic.
Sure.
Talking absolute bollocks.
Are you gonna talk about
your bowel problems?
He shits for Britain,
this one, I promise you,
and he's permanently peeing.
- I do have quite a small bladder.
- I mean, I'm 83.
I get up in the morning,
I go to it and have a wee,
and then in the evening,
I have another one. Two a day.
-He's in there hour after hour after hour.
-Humble brag!
- I go once a day.
- You want a Pride of Britain award?
-Always showing off about it.
-I have the bladder of a camel.
And you know it.
Glad I brought you in
for this consultation.
I will suggest to have
a DEXA scan of your body.
So, you do the scan, and then you can
specify exactly what procedures I do?
Sure. We can do it now.
-Oh, great.
-And then we have the result just at once.
-Where are you going? Sit down!
-I'm going with you.
- I go with him, you can just stay here.
- No. Please take a seat.
- I will go do the scan on my own.
- Good luck, Jack.
Good luck? A bone density scan.
What do you think is happening?
I don't know, all this science stuff.
My dad, he had a saying,
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
And how old did he live to?
He was kind of 56, 57.
He died of emphysema.
I need that you remove just
your jacket and your trousers, so you
If I'm going to get my kit off,
I might just have a quick pump,
just 'cause it's going to be on camera.
Yeah. Okay, now I'm ready.
This is like a massive version
of my scanner at home.
Just stay still and remember to breathe.
- Oh Jack, this is interesting!
- Hilary! Get out!
- Sorry.
- Just wait outside! Are you filming it?
-Yes, I'm gonna put it on the 'Gram.
-Fuck off!
- That's a good shot. Right.
- Upskirting me.
Fuck my life.
Let's see if the test is finished.
You can stand up,
and could dress again yourself.
Thank you.
Is that me?
- Can you Is there?
- What do you want to see?
Well, have you got any filter
that can make that look a bit bigger?
- I can't.
- No?
Scan finished,
it was time for the results.
You two! It was a private scan.
So, we have
just the result of your test.
Okay, don't sugarcoat it. How dense am I?
-I can tell you that.
-No!
You don't need a doctor to know
whether you're dense or not.
- Not that. My bone density, I meant.
- Your bones.
-Oh sorry.
-It's very good bone mass.
-Good. Oh, great.
-Fantastic.
Fantastic.
But I can suggest some of the treatments
that we have here in Palazzo Fiuggi
to decrease the aging process
of your cells.
And so if I were to do all of these
medical procedures on a regular basis,
do you think that I could live to 100
and still have the odd cheeky Domino's?
-And go to the pub five times a week?
-I'm not so sure about this.
What if it's clean alcohol like tequila
'cause The Rock, he drinks tequila
all of the time, and look at him.
Why are you
comparing yourself to The Rock?
The Rock's a great, big, brick shithouse.
Look at you!
You're a goofy, streak of piss. Be honest.
You have the muscle mass of Gollum.
So, wind your neck in.
First on the doctor's list of longevity
recommendations was to hit the gym.
But rather than watch me
go hell for leather on the gain train
and Hilary "me too" the personal trainer
Michael had decided to go
in search of some refreshments.
Now, what am I going to have to drink?
What do you recommend?
Sorry, sir, but I have just, only water.
You can see.
Just water?
You can see behind me.
- And this is a bar?
- Yeah.
-Would you like some water?
-No, thank you.
Next up, the doctor recommended
a dip in the hotel's magnesium pool,
which looked suspiciously like the Thames.
- I'm going in.
- Looks like bin juice.
Bathing in magnesium is said to de-stress,
boost energy, improve bone density,
and even keeps your hair
silky and lustrous.
Do you believe
in all of this, then?
Even if some of it works,
then it's worth doing
to a buy an extra five or ten years.
- Why wouldn't you at least risk
- Give it a go? Yeah.
You know, a lot of these things
are very time-consuming.
And you do have to balance
that with actually just living your life
and being with your child,
and having a good time with your child,
and chilling with your child.
Otherwise, you'll be away
doing all of that,
and Elsie will be thinking,
"Where's Daddy? Daddy's in the gym again."
- Trying to prolong his life.
- Exactly!
You two realized how ridiculous you look?
It's heaven, Michael.
Jack! You haven't shat yourself, have you?
It's magnesium!
What the fuck is magnesium?
It's got great healing qualities.
- Peeling?
- Healing!
-Healing!
-Healing? Healing you for what?
Anti-inflammatory!
You could do with it,
the most inflamed man I've ever met.
This place doesn't even
serve alcohol, so it's time to go.
Before Daddy went batshit
and took the barman hostage,
I persuaded him to relax
with the final treatment of the day.
I mean, remind me again
what these things do.
Red-light therapy.
- Okay.
- They aid with collagen production.
When he takes that off, his face
is gonna look like a baby's bottom.
That's a welcome sound.
Hi. Thank you.
Oh, look!
I never get the chance to eat vegan.
Absolutely gorgeous.
There's a napkin over there too.
It is literally like watching
Hannibal Lecter over there.
At least Hannibal Lecter
had some fucking meat!
Instead of
these weird vegetables.
I have a treat for you because
you have done very well today.
I'm also absolutely gagging for a drink,
so I have actually snuck some wine
into these water bottles.
Thank God for that.
- To wellness, to longevity.
- To wellness, to longevity.
And to living as long
as you possibly can for your lovely Elsie.
- Exactly.
- Yeah.
Why don't you take the mask off?
I think it's probably done its job.
- Think I should?
- Yeah.
Right, there we go.
Let's switch it off. Michael
Do you notice any difference in my skin?
- Everything does look a lot tighter.
- Yeah?
So Jack, what's next
on your longevity journey?
- I'd like to look into biohacking.
- Right, which is?
It's like using, you know,
cutting-edge science
to help maintain your body
in every way that you can,
like blood plasma infusions,
and cryotherapy, and
You're gonna have to throw a lot of shit
at the wall to see what sticks.
What we should be doing
is having a lovely time
and enjoying life
until we just die naturally.
Family, communities, that kind of world
rather than all this weird bollocks.
I just want to be doing
everything that I can to prolong my life.
My body is a temple.
I forgot that was wine.
Despite what Michael thinks,
I felt that Palazzo Fiuggi's method
didn't go far enough.
I wanted to explore something
a little more cutting edge.
Biohackers are longevity pioneers.
They experiment on themselves
to enhance their vitality
using newfangled technology
to hack their DNA and live longer.
Many believe the first human
to reach 150 is alive today.
Whilst Hilary headed home
to help Roxy look after Elsie,
we were in Germany, a country
at the forefront of longevity science.
Today, I'm in Berlin to meet
a biohacker called Andreas Breitfeld,
who has spent hundreds of thousands
of pounds to reverse the aging process.
Is this Andreas?
No.
Guten morgen.
Andreas is one of Europe's
leading biohackers.
I'm getting an inside track
into how he is turning back the clock.
Hey, we're here for a session today.
Michael is highly suspicious about all
of this, so is looking very uncomfortable.
Though to be fair, that could just be
because we're in Germany.
Who are we meeting again?
He's a German gentleman who is
50 years old, but his body is very fit
and muscular and youthful
because of all of this biohacking.
Right. And that's what
you're hoping to get, are you?
Yeah.
Good luck.
Ah
-Very nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
-Andreas.
-It's a real pleasure.
So, you're really into biohacking which
is something that I'm really intrigued by.
Um You've been doing this for how long?
Roughly ten years, but I have to admit,
the first 40 years of my life,
I really had a rock-and-roll lifestyle,
so I aged quite early,
and now I have to turn back the clock.
I am terrified because I have
a very chilling vision of my future.
I'm literally followed around
by it everywhere.
Fuck off.
It's true. I mean, obviously,
it's amazing that you've got to 83.
I'd love to get to the grand age of 83.
That is an incredible achievement.
But I would love to get to it with
maybe a little bit less wear and tear.
Oh God.
Perhaps seeing
Andreas's daily routine
would help convince Michael that
biohacking wasn't a load of old scheisse.
Is this the bit
where you get sawn in half?
Actually, that's the way I start
my mornings, getting exposed to cold.
First up,
a nitrogen-cooled freezer.
Extreme cold is believed to aid in
longevity, though not in all departments.
How does it feel in there, in the sort of
tranquilment area? The lower, lower body?
How shrivelled is the wurst right now?
Let's put it like this. It's the coldest,
minus 156 degrees Celsius.
- That is cold!
- So, it's damn cold!
Cold exposure, it gives you
a lot of positive hormones
so you get a little bit
clearer in the brain.
This one is working
with the gas to cool you down,
but you could also
go in a different direction.
But
Are you shrinking?
What's happened to him?
- He's gone!
- Oh!
-Oh, there you are.
-So, here I am.
I thought you'd just shrivelled in there.
I bet you're
shrivelled down there.
Fucking hell, your nipples as well.
-Yeah, it's
-You could take an eye out with them.
I know we've only just met, but Ooh!
That is like bullets!
I don't know where all this
weird scientific stuff has come from.
I've always told him
it's about the quality of life.
Not the quantity.
I'm here for a good time, not a long time.
Next up, time to strip off,
hang up our coats on Andreas's nipples,
and try some red-light therapy.
But on a whole new level
to the masks we used in Italy.
So, red light rays
seem to have some strong benefits
for the body and for the mitochondria.
'Cause I've seen these before
where it's just the face.
I didn't know that it's beneficial
to the whole body.
The more of the body
you expose to the red light, the better,
and therefore usually
when I'm not surrounded by people,
I would do this naked, because
even exposing the gonads with the light
is very powerful because it really
pushes hormone production.
Right.
Obviously, we can carry on with
the rest of the filming day as well,
but I think it is gonna be
a genuine challenge for me to get
the thought of Andreas's gonads
out of my head.
It is quite hot in here.
I don't know
if you agree with me, Andreas,
but I think he looks like
a rotisserie chicken, to be honest.
I was just trying to get full coverage.
No, you get full coverage
by standing still.
Andreas, Michael.
Could you just look away for a second?
I want to get the full effect.
-Oh, Jack!
-I said look away!
-Oh God! I can't believe you did that!
-I told you to look away!
Yes, but I want to get the full effect.
What's German for tiny?
With the chicken cooked,
Andreas had one final procedure
to maintain his youthfulness.
A session in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
Obviously right now you are fully clothed,
but if you were doing this at home
would the gonads be out?
No, I have to apologize.
You use it fully clothed.
I bring my computer,
and also my clients tend to work within,
because you feel like
it's increasing mental clarity.
Michael sleeps at home in a coffin,
so he's quite used to being
in compact spaces.
Very funny.
So guys, I think now it's the time
for you to test it out.
- You want to give it a try?
- Yeah.
I think you should fly solo
on this one, Jack.
Who looks like the chicken now?
Hasn't got the gonads for it.
So, what you now are going to need
is this nasal cannula.
We connect it here to the oxygen outlet.
It's turned me into you, Daddy.
Hello. I'm Michael Whitehall.
I first went in
a hyperbaric oxygen chamber
with Christopher Biggins in the 1980s.
He was doing a play
- Do you mind if I turn him off?
- Yes, please. Turn him off!
relax and recuperate.
Much better.
The chamber
is completely soundproof.
Once the door is shut,
nobody can hear you scream.
But there is an intercom.
If I speak to you like this,
can my dad hear us?
Unfortunately not.
I wanted to tell you some things.
-Yeah.
-He's always like this.
He's always so hard on me,
and especially when it's in front of
people like you that I respect.
You know, sometimes I wish
there was a machine,
and it would maybe just, like,
infuse him with some positive energy.
That's the one machine
that they can't make.
- One that fixes that.
- That's unfair.
-I have to let you for a minute.
-You have to let me go?
- Okay, goodbye. Bye.
- Safe travels, my friend.
How long am I in here for?
I don't think I can hack it for 30
Sorry, I can't hear.
Let me speak to you on the intercom.
Michael. Michael!
Big fan of this machine.
Biohacking was eye-opening,
but I was keen to learn
about other longevity methods.
I also didn't want to give Michael another
opportunity to lock me in a glass coffin.
So it was time to go from
extreme cold to blistering heat.
A Finnish university spent 20 years
tracking over 2,000 sauna users.
The results? A 24% decrease
in your chance of death.
So, I decided to try
the mother of all saunas, a sweat lodge.
It involves entering a sweltering hut
in total darkness where,
as the hours tick by,
the heat becomes literally unbearable.
All in the name of longevity.
I'd found a, and I cannot stress
the inverted commas enough, "doctor,"
offering a non-traditional
sweat lodge experience in California.
I'm taking Hillary along.
Michael was excused on medical grounds,
I assume because he's so cold-blooded.
It's quite suburban.
I know, I was expecting it to be in,
like, the middle of the desert.
-Hello, Hilary and Jack!
-Hi.
-Dr. Patrick? Nice to meet you.
-Patrick.
- Hi, nice to meet you.
- Come on in.
Thank you so much.
Me and Hils will be getting our
bead on with Dr Patrick, his wife Karina,
and 85-year-old Janice, who's had
a fair few sweat lodges in her time,
and a couple of Dutch ovens
by the looks of things.
Today's fire keeper is Jenny,
who will be cranking up the heat
and chuckling from outside
at our blood-curdling screams from within.
-Oh, hello.
-Hi. How are you?
-Hello.
-Hello.
- We're gonna be sweating together?
- Yes, and have you before?
Uh, I have sweated before,
but not in a lodge.
- Not in the lodge?
- No.
- You're 85 years old, right?
- 85, yes.
-Incredible.
-Amazing.
And how much of that do you put down
to your regular sweat lodging?
It certainly helps
with longevity, I believe.
Yeah. Fantastic.
Can I just ask,
what is the dress code?
I genuinely didn't bring
a change of clothes.
Um, you can take
everything off if you want.
Oh that will not be happening.
No way am I getting my kit off
in a sweat lodge next to my mother.
I can loan you shorts.
You can get me something
out of lost property?
I thought when I booked this experience
it would have more of a medical feel to it
and it definitely does not
necessarily feel like that.
It's just a tarpaulin
and a bunch of old sleeping bags.
It's giving Glastonbury.
Just come to a bloke's house,
and we're doing it in his back garden.
There is some science
behind the sweat lodge.
Extreme heat gets rid
of toxins from your body
and increases your heart rate,
mimicking a cardiovascular workout.
There is also a sacred element
to help with healing and mental health.
That's why I'm wearing my spirit animal.
The lone wolf
that can't shake off its mummy.
Right up, belly to the lodge.
Great Spirit. Wakan Tanka Tunkashila.
Bless this sacred one.
Comes with an open heart, open mind.
With the ceremony's
rocks superheated,
it was time to enter the lodge.
We'll be inside for the next four hours,
being led through a series of prayers,
chants and, in my case, complaints.
Close us up, all the way.
With the lodge being pitch black
and no light sources allowed inside,
we used infrared cameras
to see in the dark.
Step one,
Dr. Patrick ramps up the heat.
Mm. We welcome our guests.
You see this beautiful red-tail hawk
entering the lodge
with a great splash of unconditional love.
Step two, the heat is now
at maximum temperature,
and Dr Patrick thought
this was an opportune moment
for some positive affirmations.
I sense that
everyone in this lodge,
there's something in your life
you'd like a deeper clarity about.
If it's right for you
to speak out that clarity, speak it out.
- Protection.
- Love.
Sweaty.
Forty minutes in,
I was literally being cooked alive.
I would have crawled over a mile
of broken glass for a cold beer right now.
So we're just gonna go around,
each person is gonna say a prayer.
Keep it brief, the spirit loves brevity.
Almighty, I am Hilary.
And I would like to ask for more calmness
because I worry from everything
from the dog right up
to the world situation,
and I need to let that go 'cause there are
other people to worry about that.
Would have put your children
before the dog, but
I'm about to say
Um, I'd like to pray for my children,
that they are happy
and fulfilled in what they do.
Can I chuck in a prayer?
Can I pray that my mum learns
what the meaning of the word brevity is?
-Can I get an "Oh ho!" to that Janice?
-Oh ho!
Okay. How do I end?
- Just stop talking.
- Oh ho.
I actually think
this is what hell feels like.
Patrick, you're gonna want to chuck
this shirt on the fire after this. Sorry.
It was absolutely horrific.
And this is not hyperbole.
It was like being trapped
inside a McDonald's apple pie.
-Open the door.
-Open the door!
Sixty minutes
into the four-hour session,
I finally realized,
"Fuck it, this is a TV show,
they've got enough for the edit."
For the love of Wanka Tanka,
let me out of here.
Is that you, Jenny?
That is so hot.
Daddy was right. Why would anyone
put themselves through this
just to add a couple of years
to their life?
That is honestly one of the most
horrific experiences I've ever had.
It's like the hottest environment I've
ever been in, but you can't see anything.
At one point, I reached out
to grab what I thought was the drum.
It was Janice's leg.
She was
quite handsy with me as well.
I, honestly, I've never sweated
that much in my life.
And you just keep sweating
when you think there's nothing else left.
And then Fucking hell! What?
Hilary!
- What on earth? What?
- It's hot in there!
I couldn't keep anything on, it's so hot.
What do you mean
you couldn't keep anything on?
-Please, can you cover yourself up?
-I'm sorry!
-With what? It's all in there!
-Get a towel!
I was channelling
my inner Barbara Windsor.
Cover yourself up woman!
For God's sake! Please!
-Be careful. I'll take them off.
-Oh my God!
- She's been reborn.
- I've been reborn.
Well, can we swaddle her please?
I do not want to see those sweaty baps.
Unhand Janice, and get the soldiers
back in the barracks.
I mean, I found it very empowering,
strangely. I mean, I literally
This is not an exaggeration,
but I felt the whole spirit literally
Can you please? Hillary!
-What are you doing?
-Sorry.
-I know
-Sorry. Sorry!
Sorry!
I can't unsee that.
You've seen them before.
Not for a while! Okay?
-Sorry. I'm so sorry.
-Oh my God.
I'm going to need another sweat lodge now
to get rid of that mental image.
-Can I come?
-That's gon No! You can't!
After Hilary regained her dignity,
we had a moment of reflection.
I don't care what the benefits are.
Not worth it.
Never going in a sweat lodge again.
I loved it.
-Absolutely bought into it.
-Clearly.
I think any longevity benefits
that I may have got from it
were significantly undercut
by the fact that I will now have to live
carrying around the trauma
of sharing that experience with you.
Oh, charming!
You flashing your sweaty norks
to your own son post-sweat lodge.
What's the point of being a mother
if you can't embarrass your children?
But I've absolutely loved
this trip with you, Jack.
-You know, you travel so much with Daddy.
-Yeah.
-It's been great.
-You're a lot more open-minded than him.
-You throw yourself into these things.
-Yes.
Sometimes a little overeager,
but you'll give anything a try.
What is next up for you, then?
I hope it's going to be more sensible.
There's these places called blue zones,
where people live to, like, 100,
and it's all just through their lifestyle.
Taking it easy and eating healthily,
but they still like a drink so, basically,
what Daddy's been banging on about.
-You're going to a blue zone?
-I thought I might visit a blue zone.
And take Daddy as well,
because I think Daddy
that kind of approach to longevity
he might he might click with that.
Well, that'd be good. He'd like that.
I really want to get in that sea.
You should.
-I don't have a costume.
-Then you're not getting in that sea.
-Well, I mean, I could do
-Nope.
If you carry on,
I will walk into the sea
- What, fully clothed?
- with stones in my pockets.
You know, by this point
I felt like I'd tried all of the science.
I'd swam in the pool
of bin juice with my mum,
stood in the big sun bed with that
German guy with the massive nipples,
and sweated a lot.
And at the end of it, I was like, "I still
don't know whether any of this works."
So, then I was, like, I'm going to try
something even more radical.
I'm going to listen to Michael.
Possibly for the first time in my life.
Blue zones are five regions around
the world where inhabitants live longer
than anywhere else on the planet.
They do this without biohacking,
magnesium baths or oxygen chambers.
They actually do nothing other than
live a good life in moderation
and often reach 100.
It's essentially the Michael Whitehall
approach to longevity.
So, it was off to Italy to experience it
for ourselves.
We are in Sardinia, and I have come
to visit one of the original blue zones
to discover how these people live
and how they live for so long.
I'm looking forward to it because
this is one of the highest concentrations
of old people anywhere in the world,
and old people love me.
I'm an absolute granny magnet.
Blue zones.
It's like a red-light district,
but instead of prostitutes,
it's pensioners.
-Hey.
-Hello.
-Nice to meet you. Good morning.
-Hello, hi.
Andrea, nice to meet you.
Welcome to Sardinia.
-Thank you.
-How was your travel?
Yeah, it was good. We're very excited
to learn about your way of life here.
You look amazing for your age.
-Thank you very much.
-He is not 100 years old.
Andrea is our translator
and our guide for the day.
I don't need a translator.
You don't speak Italian.
-Well, I don't speak it fluently, no.
-Right.
-But I I have some Italian, I would say.
-Okay.
Anyway.
-Can I ask you something about sardines?
-Sure. Yes.
My mother used to make
amazing sardines on toast.
-Can you still get sardines here?
-Is this the level of chat we get today?
-What? No.
-We're here to learn about longevity.
-Not talk about sardines.
-There's obviously a link.
Shall we go and maybe meet some of these
old people before I lose the will to live?
Let's go.
Can you not bring your sardine agenda
to every conversation we have today?
He didn't seem to know
anything about sardines.
I mean, we've come a long way
to be here in Sardinia,
and I'm hoping that
these people are finally
going to be able
to talk some sense into him
because nobody else has.
We're meeting someone who makes
Michael look like a spring chicken.
Her name is Adelia.
She lives Oh, there she is!
-Hello!
-Ciao!
-Hi.
-Buongiorno.
Buongiorno, Alessandro.
Adelia spends a great deal of time
with her son Alessandro.
Michael.
-Buongiorno.
-Buongiorno.
And because she's reached
such a venerable age,
perhaps Daddy was right about family.
-Ciao, bella.
-Molto piacere.
Adelia is one of 677 centenarians
living in Sardinia.
Adelia, in your youth,
you were quite the smoke show.
He said you were
beautiful when you were young.
- Still got it.
- Hmm.
The sea is very good.
The sea. Here.
Tres bonne? That's French.
Just speak English.
No, but the sea. It's beautiful.
You can't speak Italian.
We have an Italian translator.
Just speak in English,
and he will translate.
Um, Adelia, now, I would
never normally ask a lady this,
but I feel like because we're
in a blue zone it's acceptable.
How old are you?
She's going to turn 101 in one month.
Wow.
Can I ask how you got to that age?
What's the key to longevity in your eyes?
She says she's very calm.
She doesn't get worried, she's optimistic.
So, to get to 101 years old,
you must have a pretty incredible diet.
- The minestrone
- Minestrone.
Yeah, minestrone. Wonderful.
Okay, you recognized one word of Italian.
What do you want, a medal?
-What?
-Everyone knows minestrone.
-That doesn't mean you speak Italian.
-I like minestrone.
How often do you drink? Uh, booze?
- A bit of wine during meals.
- Yeah, like me.
Yes! 101 and you drink wine every day.
You are my hero.
How often do you eat sardines?
Adelia wanted to give us
a taste of her diet
that she believed was
the secret to hitting 100.
You want to learn
how to make gnocchi?
Yeah, that'd be great.
Oh, she's a bit old for that.
- Old for what?
- Old for nookie!
Gnocchi, Daddy.
Potato dumplings.
You thought she said nookie?
What, you thought we were going next door?
-Yes, I thought she
-Your mind!
-She wouldn't
-She's 101.
Well, it's never too late.
Lonely old woman. I'm in town
Nookie time!
And there's nothing worse than dry nookie.
If you're having nookie, I always think,
you want to keep it
nice and moist, don't you?
-You agree with that?
-Literally, just stop.
Tired from all those nookie puns,
Michael decides
to sit down and take a rest
Oh, that's better.
Phew, I was getting exhausted.
and watch a 100-year-old woman
make him lunch.
I feel like
a production line supervisor.
I just feel so at home here now.
Fresh food being produced
-By other people.
-for family and friends. Ah!
Bellissimo!
- Look.
- Buon appetito.
- Buon appetito!
- Have a nice meal!
Thank you so much. Grazie mille.
Mmm!
That's so nice.
Thank you so much for inviting us
into your home and cooking for us.
Delicious.
Best nookie I've ever had.
What makes Sardinia
a unique blue zone
is the men here live longer
than anywhere else on the planet.
Andrea was taking us to meet
a group of blokes that hang out every day.
Experts believe friendship, love,
and laughter are the main ingredients
to a long and healthy life.
Yet another reason why
my father is a medical miracle.
These guys
are called the youngsters.
Most of them spent their youth here
working as shepherds.
So, they're building here an altar. So
Are they all retired or are they still?
-They're all retired, yeah.
-Yeah.
They're not putting their feet up.
They're trying to stay active as possible?
Yeah, exactly.
You know, these are my kind of men.
Proper hardened blokes.
Just go have a chat with the lads.
It was time to help them
build this altar wall.
You alright, geez? How are you? Hiya.
What you got? What is that,
the new Black & Decker?
The 20V, yeah, that's a similar one
to the one I've got at home.
Oh yeah. Oh yes!
We're going to need a bigger boat.
-Yeah, that's much more up my street.
-Posso?
Posso. Yeah.
-Scusi.
-Scusi. Yeah.
What? Yeah, sorry.
In England, we do it the other way.
It's like, other side of the road.
Whoo!
Yeah.
Right. I'm ready for a pint.
Now I'm officially
a member of the youngsters,
maybe they'll share their secrets with me,
on top of the clear benefit
of keeping active.
How important you think it is to maintain
a good social life as you get older?
It's very important.
It started all as a game, more or less,
and then it started growing
and they're all really, really happy
because they have both the opportunity
to do something useful for the community,
and also just spend time
together as friends.
Salvatore, who is the coordinator
of this group, it's his birthday.
-They're having a party.
-Happy birthday.
They've been working hard the whole day.
So now they're inviting us to the party
if you want to join?
To the party!
And remember, what happens
in Santa Maria Navarrese
stays in Santa Maria Navarrese.
Salvatore's birthday sesh was happening
on a mountaintop man cave
the youngsters had helped build.
Oh, thank you.
-Grazie mille.
-Thank you.
- Happy birthday.
- Chin, chin.
Chin, chin. Yeah! Cheers.
It's hard for me to admit,
but maybe Daddy was right all along.
It was about a good life. Not a long life.
Up on a Sardinian mountainside,
just cracking on,
having a sesh, with the lads.
Wives are away.
Salvatore was telling me that
he's got a hall pass for the night. So
-Catchy lyrics, aren't they?
-Yeah, real earworm.
-Yeah.
-Ma-ma-ma.
I think I've made friends here for life.
Maybe not my life, but certainly friends
for the next couple of years.
This guy's up to no good.
Lock up your grannies.
Time to party like I'm 99.
- How much wine have you had?
- A little bit.
They've got it licked here, haven't they?
Like this is the way to live your life.
Drink wine, eat great food,
socialize, like
keep as busy and as active as you can.
I don't want to give you the satisfaction
of being able to say I told you so, but
I think probably
you were right all along that
maybe it's not about elongating your life.
It's just about living it.
They're not, like, stressed,
or worried about all of these things
that I've been filling my head with.
All of this AI or nuclear Armageddon.
These guys aren't worrying
about any of that. They're just
They're just happy,
happy in each other's company.
I mean, the important thing
for you to remember is
that you've got to be there
for your children.
-And I know you will.
-Yeah.
Remember, every minute is
another way that you can enjoy
having a new baby.
I mean, I think of
when you were first born.
Those were such wonderful days,
weeks, and months, and years.
And you'll start seeing
the same wonderful period.
And you'll be a great, great father.
So, just hang in there,
and don't worry about it.
I want to be as good a father for Elsie
as you've been for me.
I think you'll be better than me,
because I certainly wasn't perfect.
Keep it simple and you'll be fine.
I promise.
I'll cheers to that.
Cheers.
Love you.
Love you.
As a great man once said,
"Nothing is stronger than family."
And who
which great man was that?
Vin Diesel.
Vin who?