WCXX

He returned on typically mischievous form, trying to commit the perfect crime. Brown bet his mate Ivan Massow – millionaire art collector, gentle giant and thoroughly game chap – that he could steal a £100,000 painting from under his nose at a charity exhibition. The wager was for the princely sum of a quid, which suited these straitened times.

As well as being a good gimmick, this allowed Brown to make a wider point about OAPs often being invisible to society. This unlikely gang were retired from work but by no means retired from fun. They retained a lust for life and relished the chance to be naughty. It was refreshing and all too rare to see on-screen.

Their month's training in the dark art of misdirection involved card tricks, filching chips on Brighton beach (if caught, blame seagulls), illegally spraying graffiti (fake policemen gave them a fright here) and stealing watches off wrists – although the latter proved a challenge too far. As the appointed day approached, tension mounted. I found myself rooting for them from the safety of my sofa.

So did the silvery stealers succeed in their audacious mission? Yes and no. Some devilish twists left me feeling slightly swizzed but largely satisfied. After some shenanigans with a swivelling sign and a catering table, they got caught red-handed. Except a pair of twins and a wheelchair meant they actually got away with not one but two paintings. Clear as mud? Thought so.

This film was a tad too long but ticked along at a fair lick and was stylishly shot. London looked ravishing, as it often does on TV – see also The Apprentice, Doctor Who and Sherlock – but rarely does in real life, when you're being jostled, rained on or beset by fried chicken and ratty pigeons.

We closed with our pleased-as-punch pensioners stood in a row, sipping champagne and gazing across the London skyline, set to a soundtrack of Debussy's Clair De Lune – a neat homage to the Bellagio fountain scene in Ocean's Eleven. Here's to staying young at heart.