BBC

Dear Jimmy,

As I said on the phone, we are currently making a major new BBC2 Series about wills and inheritance, and want to feature families from across the UK. This is an important subject that affects absolutely everyone, and we want to show that on our programme by finding people from all backgrounds and communities. I have attached a suitable email to send out to your members, we appreciate any help you can offer on this. We feel Grandparents need a voice on our programme. The advice for the families who are chosen for the series will be provided by Sir Gerry Robinson and a top specialist lawyer. All the advice is free, and at the end of it, we will draft the family's wills for free. Every day, over 1,500 people die in the UK, and more than 70% of them die without a legally valid will – a truly shocking statistic, which can lead to conflict amongst the remaining family. This is an issue that affects everyone, from all walks of life, and this is something we want to show in our series. The BBC want to start the country talking about this important and misunderstood issue. This will be a serious look at why it is important to get your will written, no matter how complicated or simple your family situation is.
There are all kinds of reason why people put off writing their wills. Sometimes they have large families, or children by different marriages. Sometimes they aren’t sure how to divide the family business, or how to make sure relatives with special needs are looked after. But writing a will is important. If you don’t leave a valid will, your estate will become subject to Intestacy Laws, which are impersonal, and won’t necessarily leave your family properly provided for. Many people wrongly assume that if they die, everything will go to their spouse – not true. They often also forget just how many assets they have: insurance policies, cars, company pensions, and so on. And writing a will is the only way to name legal guardians for your children, if they are under 18 years old: otherwise, the State will appoint them. Without a will, all kinds of unforeseen and unwelcome consequences can follow. This is an important subject, and I hope what we are doing will be of great benefit to the 12 families who take part. If you have any queries, please call me, Katy McGhie on 0207 861 8188, or email katy.mcghie@talkbackthames.tv All calls will be strictly confidential. Many thanks, Katy McGhie