Then and Now: The Dating Game

BBC Radio Manchester studio, interviewing centenarian Beatrice and her grandson Leo about courtship.

Then and Now: The Dating Game

True or false?

Rebecca grew up during wartime with modern comforts.

• True
• False

Arthur used to walk miles just to walk past Rebecca's gate.

• True
• False

John believes modern dating apps make finding love completely stress-free.

• True
• False

Rebecca points out that modern expectations make heartache feel much larger.

• True
• False

John admits he sometimes has to be as frugal as his great-grandmother.

• True
• False

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Rebecca: Oh, Mike, it was a far cry from today's world of endless swiping. Back in 1943, my future husband Arthur walked miles to school just to walk home past my gate. We didn't have ____ , but we managed with what we had.
• John: Grandma always tells me about those days. She says her ____ was nowhere near as luxurious as mine, yet they still managed to fall in love over a tin bath and a shared radio show.
• Mike: That's a remarkably sharp observation, Rebecca. Tell me, John, have you ever had to ____ just to take someone out for a modest cup of tea?
• John: Oh, absolutely. After paying rent in central London, I'm practically as ____ as my great-grandmother during her childhood.
• Rebecca: That's because romance isn't about the larder or the ____ , Mike. It's about two people sitting across from each other, hoping the other one likes them back.

Sources: photo by Ben Khatry on Pexels