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It’s the end of an era: 7 Up, the experimental documentary series that charted the lives of people from childhood to adulthood, is ending after 70 years.
Just 10 years after television sets became a living room staple, ITV committed to a groundbreaking project – to document the lives of a set of children as seven-year-olds and to revisit them in a new series every seven years.
Viewers have seen the subjects grow up to become adults who experience marriage, divorce and bereavement, and the resulting series have been regularly named the greatest, most influential documentaries ever made.
But the next instalment, following the subjects as pensioners and retirees, will be the end of the journey.
70 Up will see them reflect on their triumphs, their trials and tribulations – and what happened to their hopes and dreams.
The final series will feature long-time subjects Sue Davis, Bruce Balden and Tony Walker. Original star Lynn Johnson died in 2013, while Nick Hitchon died in the time since the last series, 69 Up, aired in 2019.
Neil’s remarkable life has been one of the most memorable stories in ‘7 Up’ (Local Library)
It’s the first series to be made without director Michael Apted, who died in 2021, and Asif Kapadia will take over. Kapadia is known for his documentaries on racing driver Ayrton Senna and singer Amy Winehouse.
Kapadia said: “In 2014, I named the Up Series as my favourite documentary of all time. Who knew that two decades later I would have the incredible honour and privilege to be asked to direct 70 Up, the legendary documentary series. I love the show! I have watched it all my life, first as a child with my parents and siblings, growing up in East London and then as an adult.”
He said 70 Up has been a dream project, calling it “the ultimate portrait of human life”.
“With my amazing editors Andrew Hulme and Patrick Saxer, we had the challenge of cutting hours of archive material shot over decades, while also looking at the nature of documentary filmmaking itself. I hope the audience feel my team and I have done the epic series justice with the closing chapter.”
Asif Kapadia is directing the final series: ‘An incredible honour and privilege’ (Getty)
Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of factual at ITV, hailed the 7 Up story as “much more than a TV documentary”.
“It’s a document of our times. A truly distinctive landmark piece of filmmaking that has become part of our cultural fabric,” she said.
“In the evolving stories of our cast, we see the universal themes of life play out. It is the series that made me want to get into television. It is the series that I am beyond proud of having been involved in since 56 Up.
She called the final series a tribute to Apted.