ITV's landmark documentary series 7 Up will end later in 2026 after a 63-year run, with a final instalment titled 70 Up. The series, which first aired in 1964, followed 14 British children from diverse backgrounds every seven years, documenting their lives from childhood to old age. The finale will feature the surviving participants as they reach the age of 70, reflecting on their triumphs and struggles.
The decision to end the series comes after the death of original director Michael Apted in 2021. Award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia, known for documentaries on Amy Winehouse and Ayrton Senna, has taken over to complete the project. Kapadia previously described the series as his "favourite documentary of all time."
The two feature-length episodes will revisit themes of class, education, and wealth, inspired by the Jesuit maxim: "Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man." Participants include Tony Walker, a former jockey turned London cabbie; Neil Hughes, who experienced homelessness; and Bruce Balden, a public schoolboy who became a missionary. Others include Symon Basterfield, who fostered over 120 children, and Sue Davis, who worked at Queen Mary University of London.
Not all original participants survived to see the finale. The series will pay tribute to Lynn Johnson, who died in 2013, and Nick Bichon, a nuclear physicist who died in 2023. Charles Furneaux, who left the programme at age 21, will also be heard from again. Producer Claire Lewis, who has worked on the show since 28 Up, called the ending "extraordinary" and thanked the contributors, calling the series "pure magic" and "film history."
