FINALE OF A LIFETIME

Documentary Series Set to End After 70 Years

‘70 Up′ will conclude later this year, after a run that began in the 1960s

A groundbreaking documentary series that has followed more than a dozen people throughout their lives, from childhood to death, will air its finale. 70 Up first began as 7 Up in 1964, when participants were in elementary school. The show followed the group as they grew up and chased their dreams. A new episode is released every seven years. The cast has featured ‘Cheeky Chap’ Tony, an aspiring jockey who became a London taxi driver, and Neil, who dreamed of being an astronaut before struggling with homelessness. There are also great success stories, like Nick, who went from the son of a farmer to becoming a nuclear physicist. He died in 2023. Other key figures in the series, including the show’s longtime director Michael Apted, have also died before the finale. Now, viewers are expecting a tear-jerking finale that has been as meaningful for creators as it has been for the audience. Producer Claire Lewis said the show has been “an incredible lifetime’s work and has given me a second family.” The 54-year-old director, Asif Kapadia, said the show has been “a dream project,” going on to call 70 Up “the ultimate portrait of human life.”