By Felicity Cross
GROUNDBREAKING documentary series Up will be back for its next chapter – 70 Up – after its creator Michael Apted died in 2021.
The films followed the lives of a group of average British people every seven years since 1964 and so the director became incredibly close to the contributors.
There were therefore question marks over whether the ITV series would continue without him.
But producers began work on the next run this week to continue his life鈥檚 work and honour his legacy, with the instalment likely to air in 2026.
Before he died, Michael had shared hopes he鈥檇 be able to make 84 Up – when he would have been 99.
But he later acknowledged that might not be possible due to his health.
In one of his final interviews, he suggested it could possibly continue with someone else at the helm, such as his longtime producer, Claire Lewis.
The Up series of documentary films followed the lives of ten boys and four girls in England, beginning in 1964, when they were seven years old and was directed by Paul Almond.
The first film was titled Seven Up!, with later films adjusting the number in the title to match the age of the subjects at the time of filming.
Michael took up the reins for 1970鈥檚 Seven plus Seven.
The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, on the assumption that each child’s social class would determine their future.
It鈥檚 painted a fascinating picture since, with some participants criticising the series, and Apted, when they chose to quit the process.
The documentary has had nine episodes鈥攐ne every seven years.
ITV has aired every series except 42 Up in 1998, which aired on BBC One.
In 1991, 28 Up was chosen for Roger Ebert鈥檚 ten greatest films of all time.
But it has also attracted criticism for some editorial choices, for example just four of the 20 participants are female.