The Up documentary series

[Trickyvee]

Series charting the lives of 14 children from aged 7 in 1964 to the present day. Programmes were made every seven years and the latest, 56Up, will be shown on Monday 14th May at 9pm on ITV.

I had heard of this series but I have not seen any of the programmes. Think it will be interesting to watch from a 70/80/90's perspective. I'm going to watch the older episodes on YouTube.

[Avahi1057]

Re: The Up documentary series

I saw the 2005 series when it aired. More recently I went back and watched all the older eps. I'd recommend this whole series to all but that said you can watch the 2012 eps without having seen the older eps as a lot of each new installment is given over to recaps. It's fascinating stuff.

Despite my recommendation I find the show generally depressing as apart from maybe one guy who became a professor in some mathematical field none of them seemed to have lead exceptional lives or fulfilled their own potential. One guy on the other end of the scale sort of became a homeless drifter. Moreso you generally see them all as happy hopeful kids in the early episodes but as they mature over the years their joy and hope for the future is sort of battered out of them by life. I guess that's a fairly accurate reflection on most peoples lives though.

As far as I know none of the participants have died yet (tho a few have dropped out of the filming process over the years). Even though I don't know any of these people personally I think once they start getting into really old age and are dying I will find it hard to watch.

[Trickyvee]

Re: The Up documentary series

I'm interested in this because I do tend to find people's lives fascinating in general - everybody has a story to tell and all that. It is a great record of people's attitudes, decisions and hard knocks over the years and how these things have shaped their lives.

[sf1378]

Re: The Up documentary series

Was anyone actually alive and remembers watching it on tv when it first started and has stuck with it?

[Richard1978]

Re: The Up documentary series

I remember watching 42 Up at school in 1991, I have watched each one since.

Harry Enfield's spoof with Wayne Slob & Tim Nice But Dim is really funny.