Asif Kapadia wraps up historic British docuseries ‘7 Up’
Asif Kapadia is set to complete the final chapter of what has long been regarded as a landmark and groundbreaking British TV docuseries.
The ‘Up’ film series launched in 1964 with ‘7 Up’ and chronicled the lives of ten boys and four girls in England, all of whom were seven years old at the time. Cameras then revisited the group every seven years to chart their journey from childhood to teens, to adulthood, through careers, marriage, divorce, parenthood, grief and more.
Nine episodes have been made so far, with renowned director Michael Apted directing all but the very first episode. Following Apted’s death in 2021, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Kapadia – best known for ‘Amy’, ‘Senna’ and ‘Diego Maradona’ – takes over the helm for the final two-parter, ’70 Up’ for ITV (which aired all but one episode in 1988). According to the description, the films will catch up with the participants as retirees and retirees as they “reflect on their triumphs, their trials and tribulations, and what happened to their hopes and dreams.”
“In 2014, I named the ‘Up’ series my favorite documentary of all time. Who would have thought that two decades later I would have the incredible honor and privilege of being asked to direct ’70 Up’, the legendary documentary series,” said Kapadia. “I love the show! I’ve watched it all my life, first as a child with my parents and siblings, growing up in East London and then as an adult.”
Kapadia noted that he had been fortunate to meet Apted several times, first when he was interviewed about ‘Senna’.
“He liked the fact that, like him, I directed drama and documentaries,” he said. “Directing ’70 Up’ has been a dream project for me, the ultimate portrait of human life. Working with my incredible editors Andrew Hulme and Patrick Saxer, we had the challenge of cutting hours of archival footage shot over decades, while also looking at the nature of documentary making itself. I hope audiences feel my team and that I have done justice to the epic series with the final chapter.”
Alongside Kapadia and his producer George Chignell, production director Helen Houston and Claire Lewis will be the careful custodian and producer of the cast’s stories since ’28 Up’. The series will air later in 2026.
“70 Up” was commissioned by Sue Murphy, Head of Factual Entertainment Commissioning ITV and Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual ITV. The film is produced by MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios, in association with Lafcadia Productions. ITV Studios will also handle distribution worldwide, excluding North America.
