The late Michael Apted’s landmark 7 Up collection will receive its final installment at ITV, with 70 Up set to be directed by award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia.
The first 7 Up film screened in 1964 as part of ITV’s World in Action strand. Every seven years, Apted returned to check in on the 14 participants, from childhood through teen years, marriage, divorce, loss, and more. The participants are now retirees.
The production team for the final installment includes producer George Chignell and production executive Helen Houston. Claire Lewis, producer of the cast’s stories since 28 Up, is also part of the team. Broadcast is planned for later in 2026 as a 2×90-minute doc, commissioned by Sue Murphy, head of factual entertainment commissioning, and Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of factual. MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios, is producing in association with Lafcadia Productions. ITV Studios will handle distribution globally, excluding North America.
Clinton-Davis said: “The 7 Up story is much more than a TV documentary; it’s a document of our times. A truly distinctive landmark piece of filmmaking that has become part of our cultural fabric. In the evolving stories of our cast, we see the universal themes of life play out. It is the series that made me want to get into television. It is the series that I am beyond proud of having been involved in since 56 Up. It is a tribute to Michael Apted, who will forever be associated with it, and to the continued dedication and remarkable skill of Claire Lewis. Yet in Asif Kapadia, we have an outstanding director who will bring his passion, creativity, and incredible flair whilst safeguarding the very precious Up legacy. Ultimately, this is a tribute to the courage of all the cast who continue to share their lives with us so we can see our lives in them.”
Kapadia added, “In 2014, I named the Up series as my favorite documentary of all time. Who knew that two decades later I would have the incredible honor and privilege to be asked to direct 70 Up, the legendary documentary series. I love the show! I have watched it all my life, first as a child with my parents and siblings, growing up in East London and then as an adult. I was lucky to meet Michael Apted a few times. I first came in contact with Apted when he interviewed me after he saw SENNA and he liked the fact I directed drama and documentaries, like him. Directing 70 Up has been a dream project for me, the ultimate portrait of human life. Working with my amazing editors, Andrew Hulme and Patrick Saxer, we had the challenge of cutting hours of archive material shot over decades, while also looking at the nature of documentary filmmaking itself. I hope the audience feels my team and I have done the epic series justice with the closing chapter.”
Mike Blair, creative director at MultiStory Media and EP of 70 Up, stated: “It has been a privilege to be part of this truly groundbreaking series—one that I have followed my whole life. It is a bittersweet moment, drawing it to a close. But in Asif Kapadia, we found a director who has paid homage to what has gone before because he believes, like the rest of us, that it is very precious. It is the end of a historic television journey, and we hope everyone—particularly the people whose lives we have followed for decades—will feel these films are a fitting tribute.”
Lewis added, “After over 40 years of working with the participants of 7 Up, it seems extraordinary that we have come to the end of this unique series. It’s been an incredible lifetime’s work and has given me a second family. I’m sad and content at the same time that it’s ending. Working with Asif, as well as Michael, has been an honor. But the highest accolade goes to the fortitude of our trusted contributors. We miss Michael, Nick, and Lynn terribly; the jigsaw is not complete without them. Thank you to them and thank you to the team. Each episode captures an era for our society and one for each individual. It’s pure magic. Thank you to the pioneers of ITV who made it happen. It’s film history.”
