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| Neil at 7 |
For the benefit of non-British visitors, I must explain the background to "63UP".
First let me tell you that it is a documentary TV show that first began in 1964 when it was titled "7UP" - nothing to do with fizzy lemonade. Seven years after that it was "14UP" and then it became "21UP"(1977), "28UP"(1984), "35UP(1991)", "42UP"(1998), "49UP"(2005), "56UP" (2012) and finally - just this past week "63UP"
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| Neil at 63 |
The show focuses on fourteen people. They were filmed and interviewed when they were seven years old with their whole lives ahead of them. Every seven years the programme makers have sought to re-interview all of them to consider how their lives are going. One has died and two or three have been reluctant to extend their participation.
I remember the very first programme in the sequence - filmed in black and white - and how fascinating it was to see the differences between the children. I have watched the show each time since and have keenly observed how the subjects' lives have evolved. At the same time of course my own life has been evolving in parallel though not filmed each seven years.
The project's central theme has always rested on the Jesuit motto, "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man." Indeed, the way that the various lives have unraveled seems to confirm that the die is more or less cast by the age of seven.
It is a beautiful series that speaks of what it means to be a human being. Along the way there have been marriages, the births of children and grandchildren, health problems, financial problems, dreams fulfilled and others left behind, laughter and tears. They battled through it all and now they are sixty three - Tony and Paul, Symon and John and Jackie , Sue and Suzy and Bruce and Neil, Peter, Nick and Andrew and Lynn (now deceased).
The next sequence will appear in 2026. It will be "70UP". Incredibly, the current director has been with the "Up" series since its conception. He is Michael Apted - now 78 years old himself. I wonder if he will be around to witness the next steps of those fascinating journeys through this thing we call life.
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| Lynn at 56 - now deceased |
The die is cast by the time we are seven. Sounds about right, sadly. It looks like an interesting series.
ReplyDeleteYes -interesting. This is isn't really what you would call entertainment.
DeleteThis would be a fascinating series. I hope that a series is already in production to show another generation.
ReplyDeleteI hope so meone has thought of that too Red.
DeleteI saw the one on Thursday evening (I can't remember his name). What a very far-sighted concept; fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThere was posh fellow John and the struggling Neil on Thursday night.
DeleteI heard about this a few years ago but I've never seen it. I think it must be an amazing study of people and their lives.
ReplyDeleteYou feel that in some ways they are showing you your own life.
DeleteOff topic from your post.....I'm sure you will excuse me for butting in, though. :)
ReplyDeleteYorkie, to my surprise and delight (and I’m sure you and your family will be delighted, too), the review below appeared in the “QWEEKEND”, the weekly, glossy supplement that is issued with Saturday’s edition of the “Courier Mail”...our daily newspaper. I thought you would be interested ...as, no doubt, will be also Henry and Ian.
Good on them! This review was the featured, main review in “book section” of today’s supplement...other books, fiction and non-fiction are reviewed, as well, but the lads’ book received the main focus...spot.
QUOTE” QWEEKEND...BOOK CLUB
“Non-Fiction...
BISH BASH BHOSH!
HENRY FIRTH, IAN THEASBY
It’s so hot to be vegan right now. A new cookbook by London-based friends, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, dubbed “the vegan Jamie Olivers” follows the best-selling success of their first book Bosh! Former meat-eating, digital marketers who ran their own tech start-up, London-based Firth and Theasby, who met as Sheffield school kids, decided their lives were in need of a major shake-up after beeling “truly worn down”. They became vegans, as you do, and embarked on a “voyage of culinary discover” specialising in simple, but tasty plant-based recipes.
The lads went from untrained home cooks to best-selling authors with videos that have been watched more than a billion times in only three years.
Their publicists claim Bosh! is the highest-selling vegan cookbook ever. Vegans, of course, love the recipes, but they are also appealing to vegetarians, or those simply looking to cut down on the amount of meat in their diet.
Bish Bash Bosh! Offers up more than 140 recipes of good-looking quick eats, midweek dinners, breakfasts, greens, desserts and feasts, and includes very non-vegan looking pictures of “bangers and mash”, burgers”, “chorizo bake” and “grilled cheese”. Annoying, the Bangin’ Burger section refers readers to a burger party recipe found in their first book. Unhelpful if you don’t have it on hand. “ Elissa Lawrence” END QUOTE
PS....In my opinion...the way I look at it...the reviewer's last two sentences, particularly the last one, are not negatives.
DeleteI look at them as being encouragement...urging those who don't have the previous recipe book...to hop along to their nearest book store as soon as possible to purchase a copy of it!
That is so very kind of you to share this Lee and I shall soon be sending Ian and Henry the link. Hopefully, before too long, their publishers will send them to Australia.
DeleteI'm not sure if the link will come up because one has to be an online subscriber to the "Courier Mail", Yorkie.
DeleteBeing the old-fashioned person I am...I still like to read a paper paper...the hard copy. I did look on the online site...but can't find the actual article from the "QWeekend" as described above....because I'm not an online subscriber, no doubt...but you might have better luck.n As I said...it was in today's paper...Saturday, 8th June.
What I typed in my previous response is word for word copy of the review.
https://www.couriermail.com.au/
I am gratified that you typed all of that Lee. I have already e-mailed Ian and Henry about it and warned them that to access all of Qweekend you have to be a subscriber. I am not sure how that might work out from overseas but never mind - they know about it now.
DeleteIrresistable viewing. I love the way the 7 year old children spoke in those days.
ReplyDeleteSuch innocence. Such hope.
DeleteI have watched every one of these programmes and loved them . Fascinating to see how the 7 year olds grew up. I thought that the " social divide" somewhat narrowed as they grew older. The 3 little " posh boys" talking about reading the Times and the Observer is priceless!! Their cut glass accents modified as they grew up too.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what changes we would have noticed if a little girl called Frances had been interviewed back when she was seven years old and every seven years after.
DeleteI've enjoyed watching that series too. A fascinating study.
ReplyDeleteWe are all growing older ADDY - like the people in the "Up" series - some of us more happily and gracefully than others.
DeleteIt's interesting that you say the die seems to be set by seven. What does it mean? What can we see in a seven year old that will stay with them? I'm never sure.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a couple of episodes of the series.... I'm not sure where to find the next
At seven a child might be nervous or confident, physically active or sedate, happy or sad, artistic or mathematical etc. and these traits appear to persist through the years.
DeleteAs Frances says above, the social divide did seem to narrow as they got older, possibly because they grew up through years of opportunity and social mobility. If, as Red suggests, they started again now, I can't imagine how things would turn out.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure that the social divide narrowed. The rich have always got richer. The difference may not be quite as stark and obvious but I believe they are still there as ever.
DeleteI wonder about how different childrens' lives can turn out these days thanks to technology and the Internet. The world seems so much bigger and more accessible these days than it did when I was a little girl.
ReplyDeleteThere's a long, long way to go before we can claim any real sense of fairness or equality. That's what I think anyway.
DeleteI was able to find some episodes online and spent over two hours watching - what fascinating and sometimes quite sad viewing it is. Neil especially has had a rough life although he seemed to be doing somewhat better as years went by. He didn't seem at all like the seven year old Neil for most of the rest of his life, in spite of obviously being intelligent and a deep thinker. What struck me was how he chose to continue sharing his life through the series despite the problems he was haaving. I wonder if that decision was related to his desire to make life better for others in other ways as well. Lots to ponder there.
ReplyDeleteI am delighted that you went looking for the show and also found it absorbing Jenny. As I am also called Neil, I feel a special sympathy for my semi-tragic namesake and yet I also admire him for battling on.
DeleteI find that very interesting and was aware of the series at some time in the past. I shall see if I can do some delving.
ReplyDeleteNeil - pictured in this blogpost - was originally from Liverpool.
DeleteThat would be really interesting to compare the then against the now.
ReplyDeleteNot just interesting but poignant too Amy.
DeleteMy boss was talking about this series a few days ago. She's watched them all but I've never seen any of them. I should try to catch up!
ReplyDelete