Two of the original children from Seven Up! appeared on Monday’s BBC Breakfast ahead of 70 Up: The Final Chapter.
Bruce and Peter are two of the original 7 Up! kids (Image: BBC)
Two of the original Seven Up! children have shared poignant comments about the series coming to an end with two final episodes.
Bruce and Peter were two of 14 children who first hit fame in 1964, when they were just seven years old. Since then, alongside eight other boys and four girls, they shared glimpses into their lives every seven years.
Now, after lasting over six decades, the reality TV experiment is coming to an end with 70 Up. ITV previously teased: “Seven decades. One extraordinary experiment. The groundbreaking documentary series returns to meet the people we first saw as 7-year-olds as they reflect on life at 70.”
The series will pay tribute to one of the contestants, Lynn, who died in 2013, and will also share a moving interview with Nick, who died days after he filmed for the show. It will also feature Charles, who left the programme at the age of 21.
During an appearance on BBC Breakfast on Monday, 14 September, Bruce and Peter spoke to presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent about the series coming to an end. When asked if he was emotional that the series was coming to an end, Bruce admitted: “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster.”
He went on: “But eventually, the rollercoaster comes slowly to a rest, and you step off it. And sometimes, there’s a bit of relief. So yes, I think this is the right time.”
Peter added, “There are mixed feelings. Yes, like Bruce, increasingly in the last few years, I feel a sense of pride having been involved in it. What will come over, without giving anything away, is the fact that this is the end, and it’s right to end. It has to end at some time.
“These final two episodes have a very reflective, almost elegiac feeling. People looking back and their involvement over the years, it’s become more than an examination of social class; it now feels to me like a story about how to live a human life.”
As Sally and Jon thanked them for their comments, she said, “That’s the perfect place to end. Peter and Bruce, thank you so much for everything.” Jon added, “What a period of history to cover, so much change over those 70 years that we see in front of us.”
Ahead of the two final episodes, Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of factual ITV and commissioner of 70 Up, 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.”
70 Up: The Final Chapter airs on Tuesday 15 September at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
