NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Seven Up!

Seven Up! is the first in a series of seven documentary films that has followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. The children were selected primarily to represent the full range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child's "class" predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films new material from as many of the fourteen he can get to participate. The latest installment, 49 up, was released in the UK in September 2005, and is being released in the US in October 2006, and on DVD in November 2006. Filming for the next in the series, 56 Up, is expected in late 2011 or early 2012. Image File history File links The_Up_series_DVD.jpg Seven Up! File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Paul Almond (born April 26, 1931) is a Canadian television and motion picture director and novelist. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... // Events January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove is released. ... A soft drink is a drink that contains no alcohol. ... This article is about a soft drink. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Michael Apted (born February 10, 1941 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom) is a British director, producer, writer and actor. ...

Creation

The first film in the series, Seven Up!, was directed by Paul Almond, and commissioned by Granada Television as a programme in the World in Action series broadcast in 1964. At the time there was no plan for them to return in seven years time; the second film was made almost as a afterthought, but the pattern of the series was established. From Seven plus 7 onwards the films have been directed by Michael Apted, who had been a researcher on Seven Up! and chose the original children with Gordon McDougall. The premise of the film was taken from the Jesuit motto "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man," which is based on a quote by Francis Xavier. The 1998 programme was commissioned by BBC One, although still produced for them by Granada. Paul Almond (born April 26, 1931) is a Canadian television and motion picture director and novelist. ... Granada Television was the British ITV (commercial television) contractor for the North of England weekday franchise from 1954 (broadcasting began on May 3, 1956) until 1968, and for the Northwest England all-week franchise from 1968. ... World in Action was an investigative current affairs series produced by Granada Television from 1963 to 1998. ... Michael Apted (born February 10, 1941 in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom) is a British director, producer, writer and actor. ... Gordon McDougall is a British theatre director and academic. ... Seal of the Society of Jesus. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest television station in the world. ...

Participants

The fourteen subjects are Bruce Balden, Jackie Bassett, Simon Basterfield, Andrew Brackfield, John Brisby, Peter Davies, Susan Davis, Charles Furneaux, Nicholas Hitchon, Neil Hughes, Lynn Johnson, Paul Kligerman, Suzanne Lusk, and Tony Walker. In Seven Up! the narrator mentions 21 children taking part, and this number can be counted at both the zoo and the party that they take part in. The only one named other than the fourteen acknowledged participants is a girl named Michelle who is from the same East End school as Tony and is interviewed as his girlfriend. The reason why the other six children did not feature in that show is unknown, but their interviews may have been culled due to lack of time - Seven Up! was only 40 minutes long.

The participants were chosen in an attempt to represent different social classes in Britain in the 1960s. At the time the show was not intended to become a repeating series, and no contract was signed with the participants. All interviews since have been voluntary, the participants are paid, and only their first names are used in the programme. They have the option to withdraw their footage if they don't like the manner in which they are presented. The interviews are unrehearsed and occur in strict seven-year intervals. In the instances where the participants are interviewed as a group, they are positioned in the same arrangement each time. Especially in the later films, the interviews are conducted over two days. Apted tries to get as much material as the participants will allow, and admits the interviews are very long. The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ...

John, Charles and Andrew

These three boys were chosen from the same pre-preparatory school in the wealthy London suburb of Kensington. They are introduced to us in Seven Up! singing "Waltzing Matilda" in Latin. At the age of seven, Andrew claimed to have shares (although he later said that was fantasy), and all three could say which prep schools, Public Schools and universities they planned to attend (Oxford/Cambridge in all cases); two even named the specific Oxbridge college they intended to join. It has been suggested that shareholder be merged into this article or section. ... A preparatory school, or prep school in the United Kingdom, and previously in the British Empire and the Commonwealth in current English usage, is an independent school designed to prepare a student for fee-paying, secondary independent school. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with State school. ... In relation to universities, the term college normally refers to a part of the university which does not have degree-awarding powers in itself. ...

John, who was vocal on politics by 14, attended Oxford and became a barrister. John chose not to appear on 28 Up. He returned in 35 Up, although he only did so only because he wanted to publicize his Oxfam relief efforts for Bulgaria (his mother is Bulgarian and he married the daughter of a Bulgarian ambassador). He would only appear in 35 Up under the condition that a member of the Up Series crew other than Apted interview him. He did not appear in 42 Up, but returned again in 49 Up, by which time he had ascended to the rank of Queen's Counsel. The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 independent, non-profit, secular, community-based aid and development organizations who work with local partners in over 100 countries worldwide to reduce poverty, suffering, and injustice. ... Cherie Booth QC wearing her ceremonial robes (including full-bottomed wig) as Queens Counsel at the Bar of England and Wales. ...

Andrew went to Cambridge, also became a lawyer, got married, and raised a family. The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ...

Charles did not make it into Oxford, although at 21 he said he was glad to have avoided the "prep school-Marlborough-Oxford conveyer belt" by going to Durham University instead. Charles has worked in journalism in varying capacities over the years, including as a producer for the BBC, and in the making of documentary films, including Touching the Void (2003). Despite the fact that the Up films form arguably one of the most important series of documentary films ever made, he has chosen not to appear in the series after 21 Up, other than with a single rather stern-looking photograph in each new film. During an on-stage interview at London's National Film Theatre in December 2005, Michael Apted (the director) revealed that Charles had attempted to sue him when he refused to remove Charles's likeness from the archive sequences in 49 Up. Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest public broadcasting corporation in the world. ... Touching the Void is a book by Joe Simpson recounting the true story of Simpsons and Simon Yates disastrous and near tragic attempt to climb the 6344 meter (20,813 foot) Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. ... The used book sale in front of the National Film Theatre The National Film Theatre is located on the South Bank of the river Thames in London. ...

Suzy

Suzy comes from a wealthy background, and was first filmed at a boarding school. Her parents divorced around the time of 7 plus seven, and she seems rather lost at that point. In one of the most memorable scenes in 7 plus seven, her labrador catches and kills a rabbit in the background, as she is being interviewed on the lawn of her family's Scottish estate. At 21 she is chain smoking, rather taciturn, and is clearly unsure what to do with her life. However, by 28 Up she has made an astonishing turn-around, that seems to be entirely the result of a successful marriage (only 18 months after 21 Up) and having children. Her husband Rupert Dewey is a successful solicitor in Bath, England and they have three children; life seems to have treated her well in the end. In a review, the Spectator magazine once reported on her father's title. For alternate meanings see Bath (disambiguation) Palladian Pulteney Bridge and the weir at Bath Bath is a city in south-west England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... The Spectator is a British conservative political magazine, established 1828, published weekly. ...

Jackie, Lynn and Sue

These three girls (clearly good friends at 7) were chosen from the same primary school in a working class neighborhood of London. Jackie and Sue eventually went to a comprehensive school, while Lynn went to a grammar school. Jackie and Lynn got married at 19, Sue at 24. Lynn became a children's (and later, school) librarian at 21 and has remained in that career since then. Jackie and Sue each went through several different jobs, got divorced, and raised children as single parents. They prefer to be interviewed individually, but Apted insists on getting them together for a group interview for at least a short time.

Tony

Tony was chosen from a primary school in the East End of London. His outgoing, active nature is obvious from the beginning. He wants to be a jockey at 7 and was at a stables training for it at 14. By 21 his chance had come and gone, after riding in three races before giving it up. However, in a moment he still recalls as the best of his life, one of his races also featured Lester Piggott, one of the best jockeys of all time. He then "did the knowledge" and made a comfortable life for himself and his family as a London taxi driver. His later dream of becoming an actor has met with modest success; he has had small parts as an extra (almost always playing a cabbie) in several TV programmes since 1986, including Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years and twice in EastEnders, most recently in 2003. He has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the project, and he and his wife, Deb, have been very honest about the ups and downs in their marriage. Lester Keith Piggott (born 5 November 1935) was an English jockey, considered to be the best of his generation and one of the greatest flat jockeys of all time. ... EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast on 19 February 1985 and continuing today. ...

Paul

Paul was at a charity-based boarding school at 7, his parents having divorced and been left with his father. Soon after Seven up! his father moved the family to Australia where he has remained in the Melbourne area ever since. In Seven Up! and Seven Plus Seven, Paul seemed very unsure of himself, but by 21, he had more presence, long hair, and a girlfriend (whom he later married). Paul only agreed to take part in 35 Up if Michael Apted arranged for him and his family to visit England as part of the filming of their segment.

Symon

The only black participant is Symon, who was chosen from the same charity home as Paul. He was an illegitimate child, and apparently has never got to know his father. He had left the charity home to live with his mother (who is white) by the time of the Seven plus seven filming; her depression is alluded to as the cause for him being in the home. By 21 Symon was working at Wall's sausage factory. Paul and Symon revisited the abandoned buildings of their school in 21 Up. Symon did not appear in 35 Up. At 35, he would not respond to Apted's phone calls, but returned for the next film seven years later. Symon has seemed very happy in two marriages and many children.

Nick

Nick was raised on a small farm in a tiny village in the Yorkshire Dales and educated in a one-room school, and later at a boarding school. He went to Oxford University and ultimately became a nuclear physicist. By 28 Up he had moved to the USA for a job at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he has remained and is now a full professor and Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 42 Up Nick admitted (somewhat tongue in cheek) that one of his goals was to become more famous for his work as a scientist than for being in the "Up" series, but he was beginning to doubt it would happen. He has published many scientific papers and some books, such as this one. Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Physicists working in a government lab A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. ... The University of Wisconsinâ€“Madison is a public university located in Madison, Wisconsin. ... Nickname: Mad Town or Mad City Location of Madison in Dane County, Wisconsin Municipality City Incorporated 1848 Mayor Dave Cieslewicz Area - City kmÂ² (84. ...

Michael Apted freely admits in his commentary on the DVD for 42 Up that he erred in thinking that Nick's marriage to Jackie would not last, but it did. Consequently, he unfairly anticipated this in his questions to them during the filming of 28 Up, and in the film's presentation. This upset Jackie, with the result that he was unable to interview her for either 35 Up or 42 Up. Nick and Jackie also decided to keep their son out of the project. By 49 Up Jackie had divorced Nick, but he has since remarried.

Peter

Peter went to the same middle class Liverpool suburb school as Neil and both wanted to be astronauts at seven. Peter drifted through university, and by 28 he was an underpaid and a seemingly uninspired school teacher. Peter dropped out of the series after 28 Up, following stinging press criticism of political comments he made in his interview. Although it was not presented on film, Peter dramatically changed his life after 28; he stopped teaching, remarried, and became a lawyer. Michael Apted remains in contact with him, and hopes he will return to the project eventually. He is in a band called the The Good Intentions; he's the one standing to the left in the trenchcoat in the picture on their website. Liverpool waterfront by night, as seen from the Wirral. ...

Neil

Neil turns out to be one of the most interesting of the entire group. At seven he is funny, full of life and hope. At 14 he was doing well in comprehensive school but was more serious and subdued. In one of the biggest shocks of the series however, by the time of 21 Up he was homeless in London, having dropped out of Aberdeen University after one term, reduced to living in a squat and finding work as he can on building sites. During the interview he is clearly in an agitated state, and it becomes apparent that is struggling to cope with life in general. This is something he continues to battle with, apparently without medication, throughout 28 Up and 35 Up. At 28 he is still homeless, although now in Scotland; by 35 he was living in in a council house on the Shetland Islands, off the north coast of Scotland. Although still out of work, he was showing signs of progress. By the time of 42 Up he had finally found some stability in his life (with some help from Bruce) and was involved in local council politics, as a Liberal Democrat in Hackney (part of London). He is now a full-time District Councillor in the Eden district of northwest England. Eden is a local government district in Cumbria, England. ...

Bruce

Bruce was presented in Seven Up! and Seven Plus Seven as an idealist who was concerned with poverty and racial discrimination. He had ambitions of becoming a professional cricketer; sadly this was not fulfillable. Bruce studied mathematics at university and used his education to teach children in both England and Bangladesh. Bruce currently teaches at St Albans School, Hertfordshire and is married with two children. The Abbey Gateway, now home to the schools History, Economics and Classics departments. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ...

The series' influence

The series has received extraordinary praise over the years, the epitome of which may be Roger Ebert's comment that it is "an inspired, almost noble use, of the film medium." Ebert rates it in his top ten films of all time. Roger Ebert (right) with Russ Meyer, 1970 Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is an Emmy Award-nominated American television personality, author, and film critic who began writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, every week since 1967. ...

Attempts have been made to repeat the series with subjects in the United States, the Soviet Union, and South Africa. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, 28 Up was placed 26th. 100 Greatest British Television Programmes was a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI) chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened. ... The British Film Institute (BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film, television and the moving image throughout the United Kingdom, to promote their use as a record of contemporary life and manners, to promote education about film, television and... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Some therapists show their clients the series to explain that a given person's reaction to the various interviews may have as much to say about the subject, in their interpretation of what they think that the participants are saying, as it does about the people taking part in the film. Look up Psychotherapy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In his commentary for the DVD of 42 Up, Apted praises the courage of the participants to come back and bare the raw facts of their lives every seven years.

Message

Apted's theory is that class structure is so strong in the UK that a person's life path is set at birth. This idea held up in some cases, but not in others, as the series has progressed. There is a problem with the series as a tool of examination or analysis because the presence of the series has affected the lives of the participants. This is expressed in 21 Up, when the participants are brought together for a party, that the experiment really contributes to itself. (see Observer effect)
Although it began as a political documentary, the series has become a film of human nature, existentialism, and the drama of success, failure, promise, disappointment, and growing up. In the director's commentary of 42 Up, Apted comments that he didn't realise the series had changed tone from political to emotional until 21 Up, when the film was successful in American film festivals. ... In science, observer effect is the term for how someone observing and measuring an effect can change the thing being observed. ...

Influence on participants

Over the course of the project the programme has had a direct effect in varying degrees on the lives of the participants. The series became popular enough that the participants often speak of being recognized in public. As a testament to the popularity of the series, after 7 Plus Seven, the film in which Symon discusses how he cannot afford a bike, hundreds of bikes were received at Granada Television from viewers. A lot of mail is also sent for the participants, which they can receive from Granada if they so choose.

The opinions of being involved in the series are often mentioned, and vary greatly between the participants. John refers to the programme as a bitter pill that he is subjected to every seven years, while Paul's wife credits the series for keeping their marriage together.

Paul and Nick were flown back to England for the filming of 35 Up and 42 Up respectively; the trips were financed by Granada. Paul was flown back again for 49 Up and visited with Simon.

By the time of 21 Up Neil's mental problems had surfaced and he was homeless. Another one of the series subjects, Bruce, was affected by Neil's plight and offered him temporary shelter in his home shortly before 42 Up, allowing Neil time to get settled in London. Despite Neil's eccentricities during his two month stay, they clearly remained friends because Neil later gave a reading at Bruce's wedding.

Apted keeps in contact with all of the participants during the intervening seven year periods and they are paid for taking part in each film.

List of films in the British series

A new version was started in 2000, 7Up 2000 (2000, Julian Farino). May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... (Redirected from 20 November) November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... (Redirected from 21 July) July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... (Redirected from 15 September) September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 7 Up 2000 series is a new version of the Up! Series, created newly with 21st century children. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Julian Farino is a British film and television director. ...

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