Up series of documentary films

The Up series of documentary films follows the lives of ten males and four females in England beginning in 1964, when they were seven years old. The first film was titled Seven Up!, with later films adjusting the number in the title to match the age of the subjects at the time of filming. The documentary has had nine episodes—one every seven years—thus spanning 56 years. The series has been produced by Granada Television for ITV, which has broadcast all of them except 42 Up (1998), which was broadcast on BBC One. Individual films and the series as a whole have received numerous accolades; in 1991 the then-latest installment, 28 Up, was chosen for Roger Ebert's list of the ten greatest films of all time.

The children were selected for the original program to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the expectation that each child's social class would determine their future.

Directed by Paul Almond (Seven Up!) and Michael Apted (all subsequent films). About the first programme, Apted has said, "It was Paul's film ... but he was more interested in making a beautiful film about being seven, whereas I wanted to make a nasty piece of work about these kids who have it all, and these other kids who have nothing."

These docs offer unique slices of life in many different contexts.

Enjoy!