56 Up

[Belly]

Anyone see this last night? I've been watching it since '14 up' in 1971. Anyway, great to see how the participants lives are shaping up, but, I wish ITV would give this programme more airtime rather than a rushed three hours over three nights. It's only on every seven years after all. Right, I've got that off me chest...

 

[fossyant]

Saw a few minutes of it. That fella has had a tough time hasn't he, and he seems to want to do lots for the community.

 

[dellzeqq]

It's a remarkable achievement. I remember watching the 1978 and 1984 programmes and fearing for Neil - but he's got by (and voted against one of my schemes in Hackney on the way) and it was heartwarming to see him more 'at home' than he'd been for decades and, better yet, taking on the programme in a way he hadn't done hitherto.

One can make all kinds of criticisms of the programme, not least of the artifice, but it's a decent historical document, saying as much about the times than about the individuals

 

[Edge705]

I dont often get drawn to programs like these but like you I have been following this since the early days and Im sure most could relate to the program and isnt it refreshing to watch a reality program without people trying to make it or themselves anything other than reality.

 

[summerdays]

I've only ever seen bits of it and always wished I had followed it more. I know I wouldn't take part in that sort of program for fear of what others would read into the bits that are shown, but it is interesting seeing how their lives have changed over the years and the whole environment in which they lived. I'm glad that the gap is large in between each time they visit, but as said above it would be nice to see a little more time devoted to the program.

 

[DaveP]

I dont often get drawn to programs like these but like you I have been following this since the early days and Im sure most could relate to the program and isnt it refreshing to watch a reality program without people trying to make it or themselves anything other than reality.

+1 on that....

 

[Beebo]

Isnt it amazing how they managed to select such a great bunch of characters to follow at the age of 7. It just goes to show that everyones life has an interesting narative when edited well.

I was glad to see that the first three seemed to have found some peace and were settled. (although I didnt have much time for the bloke who just wanted to promote his band and turned over)

 

[sheddy]

when is the next one on ? part 2 is next Monday

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Read an interview with the director last week. He has to set aside 6 months every 7 years for a programme, quite a bit of that seems to be for tracking some of them down or talking them round into returning to the series. He was also saying that they chose kids from poor or well-off backgrounds and ignored the middle classes. All quite interesting anyway.

 

[fossyant]

There is another programme that tracked kids from about my kids ages , born 2000. That has been very good too.

 

[subaqua]

There is another programme that tracked kids from about my kids ages , born 2000. That has been very good too.

child of our time. that was brilliant in the earlier years. gave me and Mrs Sub a useful insight in what to expect for ours who was born a year after.

 

[Beebo]

The final episode was last night. Next time we see them they will be 63.

I am struck by the two "posh" blokes. They had had it drummed into them from the age of 7 that they would go to Westminster and Charterhouse, followed by uni at Oxbridge and a job in the law, and they both did it and had very successful lives. Was that solely because of the old school tie system? Is this still possible, or has the country changed in the last 56 years.

I didnt like the directors suggestion that the "cockney cabbie" was a racist, that seemed a bit below the belt to me. All he did was suggest the Eastend had changed in the last 50 years.

 

[Archie_tect]

Looking forward to seeing the last one which we've recorded. I was born in 1959 - it really strikes a chord and I can relate to every stage. Most friends from school are still within 10 miles of where they've always lived, 2 are in California, one's in Sydney... a couple of them got into IT early on and made ridiculous amounts of money... one's retired early and run away to Kalkun in Turkey. How many are happy... most of them, and only one of them has had a major crisis ending up in an Austrian prison- his mum and dad are still shocked 16 years on.

 

[summerdays]

I was surprised how the "posh ones" accents had mellowed over the years from the really plummy start.

I don't think any of us appreciate that our accent may change over time.

 

[Beebo]

I was surprised how the "posh ones" accents had mellowed over the years from the really plummy start.

I don't think any of us appreciate that our accent may change over time.

no one talks like that anymore. But the working class ones had mellowed their accents too.