7-63 Up DVD – Bruce Balden 

The original 7 Up, broadcast in 1964 as a World in Action special, featured children from widely different social backgrounds sharing their hopes and dreams for the future. Inspired by World in Action founder editor Tim Hewat’s passionate interest in both the Jesuit saying: Give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man and his anger at Britain’s rigid class system, this unique, groundbreaking series set out to discover how far the children’s lives were pre-determined by their background. Director Michael Apted has returned every seven years to chart the group’s progress, documenting the participants as they have become adults and now reach retirement age, dealing with everything life has thrown at them in between with life-changing decisions, shocking announcements and joy and tears in equal measure. The very first example of a programme recording real people living real lives, the Ups have won an array of awards over the years. This very special set contains every instalment in this ground-breaking series from 7 through to 63.