Beloved ITV series to end after 62 years on-screen following tragic cast death

A beloved ITV series that has been on-air since 1964 will end this year following the tragic death of its director. The Up film series began in the 60s and documented the lives of 10 boys and four girls living in England, beginning when they were just seven years old in the documentary Seven Up! A new entry was filmed every seven years following the same cast, with the latest entry 63 Up coming in 2019.

This year’s entry, 70 Up, will be the last, however, after director Michael Apted died in 2021. The final entry in the series will instead be directed by award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia to bring the series to a close after so many decades on-screen. Michael sadly died in Los Angeles at the age of 79 after his health began to decline shortly after he completed filming on 63 Up.

He sadly isn’t the only Up cast member who passed away. Lynn, one of the original girls who appeared in the films, died in 2013 following a short illness. Nick also sadly died in 2023 after battling throat cancer, aged 65.

It has now been confirmed by ITV that “70 Up will be the end of the remarkable television journey”.

Tony, Neil, Bruce, Symon, Paul, Peter, KC John and Andrew will all return for the finale, alongside Sue and Suzy, with Charles also making an appearance after quitting the programme at 21.

ITV’s Jo Clinton-Davis 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 film-making 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.”