Future of groundbreaking documentary series 70 Up confirmed after creator dies
The films followed the lives of a group of average British people every seven years since 1964 and so the director became incredibly close to the contributors.
Advertisement
5
Michael Apted's documentary series Up will be back for its next chapter - 70 Up
Credit: AP
There were therefore question marks over whether the ITV series would continue without him.
But producers began work on the
next
run this week to continue his life's work and honour his legacy, with the instalment likely to air in 2026.
Before he died, Michael had shared hopes he'd be able to make 84 Up - when he would have been 99.
But he later acknowledged that might not be possible due to his
health
.
Advertisement
read more on Michael Apted
In one of his final
interviews
, he suggested it could possibly continue with someone else at the helm, such as his longtime producer, Claire Lewis.
The Up series of
documentary
films followed the lives of ten boys and four girls in England, beginning in 1964, when they were seven years old and was directed by Paul Almond.
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.
Michael took up the reins for 1970's Seven plus Seven.
Advertisement
Most read in News TV
The children were selected to represent
the range
of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, on the assumption that each child's social class would determine their
future
.
It's painted a fascinating picture since, with some participants criticising the series, and Apted, when they chose to quit the process.
Michael Apted discusses the filming of iconic movie Stardust
The documentary has had nine episodes—one every seven years.
ITV has aired every series except 42 Up in 1998, which aired on BBC One.
Advertisement
In 1991, 28 Up was chosen for Roger Ebert's ten greatest films of all time.
But it has also attracted criticism for some editorial choices, for example just four of the 20 participants are female.
5
He passed away in 2021
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
5
The films followed the lives of a group of average British people every seven years since 1964
Credit: Handout
Advertisement
5
Before he died, Michael had shared hopes he'd be able to make 84 Up - when he would have been 99
Credit: Handout
5
The director became incredibly close to the contributors
Credit: Handout
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Kunstkammer: Robert O'Byrne opens cabinet of art curiosities at Lismore Castle exhibition
Robert O'Byrne is more au fait than most with the concept of the Kunstkammer, or cabinet of curiosities, a room or suite of rooms that houses a collection of artworks, antiquities, relics, natural specimens and other objects of interest. The author of Luggala Days: The Story of a Guinness House and The Irish Country House: A New Vision, among other books, he also hosts the website, where he blogs on architecture and the arts. Kunstkammer, the lead exhibition at Lismore Castle Arts in Co Waterford this summer, could hardly have had a better qualified curator. Lismore Castle is the Duke of Devonshire's Irish estate, O'Byrne explains. 'It's run by his son and daughter-in-law William and Laura Burlington. When they asked me to curate, they already had the theme. It suited me perfectly; the Kunstkammer is a subject I've always been very interested in, so it's been a very happy marriage.' O'Byrne was free to select as he wished, the only condition being that he would include work by contemporary Irish and international artists. 'That wasn't a difficult thing to do,' he says. 'We have pieces by Dorothy Cross and Alice Maher, along with Joseph Walsh. He's an extraordinary woodman, for want of a better term. He had two wonderful, very sinuous cabinets that he'd made for a Chinese client, but he postponed sending them off to Hong Kong so they could be shown at Lismore. 'Another Irish artist, Patrick O'Reilly, has produced these bronze bowls, with lumps of different coloured glass from Murano outside Venice in them. They're almost like a modernist three dimensional version of cubist fruit bowls, and they sit on the shelves inside Joseph's cabinets.' A view of some of the art in Kunstkammer at Lismore Castle Arts. Picture: Jed Niezgoda Sasha Sykes, who is based in Co Wicklow, is also in the show. 'Sasha collects plants and flowers, and preserves them in layers of resin. For this exhibition, I asked her to make a sort of treasure chest with a curved open lid, and it incorporates plants and flowers from the gardens at Lismore Castle. They're the oldest continuously cultivated gardens in Ireland, going back over 400 years.' One of the best known artists in the exhibition is Sarah Lucas, one of the Young British Artists who came to prominence in the late 1980s. 'We have a couple of Sarah's recent sculptures,' says O'Byrne. 'Monster Chetwynd is another British artist, who makes these extraordinary three-dimensional moths and strange animals; we've got a couple of those in the show as well.' O'Byrne also invited a French artist named Aurél to participate. 'I came across his work on Instagram. He makes these extraordinary sculptures - I'd describe them as Hindu Gothic - out of Lego. He made two pieces especially for the exhibition, and facing them are a pair of 18th century gilt Rococo Irish mirrors, which have equally elaborate frames. You can look into those and see Aurél's sculptures on the opposite wall. There's an interesting synergy and interaction between the two pairs of works from different periods.' The exhibition is full of such unlikely juxtapositions. One of Lucas's rather crude figurative sculptures, for instance, dangles from the ceiling near an elegant 350-year-old copy of the Neapolitan apothecary Ferrante Imperato's book Dell'Historia Naturale, which describes the cabinet of curiosities he assembled at the Palazzo Gravino in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. 'You might ask what these artworks and objects have in common,' says O'Byrne. 'Not a lot, except that I thought they were all rather wonderful and I devised various means to have them as a kind of thread that you wander through in the gallery.' O'Byrne has form as a provocateur. The title of his website, The Irish Aesthete, has the subheading, 'This is not an Oxymoron'. Work by Sarah Lucas in Kunstkammer at Lismore Castle Arts. Picture: Jed Niezgoda 'That's a giant tease,' he says. 'It always manages to infuriate people.' He was, he says, very lucky to have come from a family that appreciated culture. 'I grew up in the Middle East. My father worked out there in the oil business. I was mostly schooled in England, and then I came to Ireland and went to Trinity and stayed. Growing up, it was second nature to go to art galleries, museums, the theatre and opera. I just took that for granted.' He began writing after college, for Apollo and Burlington magazines and the Irish Times. He has also produced more than a dozen books, which range from a biography of the art collector Hugh Lane to a number of guides on gentlemen's grooming and deportment. He launched The Irish Aesthete website, and persona, 13 years ago. 'I don't know why on earth I started it,' he says. 'Writing a blog gives you a certain freedom, but you also have a responsibility to your readers. I sometimes refer to the blog as 'the hungry child,' as I have to keep feeding it new material and it takes up so much of my time. But on the other hand, it has proven to be a remarkably, unexpectedly successful calling card. Almost anywhere I go, within a certain milieu - that is to say, architects, historians, that kind of thing – they all know who the Irish Aesthete is. 'Apart from the website, I post on Instagram, where I have just shy of 40,000 followers. So I suppose I can claim to be an influencer.' He is, he says, very pleased with the reaction to the Kunstkammer exhibition. 'I was back in Lismore a few weeks ago, and I was very happy to see so many visitors being fascinated by the strange and wonderful exhibits. In the 15th and 16th centuries, these displays were called either Kunstkammer, which is an art cabinet, or Wunderkammer, which is a wonder cabinet. "So this is a modern spin on what is a very old exhibition concept. It's good to know that people are still capable of wonder.' Kunstkammer runs at Lismore Castle Arts until October 26 Further information:
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Wayne Rooney lands £800k deal to be Match of the Day pundit as he and wife Coleen become British TV's new power couple
WAYNE Rooney has landed an £800,000 two-year deal to be a Match of the Day regular. The ex-England ace, 39, will be officially unveiled this month after shining as a guest. 8 Ex-England footie ace Wayne Rooney is set to become a Match of the Day regular Credit: Getty 8 Wayne has landed an £800,000 two-year deal after shining as a guest Credit: BBC / Pete Dadds 8 Wayne and wife Coleen are set to become British TV's new power couple Credit: Getty He is also signed up for the channel's 2026 World Cup coverage from the US, Mexico and Canada. Wayne's contract includes the possibility of a two-year extension. It means he could move away from football management for good as he and He will join rotating Match of the Day anchors Kelly Cates, READ MORE ON WAYNE ROONEY Wayne is a natural broadcaster; he is warm, witty and forensically knowledgeable about all aspects of the game. Source In March Coleen agreed to a reported £10million deal with Disney which will see her and Wayne appear in a documentary with their four sons. A source said: 'Wayne is a natural broadcaster; he is warm, witty and forensically knowledgeable about all aspects of the game. 'He still has a deep love for football and also gets on well with everyone on both sides of the camera. 'He is eminently likeable, and has impressed on his outings to date - viewers have also really taken to him which has been clear from social media commentary. Most read in Football 'Wayne will be a key part of "Everyone, including Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski, is incredibly excited to get him on board. It's a great signing.' Coleen Rooney eclipses husband Wayne as main breadwinner as Wag's earnings soar while his income slumps The source added: 'With Coleen's amazing Disney contract, and Wayne's new BBC one, they will officially become one of the country's most influential media power couples. It's a very exciting time.' Match of the Day's 3.5million audience has remained almost unchanged despite a digital age which means fans can stream goals online almost instantly. Over a season, the BBC says 33million people will tune in at some time to one of the weekend's two programmes. Kay-Jelski is keen to use the shake-up as an opportunity to use the MOTD brand name more widely on its online platforms. 8 Wayne will join rotating Match of the Day anchors like Kelly Cates Credit: Getty 8 Gabby Logan will also be featuring on the show Credit: PA 8 Mark Chapman will also be a regular anchor Credit: Getty Meanwhile, Wayne will also be a big part of the World Cup team Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Lineker, 64, had been due to anchor the global tournament for the final time but Wayne scored 53 goals for England and is Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer with 253. He retired from playing while coaching at There followed unsuccessful managerial spells with his former club DC United in the States and Birmingham City. On New Year's Eve, Last night the BBC said: 'We will announce our World Cup plans in due course.' 8 The show is moving on from host of 26 years Gary Lineker Credit: BBC 8 Coleen picked up a big fee for I'm A Celebrity last autumn Credit: Rex
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Ricky Hatton unable to attend his own comeback announcement after being injured by sunglasses at Oasis gig
RICKY HATTON was unable to attend his own comeback announcement after being injured by his SUNGLASSES watching Oasis. British boxing great Hatton will make an Oasis-like comeback in 2 Ricky Hatton with his son Campbell and friends at the Oasis gig Credit: @campbellhatton The 46-year-old Manchester legend - who was in Cardiff on Friday night But the City super-fan - who was walked to the ring by Noel and Liam for his 2008 win over Paulie Malignaggi - will slide between the ropes once again - 13 years later - to grab a punching pension pot in the desert. The Gallagher brothers The Hitman's opponent, 46-year-old Aldah, was the Gulf's first ever professional fighter. READ MORE IN BOXING But, between 2008-2009, he won three fights in Welsh boxing backwaters of Newport and Merthyr Tydfil. But he suffered an eye injury on his designer sunglasses at the Oasis reunion gig and was not cleared to travel until the injury heals. The adored two-weight world champion struggled with depression and addiction following crushing defeats - at the backend of a legendary career - against Floyd Mayweather and Most read in Boxing CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS But he - like Frank Bruno - has become a national treasure in retirement and a The brilliant body puncher hit the headlines last month when he appeared with a shock skinhead. But the working-class hero revealed he had braved the shave to support the Brain House Children's Hospice. The Guinness-loving lad explained: 'Head shaved for @brianhousech. 'Won't be keeping the skinhead but it raised a right few quid for charity. So I'm more than happy to stomach it.' 2 Hatton did have an exhibition with Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022 Credit: Reuters
