70 Up: What happened to the cast? Where they are now as the groundbreaking series ends after 63 years

When the 7 Up documentary aired in 1964, it was supposed to be a one-off film.

It took a group of 14 randomly chosen seven-year-olds from different backgrounds, and filmed them to get a snapshot of varying ideas around the effect of fate, class and environment on people’s life journeys and outcomes.

Then it was decided the producers would return to the same children every seven years, offering a groundbreaking look at social history in the process. The series was directed by Michael Apted until his death in 2021, and award-winning documentary maker Asif Kapadia took over the reins for the final outing.

Now the children of 7 Up are 70, and the final instalment of the series has arrived. As 70 Up airs on ITV, we look at the lives and fates of the cast of the show and where they are now.

70 Up cast: Where are they now?

John Brisby

John became a barrister, but wasn't always happy with the way he was portrayed on the show and had a difficult relationship with director Michael Apted.

He dropped out of appearing in 28 Up and 42 Up, but did appear in 35 and continued to see the rest of the series through after 42.

During 35 Up, he likened the series to a "little pill of poison" injected into his veins every seven years, suggesting he wished he'd never been put forward by his headmaster to take part.

On his return to the series, he'd never allow Apted to interview him. John rejected the idea of being the "token toff" in the show, which he suggested failed to include his immigrant roots and charity work in the pursuit of a narrative.

In 70 Up, John reveals candidly, "I never liked Michael."

Neil Hughes

Neil Hughes began the series announcing, "I want to be an astronaut when I grow up," before later episodes showed him to be struggling with depression and experiencing bouts of homelessness.

He later became a local councillor, and after that, a preacher. He now lives in France, and 70 Up sees him in a cluttered house, suggesting, "I look like a hoarder, I know."

He tells The Guardian, "With the greatest respect to viewers of the show … they didn’t see the real me. There’s a me here who Michael never discovered."

Neil no longer watches television and won't be watching 70 Up. He says this is "partly a self-defence mechanism" and also because "I’m very sensitive to screens. I don’t have a mobile phone."

He concludes, "I’m as happy as I could be given my life … I’m still quite lonely at times, but this is a common characteristic of our age."

Bruce Balden

Bruce Balden began the series as a seven-year-old announcing we should be giving most of our money to the poor, who went on to teach maths to immigrants in the East End and later went on to teach in Bangladesh.

When 49 Up aired, he was working at a private school, and has always been guided by his faith. According to The Times, Bruce has moved from Anglicanism to Quakerism, and donates to a London synagogue "to help defray their security costs."

He has two sons, Henry and George, and hopes they'll become "moral atheists" rather than "religious hypocrites." Now retired, Bruce and his wife Penny live in Berwick-upon-Tweed, where he sings in a choir and volunteers with the RNLI.

He's enjoyed his time taking part in the series, sharing that the crew returning every seven years has been "like seeing old friends every time they drop by."

Symon Basterfield

Symon grew up in a children's home and was introduced in the series as "the illegitimate child of a single mother." He didn't know his father, and was often asked when the cameras returned to him what it was like not to have a father in his life.

His mother died of cancer in 1990, and Symon wishes he'd asked more questions about his dad. "It’s still in my head now, I should have asked. First, who’s my dad? What did he do? Where did he come from?" he says.

Symon adds, "I can’t remember who told me he was Nigerian, it might have been my mum. But I don’t know that he’s Nigerian. So I know nothing about the man, I never saw him."

Symon went on to have five children with his first wife, Yvonne, and a son with his second wife.

The couple trained to become foster parents and have since welcomed over 120 foster children into their home.

Andrew Brackfield

Andrew was a classmate of John Brisby and living in South Kensington when he was introduced on 7 Up.

He told viewers that he'd be going on to Charterhouse and Trinity College, Cambridge, a dream that did eventually come true.

He read law at Trinity and became a partner at the global Linklaters law firm. He retired in 2018 and owns homes in Wimbledon and West Sussex

Like John, Andrew hasn't always enjoyed taking part in the show. He says the best thing about the documentary is "seeing it come to its successful conclusion, with a symmetry between seven and 70."

He shares that he stayed with the series until the end because, "I don’t know anything else that’s followed people for 63 years. It’s incredible."

Suzy Dewey

First seen practising ballet at her London school as a seven-year-old, Suzy left school at 16 and lived in Paris before marrying solicitor Rupert.

She went on to have two sons and a daughter and spent time as a full-time mother, later becoming a bereavement counsellor. Another child from a wealthy background, Suzy also felt her life was misrepresented.

She didn't take part in 63 Up due to feeling "picked on," but did return for the final outing of the documentary.

She hasn't always watched previous episodes, but will be tuning into 70 Up. Reflecting on her age during a recent TV appearance, Suzy says, "You get to 70 and we’ve lost friends a lot younger than me from cancer and other things."

We’re in sniper alley now at this age and I just think, if you’re reasonably healthy at 70 and can get on with your life, well we’re just really fortunate."

Jackie Bassett

Originally from the East End, Jackie married at 19 and was controversially asked by Michael Apted in 21 Up whether she had met "enough men" before deciding to marry.

In 49 Up, she told confronted him over that question him. "I was really angry… you wouldn't have asked some of the other people in this programme that question," she said, adding, "You will edit this programme as you see fit, I've got no control over that."

She felt Apted was out of touch with the changing role of women in society. "I think he still thought we were all in the kitchen, as I mentioned to him at 21," she says, adding, "I just thought, 'No, come on, it's about time one of us called you out on it', because he never never asked us questions about politics. It was nearly always domestic."

Jackie went on to have three sons, and moved to Essex, then Glasgow, before now retiring to the Norfolk coast. "It’s quiet. I love it," she says of her current home.

Tony Walker

Originally from Bethnal Green, Tony has gone on to have a varied life and career. He held childhood dreams of being a jockey, but became a taxi driver when that didn't work out.

Tony was unable to become a taxi driver after being told he was "too heavy." He says, "That was me out of the game. It broke my heart."

A father-of-three, Tony has never minded the fame being on the show brought him, happy to hand out signed photos, and even turning his hand to acting.

Tony has appeared in EastEnders, The Bill, and was a stand-in for Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun.

Now retired to a caravan in Epping Forest, Tony shares that he always liked and admired Michael Apted. He tells The Observer, "I felt he loved me, and I loved him," adding, "He wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea with the cast. But to me, he was like a dad."

Sue Fitzgerald

Also from the East End, Sue has always been happy to take part in the documentary. After leaving school she spent 20 years working at Queen Mary University of London as an administrator for its law courses.

She's now retired to Essex, and can sometimes feel "a bit lost" with her free time. She tells Saga magazine, "A lot of the past seven years, since the last TV programme, was taken up with looking after my parents."

She adds, "My mum was bedridden for quite some time and I was dealing with care systems and things like that. It’s something that people of our generation are dealing with."

Now having lost both parents, Sue plans to travel with her husband, and find some volunteering opportunities.

Peter Davies

Peter went on to become a teacher, and is now a writer and part of a folk band, The Good Intentions.

In 28 Up, he expressed negative views about Margaret Thatcher and was torn apart by the press for his comments. He then left the show but returned in 2012 for 56 Up.

Asking for his band to be featured on the show on his return, they got a record deal as a result. Peter still works full time as a writer and musician and now credits the show for helping with record sales and with promoting his writing.

Paul Kligerman

When viewers first met Paul, he was living in a children's home because of his parent's difficult divorce - he lived at the home with Symon.

He later emigrated to Australia with his father and brother. Paul met his wife Sue there, and the couple settled in Melbourne and had two children.

He returned to the UK to film the Up series, and tried to rebuild a relationship with his mum.

He is still married to Sue and they've been together for over four decades. Also a proud grandfather, Paul often reflects on his difficult family dynamics.

"You need a good family," he says, adding, "You need it for yourself and you need it to make your life whole."

He lost his father 10 years ago, sharing, "He did the best he did and, as far as I’m concerned, he did a good job," urging viewers to "learn to be kind to other people and forgive them for their failings."

Charles Furneaux

Charles dropped out of the show after 21 Up, following an off-camera argument with Michael Apted where the film maker later admitted to going "beserk."

Charles Furneaux went on to work at the BBC before becoming commissioning editor at Channel 4.

He doesn't appear in 70 Up in person, but does provide a voiceover to pictures provided by himself, to regain some control over how he's portrayed in the final instalment.

Lynn Johnson and Nick Hitchon

Lynn Johnson and Nick Hitchon have both sadly passed away. Nick died of throat cancer in 2023, but wanted to film scenes for 70 Up to be included after his death.

He originally lived on a farm in Yorkshire and later moved to America where he became a nuclear physicist. He died just three days after completing filming for 70 Up.

East Ender Lynn had been a childhood friend of Sue and Jackie. She took part in the series until her death in 2013 at the age of 57, after suffering with a brain condition. Until then, she worked as a librarian.

"She was a very special person," Jackie says, adding, "She was a big part of our TV experience up until she died and it was so sad when she wasn’t there anymore."

70 Up airs on ITV from September 15.