70 Up Finale Brings Viewers to Tears with Participant's Final Interview

The long-running ITV series 70 Up concluded Tuesday night with a finale that left viewers emotional, featuring the final interview of participant Nick Hitchon, recorded just three days before his passing.

The documentary, which began in 1964 as Seven Up!, has followed the lives of its participants every seven years for over six decades. The latest installment, 70 Up, was prompted to continue by Hitchon's devastating cancer diagnosis, leading Academy Award-winning director Asif Kapadia to take the helm following the death of original director Michael Apted.

Hitchon, who was 65 at the time, sent an email to producer Claire Lewis indicating his serious illness, prompting Lewis to arrange a final interview for him. Hitchon died in 2023 shortly after filming.

In his final recorded words for the series, Hitchon reflected on his health struggles, including a stroke and his ongoing battle with cancer. "I had a stroke last Autumn, and apparently they asked Cryss [Nick's wife] numerous times if they should just let me die," he shared. "I had no idea that I was going to be this ill, and I had no idea I was going to keep living. But yes, it's a surprise to my doctors that I'm still around."

He described himself as "exhausted" from hospital visits and expressed concern for his family. Despite his illness, Hitchon spoke of his lifelong tendency to "jump in with both feet into things that were intimidating," crediting the documentary series for helping him persevere. "For various reasons, I've just kept pushing through and trying to do things. The film has helped with that," he stated. Hitchon added that the series had been a constant in his life since he was six years old and that he would miss its recurring presence.

Viewers on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) paid tribute to Hitchon and praised the finale. Comments included descriptions of the series as "truly extraordinary" and "the greatest show in the history of TV," with many expressing sadness at the conclusion and Hitchon's passing.

Hitchon, the son of a Yorkshire farmer, studied at the University of Oxford before moving to the U.S. in the early 1980s, where he worked as a nuclear fusion expert and university professor in Wisconsin. He married his Oxford girlfriend, Jacqui, and they had a son. He had previously spoken about his cancer diagnosis in the 2019 installment, 63 Up, noting a significant weight loss and an uncertain prognosis.

His brother, Andrew, wrote that Nick was determined to complete his final interview, suggesting it was his way of finishing what he had started. He hoped the series would provide closure for all participants and particularly for Nick.