ITV has issued a trigger warning for its seminal documentary series "7 Up," citing "outdated attitudes" within the long-running program. The advisory has been applied to the series, which first premiered in 1964 and tracks the lives of 14 individuals every seven years.
The original installment, presented as an ITV World In Action special, featured seven-year-olds discussing topics such as money, class, school, and their aspirations for the future. The series is set to conclude with its final episode, "70 Up," later this year on September 15.
Michael Apted, the director of the "7 Up" series who passed away in 2021, envisioned the project as a mirror to society that should not be filtered. He described the series as an effort to offer a long-term view of English society and its class system, suggesting it "needed a kick up the backside." Apted considered the show to be "the most important thing I have ever done," despite his notable successes in Hollywood.
Sources close to the production noted that the series aimed to capture the prevailing attitudes of Britain in 1964 and observe societal changes over time. "Warning people that a documentary about attitudes contains attitudes is like warning them that a nature programme contains animals," one TV insider commented to The Sun.
Lord Toby Young of the Free Speech Union also remarked on the warning, stating, "It can't be a surprise to anyone that a 1964 documentary contains outdated attitudes."
The "7 Up" series has released eight subsequent films, each appearing seven years apart, documenting the evolving lives of the participants. The upcoming "70 Up" will feature the now-pensioner participants and will also pay tribute to those who have passed away, including Lynn, who died in 2013, and Nick, who died in 2023.
ITV factual controller Jo Clinton-Davis described the series as a "truly distinctive landmark piece of filmmaking that has become part of our cultural fabric." She added, "In the evolving stories of our cast we see the universal themes of life play out. Ultimately, this is a tribute to the courage of all the cast who continue to share their lives with us so we can see our lives in them."
Among the familiar returning faces are Tony, a London cabbie, and Neil, who has experienced homelessness. The series has documented their lives, from Tony's childhood dream of being a jockey to Neil's early ambition of becoming an astronaut.