The Up Series

I just finished watching 56 Up, the British documentary series by Michael Apted which has been ongoing since 1964. Everytime they describe the premise with the quote "Give me a child until he is 7, and I will give you the man", on the assumption that the experiences one goes through by the time they are 7 are the ones that set them towards the people that they will be. I think the intent of the original series was to take one step beyond this and draw some conclusions on the class system in Britain, and how some of the more or less privileged children had no future but the exact one that they had been born into.  They take 4 kids (3 girls and one boy) from the London East End to represent the poor and 3 really posh boys who sing everyday in class in Latin to represent the ultra rich and privileged. Then they get a mix of those in between hailing from different parts of the country. The original series was meant to be a one-off, but 7 years later someone decided they would revisit these children at 14 (at a super awkward age for them all!) and then 7 years later someone else decided let's do it again at 21, and after that Michael Apted, who at first was a junior casting assistant or something in 1964 and became a accomplished director as time went on, decided to keep revisiting these people every 7 years. This week, they got to 56. Various members of the 14 children have decided to participate or not participate throughout the years, and this time was the first time where they got 13 out of the 14 to participate again (the last one is one of the posh boys who for reasons unknown refused to participate after 21, and has threatened to sue the producers on their continued use of his image - he didn't make it into Oxford/Cambridge as was expected of him, who knows if that is why). To be fair to the dropout, almost all of the participants have objected to the way their lives are editted in the programs, since 15 minutes to recap 56 years of one's life isn't really enough, is it. 

Anyways, I cannot do the explanation of the program the justice that a good ol' wikipedia page can do, so here is the link.

I actually first saw this program on American television, and not from moving to the UK as you might expect. It must have been 42 up (broadcast 1999) that caught my eye, since as I've explained to most of you, my awareness of Western television/film and general popular culture (besides Full House, Saved by the Bell, Jem and the Holograms, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, along with every book written under the sun) was non-existent before 1994 (despite having lived in Canada since 1987).  I think I caught it on television randomly and was captivated - who were these people, how had their lives panned out compared to what they aspired to as children, and did they fulfill the expectations based on class that the original producers clearly intended them to demonstrate?

Back in the days where not everything was available via the internet, I struggled to get a hold of the earlier editions, but eventually I had them all and watched every single one of them, just as spellbound, if not even more so, by these people and their lives. Some have enduring marriages, some never find anyone to share their life with. Some say they don't want children at 28, and then at 35 have 3. Some indicate they do want a family all throughout the programs, and then are single at 35, you give up hope for them as they are getting on, and then at 42 they have gotten married. You think, well that's nice, he found someone, but he and his wife are now in their 40's so I guess kids are out for them, and at 49 they have two young boys. One becomes homeless and endures psychological problems - ironically one of the most precocious, outgoing, and sunny of the 7 year olds. Their hardships make me cry. Their perspectives are eye-opening on how we each view our lives - a barrister and QC, talked a lot about aspirations in politics throughout the earlier editions - this has never come to fruition and he reveals that two of his childhood friends are Ministers in the current government - and he says that he can't help but feel a bit of a failure, and looks down with regret. It's strange to watch him, clearly succesful in his profession and with a happy family, say that and then watch a snippet on one of the other participants who have struggled all their lives, had loved ones pass away, and are on long term disability social benefits.

Personal stories are always what gets me to care about something - history, politics, religion, archaeology, literature, art, whatever the topic, if you don't tell it to me with some personal perspective with it, I won't care. But if you tell me about the people behind it, I'm fully engaged. They don't even have to be real people. It's why I only read fiction, and why I bawled my eyes out at the end of the Time Travellers' Wife - which is about a made-up person who involuntarily travels through time, for god's sake. I wanted things to work out for Henry DeTamble, goddamnit!

I am surprised by how few of the people I know in the UK have heard of this program, or had watched it (none of you, by my last random survey). I think it's interesting and worth the time just by virtue of the fact that in the present world of reality television and instant gratification, a program like this would never be commissioned - wait every 7 years for the fruits of your labour? No way Jose!

p.s. If they ever come out with a box set, Keith, you're set for my Christmas prezzie.