Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind documentaries on Amy Winehouse and Ayrton Senna, has been chosen to direct the final instalment of the long-running ITV series Up. The concluding chapter, titled 70 Up, is set to air later this year and will bring the landmark documentary series to an end.
The Up series began in 1964 with a one-off film examining the British class system through the lives of 14 seven-year-olds. It returned every seven years to check on the same group, becoming one of the most influential UK television shows. In 2024, it was voted the most influential UK TV programme of the last 50 years by the Broadcasting Press Guild.
Kapadia described the opportunity as an “incredible honour and privilege”, noting that the series is his favourite of all time and “the ultimate portrait of human life”. He takes over from Michael Apted, the original researcher and longtime director, who died in 2021. Apted had previously said he hoped someone would continue the series after his death.
ITV’s controller of factual, Jo Clinton-Davis, called the series a “landmark piece of film-making that has become part of our cultural fabric”. She said Kapadia would bring “passion, creativity and incredible flair” while safeguarding the series’ legacy, and described the final chapter as a tribute to Apted and the courage of the participants.
Of the original 14 participants, two have died: Lynn Johnson in 2013 and Nick Hitchon in 2023. Only one, Charles Furneaux, asked to end his involvement early. The series has been praised for its intimate portrayal of lives, including that of Neil Hughes, who dreamed of becoming an astronaut at age seven and later experienced homelessness before becoming a lay preacher and local councillor.
All previous episodes of the Up series are available to stream on ITVX in the UK.
