NEIL - CHARACTER STUDY

Neil was a typical bubbly, happy 7 year-old boy , who didn’t seem like he had a care in the world. Neil was very imaginative and creative at 7. when asked what he thought he thought about black people he answered, “Sounds like a purple person with red eyes and yellow feet, so I can’t really get a good idea of what they would look like.

At 14 Neil was attending the same school as Peter was. He seemed a little more quiet and thoughtful. He also seemed a bit ‘stuck up’ or prideful with were he was in life.

At 21 Neil was living in a squat in London and was getting work from random building sites. He hadn’t made it into Oxford and he seemed bitter about it he was blaming his parents for it. Because Neil didn’t make it into Oxford he attended a different University for 1 term then dropped out.

By 28 Neil was homeless and occasionally living in a trailer in the west of Scotland and was relying completely on social security for an income. He seemed very depressed and if I didn’t know better I would think that he had a mental problem.

At 35 Neil was still jobless but had moved up north to the Shetlands of Scotland. He was occasionally acting in productions and one day hoped to direct one. Neil had also finally decided that he believed in god, he had become a Christian.

At 42 Neil had a job In London as a liberal democrat, and was elected by the public.

He had lived with another 7 up charter for 2 months, Bruce. They had become really good friends.

And at 49 he had left London and moved to a small town in the western suburbs of England. And had a job in the local council, but hoped to get out of politics. He was running a local study group/church in his neighborhood.

Neil intrigued me from the very beginning. He was so bright and bubbly he reminded me of myself when I was 7. But then he turned into this quiet, thoughtful teenager, like I am mostly at times, and then turned into a depressed being that wax homeless and realized on social security for a living. Although Neil was really depressed for most of his life he still seemed to find love in a way, though God. Neil always had a Christian aspect through out his life and I think this is one of the reasons why he shared a home with Bruce for a while. In Bruce’s and Neil’s interview they both described what they thought was weird when the were living together like Bruce always measuring the water in the bath and Neil once turned of the fridge because he thought it was too noisy. You can tell from how they both live that they don’t get out much or have much experience with women. In 49 up Neil was asked if he had a women would it change anything, he responded by saying that I probably would to have the company would be a nice change. Neil is a very interesting character and in some ways I can relate to him. I am looking forward to see were he will be at in the next 2 years.

SIMON - CHARACTER STUDY

In 7up Simon was living in a Charity home with another 7 up character Paul. He was quiet and seemed angry and mature at the age of 7

By 14 up Simon had moved in with his mother and was still as quiet and bitter about his father. He claimed that he didn’t want to him; he had no interest in finding him. By 21 up Simon was a lot less bitter about his parents and was working in a storage freezer of a sausage factory. His relationship with his mother was better than another 21 year son-to-mother relationship would be at the time. I this episode they reunited Simon and Paul and took them back to the orphanage were they waked around revisiting memories.

By 28 up he had married and multiplied 5 times with a lovely young lady name Yvonne.” I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else in the world than Yvonne” he said happily. He was still working in the sausage factory but didn’t want t leave, mainly because he was comfortable there.

By 35 he had Divorced Yvonne and remarried to a childhood lover. She already had a teenage daughter and then they had son. His relationship with his children from his first marriage wasn’t good, none of them talked to him. His job at the sausage factory stopped because they closed the place down. But now works at the airport as a forklift driver.

At 42 he had a better relationship with his children from his first marriage ( three of them were talking to him). Seemed very proud of all of them. His mother had a passed away in 1990 and he wished that he could finish things to her like “I love you”.

At 49 Simon was still working at the sausage factory and is still married to his second wife. His child shares a passion for sport and Simon claims that he gets his “good looks” from him. He has trained to become a foster parent and has helped a few children in the last couple of years. During the filming of this episode they reunited Paul and Simon again (this time with wife’s). Both there wife’s think that they have the same value’s and nearly the same ambitions as one another.

Simon can confuse me a little, he said in 28 up that he wanted to give his children everything that he could have, a father. But by the time he was 35 he had divorced his first wife and remarried. Obviously hi children weren’t to pleased because they didn’t talked to him for a long while. He basically did to his children what his father had done to him. Although he didn’t have the best life in his early years he always seemed to be happy and exited with his life from the age of 21 and since then. Another thing that confused we was that why wasn’t his relationship with his mother better? You would think that because he only had one parent that he would be more attached to the other one. But when interviewed after she had passed away he had wished he could of said more ‘nicer’ things to her like I love you or just compliments. Simon will continues to confuse me even if he participates in the next episode.

TONY - CHARACTER STUDY

At the age of 7 Tony was a bright, explosive young boy, he loved fighting and had the ambition of becoming a jockey. He lives in east-end and could have a care in the world.

At 14 Tony was a lot more shy and was still reaching for his gaol to become a jockey. He wasn’t very open to anything new or to the camera’s, he had no other interests other than becoming a jockey. Shortly after that Tony dropped out of school.

At 21 Tony’s ambition of becoming a jockey had failed he did everything to late. He still is involved (part time) with the race track were he was training to become a jockey. he was learning the ‘knowledge’ (the how to for cabbies in London)

By 28 he had married and had children, a son and 2 daughters. He had become a cab driver and had ambitions of opening up a pub in the near future. He was also taking acting lessons.

By 35 Tony had opened and closed a pub with his brother. His marriage was starting to fall apart. He had admitted that he had cheated on his wife and it had come between them for a while.

By 42 up Tony’s marriage was still falling in front of them and he was still a cab driver. He had appeared in a few TV shows as a supplementary income for his family.

By 49 he had sold his cab’s and moved out of the east end. Still driving a cab (renting it ) at night whilst his wife drives during the day. They owned a holiday house in Spain and he was planing to open up a pub there. His marriage with his wife was now stronger than ever and his son and daughters have had children making him a grandfather. He couldn’t be happier with what he’s got.

Tony is an interesting character also because he always had a different smaller ambitions and one big one, to be happy and at the end of nearly every episode he said that he was happy with were he was in life. All of Tony’s smaller ambitions ( to become a jockey and open up a pub) seemed to fail, he was asked this question in 49 up. Wherever Tony seemed to be in life he was always happy and laughing, and his personality was always shining through (maybe experience in taxi driving helps). If I could chose to meet one of the 7 up characters it would most defiantly be Tony.

SUZIE - CHARTER STUDY

At seven Suzie was a bubbly, girly, uptown princess. She loved all the things she should love at that age, fashion, dolls and Ballet (ect..) In every shot we saw of Suzie we saw always ‘acting’ lady like from all ages, right from 7-49, she is wearing the right cloths and hair style for that decade. (although Suzie’s hair cut doesn’t change after 28 up)

In 7+7 Suzie turned a lot quieter and shyer than she was in the first episode. She gave off the impression that she was forced to do that interview and because of that she had a major lack of interest and enthusiasm in the show.

At 21 Suzie had gone from the upper-class ‘malady’ to the upper-class scandal. She was chain smoking and had a very negative attitude towards marriage (mainly because her parents were divorcing during the filming of the last show).She appeared to be going in to a trap, trouble or havoc, and there seemed to be no light at the end of her tunnel. (She revealed that her parent did pressure her into doing the interview)

In 28 up, Surprise! Surprise! Suzie was happily married and had 2 children. Her husbands name was Rupert and is an upper class man him self. She claims that he was the reason she had turned her life around again. They live in the country side in a ‘little’ home (massive in my opinion). Suzie’s father has passed away in the years of the filming of 28 up . She seems much more relaxed and happy with her life.

At 35 Suzie was still married too Rupert and they had had another child together. They had moved house to live in a little ‘village’. Suzie’s opinion in how to raise her children is very strict ‘manners are important’ she said. When she said that I remember thinking back to her 21 Up Interview and how she was so unenthusiastic was so rude. She thinks that her oldest son may be dyslexic and her mum is in hospital with lung cancer. I think that at this age Suzie has finally stopped thinking just about her self and more about others.(children)

At 49 Suzie finally admits that she feels completely happy with her self.

Her children have started to leave home her youngest (daughter) in her last year of school. And the 2 boys both are working, one still living at home and the other living in a flat in London. She appears to be relaxed and content with it.

Suzie is an interesting charter because her life went from bad to worse back to good again. By the end of 35 up she had a perfectly normal life with normal problems such as her father and mother facing death and looking at her children’s life ahead. By the end of the latest episode Suzie seemed to be really content (and look’s really old) with her life, she didn’t look like she had a problem with anything and I felt that she was truly happy and relaxed at the moment. Her relationship with her husband appears to be really strong and he doesn’t look like he’s going to be going any were. She really cares for her children, which would be hard to believe because of her negativity about children and marriage in 21 up. I think Suzie will die and live happy. I look forward to seeing her in 56 up(if that happens).

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE 7 UP SERIES?

ENGLISH ESSAY

What can we learn from the 7 up series? Or should I say what can we learn from life? As one of the characters said, “Only life prepares you for life”. But can we learn from life? Or can we learn from others life’s but not our own? Can we stop others from making the same mistakes or slip-up’s we have? And is their journey different to ours? Or are they the same? Are the values and traits we hold the same? What make’s them an accurate outlook on the world back then and to this day? Should we look at the 7 up series as if they were all our parents trying to stop us from slipping up, or should we ignore them like we usually would ignore our parents? We all want to be unique and special, but are we really? Sometimes life can be like a romance comedy, repeating the same story line with a different way of getting there. But sometimes the way of getting there is the important bit. It makes us who we are and what we will become. This is what the 7 up series is, ‘An ingenious way of observing the journey of life’.

All different people from all different backgrounds come together to make this show.
This is a great way of seeing at how people look at what they have got and how they treat it throughout the years. If they are thankful for what they had or if they help others achieve what they have achieved in life.
Suzie, John, Andrew and Charles all are from the upper class; they all have everything they could possibly imagine. But even at the age of 7 you can see that they already want more and won’t stop trying to get it. Even when they may have say 20 times as much rice or bread as someone in a poorer country may have they still will refuse to eat it or throw it away at the end of the day.
But take some one from the lower classes of England like Tony; He had hardly anything at the age of 7 but was one of the brightest and happiest kids on the program.
He later said in the show that wearing hand-me-downs and not eating the most nutritious food in the world every night was and is what he is used to.
If we never face greed or having plenty then would we want it? Would we only want what we needed? And would there not be the separation of poorer and richer classes?. If we all had only what we needed would the world be a better place?

An important factor of anyone’s life is making the right decisions. Making the wrong decision can alter your life completely. Making the right decision can also alter your life dramatically. In the 7 up series we see all the wrong mistakes that people make in life. Such as Neil maybe if he didn’t drop out of University he might have had a job for most of his life rather than only the last of it. Or Tony maybe if he had stuck to his ambition of becoming a jockey and worked at it harder than he might of made it.
We also see all the good decisions the characters make as well. Such as Suzie marrying her husband, and changing her life for the better and maybe if Paul’s dad didn’t decide to take him in then we wouldn’t have met the people he did and done the things he’s done.
Simple decisions like this may not seem to affect our lives but they really do. Parent’s making decisions in our early lives change our lives for ever. The decisions you make can most likely affect the life of some one else close to us as well as us.
When we make decisions we tend to forget about the welfare of others. We think about how it will affect me? And how will it change my life? These questions are still very important and you still should consider them but asking your self if it would affect the lives of others is just as important.
Another lesson you could grasp from the 7 up series is learning from mistakes. How and if you make mistakes it what you learn from theses mistakes that is important. An example would be any of the characters that had a divorce, they made a mistake by marrying that first spouse and the second time they married (If they did) they were a lot more cautious with choosing their next spouse. All though there is only one person in the world you could successfully have a marriage with, it would be really hard to find that person. It can seem to be really hard to make a mistake and really easy not to but, all the little things that you mess up create one big fat mistake. This is sort of like lying you can get caught in it or you could avoid it quite easily. It all goes back to making the right decision. Life’s most important choice is to choose to choose. If we didn’t have those decisions then we wouldn’t experience many things or have many differences or traits that would make us individuals. And it would make us, us.

What does make’s us, us? What makes the characters from the 7 up series who they are? And how can we compare them to our selves? They came from a different generation, different background, and different culture. If we didn’t have the same circumstances from the beginning, then how is that a fair compatibility? We have grown up with new technologies and things that make life just that little bit easier; they have grown up by doing everything the hard way, the long way (in my opinion). Yes they helped make us, but they didn’t help make us who we are. That generation will be part of both of our lives forever. But this doesn’t mean that they are part of that generation. We might have heard of each other, but can we hear each other?
We can’t compare my self to say Suzie because we have different generation’s different experiences and we’re different people. We most likely have different values and opinions on things too. But this doesn’t mean that what they have done, the mistakes and choices they have made we can’t relate to them completely, we can understand the growing up stage and family issues they haven’t changed for generations before them.
But comparing the ways there lives laid out and how mine are going to are going to be completely different.

As a fellow class mate brought up, all the characters from the seven up series have had a “boring” life. That there lives were all in the same format. As Charles said, “The prep-school to the Marlborough High School to the Oxbridge University and ect conveyor belt”.
Like mentioned before life is like a romance comedy, the same story line in every romance, but what happens in-between the lines makes the movie good, exiting and different. We all want a movie that’s exiting and entertaining but do we really want a life like that? We all want a holly wood life, but do we all want the normal happy life? I know that I do, I don’t want to be famous or popular for the rest of my life. Do we really all want different things to each other? Or do we All want the same things?

But in the end we all want the same thing. We all carry one thing in common and we are all alike in that way. We all want happiness. We all want to be comfortable and have a family and friends surrounding us. We all want to be Unique and special. We all want to have the best thing the newest things, so that we are different. But wanting to be different makes us the same.
Our lives, our generations may seem to be like a broken record player, but every time it replays it tells a different story, a different life with different experiences and problems. What can we learn from life? “Only life can prepare you for life”.

By liz Brown (1,389 words total)

28 UP (1984)

SUZIE
Surprise! The last time we saw Suzie she was the ‘upper-class scandal' but now she has married (to a man who is also on the upper-class side, Rupert) and has had 2 children. Pretty hard to believe since she was so cynical about marriage and having children the last time we saw her. When asked what impacted her to turn her life around completely her answer was “Rupert I suppose”
Suzie currently lives in the country side and herself and her family appears to be very happy there. Her father has passed away recently. She has a part-time job as a typist and spends her rest of her time with her children, unlike getting a nanny like she said she would in 7 up.
I would have to say that I got Suzie really wrong in the last episode. I thought that she would be completely different in this episode and I was expecting someone who was more homeless or unhappy. I assume that Suzie will remain in her marriage with Rupert and grow old too see her grandchildren grow up and marry.

JOHN
When we saw john last he was a driven young man, who had big ambitions of becoming a politician. Unfortunately john didn’t appear in this episode so I cant really say what happened to him. They did tell us that he married a banister of Bulgaria and is working over there in a firm.

CHARLES
The last time we saw Charles he was a quiet young being who was regretted from oxford university. Regrettably Charles also didn’t appear in this episode but is working for the BBC at the moment.

ANDREW
He was a young exited and had a passion for skiing. This was Andrew the last time we saw him. Now Andrew is a solicitor in a large firm and has a flat in London.
He is Married to the ‘Yorkshire lass’ named Jane. He seems very content about were he is, he made a comment saying that he knows how lucky he is to have the thing he does and to achieved the things he has.
Andrew appears to be really happy and content with his status and I would assume that it will stay this way for the rest of his life and I don’t think that he will ever regret it either.
I think that Andrew will continue his marriage with the ‘Yorkshire lass’ and have children if they don’t have any all ready.

NEIL
The pervious time we saw Neil he was Squatting in a house in England and he found work on building sights. Well Neil hasn’t improved much since then he now travels around and relies completely on social security. He lives in the Scotland in a trailer next to a lake were he was no friends or job. In the last episode Neil was blaming his parents for his failures. But in this episode Neil gives the impression of an apology towards his parents and seemed to be very sincere and compassionate towards it.
Neil still has that sad cloud hanging over his head. He is living in a trailer by him self in the middle of no were. I would get pretty depressed myself. But also having that weight on your shoulders from blaming your parents on a national program for all your failures, would most defiantly amplify anyone’s misery.
I think that Neil will keep on getting worse and he will remain homeless for the rest of his life or for at least most of his life youth.

PETER
The last time we saw Peter he was studying history at University.
Peter as become a teacher, he is now married and has 2 children. He seems to be very cynical and angry or just skeptical about everything (tired maybe) he doesn’t really have an exiting life teaching history. Peter is one of the more boring subjects of this program.
I think that peter will leave his wife and children to find something more exciting. He will also try to find something more exciting with his job, maybe excavating things.

NICHOLAS
Nicolas was shy but a happy at the age of 7 he lived in the country by himself but now he is almost half the world away. Nicholas has moved to America he is researching different ways of creating energy (nuclear physicist). He has a married a girl who he appears not to love very much. They seem to be fighting a lot and to be bored with each other. Common to what Jackie said in the previous episode about having children, both nick and his partner don’t want to have children mainly because it would be way too much of a sacrifice for both of them, but if it happened they wouldn’t regret it.
I think that nick’s Idea of new energy will work really well he believes in it a lot. But I think his marriage won’t last for much longer and I feel sorry for any future children.

BRUCE
The last time we saw Bruce he was studying math’s at Oxford University. Now he is teaching mathematics at an east ender school (same one as Tony attended). Remember back to 7 up when Bruce said he wanted to help people become more civilized in countries were they weren’t? Well that ambition still exists, sort of. Bruce’s main ambition is to “help the ordinary person”. He enjoys working for the east ender school and would still probably still be a missionary.
Bruce wants a “Family life” he claims he is old fashioned and naive?
Bruce is an interesting character he never seems fully satisfied though. I feel that he is a bit empty or disgruntled with his life he’s never exited or laughing in the interviews. He might just take them very seriously.
I think that Bruce could achieve any thing that he wanted to, including having a family or getting married.

JACKIE LYNN AND SUE
Jackie Lynn and Sue are all no longer single girls. Sue married at 24 ( Jackie and Lynn already married.) and has a child. Jackie looks older than ever she looks more like 50 rather than 28. Lynn also looks a lot older but Sue still seems to appear to be a 28 year old.
Lynn is still working in the mobile library and is loving it more than ever. Jackie and Sue are still working in the same places.
Both Jackie and Lynn’s Mothers have both passed away and both still seemed very touchy about it. All three still are happily married and seem very content with them. But Jackie and Lynn wouldn’t recommend a young Marriage they say it sort of shortened there time to experience the world.
I think that these three lovely young lady’s will live long happy lives all with husbands (some not with the ones they are currently with but others yes) and that they will all at least have one more child each.

TONY
The previous time we saw Tony he had just unsuccessful in becoming a jockey.
Tony is a cab driver and has married to a beautiful young lady. He has 2 children and he most defiantly loves them to death. Tony’s dream of becoming a jockey has as you already know failed, but he has new ambitions, such as opening up a pub and is taking acting lessons.
He appears to be very positive with every thing that he has, and he’s living life as it comes. He made a comment about family values and how they all relate to him. He seems to really love his family a lot and everything that was mentioned by Tony in this episode always had a hint of ‘family values’ in it.
I think that Tony will open up his Pub maybe not right away but in the near future, and his acting career will also go really well, he obviously wont become famous but well known as a back ground or stunt man. I think that Tony’s family will last although I felt that they were a bit tense.

SIMON
The last time we saw Simon the program had reunited him self and Paul back together, and they had spent the day revisiting the places were they were brought up together. Now Simon has married (Yvonne) and multiplied 5 times (has had 5 children). Simon seems to think that this is a ‘small’ family! He had them all so close together because he wanted them to all know each other when they grown up.
He is still working in the sausage factory he was the last time we saw him but this time with a different attitude toward going or staying. He doesn’t think that the company will shut them down the slightest bit.
Some of his children are attending school them self’s and Simons way of making sure they reach for the stars is by just encouraging them. He really wants to give his kids everything he didn’t have at there age Aka a ‘father’, and It appears to me that he is doing a fine job of being just that. I think that Simons world at the moment is just about his family and how much he loves them. I think that he will continue in this marriage and succeed in nearly everything he Tries to do.

PAUL
In the previous episode Paul had a girlfriend to me he seemed like he really loved her. Well I was correct because he married her and has had children.
Paul and his wife sold everything they had at one point and traveled around Australia in a van for 7 months (after witch he had kids). He has a job as a brick layer and has started up his own business with it. He seemed to be really content with were he was in life. I feel that he enjoys being a family man with the average income and average lifestyle, and there is nothing wrong with wanting that.
I think that Paul will keep on living his life normally and will enjoy living the typical Aussie lifestyle.

21 UP (1977)

Over the last couple of weeks I have slowly been watching the stars of The Up Series growing, and now were at the stage of “the beginning of the rest of there life”. In this episode the interviewee’s are at the age of 21 years old. We see if there dreams and ambitions are going ahead and we see both the physical and psychological changes that have occurred over the past seven years. We see more of what there life will most indefinitely have in the future, we see if there lives are going to role out as they wanted and as we have wanted them to and we see there hope dreams aspirations for the future lay before them as if they were able to touch them because they are so close, yet so far away.

In 21 up we watch these people begin the rest of there lives.

SUZIE

In the last episode of Suzie we saw that she was shy and negative towards doing the program. In 21 up Suzie has gone from the typical up-town girl to the upper-class scandal. She had left school at 16 and went to Paris to become a typist. Suzie was chain smoking and wasn’t dressed in all the nice expensive cloths the previous time we have seen her on the show. She is still living off her parent’s money and still seems to be a bit stuck up. She doesn’t have a care in the world.

In this episode Suzie was still very negative about everything but seemed extra cynical when it came to marriage. Just after the last episode of 7 up Suzie’s parents split up, this has obviously had a huge impact on her view of life and marriage.

This common but affective change in her life has impacted her view on children also, she said that she didn’t really like children ever and she doesn’t think that she will ever have them or want them.

I would have to agree with Suzie I don’t think at this rate that she will find any one to marry or have children with, so her dream will come true. I think that Suzie will keep on getting worse as we watch the series. She will continue to be a typist and I think her life will be pretty neutral from hear on end.

JOHN

John, another typical upper class boy who has always given the impression that he gets what he wants when he wants, still. John is currently at Oxford University, he is studying law, just as he said he would in the episode before and his hopes for the future are still very much the same.

John was still very opinionated on nearly everything, again still on jobs strikes.

I think he mentioned something about someone working in a car factory, and that that person would make a decent living, from my point of view and I’m sure others as well will agree with me, that a job in a car factory isn’t very financially beneficial. From an upper class person a car factory job may be managing the place, but that also isn’t a very wealthy job. The only way you could make a lot money out of a car factory is by owning a few of them, and I don’t think that this is a very common job back then and even still to this day.

John didn’t appear to have a clue at what the world was or is really like at the time, I think his ambitions of becoming a poilition will come true, I also think that he will marry but e won’t have children. I think that he will crack (midlife crisis type thing) and will never get back up on his feet.

CHARLES

In the upper-class trio of boys, Charles would most defiantly be the deepest thinker. In this episode he claimed that he didn’t make oxford but he was glad that he didn’t keep the “prep-school to the Marlborough to the Oxbridge University conveyor belt". Charles isn’t at oxford but is now at Durham University he didn’t seem very negative or (I think..) bitter (..would be the word) for not being accepted into oxford. I think he might of disappointed his family and friends, but I don’t think he could of cared any less because I think that he was happy with what he had and were he was in life.

I think that Charles will have a successful life, I think that he will have a job that lets express his creativeness and he will be really successful in what ever he does and will live a long happy life.

ANDREW
In the last episode Andrew didn’t really say much, but to me what ever he said had a lot of thought put into it. In this episode Andrew is still the same, he seems more like a listener rather than a speaker, but when he does speak what ever he says appears to have a lot of opinions and choices put into it. Andrew has developed a passion for skiing and does it regularly with his father. He is currently at Cambridge still hoping to become a solicitor of a big company.

I think that Andrews ambitions will go through as he plans, he appears to be a hard worker. I still think that hw will marry and have 3 children.

NICHOLAS
Nick has finally come out of his hiding hole and come to talk to us, properly.

Nick is a very bright, charismatic character and appears to be very happy person.

His is currently studying physics at oxford university, he hopes to have a career in physics. During the holidays Nick travles back to Arncliffe (home) and helps his father around the farm. He seemed like a very sociable, bubbly person who you could have a very civilized and interesting convocation with.

I think that nick will marry and have children, I also think that he will achieve his career in physics, but will find something later in life that he will enjoy just as much as physics and chemistry ( woman, hobby…ect). I think when he finds this something that he will change his life dramatically to be around it. Such as leaving his career for it.

BRUCE
When we saw Bruce last he was a quiet person who seemed to have a lot of spare time on his hands. You could tell that he was a deeper thinker that the rest of the contestants. In this episode Bruce is very much the same, when asked the questions for the interview he took a LONG time to answer them, most of the footage of Bruce was him thinking.

Bruce is currently at Oxford University studying mathematics’, he doesn’t know where he will be in the next 10 years with his math’s but he still continues with his course.

To me Bruce is still very much the same as he was at 7 and 14. For someone to stay that stable for the start of there life and not change the slightest bit (apart from appearance)he would have to be a strong, smart individual.

I think that Bruce will be really successful in life maybe not financially better off but I think he will be happy and he will make his friends and family proud.

NEIL

The last time we saw Neil he was slowly sinking into a pit of melancholy, well, he has sunk. Neil is squatting in a town house in London.( Squatting: to occupy property as a squatter.). He dropped out of Aberdeen University after one term because he didn’t feel that it was the right place for him at the time and he doesn’t think that he as smart as other people had claimed him to be. Maybe this was because he was struggling with the curriculum or he was under a great deal of stress. I can relate to this situation, usually when I’m under a lot of stress I tend to just give up or quit. It is a very difficult and demanding situation I find it really hard to preserver through it and to put it behind me.

Neil finds work occasionally on building sites or just odd jobs that he can do around the neighbourhood. He finds his ‘house’ ‘comfortable’ he says it is good because he leave and come back when ever he wants. He was REALLY depressed, his depression may even be a mental disease from my opinion and I’m sure that al of my peers would agree to it.

I think that Neil will keep sinking to the bottom, maybe even through the bottom. Neil will not develop a career at this stage, his depression is holding him back and because of his situation ( squatting, no money) it will make the all round situation worse and I don’t think that he will be able to escape it.

PETER

We haven’t really seen much of peter in the last 2 episodes, but in 21 up we see peter open up a little more and show us his real self.

Peter is in University learning history. He also lives in a flat with 3 other room mates who are also in university and are around his age. Even though peter came out of his hiding hole he doesn’t really have a charismatic character, he can’t really reveal his personality to the camera as well as the other participants can.

I think that Peter will live a boring life, he will do all the usual things you do in life such as marry and have children but I don’t think that he will enjoy his job or have a very good marriage.

JACKIE LYNN AND SUE
Jackie Lynn and Sue the infamous trio. The last time we saw them they were typical teenage girls living typical teenage lives.

Jackie and Lynn married at 19, Sue is still single. When Jackie and Lynn were asked if they had regretted there choice Lynn responded by saying that she did think about it sometimes and think “Christ, what have I done” but no more than any other married couple would. Jackie how ever was obviously offended by this question and didn’t look at the camera for the rest of the question.

Lynn is currently working in a mobile library, which goes around the poorer suburbs of London and gives the children a chance to learn. She enjoys this job immensely.

Sue works for a travel agent at the moment and hopes to get married but a little later in life rather than right out of school like Jackie and Lynn.

Lynn has children. Jackie Doesn’t want to have children. "Im to selfish to have children" she claims. This is because she doesn’t think that she could give upher social life and all her free time to live with a smelly screaming baby.

I think that Sue will marry and Jackie will Divorce but will have a child with her current husband. Lynn I think will reman to have a happy stable life and continue working in child care.

TONY

The last time we saw Tony he had settled down and was focusing on becoming a jockey. This time we see him he is a bubbly bright talkative person like he was at the age of 7.

Tony is back to his normal self again, he lives life as it comes and lives it well. Tony’s dream of becoming a jockey failed. He now as he said he would training to become a cab driver. He drives everywhere on his motor scooter learning the routes of London whilst studying the knowledge (The Knowledge, the English cab drivers ‘how to’). This doesn’t sound like a very financially stable job but apparently it is. Cab driving in England can be very profitable and you can have a very healthy lifestyle.

I think that Tony will have a very good life he will see all the things he wants/wanted to and might see some that he wouldn’t have even imagined would happen. I think that he will marry very soon and have children quickly.

SIMON

The last time we saw Simon we saw that he was living with his mother and he wanted to have a job in a trade.

Simon is still living with his mother and has a job in a sausage factory. Simon said that he didn’t want to have a job in the sausage factory for too long.

During the filming of this episode they reunited Simon and Paul and took them back to the charity home were they had once lived. Simon’s appearance hasn’t really changed since the last time we saw him apart from that the ageing in his eyes and the massive afro on top of his head. He obviously is following the fashion for the decade because he was wearing a beanie during the private interviews and he was wearing flair pants when he was shot with Paul.

I think that Simon will still work at the sausage factory for the next 10 years he seemed enthusiastic about it although he didn’t want to admit it. Ii think that he will marry and hopefully not divorce and repeat what his dad did to him also I think he will have plenty of children to look after.

PAUL

When we last saw Paul he was living in Australia with his father and he wanted to live alone in the wilderness. Now when we see Paul we see a much more charismatic, happy and intelligent person who has seemed to opened up to the camera.

Paul is still living in Australia and has a full on Aussie accent. Paul has a girlfriend witch he seems to adore quite a lot. It looks like they are going to get married maybe after the show. During the filming of the show the reunited Paul and Simon, and took them back to the old charity home where they used to live. They walked around the grounds of the old orphanage and re lived memories.

I think that Paul will Marry his Girlfriend and have children with her. And I also believe that he will go into a trade as a career and make a living out of it (looks like the type of person who would love to get his hands dirty.).

7+7 UP (1970)

SUZIE
The last time we saw Suzie she was the typical up-town girl, and she still is.
Suzie hasn’t really changed much from the last episode; apart from that she wants to be a typist for a living. Suzie wasn’t really enthusiastic about this episode; her parents made her appear in this episode. “I don’t really see any point in this”… she said when asked.
Suzie seemed unenthusiastic and I’m sure that my peers would agree, she did mention that she refused to do the show, but her parents forced her to appear on it. She also mentioned that she would like to be a typist, for an upper town girl this is a low ambition, its not really aiming up to the stars, more like to the ground actually.
I still don’t think that she will make university, marry and have children.

JOHN
John is also a typical up-town child, he is exactly the same apart from that his thoughts and ideas were much more to the point. He has big dreams and ambitions of becoming a politician and I think that my peers and I will agree that he will achieve these. He seemed to be very driven young man, he already had plenty of opinions of everything including politics and strikes which were very popular at the time and how people’s jobs should be treated.
I think that john will become a politician but I doubt he will get married, he doesn’t seem to get out much he looks like he would be constantly have his nose in the books.
I think that in his later years he will crack, or something in him will make him hate what he has become and will either completely remodel his life or destroy it.

ANDREW
Andrew seemed very quiet and a lot shyer then the last episode. I think this might have been because john seemed to always have an answer for everything, or that Andrew was not enthusiastic like the previous episode, I think he has become a deeper thinker. Alike john he seemed to have an opinion on everything.
He wants be either a solicitor or to be in politics he is currently attending the school he said he would be attending at the age of 7.
I still think Andrew will be rather successful in life, and I still think he will marry and have three children.

CHARLES
Charles seemed to be the bubbliest of the trio; he seemed to be more creative and more aware of what was actually going on in the world unlike john and Andrew who thought the world was what they read in the newspapers, I think he really figured out what the true meaning of life is. One comment he made when he was asked if he wanted to be wealthy was, as I interpreted it , quite thoughtful he must have been preparing him self for failure or he must not want what his parents want him to have (a lot of money.).
I think Charles will have a rather successful life, I don’t think he will marry or have any children and if he does he will do it very late in his life time.

NICHOLAS
The last time we saw nick he was the only kid in his neighborhood (besides his brother). In this episode he seemed really really really shy, he hid his face between his legs the hole interview. When he was asked what he thought about girls his response was “ the last time I was here you asked me that question, and I said I don’t answer questions like that, is that why your asking me?... yeah I thought so “. He seemed to know what he was doing yet he was cowering between his legs instead of looking at the cameras, I’m confused to what type of person he was at 14 .
I think he will live a normal life, a wife , a child and that he will pursue his dreams of having a career in physics and chemistry.

BRUCE
“The volks wagon with the doors open” as Mr. Stok would say.
The last time we saw Bruce he wanted to be a missionary, when asked if he still had this ambition he replied no mainly because he didn’t think he had the skills to be able to express is faith in that way, But he is very interested in Math’s.
When asked about his love life, and if he had a girlfriend, his reply was “No, but I’m sure it will come”. I don’t think that Bruce will have a love life in the future the girlfriend that lived in India will be his first and last love.
I still think that Bruce will succeed in his biggest ambitions but fail in his smaller ones. He will not marry or have any children.

NEIL
At seven Neil was one of the brightest, bubbliest happiest child you could meet on the street, but at the age of 14 he seems to be more discontented rather than his normal bubbly self. He seems to be unhappy or depressed with his life, he’s most definitely in my opinion and I hope in others, saddened or unhappy with some circum stance. To me he seems like he will get everything he wants out of life but he won’t feel as satisfied when he gets it.
I think that Neil will have a good typical life were his career still involves something creative, but a little more strait forward in his creativeness. I don’t think that he will get married but I still think that he will have some unexpected children.

PETER
Once again I don’t see much of peter, but I could tell you that he looks exactly the same as the last episode. He is still attending the same high school as Neil does, and I think he is interested in history. Peter To me seemed very quiet and he doesn’t really have a personality, usually quiet people can have big personalities as well.
I think that peter will go to university and complete a history course like he said he wanted to. I think that he will marry and have 2 children.

JACKIE LYNN AND SUE
Jackie, Lynn and Sue. The three amigos. These three girls appear in this episode again still friends and are still loving life.
Jackie, like Lynn and Sue had the choice of going to either a grammar or comprehensive school, Jackie chose the comprehensive school so did Sue but unlike the others Lynn went to the grammar school instead.
These three lady’s seemed to be perfectly normal teenage girls in my opinion, all they seemed to care about was the typical things a normal teen age girl would be interested in ( boys, shoes, fashion, beauty products, ect…). For example when Jackie and Sue were asked about boys they giggled and then said that they didn’t want to talk about that subject, like a normal teenager would.
Lynn, Lynn in this episode was a little more content, I still think that at least she will work with in the community, with maybe the poor or child care, I think she will try and out back the things that her community has given her in the future, I still think she will have a normal life ( husband, children career ) but will be happy, satisfied with it
Jackie, I think Jackie will marry at an early age and have children, then I have a feeling that she will divorce and remarry at some point in her lifetime.
Sue I think that she will have a fairly basic life with all the highs and lows to come with it including divorce I don’t think that it will actually occur but I think she will most definitely face it.

TONY
The last time we saw Tony he was a thriving, he was a typical east end boy who thought it was very important to fight. He also mentioned when he was seven that he wanted to become a jockey, this ambition is still there and is growing bigger by the minute. He’s training everyday after school at a stable. In this episode Tony seemed really negative to wards most things he didn’t really seem very happy or alive like when he was 7.
I think that Tony will achieve his dream of becoming a jockey, he seems to working really hard for it, if he doesn’t achieve this I think he will become a cab driver like he said he would. I think he will marry and have lots of children.

SIMON
In 7+7 up I didn’t really get a feel for what Simon was like, I think he was shy and he was living with his mother again, he hasn’t seen his father and I don’t think he wants to see him. He dislikes his father for leaving him and his mother to survive.
I think that Simon will become Very successful I think that he will work in some kind of trade were he can get his hands dirty I don’t think that he will get married mainly because his father didn’t treat him and his mother very good so i don’t think he has a very positive outlook on marriage. But I think he might make a similar mistake to his father and have I love child.

PAUL
Paul moved to Australia to live with his father. In my opinion Paul was very quiet and didn’t seem like he would have a lot of friends, he was a ‘loner’. I think he mentioned that he would like to live alone in the country.
I also didn’t see much of Paul in 7+7 and I didn’t get a feel for what he was really truly like. My predictions for the future are the same as last time, to have a normal life but I also think that he will have a career in a trade.

SEVEN UP (1964)

"Give me a child a untill he is seven, and i will give you the man" 

Seven up started of to be a glimpse of the future of England then turned in to a time capsule that was reopened and evaluated every seven years. This series shows glimpses of a certain peoples

lives at every 7th stage of there life (1964).
This episode was taken when the participants were 7, hence the name, even at 7 there personalities were shining threw for the future. Some loud and creative others quiet and mischievous. There personalities still shone threw there seven year-old self’s and we had achieved what we had intended to achieve, a glimpse of the future.
Instead of using just upper-class people or just lower or middle class people they decided too use a verity of people from all backgrounds, this was very beneficial because we could compare the richer to the poorer and see who had a better outcome in the end.

SUZIE – UPPER-CLASS
Suzie is a typical upper class girl who seems to get what she wants when she wants. She doesn’t seem to think about others as much as her self in this episode. In the interview Suzie was asked if she knew any ‘coloured’ people she replied “ No, and I don’t particularly want to meet one.” She was also asked if she would like children and how would she raise them she replied “ I would like 2 children (pause), and I would like a nanny to raise them".(after being asked if she wanted a nanny or if she would look after them). These 2 particular comments gave a great incite to who she really was at that time and who/how her parents raised her, I think one of the reasons Suzie is like this is because of her parents. In my opinion and I’m sure that my peers would agree Suzie was a little brat, one of the main reasons I think she was like this because this was how her parents raised/influenced her as a child.
I think that Suzie will fail life in her parents/peers eyes I think she will try and escape the rich life but will still scab off her parents for a living. I don’t think she will reach university and I don’t think that she will get married or children let alone a nanny to look after them.

JOHN – UPPER-CLASS
John is another typical upper-class boy, who seems to have an opinion on anything you ask him about including why people should pay for schools, “I think people should pay for school because if they didn’t schools would get awfully crowded” . He also reads the news papers both the …”headings then the stuff underneath” .
John seems to be acting too old for his age, it’s more likely that that you would find a 14 year-old or an 21 year-old human being reading the news paper rather than a seven year old. This gives a good look into what type of childhood john might have had, I think his child hood was very integrated as in the man do one thing and the women do another and that’s how the world goes around type of child hood I think that’s why he acted more sophisticated than his age.
I think john will achieve his ambitions/goals in life but will have a hard time achieving them , he wont get married or at leat have a happy one.


ANDREW - UPPER-CLASS
Andrew, Andrew was the one that seemed to actually have a clue about the world, he clamed to read the “financial times because they had the shares in them, but I don’t read it on Monday because they don’t change” I later learned that this was something that he had repeated from his father who was asked the question earlier, this still gives a good look at who Charles looked up to at such an early age.
Andrew was also from the upper class he seemed bubbly and happy for his age, he seemed to act his age and he wasn’t as ‘ snobby’ as Suzie or john were, the money he had didn’t change what type of person he was going to be.
I think Andrew will have a good life, the one his parents intended him to have, I think he will marry and have three children.

CHARLES – UPPER-CLASS
Charles was a more quieter specimen he give the impression of that he always did what he was told and did nothing more or less of that. I think he would have been attached to his parents and the separating from at the age of 7 so he could attend a prep school would have been horrific. During the interview He didn’t seem to confident or talkative as john or Andrew, Charles didn’t really answer the questions he more listened to what Andrew john and Charles had to say this wasn’t very helpful to giving me an idea of what he would have been like at 7. He could have been either very thoughtful or very shy because of the cameras
I think Charles will have a more relaxed career not what his parents or peers would of seen him doing or wanted him doing but something that still pleases everyone and himself, I don’t think he will get married only because he seemed to be to shy.

PETER – MIDDLE-LOWER-CLASS
Peter was part of the upper middle class he was very quiet in this episode only because his friend Neil wouldn’t let him get a word out. He didn’t seem to be interested in the programme at all (he looks / reminds me of my dad when he was younger).
I don‘t really have any thoughts on what his future might be like only because I didn’t really get a feel for what charter he had.

NEIL – MIDDLE-LOWER-CLASS
Neil went to the same school as Peter, Neil was very bubbly, creative person, when they asked him what he thought about coloured people he responded to the question “I don’t like the term 'coloured people’ it sounds funny makes them sound like there a purple person with red eyes and yellow feet it just doesn’t sound right” and his opinion on children was “I don’t want children, there always doing naughty things and make the house untidy” these comments gave me a great clue to what I think Neil might be in the future. His comment on children was really interesting because children mainly just repeat what they hear, and at the age of 7 your parents are who you usually are around with, I don’t think his parents were very loving or supportive towards him I think that they just had a child because they felt it was the right thing to do at the time, but as soon as the time came they regretted (not fully) there discission and all Neil was, was someone who caused a lot of trouble and created a lot of mess.
I think that Neil will have a job that lets him express his creativeness sometime in the future, I don’t think he will get married but might have a few unexpected kids.

NICHOLAS – UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS
Nicholas lives in the Arncliffe, a tiny village in the Yorkshire Dales, he is the only child in his neighbour-hood(besides his brother). His father is a farmer so he is educated in a one room school. When asked about girls his reply was “ I don’t, I don’t answer question’s like that”. He was a shy closed off charter, yet he still seemed happy bubbly and creative just like any normal child of his age. “ I go for a holiday in the town when people from the town come for holidays down here for a holiday”
I think nick will have a successful career in something creative also and will marry but have no children. I think that he will go threw a depressed stage in his life and this will hold him back from his ambitions for a while. He might end up working on his fathers farm.

BRUCE – UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS
At the age of 7 Bruce was living in a high quality boarding school, he said his “hearts desire is to see my father who is in Africa” ( Rhosesia, Zimbabwe ). He said that he would like to be a missionary an to help people in poorer circumstances. He also has a Girlfriend in Africa but he doesn’t think he will ever see her again. Bruce seemed attached to his parents at that age I think that at the age of seven you shouldn’t be separated from your parents so early, I think it makes you less confident as a grown person because you don’t have that security when your younger I think when your at least at the age of 10 you should then be ready to attend a boarding school. I think this separation of Bruce and his parents will hold him back for a few years, it will make him a more quiet kid with deeper thoughts. His view on Christianity at such a young age was amazing I don’t know if he was just repeating something or if he was actually considering becoming a missionary.
I think he will Dream big dreams, but fail most of them but achieve his most biggest ambition in life, I think he will get married and will have many children.

JACKIE, LYNN AND SUE – LOWER-CLASS
Jackie is a loud, bubbly charter, she’s sort of the ‘leader’ of the trio .
Sue is a little more deeper with her thoughts than Jackie but she is still just as loud and fun-loving as Jackie can be at times.
Lynn is the ‘tag-along’ of the trio, she is very quiet (or Jackie an sue wouldn’t let get a word in) and seems to be considering others from a young age “ I want to work at Woolworths” she said in the interview.
Jackie Lynn and Sue all have a caring heart ( some more than others ) they all agreed that if they had more money than they needed that they would give it to the poor. When I first saw this I didn’t think that they were sane because they virtually had nothing them selves yet they all want to help people who have less than them.
I think that all three of them will remain being friend for the rest of there lives, I think that they will all have there differences in what there life will be like. I think that they will all end up working for the community in a way by the end of there life times. And I think that they will All get married and have children (one of them will divorce and remarry again).

TONY – LOWER-CLASS
Tony is a very loud, cheeky and brutal character he has clear views on everything at a young age. “ I want to be a jockey ”… he said. Tony lives in the east ends of London he had what he needs and nothing more. He has a girlfriend who he denies that he goes to the pictures with. All the children were brought together taken to the zoo, they then had a party and then went to an ’adventure’ park, afterwards they asked the children what they thought of the other children, Tony’s response wasn’t positive, I think he wanted to bash all the upper class children up.
I think that Tony will Become a Jockey or if he doesn’t he will become a tradesman I think he will always have an east ender look on things (money…ect). He will marry and have kids and will give them everything that he couldn’t have.

SIMON-CHARITY HOME
Simon lives in an charity home he was born in a marriage (mixed race) he never got to meet his black father and at the time of the filming of this episode he was leaving to live with his white mother. Simon seemed to be like an average kid I think he did everything he could when he was living at the charity home that was possible. He didn’t seem to be very bright, his communication skills were very poor he didn’t seem to understand the questions or was able to answer back to them clearly. I don’t think that this is his fault he probably didn’t go to the highest quality school at the time but I think this will improve in time he will communicate more when he is older.
I think Simon will live a happy life, he will marry and have lots of children and he will have a career in a trade.

PAUL – CHARITY HOME
Paul also lived in a charity home , the same one as Simon in fact, I didn’t see much of Paul. When asked if he would attend university he replied ” what’s university ?” . he didn’t seem really bright like Simon, his communication skills were also very low. I hope he will open up to the camera in later episode’s.
I think he will grow up and have a normal life marry, kids, career.