Asif Kapadia to Direct Final 70 Up Documentary, Ending 60-Year Series
Academy Award-winning director Asif Kapadia will helm the final installment of the long-running documentary series Up, called 70 Up, which will air later in 2026. The series has followed the same group of people since they were 7 years old in 1964, checking in every seven years.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia will direct the final chapter of ITV's groundbreaking documentary series Up, bringing the 60-year project to a close with 70 Up later in 2026.
The series began in 1964 by following a group of 7-year-old children from different social backgrounds across Britain. Every seven years, filmmakers returned to check on their lives, creating an unprecedented look at how people change over decades.
Kapadia, known for acclaimed documentaries about Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna and singer Amy Winehouse, takes over from the late Michael Apted, who directed most episodes in the series. Apted had been the series' primary director and careful custodian of the participants' stories since 28 Up.
The series was voted the most influential UK TV show of the last 50 years in 2024. The final installment promises to be what sources describe as an "epic and moving" conclusion to this unique social experiment.
Kapadia expressed hopes that audiences will feel his team has been respectful stewards of the participants' life stories as the series reaches its natural end.
This marks the end of one of TV's most ambitious experiments - watching real people age from childhood to old age over six decades. The series was voted the most influential UK TV show of the last 50 years in 2024, showing how ordinary lives unfold over time.
70 Up will air on ITV later in 2026, concluding the six-decade documentary series.
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