'Give me the Child till Seven and I will Give you the Man' intones the original 'Seven Up!' programme, following the lives of children through life up to the present. '56 Up' is an incredible, awesome (in the original meaning of that word) series that renews faith in television as a serious medium. Director Michael Apted has mapped the lives of 20 children in their journey through life and it has been a deeply moving experience for the viewer to see how life has developed for the participants. Life is all too short and it takes a project like this to remind us that we are not trapped by destiny but that class is still a major determination of wealth, status, health and ultimately length of life; however, as we can see from the families that have grown up around the subjects of the show, wealth isn't required to be happy (although, it sure can help). There were many amazing stories, John, now a wealthy, highly privileged Barrister, who reflected on how fortunate he'd been in life, and he has what most would say, lived up to his destiny to be a comfortable member of the Upper Middle Class. Then there was Bruce, shy, and very English, a father in his forties and a Maths teacher who represented the best of Englishness; wry, likeable, dependable. Apted finished his review with Tony, the working class boy made good, who has a holiday home in Spain and, curiously, predicted the Economic Crash in '49Up'. Participants have dropped in and out of the series over the last 49 years, but it is a tribute to them, to Apted and to the power of an astonishing documentary project that will never be topped that the viewer is so compelled and moved by the lives of others. Stunning 'Reality' TV.
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