The UP Series

The Up Series is a series of documentary films produced by Granada Television that began documenting the lives of 14 children every seven years beginning when they were 7 years old.   The documentary has had seven episodes spanning 49 years and may seem a bit tiresome after the first few episodes.  The film attempted to show that these children would eventually become the voice of the new millennium and that all of their destiny's were predetermined  based on economic and social structure.  The privileged children knew which prep schools and colleges they would attend by age 7.  One child claimed to read the "Financial Times" at that age.  Another child, raised in an orphanage, wasn't even sure what a university was.  Though thought provoking and at times predictable this documentary has grown with an entire generation of British children who are all now well into their fifties.  The series started filming in 1964 and the next addition will premiere May 13 - 15, 2012.  Not sure if that is strictly BBC dates or if Americans can continue viewing the saga with our British enthusiasts.  Out of the 14 original "cast" members, only 12 seem to be participating in the later episodes. I'm very glad the series was not in the "outstanding" category because I doubt I could've waited the seven years between episodes.   Don't get me wrong this documentary is worth watching and there is still enough time to catch the 7 existing episodes before the newest installment next month.