Release date confirmed for 70 Up along with bonus episodes

Way back in 1964, World in Action aired the first film 7 Up following the lives of 14 children. Every seven years their lives were documented, and now, in 2026 the final instalment of the landmark documentary will be aired, along with two bonus episodes.

Set to air later this month, 70 Up will catch up with John, Bruce, Symon, Andrew, Suzy, Jackie, Tony, Sue, Peter, Paul, Neil, as they reach 'three score years and 10', and fondly remember those who are sadly no longer with us.

What is the Up series?

The first ever programme 7 Up (Seven Up!) was aired in 1964, and followed 10 boys and four girls, all aged seven at the time. In 1970, 7 Plus Seven aired, following the children when they were 14. Subsequent documentary programmes were named after their age such as 21 Up and 28 Up.

What is the 2026 programme called?

This programme is called 70 Up, after their age.

What is the programme about?

A description from ITV reads: 'The emotionally-charged finale will include Tony, the ‘cheeky chap’ who wanted to be a jockey before becoming a London cabbie. He appears alongside Neil, who dreamed of being an astronaut and experienced homelessness.

'Plus Bruce, the public schoolboy who wanted to be a missionary, Symon who has fostered more than 120 children and has 12 (and counting) grandchildren, shy Paul who is now a grandparent and Jackie who left Scotland with a new partner.

'Sue will talk about marrying Glenn and decades working at Queen Mary University of London, while Peter has more music news. KC John who wanted a powerful career and lawyer Andrew, the prep school boy who famously read the FT, return. Alongside them is Suzy, the young ballerina who hated her private school.

'The series will remember fondly the late Lynn, part of the trio of friends. Meanwhile, we hear from Charles who left the programme at 21. And the series will also include a poignant and moving interview with the late Nick, the farmer’s son who fulfilled his dream to become a nuclear physicist.'

How many episodes?

There will be two 90-minute episodes, in addition to two 30-minute bonus episodes, which were announced in August 2026.

When will it air?

The release date for the series was confirmed by ITV on Instagram, writing: '70 Up lands on ITV1 and ITVX, Tuesday 15th September 🌱⌛'. It will air at 9pm on ITV.

What are the extra episodes?

In August, ITV announced two bonus episodes would air, these programmes will 'delve into the rich history of this one-of-a-kind series.'

7 Up: The Story

The synopsis for this programme reads: '7 Up: The Story explores how the series originally came to be. It looks into British society at the time and takes a walk down memory lane to see what were the pleasures, the pitfalls and the concerns of those living in 1964 Britain.'

70 Up: The Victorians

The synopsis for this programme reads: '70 Up: The Victorians showcases footage of a group of 70-year-olds born in the Victorian era, who were interviewed around the time the series started; a fitting companion to the series’ own conclusion at 70 years.'

According to ITV, the footage for 70 Up: The Victorians had been 'long forgotten', but was found while the archive team were working on the final instalment of the series. They have since re-edited it and re-mastered it for today's audience.

The programme sees the Victorians share their views, some of which: 'Are wise and some of them address the changes to come. But just how vastly do their lives, worries, hopes and dreams differ to those of their fellow septuagenarians today, Andrew, Jackie, Bruce et al?'

Who will direct the series?

Academy Award-winning film-maker Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna, Diego Maradona, Kenny Dalglish, 2073) will join the series as director, he said: "In 2014 I named the Up Series as my favourite documentary of all time.

"Who knew that two decades later I would have the incredible honour and privilege to be asked to direct 70 Up, the legendary documentary series. I love the show! I have watched it all my life, first as a child with my parents and siblings, growing up in East London and then as an adult. I was lucky to meet Michael Apted a few times.

"I first came in contact with Apted when he interviewed me after he saw SENNA and he liked the fact I directed drama and documentaries, like him. Directing 70 Up has been a dream project for me, the ultimate portrait of human life, working with my amazing editors Andrew Hulme and Patrick Saxer, we had the challenge of cutting hours of archive material shot over decades, while also looking at the nature of documentary filmmaking itself. I hope the audience feel my team and I have done the epic series justice with the closing chapter."

The late Michael Apted directed the series from 1970 until 2019, two years before he sadly passed away in 2021.

Written by: Anna Sky Magliola

Anna Sky Magliola is a Digital Content Editor at Rayo, creating content for brands including Hits Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, KISS, Cool FM and Magic Radio. She began her career at Bauer Media in 2007 and has spent almost two decades creating engaging digital content for millions of readers, specialising in music news, celebrity interviews and TV features. A passionate dance music fan, Anna Sky has travelled the world to experience some of the biggest festivals and is always looking for the next great music story.