1 review
In this show, we see some well known personalities like Sebastian Coe, William Roache and Richard Grant react to the characters in this ground-breaking telecast. It is truly heart warming to see how they interpret and relate to the observations and lives of the characters in the series of telecasts, filmed every seven years in the lives of the participants. There was laughter and tears and human interest as they listened to them and saw their progression through life. Sebastian Coe said he was able to compete successfully and go on to become an Olympic gold medalist and could understand how the young man who aspired to be a jockey would feel when his efforts fell short. There, but for the grace of God go I. There was happiness for the young man who never knew his father and had five children when he was still in his twenties and went on to become a grandfather to many more. There was sadness for another who was very spontaneous at seven but seemed to lose his moorings as he grew older, to the point of being homeless and living on the street. Yet, when he was well into middle age he was applauded by William Roche of Coronation Street when he became a councillor fighting for the downtrodden and later a minister. Richard Grant wiped tears from his eyes as one visited the grave of his mother, the type of sorrow we all face at some point. I think they reacted as many of us would react with joy, regret and great understanding for the ups and downs we all face in our own lives. There were fewer women than men in the series so they were not given the same amount of air time in the original and later shows. This failing became more apparent over a period of time. There were criticisms of the questions posed to the girls/women by the director Michael Apted, who recently died and may have addressed this criticism if he had lived longer. Nevertheless, he did leave a great legacy, whether the series continues or not. This series gives visual and verbal evidence of what happens to us over the course of our lives and as such, constituted a great series of documentaries on the human condition.