The long-running documentary series 7 Up, which has followed a group of British children since 1964 by revisiting them every seven years, is coming to an end this month with its final instalment, 70 Up. Writer Robert Hardman argues the series has become an unintentional social record of post-war Britain, showing a generation now in their seventies who, despite vastly different backgrounds and circumstances, consistently valued hard work and self-reliance over dependency, standing in contrast to what he characterises as a more entitled and complaining modern society.

The series has tracked 14 children from diverse backgrounds, including Andrew, who fulfilled his own forecast of public school, Oxbridge and a City law career, and Suzy, who transformed from a shy ballerina into a rebellious teenager and later a settled mother. Two of the original participants and former director Michael Apted have since died, while others chose to leave the project over time due to its intrusive nature. Hardman draws a comparison with Channel 4's Benefits Street, made 50 years after 7 Up began, suggesting the two series offer contrasting portraits of attitudes towards welfare and self-sufficiency in Britain.