42 Up

Symon and his youngest

42 Up
BBC One*
21 July 1998
Documentary
DVD
B

This is the most solid entry since 21, although with only eleven of the fourteen participants.**  Those eleven have gone through good and bad times, including more marriages, divorces, and children-- the next generation now four to 20-- and it seemed like there were more "twists" than before.  Not only does Bruce marry a woman who considers him the nicest person she ever met, but Bruce is a true friend to Neil, who changes his life around enough to become a councilman.  Of the long-standing marriages, Tony's wife forgives his frequent infidelity, while Paul's wife is clearly his rock, as is Symon's (yes, he's back) second wife.  Some people have health issues, like Jackie, who's now raising three little boys on her own (with financial help from her second ex-mother-in-law).  The career changes, Neil's aside are less dramatic.  There's a sequence towards the end where the participants reflect on how the series has changed their lives, but no definitive answer. 


*This is the only entry that aired on BBC One instead of ITV.

**I didn't even notice Peter dropped out after 28, but his life (at least as presented in these documentaries) was always one of the less interesting ones.  John is gone again, and Charles probably will never return.