"Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man" is the biblical phrase under which director Michael Apted constructed a TV series in 1964. But this was no ordinary show. Hugely ambitious, Apted decided to interview a diverse range of seven-year-old children from all over England. Then, every seven years, he would meet up with his subjects again and discover how their lives had progressed. This release offers the original show, alongside every installment up to the age of 49. The development of the kids from infants to teenagers to adults is astonishing. Neil seems like a loveable kid from Liverpool with a bright future. He ends up homeless. Tony seems like a cheeky young boy with working class roots. He ends up as a cab driver. Some fit into their expected roles within society, some go in completely the opposite direction. It all adds up to a fascinating sociological experiment from director Apted, and it's a testament to his abilities that his subjects willingly return to him for each installment of the show. For viewers hooked on reality television, this is the original--and some would say best--example of the genre.

Michael Apted: British Director/Producer