Viewers of the last ever episode of 7 Up have been left ‘in bits’ as the show’s favourites reflected on how their lives have changed for the final time. 

The grand finale, 70 Up, aired tonight – 62 years after the first documentary appeared on our television screens in 1964. 

And fans were barely two minutes into the programme before the tears were flowing, with viewers taking to social media to admit they were ‘already crying’. 

Audiences were also devastated to see Yorkshire lad Nick Hitchon appear on the documentary just three days before he died of throat cancer in July 2023. 

One person posted: ‘I was in tears even from the opening titles. Such a touching and interesting series.’ 

’70 Up has been on two minutes and already crying seeing the past clips knowing it is the last one,’ another added. A third said: ‘I’m filling up already.’ 

Viewers swooned over Liverpudlian Neil Hughes, who has perhaps led the most chaotic life of the original 14 participants, who began sharing their lives on the series aged just seven. 

Neil was homeless for 28 Up, in a council house by 35 Up, and had a brief marriage that had ended by 63 Up. He thinks he’s probably always suffered from depression.

Liverpudlian Neil has led the most chaotic life. He was homeless for 28 Up, in a council house by 35 Up, had a brief marriage that had ended by 63 Up, and now lives in France

But for 70 Up, Neil revealed that he now lives in France, in the same house that he came to for many years on holiday.

He said while he may appear to be a hoarder, everything in the property ‘has a purpose’.

Neil also revealed that he is planning on retiring but is questioning where the money will come from. 

‘Neil, he must be protected,’ one person posted on X. ‘Neil is such an intelligent man who just lost his way. Very sad,’ another added. 

A third said: ‘Neil has always seemed like a questing, restless person. And far from not having done much, he has done more than most other people do in a lifetime. 

‘In a strange way, it looks to me as something of a triumph of will.’

The series 7 Up was helmed by director Michael Apted from 1970 until his death in 2021. For the finale, Academy Award-winning director Asif Kapadia stepped in. 

There have been a total of ten films which explore how the participants’ lives have changed in the intervening time periods. 

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Most of the stars have appeared every seven years, but some have missed episodes, dropped out or been unhappy with their portrayal.

Public schoolboy and lawyer John Brisby said in 70 Up he felt he’d been ‘set up to represent an outmoded class system that had no validity in the modern world’. 

Meanwhile, East End girl Jackie Bassett also appeared. 

She said she was initially picked because ‘I wouldn’t stop talking. In our house, if you didn’t speak up you didn’t get heard. I don’t think I’ve changed.’

Jackie married at 19, divorced, remarried, moved to Scotland, had three kids, divorced again and was a single mother. Her fellow East Ender Lynn died in 2013. 

Sue, also from the East End, married at 24 but was divorced by the age of 35. She has now remarried. 

In 70 Up, she revealed she has now retired after holding a series of office jobs. 

She said, however, she needs to find herself a ‘new direction’ as she sometimes doesn’t know what to do with herself.  

Public schoolboy Bruce, who wanted to be a missionary, also appeared on tonight’s show, as well as Symon, who has fostered more than 120 children and has 12 grandchildren.

Viewers also heard from Charles, a former participant who stopped appearing in the films after the age of 21. 

In the final show the children are 70. Pictured in 1964: Jackie Bassett, Lynn Johnson, Suzanne Lusk

Jackie married at 19, divorced, remarried, moved to Scotland, had three kids, divorced again and was a single mother (Jackie centre pictured with her family) 

Lawyer Andrew, the prep school pupil who read The Financial Times, returned together with Suzy – once a young ballerina who hated her private school. 

ITV factual controller Jo Clinton-Davis previously said the series was a ‘truly distinctive landmark piece of filmmaking that has become part of our cultural fabric’.

She said: ‘In the evolving stories of our cast we see the universal themes of life play out… Ultimately, this is a tribute to the courage of all the cast who continue to share their lives with us so we can see our lives in them.’

Fenland District Council has approved hundreds of new homes off a lane in March – but residents fear infrastructure will not be able to cope

Fenland residents are worried about plans for hundreds of new homes in an area already prone to sewage backflows. Anglian Water said last year they would look into problems with the sewage system on Barkers Lane in March – an issue residents say has been a problem for at least 20 years.

Hazel Harwin, who has lived on the lane for 30 years, said: “We’ve had years where our gardens have been filled with sewage all the way to the bottom. It flows down the garden – I had to take my dog to the vet because it licked its paws. They never listen, it’s been going on for years. It’s actual sewage running down the road.”

The 62-year-old said the sewage spills out of a manhole cover every time there is heavy rain, leaving the area covered in toilet paper.

Zoe Wakelen said the sewage has even flooded the area before and called it “absolutely disgusting”. The 42-year-old said: “We have terrible sewage problems – backflow sewage can come up toilets, sinks and gardens. Down the lane there’s a massive drain and that overflows.”

With hundreds of new homes planned off the lane, residents fear the infrastructure won’t be able to cope, though the developers have said they will not be connected to the same “constrained” sewage network. These include plans for 130 and 425 homes to the south of the lane which have been approved in recent years.

Concerns have been raised around the impact of this on traffic and the safety of school children leaving nearby Neale-Wade Academy.

Ms Wakelen said: “That road is absolutely gridlocked and children dart across the road. I’ve actually seen a girl get knocked over in the road – thank God she was ok. They’re kids, they see a gap and they just go.

“The roads can’t take it – driving through March at peak time takes 30 minutes to get from one end to the other. If there’s an accident on the bypass it can take hours to get through March.”

Nikki and Stuart Gray, both 49, said they’re lucky enough to not be affected by the sewage problems, but also expressed concern over traffic.

Stuart said: “Traffic is a concern especially if they’re using Barkers Lane – it’s a bit of a nightmare trying to pull out of there anyway.”

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Nikki said: “When the school is open the parents park on every side of the lane, you can be sat there for quite a while as it’s a staggered junction.”

A spokesperson for Fenland District Council said they need to make “difficult decisions” when weighing planning applications to meet housebuilding targets.

They said: “All planning applications go through a rigorous process of evaluation before a decision is made taking into account planning policy and guidance. This involves consultation with relevant bodies and the public. Where permission is granted, especially in relation to large scale developments, planning conditions are imposed, or legal agreements signed, to manage details such as how developers will meet infrastructure needs.

“For large housing schemes, it’s usual for this to include a requirement for submission of acceptable management plans for aspects including traffic, surface and foul drainage and other matters.”

Anglian Water has been approached for comment.

Plans to put no waiting at any time restrictions in North Lane, Haxby, have been drawn up by City of York Council.

A council report on the plans stated they aimed to stop parked cars from blocking the road.

But 23 objections were lodged against the plans claiming it would cause problems for visitors to St Mary’s Church and move parking issues to other parts of the street.

Council officials have recommended taking no further action and studying issues along the full length of North Lane in more detail.

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It comes as the plans are set to go before a council transport meeting for a decision on Tuesday, September 22.

The proposals would see double yellow lines put on the eastbound side of North Lane, between a cut through leading to Acadia Grove and just after one going to Hawthorn Avenue.

A report on the plans stated they were first advertised in November 2025 and consulted on in July this year.

Four comments were lodged in support of the plans along with the 23 against them.

Haxby Sports Bar stated they supported the plans to tackle issues caused by cars parking in the street which affect its deliveries.

The proposed double yellow lines in North Lane, Haxby (Image: City of York Council)

The business stated: “At present, there are cars parked along both sides of the road from The Village and it narrows past Church Lane to our premises and thereafter becomes one way, heading from the opposite direction.

“We have had issues with delivery trucks being unable to get into and out of our car park, some reversing a considerable distance along a perilously narrow road, with parked vehicles everywhere.”

But one objector claimed the plans would cause problems for elderly and disabled people visiting St Mary’s Church.

They stated: “The proposed restrictions will make it much more difficult for many who access church services and events run in the hall by the church and other voluntary groups.

“The consequences of the restrictions will be made worse by residents vehicles displaced from the restricted area which might be expected to park starting at the end of the restriction.”

Breaking into the Arsenal first team will be a tough task for Dowman especially when the Premier League champions are in such fine form.

Arsenal have won all seven games this season, across four competitions.

Dowman was an unused substitute in four of those games, and not involved for the other two, before playing all 90 minutes against Ipswich Town.

The Gunners have played the same attackers in each league game so far – Bukayo Saka, Christos Tzolis, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.

But Dowman, especially considering Arteta turned to him in key moments in last season’s title race, will hope to gain more of a supporting role.

“He’s an unbelievable talent,” team-mate Mikel Merino told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He will be a star in the future if he keeps his eyes and ears open and keeps learning.

“He’s just 16 so he needs a lot of coaching, especially tactically. But I can’t take anything away from him. He’s always keen to learn. We’ll keep helping him.”

Quite possibly the best 16-year-old in the world, it is not unthinkable that he could earn his way into England’s Euro 2028 thinking.

In fact there was even a debate about whether he should be going to the World Cup earlier this year.

“He is a real superstar,” said former England defender Conor Coady on Sky Sports.

“A 16-year-old boy should not be doing this. He has got no better manager than Arteta to look after him. You want him to be looked after properly. If he plays every game at this age, he won’t be scoring goals like this.”

And it comes on the day it emerged highly rated 15-year-old striker JJ Gabriel is on the verge of leaving Manchester United.

Gabriel had been expected to make his debut in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie with Brighton.

That will probably deny him the opportunity to break up the stat that the three youngest players to score in the League Cup for a Premier League side all did so for Arsenal.

They are Cesc Fabregas (16y 212d v Wolves, 2003), Dowman (16y 258d v Ipswich) and Jack Wilshere (16y 266d v Sheffield United, 2008).

Noah, aged three, was last seen at 3pm on Tuesday, Suffolk Police said, when he became separated from a relative after visiting the playground in Merriam Close in Brantham, near Manningtree

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A massive search operation has been launched for a young boy named Noah, with police urging local residents to check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings. The non-verbal autistic youngster went missing after a trip to a playground, with Suffolk Police confirming he was last spotted at 3pm on Tuesday, when he became separated from a relative at the playground in Merriam Close in Brantham, near Manningtree.

The force confirmed the three-year-old is autistic, non-verbal and has partial hearing loss.

A Coastguard helicopter was observed circling the village, which sits close to the estuary of the River Stour.

Officers said Noah is believed to have bolted down an alleyway beside the playground towards a nearby new-build housing estate. The three year old is white with curly ginger hair and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt featuring TV character Bluey, shorts and white trainers.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesperson said: “Emergency services are currently in Brantham conducting searches. Residents in the area are asked to check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings.”

The BBC reported that more than 100 people had joined the search effort on Tuesday evening, reports Essex Live.

An HM Coastguard spokesperson said: “We are assisting Suffolk Constabulary with an incident at Brantham by sending an HM Coastguard helicopter and Coastguard Rescue Teams from Felixstowe and Holbrook.”

Anyone who believes they may have seen Noah is urged to get in touch with Suffolk Police, quoting CAD 203 of September 15.

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Mikel Arteta admitted it was ‘not easy’ to keep a lid on the ‘inevitable’ hype surrounding Max Dowman after the teenager helped inspire Arsenal to victory over Ipswich in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The Arsenal boss decided to hand both Dowman, 16, and Marli Salmon, 17, their first starts of the season at Portman Road, with the visitors making nine changes to the team that defeated Sunderland.

Entering the tie as the overwhelming favourites to reach the fourth round, the Gunners dominated proceedings from minute one and it was Dowman who opened the scoring with a piece of solo brilliance early on.

Picking up possession from Eberechi Eze, the youngster drove forwards with purpose and danced past Cedric Kipre before beating Christian Walton with an effortless finish to cue rapturous celebrations amongst Arsenal’s travelling support.

Noni Madueke doubled the visitors’ advantage with a superb strike of his own in the 16th minute before Dowman took centre-stage again at the start of the second half to increase the advantage.

Mikel Merino made it four on the hour-mark and while Ipswich reduced the defict through Anis Mehmeti and ex-Arsenal man Chuba Akpom, Mikel Arteta’s men held on to secure their progression in the competition.

The English champions will discover their fourth-round opponents following Manchester United’s clash with Brighton on Wednesday.

‘It’s a joy to have him, Marli [Salmon] as well,’ Arteta said when asked about Dowman’s latest masterclass at his post-match press conference.

‘Being 16 years old and playing with the physicality that they have to be able to handle that level… it’s remarkable.

‘It’s inevitable that we’re talking about Max when he scores and creates the moments that he has created tonight. It’s normal.’

Asked how he planned to contain the hype surrounding Dowman, Arteta replied: ‘Depending on what he does on the pitch, it’s not easy.

‘I understand but what we have to do is look after him.

‘He’s 16 years old, you don’t see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that’s a totally different context.

‘But in this league, with the demands that the league, the players and everything puts on you, we really need to make sure that every time we throw him in it’s in the right context with the right preparation.

‘And that’s what we are trying to do. We want to make sure that he’s ready to handle it when we throw him in at every level.’

While acknowledging Dowman’s tender years, Arteta said that he would be treating the England Under-19 international like any other member of his first-team squad.

However, the Spaniard was keen to stress that the youngster’s workload would have to be carefully ‘managed’ in order for him to keep producing on a consistent basis.

‘It’s not just that he can run past somebody, there are a lot more things where we have to look after him,’ Arteta went on.

‘He will dictate that in terms of how he behaves in every single day and how many reasons he gives us to play him because he’s part of our squad like anybody else.

‘The only thing we need to manage is to constantly be aware that he needs to be prepared to do what he needs to do.

Arsenal switch their attentions back to Premier League matters with a trip to the south coast to do battle with Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton this weekend.

The north Londoners boast a 100 per cent record at this embryonic stage of the season, winning seven from seven in all competitions.

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I have some bad news for you: the days are about to get shorter. Already, sunset is creeping forward every day, and the evenings are getting longer.

Although there might not be anything we can do about it being dark outside when we leave work, or the fact you’ll have to spend more money on your leccy bill, there is one thing we can help with: seriously stylish lamps.

They say you should have three sources of light in every room, but if you ask us, when it gets to cosy season you can ditch the big light and rely on one good, warm lamp. And ideally a fireplace, if you have one.

If you’re looking for ambient lighting that will give your home a warm glow all winter long, we’ve found some floor, table, ceiling, and wall lamps that will do just that.

We’ve thrown some rechargeable options in there, too, and tried to keep the energy rating A-okay (or as close to the beginning of the alphabet as possible).

By GETHIN HICKS, REPORTER

Published: 19:11 BST, 15 September 2026 | Updated: 22:56 BST, 15 September 2026

It follows claims the health board failed to ensure the safety of a mental health patient found dead in her hospital room

The biggest health Board in Wales is facing legal action following the death of a mental health inpatient. The Health and Safety Executive is prosecuting the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – the health board that covers the whole of north Wales.

It follows an investigation into the death of 67-year-old Susan Elaine Logan, who was a patient in the Ablett Unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital in December, 2024.

In an inquest opening it was heard that Mrs Logan, of Maes Ffyddion, Rhuddlan, was found dead in her room on December 23 after she had hanged herself with a dressing-gown cord.

The charge against the Board is that it failed to ensure her safety. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here

The case is listed for hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on November 16.

A spokesman for BCUHB said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matters until the conclusion of the case.

This case is not the first of its kind for the health board. In December, 2023, the Betsi Cadwaladr Board was fined £200,000 at Llandudno Magistrates Court for failing to ensure the safety of Dawn Owen, 47.

The court heard staff had failed to remove ligature points at the Hergest unit of Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

In May, 2024, the assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, Kate Robertson, found that neglect contributed to the death of 37-year-old Benjamin Harrison, from Denbigh. He was found hanged on the Ablett mental health unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital, the inquest heard.

Ed Sheeran has been dealt a major blow after four of his support acts across his Loop Tour have withdrawn from the line-up, standing in solidarity with Macklemore

Ed Sheeran’s tour has been plunged into chaos. Four of his support acts, including his touring band across the North and South American leg of his Loop tour, have pulled out in solidarity with Macklemore.

The rapper was dropped by the tour promoters after saying “Free Palestine” on stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. During the performance, the musician, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they haven’t been forgotten.

He said the only reason he said yes to the tour was to speak on a huge platform; the singer said this was at odds with Ed’s ‘apolitical stance.’ A petition was launched demanding he be removed from the remaining dates of the tour.

Ed has since spoken out, saying the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour was made by the promoter. He added that he was “not complicit” in the decision.

Now, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, Lukas Graham, and Finneas have all issued statements, confirming they have withdrawn from the tour. Rowe and Lukas Graham would have been replacements for Macklemore on Sheeran’s remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga was serving as Sheeran’s touring band. Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year.

“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas said on Instagram. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”

Rowe and Beoga each cited their country’s history in their statements explaining their decision. “We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be,” Beoga said.

Rowe called Sheeran a friend and said the British singer-songwriter changed his life, but said he couldn’t stand with people who are being silent over the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, Lukas Graham praised Ed, saying the band were “grateful” for what they have shared over the years. In a statement shared on their official Instagram account, the band said: “It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love.”

They went on to add that children “deserve to grow up,” regardless of wherever they live. The band went on to reference Macklemore being dropped, adding: “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.

“I love Ed, and I’m grateful for everything we’ve shared. That hasn’t changed. But I can’t put these words out into the world and carry on with this tour as things stand. We’re withdrawing from the remaining dates. I’m sorry we won’t be there. This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by.”

In a statement, Ed said: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.” He went on to write: “I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

The Mirror has approached Messina Touring Group and Ed Sheeran’s spokesperson for comment.

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