42 Up

I'm going to work in Woolworths.

- When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut.

- When I get married, I'd like to have two children.

My heart's desire is to see my Daddy.

I don't want to answer that.

- This is no ordinary outing at the zoo,

it's a very special occasion.

We've brought these children together

for the very first time.

They're like any other children except that they come

from startlingly different backgrounds.

Stop it at once.

- We've brought these children together

because we wanted a glimpse of England in the year 2000.

The shop steward and the executive of the year 2000

are now seven years old.

- In 1964, World in Action made Seven Up.

We have been back to film these children every seven years.

They are now 42.

Is it important to fight?

Yes.

- Tony was brought up in the East of London.

I wanna be a jockey when I grow up,

yeah, I wanna be a jockey when I grow up.

- At 14, he was already an apprentice

at Tommy Gosling's racing stables in Epsom.

At 15, he left school.

- This is a photo finish of when I rode at Newbury.

I'm the one with the white cap.

I was beaten a length and a half a third

and had a photo finish.

So, I took it out of the box and kept it as a souvenir.

It's only an eight.

- By 28, he'd given up on horse racing.

My greatest fulfilment in life,

when I rode at Kempton in the same race as Lester Piggott.

I was a naive wet-behind-the-ears apprentice.

All my years from seven, all my ambition

is fulfilled in one moment and I eventually finished last.

Tailed off obviously, but didn't make any difference to me.

Just to be part of it, be with the man himself.

What will you do

if you don't make it as a jockey?

- I don't know, if I knew I couldn't be one,

I'd get out the game.

Wouldn't bother.

- What do you think you would do then?

Learn taxis.

- At 21, he was on the Knowledge,

and by 28, he owned his own cab.

We were on the way to Langans,

and all I can hear is Alf Garnet, you know,

and it's the Labour Government and your lot up here.

Have you got a girlfriend?

No.

- Would you like to have a girlfriend?

No.

You understand the Four Fs,

find 'em, feed 'em, and forget 'em.

The other F, I'll let you use your own discrimination.

I mean, this one, I tried to do the three Fs,

but I couldn't forget her.

I went to a discotheque.

He was in the pub earlier on and that afterwards,

we went to a discotheque and Tony was down there,

and I just, from there I just, that was it.

I couldn't get rid of him.

- We have our ups and downs, no more than anyone else.

I think you got to work at a marriage.

I think all marriages go through stages,

you can't stand each other, you go through, you know,

I think, "Oh God, I hate him I wish he'd get out."

I do.

We've been to the edge of the cliff

and looked over a couple of times,

and we've always seemed to sort of go back,

and we've sort of stayed the course,

but I must say it's not easy being married.

Anyone who thinks it is, I mean, it's quite difficult.

- In 1993, Tony and Debbie left the East End

and moved to Woodford in Essex.

Well, with the help of my neighbour,

I'm not really a do-it-yourself type of guy.

He painted all the back of the house,

and we were gonna put a conservatory here.

If you look along here,

we've put a patio in and a pond for the fish.

- Well, when we bought it, it was very old.

This was two rooms and we've knocked it completely out.

Refitted a kitchen, put all new windows in,

new flooring, literally everything really.

Well, the fence we had a bit of luck there

'cause the next-door neighbour,

they paid for it and they'd done all this end.

So I'd done, come in my favour having a small bit done.

So, there's a blessing there, but the only thing I ever done

was I planted them three trees,

and they seem to have grown in the last three or four years.

- It has cost us a lot of money to do it, yeah,

a lot of money.

Now, we're skint.

Well, I think we overspent about,

oh, a colossal amount, thousands.

My overheads to keep everything going here

is at this present time astronomical.

Are you gonna get out

of this financial hole?

- Yes, without question because that is this is a millstone

around my neck at this time,

but it's nothing what two years won't achieve

through hard work and determination.

- To help out, Debbie works the day shift

in the cab, while Tony does the night shift.

Son, it's hard work out there.

You're not reaching me yet.

- Not getting to you. - No, you're not

getting to me, all right?

Now, be bigger, dominate me, all right?

- Son! - At 28,

Tony was taking acting lessons.

Now, he supplements his income with TV jobs.

Oi!

That's all I've got on me.

- Mate, if I had a pound for every time I've heard that,

I'd be a rich man.

Got the fare, haven't you?

Yeah, just about.

- Would everybody please sit round now

and get on with their work.

I don't want to see any backs to me.

Shouldn't be anybody turning around.

Tony, do you hear as well?

Get on with your work in front.

Tony.

Don't turn around again.

There's only one ambition really.

I want a baby son and if I see my baby son,

then I'll see my ambition fulfilled.

No one knows that, only you now.

This is Hackney Marshes and the games are being played.

Mostly these are pub sides,

and I've been playing over here for near 28, 30 years.

So, you're a veteran.

You might call me that, yeah.

Who do you play with?

- My Nicky and I think it's quite admirable

that his dad's in the same side as his son.

- Tony and Debbie have three children.

The eldest, Nicky works as a French polisher.

- I wanted him to go on the Knowledge

and become a cabbie.

I bought him a bike.

But I'm quite proud of the way he's turned out.

I mean, he's a very respectable kid.

Very respectful towards people and most of all,

he's done it all on his own terms.

- Perry, she's just started secondary school.

She's a character, but she's quite academic minded,

and hopefully, you know, she'll stay on.

Hey Ref, come, yeah!

- Come on, let's get on with it now!

Another one.

We got another 16 minutes left.

Let's go!

- There you go, straight there, to your left.

Jodi don't like school.

She's just coming up to now

that she'll be leaving school shortly.

I do feel that she's wasted a lot of years

in her secondary school.

I'm not saying that it's the school's fault.

- Well, come on. - Probably a lot of it

is her own fault, but you know, and we have tried with her,

and we have tried to push her into it.

She's just, I think she's a bit how Tony was.

She's just not interested in school,

which I feel she'll regret later on.

Lovely.

I mean, I try to discipline them in various areas,

but at the end of the day, it is quite hard and difficult.

I like to stand up and suggest, you know,

lead with an iron fist,

but I haven't got the heart to do it,

and that's the truth in the matter.

I have to do it.

And then if anything goes wrong, it's my fault.

A bird said to me the other day,

she said, "Ain't you small?"

So, I said, "But you're ugly, at least I can grow."

And then I said, what can they say to that,

they can't say nothing, can they?

- And why did you fall in love with him?

Don't know.

- I don't know how you've put up with me for so long.

I don't know.

Sometimes, I don't know how I stand him.

I've been in positions, you know,

oh, it's hard to say in front of Debbie, but it's true.

It's tempting.

You take the bait.