63 Up

In 1964,

Granada Television brought together a group of seven-year-olds.

When I grow up I want to be an astronaut.

We have followed their lives every seven years.

I don't wanna keep still,

'cause life, you know, don't wait for nobody.

They talked about their dreams...

If I could have two girls and two boys...

their ambitions...

I'd quite like to go into politics.

And their fears for the future.

Life is what happens while you're waiting for something else.

I don't think life is there to be regretted.

You've got to make the most of it while you've got it.

That's how you become the person you are.

It's a picture of how any person, how they change.

Give me a child until he is seven,

and I will give you the man.

We first met Paul

at a children's home in West London...

along with Symon.

Before I'm old enough to get a job,

I'll just walk around and see what I can find.

They say, "Where's your father, then?"

"You know, when your mum's out at work instead of your father?"

And I just tell them, "I ain't got one."

When Paul left the children's home, he moved to Australia.

Were you happy at the children's home in England?

We didn't mind that, really,

'cause we didn't know what was going on

'cause we were a bit young then.

When I was born, you know, an illegitimate child,

you know, that's something that's only whispered about.

People, you know, felt strongly about it in those days,

but nowadays it's...

it's not a serious matter.

The serious point is whether you stay with somebody

or you leave them.

My father got remarried.

Um...

And how do you get on with your step mum?

Pretty well, but, like I said before,

I mean, I'm just not close.

I'm not really close to my father either.

I was going to be a policeman,

but I thought how hard it would be to join in.

I was going to be a Phys Ed teacher, but one of the teachers told me

that you had to get up into university.

As a young man, Paul spent many years in the building trade,

and then moved on into factory work.

Was going to be a film star but...

now I'm going to be an electrical engineer,

which is more to reality, really.

By 21, Symon was working in the freezer room

of Wall's sausages in London.

I know I can't stay at Wall's forever.

I mean, it's just not me.

I couldn't stay there for that long,

my mind would go dead.

Do you never feel you should be doing better jobs than these?

Aren't you worth more than this?

No, I haven't really.

I suppose I just like hard work, I don't know.

Not really interested in moving up the scale.

Why?

I don't need the hassle of being in charge,

manager or whatever.

Tell me, do you have any girlfriends?

Well, not many.

What do you think about girls?

Not much.

Erm, since 21...

I've got married,

had a couple of kids and, um...

By 28, he had married Yvonne, and they had five children.

What would you like to give your children that you never had?

They've got everything that...

They've even got what I never had.

So...

Which is what? A father, innit.

By 35, they were divorced.

All I want out of life is to be happy,

and when I say happy, I want to be happily married as well.

What was it that you fell in love with?

What is it about him?

His helplessness, I suppose. (SCOFFS)

It was the motherly instinct in me to pick him up and cuddle him.

And he's also very good-looking, I think,

but he doesn't agree with me.

In the summer, he's got this cute little bum in shorts.

In their twenties, Paul and Sue sold up,

bought an old van, and travelled across Australia.

I think it brought us closer together because, you know,

we really got to know each other and relied on each other so much.

I'd never been so relaxed in my life.

I felt a lot more confident in myself.

By the time they were 28, Paul and Sue had two children -

Katie and Robert.

Katie did well at school and went on to university,

the first person in her entire family ever to do so.

Robert trained as a car mechanic.

He met Stacey when they were teenagers,

and they now have five children.

By the time he was 42, Symon had married Viennetta.

We used to go out when we were younger.

We met in the laundrette. (LAUGHS) Once a week.

Once a week in the laundrette.

Viennetta already had a daughter, Miriam,

and she and Symon had a son, Daniel.

Obviously, when children come into foster care,

family and friends are involved as well,

and we have to ensure that the children...

By 49, Symon and Viennetta had decided to train as foster-parents.

Went to boarding school when I was young,

and I always felt that that was regimental.

They didn't allow for personal care, for loving from the adult carers,

so I wanted to do something like that for myself,

you know, in my own home.

You know why Uncle Symon looks younger?

'Cause he's so laid-back.

When we first started fostering, we didn't even realise

that you actually got a payment for doing it.

We just did it because we wanted to help.

About four years ago, we were told that we'd looked after 130-odd kids.

When you're ready, you might as well...

It's a very hard thing,

but it's also magnificently easy when it goes well.

I've still got five children.

They haven't really taken the break-up

of my first marriage too well.

I've got, still, to get to grips with that

and get to them and make them understand

that Daddy is still Daddy.

Last year, Symon invited his entire family

to celebrate Viennetta's birthday.

They're all together now.

They've come round, and they've seen

that Dad is still Dad, whatever's happened.

Time is the healer, isn't it?

You rush and push and pull.

You might be able to do that with a parcel,

but you can't do that with a person.

It made me feel 110%.

Everybody together and everybody here for me.

It was... It was nice.

Yeah, it was beautiful. It was nice.

So what's happened in the last seven years since we were here?

Grandchildren, lots of them.

So how many have you got now?

Got 10 now.

It's lovely. It just tires me out.

I haven't got the energy...

all the time.

Run! Run!

What's happened in the family in the last seven years?

So, another grandchild - Brody.

So there's six.

Talk nicely to him. Hey, Benny. Benny!

Katie's a school teacher.

She has a man in her life now.

A very nice chap, which we're pleased about.

Hopefully more grandchildren. (THEY LAUGH)

No pressure.

Look, they do look very happy in all that mud, don't they, Shane?

The fact we've been married for 40 years

is just really a fluke, really.

You know, we might...

No, but what I mean is we've tried hard,

and that's part of the success,

but you don't know when you're gonna get married

that it's gonna succeed and...

Absolutely... And go for 40 years.

You have no idea.

And you can see Windsor Castle from their house.

We don't actually see each other...

Over the years, Paul and Sue have met up with Symon and Viennetta

when visiting family in England.

Come on, let me get you organised.

But now, for the first time,

Symon and Viennetta have come to Australia.

Hello!

We got on really well when we visited them in England.

I think Symon and Paul are very similar.

Symon's very creative, sort of,

artistic, a beautiful person to be around,

and Viennetta, her and I are just two peas out of the same pod.

I just think it's a wonderful thing to be able to invite them,

and they be able to come out here,

'cause it's not like it's just across the road,

it's a big trip.

And they're going to share Christmas with us and our family.

Would your life have been totally different

if you'd had the chance that Paul had - to come to Australia?

For me, then, it probably would've been better.

To actually try and figure it out now -

would it have been better?

I wouldn't want to say

because your life is as it is, and not as it could be.

Yeah.

I don't like the big boys hitting us,