49 Up - Missing character & Fave character

[Mojomummy]

There were 14 children when this started & my friend & I can only remember 13 - who's missing ?

Friend thinks Neil had a pal with blonde hair, but we can't remember anything about him...any clues ?

And...who's your fave & why ?

They did mention last night that one of the boys (one of the 'posh' three ) had dropped out at 21. No explanation given.

I like the one who was homeless. Lovely man - I'm so glad his life seems easier now.

did the guy who lived in the scottish highlands appear? you know the loner who was doing OU course?

he was my favourite

that must be the one moo

That's him, fio - he's in Cumbria now, a Lib Dem councillor. He's never married but he seems much more settled now. It was so sad contrasting the little boy he was to how he was when he was a down and out. He was such a bright, smiley little boy, very handsome too. He seems to be back on track now - I got the impression he'll always be a bit of an eccentric, but he seems to have people around him now who care for him.

oh good i am glad he is ok he is the only onei ever remember as I liked him sooo much

I love Neil too - how lovely to see him settled and part of a community. Wept buckets at this programme last night. I liked the librarian too (my dp only watched this bit and left the room with tears rolling down his cheeks - he couldn't watch any more).

I love watching it but I do feel sorry for all those who take part - it can't be easy to have to assess your life so publicly every 7 years and have the world looking at what a success or a mess you are making of it.

Neil did have a friend - there were defo 2 little Scouse boys.

I missed it again - forgot to ask DH to tape it. I always liked Paul a lot (cabbage one in care home )

One of the ones who had dropped out has dropped back in again, pph mentioned on the thread last week that she knows somebody who was one of them and thought he was the drop-out-in one (said he is v dull!)

Janh, yes that's the one who is missing.

here's our list & descriptions

Brue - missionary/hearts desire..
Susie - posh girl

John, Andrew, Charles - sat on the sofa & posh ( charles dropped out)

Susan, Lyn & Jackie - working class girls

Neil - liverpool - loner/wanderer/lib dem

Nick - yorkshire dales then went to USA to do research

2 x orphan boys - 1 white, 1 coloured, one went to Oz, the other had 7 children

Tony - "wanna be a jockey" - was a jockey, then a cab driver, east end boy with a house in the sun.

So who is the missing character ?!

The other Scouser is called Peter and he dropped out of the progamme at 35. I know this as I have a book about them all written when 35 up came out. Some of the others dropped out at 28 but must have decdied to re-enter it later, eg the black man who went to the same school as Paul and was shown yesterday. He didn't feature in 35 up.

You probably won't remember him (I only know of him because of the beeok) but at 7 he was quoted as saying "..if I can't be an astronaut, I think I'll be a sergeant in the police force like my dad is". he was friends will Neil when they were kids.

Glad to see Neil doing so well - I'd forgotten about Andrew (one of the posh ones), he used to be a partner at the law firm I worked at (very nice bloke!).

thanks for the info. I can't remember him at all, but my pal has a vague recollection.

Looks like I'll have to check out the book !

Also wondering if there is a story on why Andrew left his position as partner in the law firm, to join the chemical company...? what prompted that ?

(yes we are working very hard )

My personal favourite is Bruce because he is so gentle and giving, also he was the most mature at 14 I think: not sulky and stroppy, but just a nice boy. Glad he has finally found himself someone and has children. I like Neil as well, but I fear he is wasting his life and he knows it.

andrew is the one I used to work with, who refused to do one of them (35? 42? 42 I think) but who apparently is back in it now. I missed this AGAIN, will it be repeated? Again?

bloody hell jodee we must have worked at the same place! and I'm amazed you thought he was a nice bloke, he was universally considered to be a complete waste of space, lazy dull and boring.... they got rid of him in the end. About 6 years later than they should have done...!!!

ooh, pph, do you/did you work at L........s then?

decade of my life jodee

I served 13 years, pph! I was support staff in a different dept to Andrew, guess the lawyers had a whole different take on him!

ooooooh, I could give you the lawyerly view but he would probably cry libel. although of course it would all be completely defensible on the grounds of truth! put it this way, once he hit the top of the lockstep he was very good giving the impression of never doing a stroke of work again....

Am sure posh Charles went on to be a tv producer. Something in the media anyway.

I think Charles was executive producer for "Touching the Void".

I wondered if Charles was a TV director responsible for lots of good stuff. I can only think of one Charles who fits the profile and I heard he had a big fall-out with Michael Apted on professional matters.
As a fellow-librarian, I was swamped with respect for the excellent, low-paid, important children's library work that has been such a big part of Lynn's life. I am pretty that her library will be redeveloped as one of those twonky "Knowledge Factories" or whatever, chucking all her expertise out on the scrap-heap
How could anyone not love Neil and rejoice in the equilibrium he has managed to find in part in Cumbria. But even the obnoxious ones are sports to stick with the project over the years, hats off to them all.

I got bored

and watched A Very English Village on BBC4 which is totally gripping

Nauseous and philistinic then and wasn't Spooks on too

lol

no really it is a fantastic doc series