70 Up Finale Features Nick Hitchon's Last Interview Filmed Days Before His Death The ITV series 70 Up ended with a 'truly extraordinary' finale on Tuesday, featuring Nick Hitchon's final interview recorded just three days before he died in 2023. The long-running ITV series 70 Up concluded with a 'truly extraordinary' finale on Tuesday night, as viewers finally saw Nick Hitchon's last interview, filmed just three days before his death. The programme, which began as Seven Up! in 1964, caught up with the participants at age 70, leaving many viewers in tears. The series was originally meant to end with 63 Up in 2019 following the death of director Michael Apted, but participant Nick Hitchon's devastating cancer diagnosis prompted filmmakers to return, this time with Academy Award-winning director Asif Kapadia at the helm. Nick Hitchon's Final InterviewIn 2023, Hitchon sent producer Claire Lewis an 'almost coded email' telling her he intended to be there for the 70 Up series. Lewis said that reading between the lines of his emails, she realised how extraordinarily ill he was. Although the final series had not yet been commissioned, Lewis persuaded ITV to fly her and a camera crew to visit 65-year-old Hitchon in 2023, where he recorded a final interview. Hitchon died three days after filming.Nick's final interview was played in full in the second part of the 70 Up swan song, and also featured clips showing him reflecting on his health in the previous episode, 63 Up. Following his cancer diagnosis, Nick requested to record an interview for the ITV documentary series' final episode, having appeared in the first programme, Seven Up!, back in 1964. At the time, he said: I lost 60 pounds in the last year, I am seriously ill. I have a cancer in my throat, and I do not know what the prognosis is, I do not know what is going to happen. So I am not really focused on the long-term future, I am focused on the fairly short-term future. I am just keeping going and not asking too many questions about the long-term.In 70 Up, Nick then shared: I had a stroke last Autumn, and apparently they asked Cryss numerous times if they should just let me die. I had no idea that I was going to be this ill, and I had no idea I was going to keep living. But yes, it is a surprise to my doctors that I am still around. Curious really, it is like, one of them was saying, It does happen that people in your condition survive, but made it clear that he did not expect it.Reflections on Life and LegacyNick admitted he was exhausted after enduring months of hospital visits, and said he felt awful that his family members had to pick up all the slack. He added that though he does not think about the illness he faced, he was scared of going to his scans for fear of what the medics may discover.Reflecting on his life, Nick then added: I have had this life-long process of jumping in with both feet into things that were intimidating and that I could easily have said, I cannot do this, in the Dales you just push through and push through and push through. For various reasons, I have just kept pushing through and trying to do things. The film has helped with that.He added: To me, this is tremendously important. In my life, there has always been another episode of this coming up. It is kind of exciting. So I will miss it, when pack up and leave, and I am fairly sure we are not going to do this again, I think I will feel there is a hole in things that I have not experienced since I was six. It has been with me since I was six.On-screen text then shared with viewers that Nick sadly passed away in 2023, just three days after his interview was recorded. Viewers took to X to pay tribute to him, while noting that the final episode was a fitting end to the long-running series. They said: A truly extraordinary series never to be repeated; I have long said it is the greatest show in the history of TV. I wonder if that should extend to all television; A completely one-off incredible series where we got a glimpse into their lives for 63 years. Rest in peace Lynn, Michael and Nick; Wishing the rest of them all the best for the future. Seeing Nick is a very hard and sad watch. Life can be so f*****g cruel.; Truly a life well-lived, with courage and positivity. I felt the need to give Nick a round of applause. I did not know him, but I will not forget him; Well that was a moving end to an incredible series. Very emotional to say goodbye to them all; A fantastic programme, so sad it is ended. What an amazing thing to be able to look back on your lifeBackground of the Up SeriesThe Up series began in 1964 with Seven Up!, which interviewed a diverse group of seven-year-old children from different backgrounds. The original premise was to test the Jesuit motto: Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man. The series followed the participants every seven years, documenting their lives and changes. It became a landmark in documentary filmmaking, known for its raw and honest portrayal of life across decades. Michael Apted directed most of the episodes, starting as a researcher on the first and later directing from 7 Plus Seven onwards. His death in 2019 marked a significant loss, but the series continued with Asif Kapadia. The 70 Up finale not only concluded the series but also honoured the memory of participants like Nick Hitchon, whose journey resonated with millions.