Growing up on television – reading race	

What was the purpose of the documentary? 	(Introduction)	
	
How old are the ‘children’ now (2012) and how many programmes have there been in the TV series? 	(Introduction)	
	
What do most of the original participants have in common now? 	(Lines 9 -18)	
	
What problems did Neil apparently have in his late 20s, what difficulties has he had and how does he get his income now? 	(Lines 20 -31)	
	
Which of the ‘children’ is most financially successful? How is this explained? 	(Lines 32 - 43)	
	
What disadvantages did Tony have and to what extent and how has he managed to overcome them? 	(Lines 44 - 56)	
	
Why haven’t all of the original children taken part in the latest installment? 	(Lines 57 - 65)	

Growing up on television – reading race  -   possible answers	

What was the purpose of the documentary? 	(Introduction)	
To chart the lives of fourteen children from different backgrounds from the age of seven onwards, giving updates every seven years.	
How old are the ‘children’ now (2012) and how many programmes have there been in the TV series? 	(Introduction)	
The children are 55 now (2012); there have been seven programmes.	
What do most of the original participants have in common now? 	(Lines 9 -18)	
They all seem to have found happiness. / They all appear more content with their lives.	
What problems did Neil apparently have in his late 20s, what difficulties has he had and how does he get his income now? 	(Lines 20 -31)	
He feared for his sanity i.e. he thought he was going insane (mentally ill). Since then he has been homeless at times. He is member of a local council and also receives state benefits.	
Which of the ‘children’ is most financially successful? How is this explained? 	(Lines 32 - 43)	
Andrew. He is from a privileged background.	
What disadvantages did Tony have and to what extent and how has he managed to overcome them? 	(Lines 44 - 56)	
Tony was born into a working-class family in a poor area. He is now quite affluent – he owns a second home in Spain. He achieved this through his work as a cab driver.	
Why haven’t all of the original children taken part in the latest installment? 	(Lines 57 - 65)	
Some of the original participants see the updates as an intrusion into their privacy.