Paul Kligerman, the man who became one of British television's most recognisable faces after declaring as a seven-year-old that he did not want a wife because she might make him eat greens, is revisiting the famous answer in the final episode of the long-running Up documentary series, 70 Up.
The clip, shared with the Daily Mail ahead of the broadcast, shows Kligerman being asked in 1964: "Would you like to get married, Paul?" He replied: "I don't like… say, you had a wife, they... say, you had to eat what they cooked you and, say, I don't like greens, well I don't, and, say, she said you have to what you give, so I don't like greens… say, she gives me greens… and that's it."
Kligerman was one of 14 seven-year-olds from different socio-economic backgrounds chosen for the original programme, Seven Up!, first broadcast in 1964. The series has returned to the same participants every seven years since, tracking how their lives, families and circumstances change over time.
The project was made by Granada Television and grew out of the Jesuit maxim "give me the child until he is seven, and I will show you the man". It was directed for most of its run by Michael Apted, who died in 2021, and is widely regarded as one of the most significant documentary series ever made.
Childhood in a London children's home
When viewers first met him, Kligerman was living in a children's home in London alongside fellow seven-year-old Symon Basterfield, who also appeared in Seven Up!. He was living there after his mother left his father amid what was described as a "messy divorce".
By the time the next instalment, 7 Plus Seven, was released in 1970, Kligerman was 14 and had emigrated to Australia with his father and brother. He was having trouble with confidence during that period, and in 21 Up he spoke of sometimes struggling to express his emotions.
Marriage to Sue and life in Melbourne
By then Kligerman was dating a woman named Sue. The couple settled in Melbourne and married in 1978, and by the time 28 Up was filmed they had two children.
His relationship with his mother had become estranged, but Kligerman credits the Up series with helping to rebuild it, after he saw her again while travelling back to the UK for filming.
Over the years he has held a series of jobs, including as a bricklayer, working for a sign-making company and doing maintenance work at a retirement village.
Family life in 70 Up
In 70 Up, Kligerman is shown doting on his grandchildren and remains happily married to Sue after 48 years together.
"You need a good family. You need it for yourself and you need it to make your life whole," he says in the documentary. "My dad, he passed away about ten years ago. He brought us up and was a good man. He did the best he did and, as far as I'm concerned, he did a good job."
He adds: "You have to learn to be kind to other people and forgive them for their failings. Live the best, honest life you can. The happier your family is, the more it spreads out and just keeps getting bigger."
70 Up airs on ITV1 and ITVX tonight at 9pm.
