50 years of the 1970 British Cohort Study: 50 stories in 50 weeks

This April the 1970 British Cohort Study and our study participants turned 50!

To commemorate this huge milestone we’re celebrating BCS70’s contribution to science and society by publishing 50 stories over 50 weeks on the CLS website and on social media. Every week until March 2021, check this space and Twitter for stories about study members’ lives, research findings, study data, podcasts, animated timelines, and more!

Follow the BCS70 50 stories campaign using the hashtag #BCS7050stories on Twitter, and on the CLS website.

Discover the stories

Podcast series: 50 Years of Life in Britain

Over the course of six weeks, ‘50 Years of Life in Britain’ explores the contribution BCS70 participants have made to improving British science and society. The six-part series tells their story, and charts the first five decades of the study.

1970s: the early years

It’s April 1970. Simon and Garfunkel have topped the UK charts with A Bridge Over Troubled Water, the Beatles’ split has hit the headlines, and the crew of Apollo 13 are preparing for lift off.

Meanwhile, in hospitals and homes up and down the country, thousands of new babies, all born within a week of each other, are being recruited to what will become one of the longest running and most important studies of its kind – the 1970 British Cohort Study.

1980s: coming of age

It was the decade of big hair, fluorescent socks, electropop, BMX bikes and the ZX Spectrum.

We surveyed cohort members twice during the 1980s, at ages 10 and 16. Over the course of the next seven stories, we share more about the data collected during this period and the insights we've gained from them.

1990s: moving forward

Grunge enters the mainstream, the dotcom industry takes off, and Labour sweep to victory with a commitment to “education, education, education”.

These next stories explore BCS70 in the 1990s - the data, the discoveries and the impact.