Two classic moments from watching that last night —

1/ Sarah Millican’s in Orkney, tracking down a great (x 4) grandfather. He was a servant in the Hudson’s Bay Company, in early 1800s. “So, is that in Orkney then?”

2/ Same g gg grandfather has signed up with above HBC and is in the Canadian wilderness, in winter. Doesn’t sound like bundle of laughs, and things seem to go downhill swiftly. “Oh, I do hope it all works out well and he survives OK” is the gist of the comment. Of course he does, he’s your direct ancestor!!!

I like the show, but couldn’t watch this one. Damn, that Millican woman has an annoying voice…

And one joke.
And she’s on EVERYTHING.

Could have been worse, could have been Jason ‘Tweets’ Manford.
The least funny man in Salford and he makes it as a comedian.

I watched Sex with Dr Alice Roberts instead.

Has anyone watched all these? I love it when they uncover all sorts of interesting stuff, but I CBA to watch the whole thing to find out that the greengrocer they’ve traced from Islington is the most interesting person in it after all.

Although, having seen Boris Johnson’s one I’m not sure anything can top that. Love or hate the man, that was one hell of an episode.

Of course he does, he’s your direct ancestor!!!

Well he could have survived and died of something else.

The program title was a little misleading.

I’d stake my pension on him having died of something else:-) .

molgrips – Member

Has anyone watched all these? I love it when they uncover all sorts of interesting stuff, but I CBA to watch the whole thing to find out that the greengrocer they’ve traced from Islington is the most interesting person in it after all.

Although, having seen Boris Johnson’s one I’m not sure anything can top that. Love or hate the man, that was one hell of an episode.

I just can’t stand the fakery of it all.
The principle is fine, it’s just the constant, unremitting bullshit fed to the viewer.
We know that the meeting you’re having with the geneaologist has been rehersed and practiced.
Yet the director still feels it necessary to insult my intelligence by faking spontaneity.
‘I’m just calling at this house to see…’ No, you’re not.
You’ve been there all morning whilst they set the shot up.
We’re not bloody stupid.

Seriously, it drives me mad. But people actually sit there and believe it – see Top Gear threads for the proof.

Well he could have survived and died of something else.

or become a parent before heading off into the wilderness years.

The greatest installment of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ that they never made:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c65QRaR16io[/video]

It is well worth the whole 4.5 minutes, I promise.

Can’t stand that bloody programme!
Why the hell does anyone give a toss what ancestry someone they don’t know and completely unrelated to them has??
Bloody celebrity culture. Shove it.

Yeah fakery is beginning to annoy me on most TV shows nowadays. However if there’s interesting genealogy it’s still interesting.

Why the hell does anyone give a toss what ancestry someone they don’t know and completely unrelated to them has??

Some of them are good stories, it’s nothing to do with celebrity culture.

I’ve got a reasonable interest in my family history and have quite a few threads going back to early 1800s and further back in some case. But as far as I can tell, they’ve rarely got into the sorts of scrapes and intrigue that some of these folk have. or maybe they have, I suppose..

Have one ancestor that produced the definitive (4 volume no less) work on British seaweed, though 🙂

molgrips, you’re doomed 😀

Once you’ve noticed it, the majority of ‘factual’ television is shown up for the pacifying, brain shrivelling slurry it really is. 🙂

kcal – Member
But as far as I can tell, they’ve rarely got into the sorts of scrapes and intrigue that some of these folk have. or maybe they have, I suppose..

They probably have – every family does.
But you’ve not got a team of geneaologists working toward a finished script which contains the elements deemed essential for TV today.

Suspension of disbelief?

Takes the fun out of it somewhat if you sit there and poo poo everything. Then again, it looks like some folk on here enjoy the sort of thing 😉

I have an ancestor who was taken hostage by the Jacobites in Kendal as they retreated North after the 45. He was arrested by the English as a collaborator and died of typhoid fever in Carlisle Castle in 1747!

Once you’ve noticed it, the majority of ‘factual’ television is shown up for the pacifying, brain shrivelling slurry it really is.

Most of the telly I watch nowadays is picking a BBC4 documentary from iPlayer when the kids have gone to bed. I watched Schama’s Jewish history one and last night it was Peston on retail.

whatnobeer – Member

Suspension of disbelief?

Takes the fun out of it somewhat if you sit there and poo poo everything. Then again, it looks like some folk on here enjoy the sort of thing

Not at all.
I just object to being treated like a cretin. 🙂

They don’t all contain the requisits for interesting TV, that’s the point! Some of them really are dull, because they’ve picked people with dull ancestry 🙂

The Schama doc was excellent.

Shame the same production values don’t apply to what’s now considered mainstream telly.

molgrips – Member

They don’t all contain the requisits for interesting TV, that’s the point! Some of them really are dull, because they’ve picked people with dull ancestry

Oh, please. 🙂
You don’t think they’ve fully researched everyone months before deciding who to feature?
The series will be carefully composed of episodes designed to appeal to as wide a demographic as possible without alienating the core audience.

My bid for fame:
My dad’s Irish relatives helped Eamon de Valera escape from Lincoln jail and transported him to Manchester, via my Grandfather’s house in Sheffield.
My dad was three and hid under the table because he was scared of all the strangers. They offered to take him or one of his siblings to America, but my Grandfather refused.
He’d moved to Sheffield to escape the problems in Ireland and wasn’t best pleased at the unplanned visit. 🙂

because they’ve picked people with dull ancestry

Yes, last night felt like barrel scrapings.

Not that I watched much. How the hell did she become popular with a voice like that?

I watched Sex with Dr Alice Roberts instead.

I wish I had.

Why the hell does anyone give a toss what ancestry someone they don’t know and completely unrelated to them has??

Yip. That pretty much sums up my feelings about it. Yet more inexplicable TV. Its about as interesting a spectator sport as watching someone do their shopping

*awaits the arrival of Celebrity Shopping Trip on BBC3*

“Sarah pauses for a moment. She normally buys Heinz beans, but the Branston are on offer. Should she take the risk, and break with her normal purchase…..?”

You don’t think they’ve fully researched everyone months before deciding who to feature?

I dunno but (and I’m not being anti-Semitic here or anything), over all the series that they’ve done, has anyone noticed how many of the subjects have ancestors who came to the UK as Jewish refugees escaping pogroms in Eastern Europe?

Just saying. Is all.

Its a conspiracy. They’re running the BBC. And the rest of the Media. And the government. Didn’t you know?

This season’s crop seems particularly Z List, apart maybe from Minnie Driver:

Marianne Faithfull
Sarah Millican
Nitin Ganatra
Nick Hewer
Gary Lineker
Lesley Sharp
Minnie Driver
Nigel Havers
Una Stubbs

Nick effing Hewer? Una effing Stubbs?

There’ll be no barrel left at this rate.

has anyone noticed how many of the subjects have ancestors who came to the UK as Jewish refugees escaping pogroms in Eastern Europe?

Of course. That’s cos they are the people who are far more likely to have interesting pasts. And most people know enough abou their background already to know if there’s likely to be something interesting there.

johnellison – Member

You don’t think they’ve fully researched everyone months before deciding who to feature?

I dunno but (and I’m not being anti-Semitic here or anything), over all the series that they’ve done, has anyone noticed how many of the subjects have ancestors who came to the UK as Jewish refugees escaping pogroms in Eastern Europe?

Just saying. Is all.
Go on, just saying WHAT exactly? I dare you.

Una Stubbs was funny she’s such a drippy “lovey”.

I’ve a relative (a Bishop) who was burnt at the stake for being the wrong religion.

wwaswas – Member
Well he could have survived and died of something else.

or become a parent before heading off into the wilderness years.

shhh, don’t spoil the story for him!!!

I’m not being anti-Semitic here or anything

Well I’m not am I? If I’d have said, Jews are responsible for all the ills in the world and should be punished for it, THAT would be anti-Semitic. But I didn’t say that. I have no problem with Jews.

Go on, just saying WHAT exactly? I dare you.

I’m saying, it seems that a lot of the people featured have Jewish ancestry. And why shouldn’t they?

I’ve a relative (a Bishop) who was burnt at the stake for being the wrong religion.

Yeah? Well, I’m related to a Prime Minister and I once sat on William the Conqueror’s grave by mistake.

have quite a few threads going back to early 1800s and further back in some case. But as far as I can tell, they’ve rarely got into the sorts of scrapes and intrigue that some of these folk have

Have a few unconfirmed ones (well one, actually) going back to 1600’s.

Oh and a great-great-great grandfather (might be an extra great there), was acquitted of murder. But his older brother wasn’t. And there’s a website documenting the story.

Takes quite a bit of effort, but pretty much every family tree will uncover murderers and policemen, workhouse inmates and goldsmiths, illegitimate offspring and marriages in cathedrals.

edit: this series seems a bit different. More the story of 2 ancestors than tracing back. Although the Indian one was kind of interesting the way they managed to trace back in Kenya and India, where records were probably not so commonly kept. Although I did wonder how much was made up for TV when they unearthed currently living people that remembered the family from a long long time ago.

camo16 – Member
Yeah? Well, I’m related to a Prime Minister and I once sat on William the Conqueror’s grave by mistake

Whose grave did you intend to sit on? 🙂

that was a grave error.

Dead wrong.

You cadaver programme of your own right there though.