Love Julie but I get bored when they fixate on a single family member
Who Do you Think You Are? New Series
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Originally Posted by Centaurion:
“Are they reduced to doing stories they may have rejected ias being a bit dull n the earlier series ?
They must have researched big names like Connolly and Walters in times past.”
“Are they reduced to doing stories they may have rejected ias being a bit dull n the earlier series ?
They must have researched big names like Connolly and Walters in times past.”
Makes you wonder - certainly seems likely there was very little in the Walters family to spend so much time on just the one couple. Maybe they will end up doing Parky after all
Julie did annoy me a bit where she almost seemed determined to feel sorry for her ancestors - when she was shown the remains of the farmhouse, at least twice the local guy told her the original building was much bigger, but she still seemed to convince herself that nine people were crammed into that remaining room.
And yes the landlords in Ireland were nasty to the locals. But then the landlords and factory owners were nasty to the locals on the mainland too
Originally Posted by Shrike:
“Makes you wonder - certainly seems likely there was very little in the Walters family to spend so much time on just the one couple. Maybe they will end up doing Parky after all
Julie did annoy me a bit where she almost seemed determined to feel sorry for her ancestors - when she was shown the remains of the farmhouse, at least twice the local guy told her the original building was much bigger, but she still seemed to convince herself that nine people were crammed into that remaining room.
And yes the landlords in Ireland were nasty to the locals. But then the landlords and factory owners were nasty to the locals on the mainland too”
“Makes you wonder - certainly seems likely there was very little in the Walters family to spend so much time on just the one couple. Maybe they will end up doing Parky after all
Julie did annoy me a bit where she almost seemed determined to feel sorry for her ancestors - when she was shown the remains of the farmhouse, at least twice the local guy told her the original building was much bigger, but she still seemed to convince herself that nine people were crammed into that remaining room.
And yes the landlords in Ireland were nasty to the locals. But then the landlords and factory owners were nasty to the locals on the mainland too
”
Agreed, conditions were bad in Ireland but read reports on life on the mainland at that time and they were as bad. As in here
A report of the sanatory condition of the borough of Bolton, in a letter (1848)
Not sure if it is in that report or a book that I have but one family sticks in my memory. Living in a cellar, virtually no furniture, a bit of sacking as a blanket and hardly anything left to spend on food after rent etc.
Someone who researched Michael Parkinson's family history said there were several interesting aspects, it was not as boring as Parkinson claimed but he seemed to want to fit the stereotype of a Yorkshireman!
Originally Posted by valkay:
“Poor Irish peasants being mis- treated by the wicked British, yet again. Julie didn't seem sincere to me but was using her acting skills.”
“Poor Irish peasants being mis- treated by the wicked British, yet again. Julie didn't seem sincere to me but was using her acting skills.”
Aw diddums. Are you upset they're unable to change 19th century history for your entertainment?
Originally Posted by clara28:
“Aw diddums. Are you upset they're unable to change 19th century history for your entertainment?”
“Aw diddums. Are you upset they're unable to change 19th century history for your entertainment?”
Its just a bit predictable really, and I say that as someone with about equal Irish and English ancestry.
Originally Posted by Caro07:
“Really?! I thought she was engaged in a genuine way.
She has always struck me as someone who is quite left-wing so I think she was genuinely proud that her ancestors fought for human rights and democracy against the rich and powerful landowners who did absolutely nothing to earn that wealth.
Her great-grandmother (?) Maria was also involved in what was essentially a women's rights movements decades before British women. And as a big fan of Downtown Abbey I know that a lot of criticism of the women's movement was that it was just a hobby for the wealthy but this was very, very different. Maria was extremely poor - a tenant farmer not permitted even the basic right of security of tenure - not a hobby but a struggle for survival for her family and the families of those around her.
I thought she was very proud of Maria's stand too, I think Julie is a larger than life character and maybe that's why you think she was acting.”
“Really?! I thought she was engaged in a genuine way.
She has always struck me as someone who is quite left-wing so I think she was genuinely proud that her ancestors fought for human rights and democracy against the rich and powerful landowners who did absolutely nothing to earn that wealth.
Her great-grandmother (?) Maria was also involved in what was essentially a women's rights movements decades before British women. And as a big fan of Downtown Abbey I know that a lot of criticism of the women's movement was that it was just a hobby for the wealthy but this was very, very different. Maria was extremely poor - a tenant farmer not permitted even the basic right of security of tenure - not a hobby but a struggle for survival for her family and the families of those around her.
I thought she was very proud of Maria's stand too, I think Julie is a larger than life character and maybe that's why you think she was acting.”
Here here!
I thought it was one of the best editions of WDYTYA.
But I'm looking forward to Brian Blessed, he was completely mad on Celeb Antiques Hunt !
Originally Posted by Oldvinyl:
“Here here!
I thought it was one of the best editions of WDYTYA.
But I'm looking forward to Brian Blessed, he was completely mad on Celeb Antiques Hunt !”
“Here here!
I thought it was one of the best editions of WDYTYA.
But I'm looking forward to Brian Blessed, he was completely mad on Celeb Antiques Hunt !
”
It got stuck on one topic too much.
Might perhaps be the first time when Brian Blessed is speechless if they find out something shocking about his family.
Originally Posted by lundavra:
“It got stuck on one topic too much.
Might perhaps be the first time when Brian Blessed is speechless if they find out something shocking about his family.”
“It got stuck on one topic too much.
Might perhaps be the first time when Brian Blessed is speechless if they find out something shocking about his family.”
I'd like it if Brian had an ancestor called Gordon who disappears off the records, fuelling speculation that he's passed away, and then suddenly he turns up on the 1881 census allowing Brian to exclaim.....
Spoiler
Originally Posted by iaindb:
“I'd like it if Brian had an ancestor called Gordon who disappears off the records, fuelling speculation that he's passed away, and then suddenly he turns up on the 1881 census allowing Brian to exclaim.....
”
“I'd like it if Brian had an ancestor called Gordon who disappears off the records, fuelling speculation that he's passed away, and then suddenly he turns up on the 1881 census allowing Brian to exclaim.....
Spoiler
”
lol
Originally Posted by eye3:
“Love Julie but I get bored when they fixate on a single family member”
“Love Julie but I get bored when they fixate on a single family member”
Have to agree - poor start to the new series.
Originally Posted by lundavra:
“It got stuck on one topic too much.
Might perhaps be the first time when Brian Blessed is speechless if they find out something shocking about his family.”
“It got stuck on one topic too much.
Might perhaps be the first time when Brian Blessed is speechless if they find out something shocking about his family.”
He'll ask for a chair to sit down, he did that a lot on Celeb Antiques Hunt
Originally Posted by BirthdayGirl:
“Apart from Brendan O'Caroll, I'd agree with you!
Looking forward to seeing tonight's show. I absolutely adore Julie Walters.”
“Apart from Brendan O'Caroll, I'd agree with you!
Looking forward to seeing tonight's show. I absolutely adore Julie Walters.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_O%27Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll's Mother was a schoolteacher, had 11 children, and was elected as an MP to Dail in the '50's where she was chief whip.
Looking forward to finding out more.
Originally Posted by Steve9214:
“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_O%27Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll's Mother was a schoolteacher, had 11 children, and was elected as an MP to Dail in the '50's where she was chief whip.
Looking forward to finding out more.”
“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_O%27Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll's Mother was a schoolteacher, had 11 children, and was elected as an MP to Dail in the '50's where she was chief whip.
Looking forward to finding out more.”
I'm sure it will be a good episode with the amount of children involved!!!
I just cant stand Brendan O'Carroll but I'll watch anyway
Originally Posted by Steve9214:
“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_O%27Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll's Mother was a schoolteacher, had 11 children, and was elected as an MP to Dail in the '50's where she was chief whip.
Looking forward to finding out more.”
“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen_O%27Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll's Mother was a schoolteacher, had 11 children, and was elected as an MP to Dail in the '50's where she was chief whip.
Looking forward to finding out more.”
Quite - I try not to pre-judge based on the celeb. One of the most interesting for me was Hugh Quarshie, an actor I'd never heard of
, but it turned out to be an interesting take on the West African slave trade. I've also got little time for Jerry Springer or Kim Caterall but both those were excellent too.I couldn't bring myself to watch Ester Rancid though...
Originally Posted by Stansfield:
“Have to agree - poor start to the new series.”
“Have to agree - poor start to the new series.”
There wasn't obviously anything of interest on the other side. Considering she knew absolutely nothing about that part of the family, they were fully justified in focusing on just one side.
Originally Posted by Shrike:
“Quite - I try not to pre-judge based on the celeb. One of the most interesting for me was Hugh Quarshie, an actor I'd never heard of, but it turned out to be an interesting take on the West African slave trade. I've also got little time for Jerry Springer or Kim Caterall but both those were excellent too.
I couldn't bring myself to watch Ester Rancid though...”
“Quite - I try not to pre-judge based on the celeb. One of the most interesting for me was Hugh Quarshie, an actor I'd never heard of
, but it turned out to be an interesting take on the West African slave trade. I've also got little time for Jerry Springer or Kim Caterall but both those were excellent too.I couldn't bring myself to watch Ester Rancid though...”
Didn't Quarshie find his ancestors had been involved in the trade? Quite a number of people on the programme have been shocked to find out similar.
Always like Springer and Caterall, I think he is quite a clever chap who is wasted on the rubbish that he does for American TV but I suppose it has made him rich. Caterall has always come across well in any interview I have seen and she certain did so in WDYTYA.
I watched an American black actor on WDYTYA USA the other day, they did an Ancestry DNA test on him and found links to particular parts of West Africa and they found a 'match' with someone in Cameroon so off he went with his father to meet his 'cousin'. The link was about ten generations ago and a common ancestor in around the 1600s. Apparently Ancestry have had people taking DNA samples in lots of parts of Africa so customers can supposedly find their 'roots'.
Originally Posted by Shrike:
“Makes you wonder - certainly seems likely there was very little in the Walters family to spend so much time on just the one couple. Maybe they will end up doing Parky after all
Julie did annoy me a bit where she almost seemed determined to feel sorry for her ancestors - when she was shown the remains of the farmhouse, at least twice the local guy told her the original building was much bigger, but she still seemed to convince herself that nine people were crammed into that remaining room.
And yes the landlords in Ireland were nasty to the locals. But then the landlords and factory owners were nasty to the locals on the mainland too”
“Makes you wonder - certainly seems likely there was very little in the Walters family to spend so much time on just the one couple. Maybe they will end up doing Parky after all
Julie did annoy me a bit where she almost seemed determined to feel sorry for her ancestors - when she was shown the remains of the farmhouse, at least twice the local guy told her the original building was much bigger, but she still seemed to convince herself that nine people were crammed into that remaining room.
And yes the landlords in Ireland were nasty to the locals. But then the landlords and factory owners were nasty to the locals on the mainland too
”
What mainland would that be Europe perhaps?
It's been noted before in these columns how this programme has gone from providing an overall picture of the subject to concentrating on individuals who they think are interesting.
This was as bad an exampe as you'll see, and boring as well.
I also get annoyed at the one sidedness of it. Could it be that the rents were actually very low and the farmers lazy and useless? Perhaps the central character had two acres of his land 'taken from him' because it was good land which he made little use of.
Well we don't know because they just painted the picture that suited them with no opposite view.
This was as bad an exampe as you'll see, and boring as well.
I also get annoyed at the one sidedness of it. Could it be that the rents were actually very low and the farmers lazy and useless? Perhaps the central character had two acres of his land 'taken from him' because it was good land which he made little use of.
Well we don't know because they just painted the picture that suited them with no opposite view.
Originally Posted by Shrike:
“Makes you wonder - certainly seems likely there was very little in the Walters family to spend so much time on just the one couple. Maybe they will end up doing Parky after all
Julie did annoy me a bit where she almost seemed determined to feel sorry for her ancestors - when she was shown the remains of the farmhouse, at least twice the local guy told her the original building was much bigger, but she still seemed to convince herself that nine people were crammed into that remaining room.
And yes the landlords in Ireland were nasty to the locals. But then the landlords and factory owners were nasty to the locals on the mainland too”
“Makes you wonder - certainly seems likely there was very little in the Walters family to spend so much time on just the one couple. Maybe they will end up doing Parky after all
Julie did annoy me a bit where she almost seemed determined to feel sorry for her ancestors - when she was shown the remains of the farmhouse, at least twice the local guy told her the original building was much bigger, but she still seemed to convince herself that nine people were crammed into that remaining room.
And yes the landlords in Ireland were nasty to the locals. But then the landlords and factory owners were nasty to the locals on the mainland too
”
Yes, English, Scots and Welsh peasants weren't treated any better by their Aristocratic landlords, and there were famines here too.
It is predictable that when they have Irish ancestors , we will hear about the famine, when they are black we will hear all about slavery, Jewish will end up in Auschwitz, Asians will be involved in the Indian independence movement.
I enjoyed it, although I agree I would like to see more breadth in each episode and more than one focussed ancestor covered.
What I really enjoyed about this was imagining John Hurt's face when Julie found out that she was Irish and had links with the Marquis of Sligo...ha! Irony.
What I really enjoyed about this was imagining John Hurt's face when Julie found out that she was Irish and had links with the Marquis of Sligo...ha! Irony.
Originally Posted by BirthdayGirl:
“Apart from Brendan O'Caroll, I'd agree with you!
Looking forward to seeing tonight's show. I absolutely adore Julie Walters.”
“Apart from Brendan O'Caroll, I'd agree with you!
Looking forward to seeing tonight's show. I absolutely adore Julie Walters.”
I'd still watch his if I was you I can't stand Sarah Millican but I watched her ep and it was better than some of the ones where I really like the person.
Never mind you've already discussed it.
I know I probably should know this but I never realised how recently Ireland got it's independence from the uk. I thought it was at least 100-150 years ago.
I've never seen the Jerry Springer one I thought I'd seen the lot I love seeing people find out about their past always makes me want to do it
Originally Posted by Shrike:
“Quite - I try not to pre-judge based on the celeb. ..................
I couldn't bring myself to watch Ester Rancid though...”
“Quite - I try not to pre-judge based on the celeb. ..................
I couldn't bring myself to watch Ester Rancid though...”
Exactly; I let Brucie go by totally unwatched.
I did enjoy Jerry Springer and Stehpen Fry,
No comments on Brian Blessed?
I do like Brian on TV, extremely good value, not all that 'interesting' as a family as I'm not getting any handle on their personalities and not enough detail of their lives and the general conditons.
I'm only up to the death of Elizabeth Blessed though.
Old, unrelated Brian Blessed thread.
I do like Brian on TV, extremely good value, not all that 'interesting' as a family as I'm not getting any handle on their personalities and not enough detail of their lives and the general conditons.
I'm only up to the death of Elizabeth Blessed though.
Old, unrelated Brian Blessed thread.
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