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Who Do you Think You Are? New Series |
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#1701 |
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 317
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You must have been watching something different to what I was watching. To me he came across as thick. He has lived his life in Liverpool so he must have known about the back to back houses and the overcrowding. It was still going on up until the slum clearances after the Second World War. To express surprise at the way people lived was ingenious to say the least.
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#1702 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Leicester!!!
Posts: 13,012
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If ever a man needed a haircut and a beard tidy-up...
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#1703 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 25,455
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Tbh I was rather hoping his ancestors would be mill-owners, landed gentry fallen on hard times or beneficiaries of the slave trade. For that matter I'm sure had the researchers tried a little harder they could at least have come up with a member or two of the colonialist oppressors if only via the press-gang.
Presumably the carter was carrying cargo that was a product of the slave trade without it bothering him. |
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#1704 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 25,455
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We also noticed that he was described as a Widower, but wondered if I'd dozed off and missed something, (perhaps his wife was related to a local Tory, hahaha); not, in my view, the best episode, as others have said, living conditions at that time were hardly a surprise, and most of us would almost certainly find the same, or, heaven forbid, worse. I'm surprised they didn't go to the archives of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board - or perhps they did, and couldn't find anything interesting or relavant
As happens too often in the series (though more than usual in this programme), he was allowed to jump to wild assumptions without any evidence. |
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#1705 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,330
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Loved this week and confirmed something I have always thought about WDYTYA in that it's success is always driven by the celebrity. I watched the first 10 or so minutes of the Cheryl Cole and Amanda Holden eps and stopped because they are so air headed and vacant. Ricky was genuinely engaging.
Didn't even bother watching Cheryl or Amanda's story |
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#1706 |
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,043
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I had a quick look in the BMD and there were two marriages in the preceding years that could have been him so possible that had been married twice.
As happens too often in the series (though more than usual in this programme), he was allowed to jump to wild assumptions without any evidence. |
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#1707 |
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: cheshire
Posts: 3,552
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Loved this week and confirmed something I have always thought about WDYTYA in that it's success is always driven by the celebrity. I watched the first 10 or so minutes of the Cheryl Cole and Amanda Holden eps and stopped because they are so air headed and vacant. Ricky was genuinely engaging.
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#1708 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 8,729
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It did suffer a bit because grinding poverty and early death of the breadwinner in one place is much the same (for the audience) as grinding poverty and early death of the breadwinner in another, and HIGNFY has done this many times before.
But I loved the scene where they showed him a cart like his forefathers drove and he said to the horse words to the effect "I expect your ancestors knew mine". If ever a man needed a haircut and a beard tidy-up... He actually gives me the creeps to look at. His wife must be blind or just mustn't mind the scruffy, grubby appearance of him. |
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#1709 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 25,455
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If you are interested in this programme. You should look up Brendan O'Carroll from Mrs Browns Boy fame. His story is very interesting.
Didn't even bother watching Cheryl or Amanda's story |
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#1710 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Home For The Bewildered
Posts: 86,504
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Why not, both had interesting stories and certainly a lot more interesting than last night.
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#1711 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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I don't understand the people who don't watch the programmes where the person they focus on is someone they don't like. I watch the WDYTYA for the genealogy, which I am interested in. I agree some programmes are better than others, but there is usually something of interest. I did, however think the show was becoming a bit boring and 'samey' over the last couple of series, where they focused too much on one ancestor, or didn't even go back beyond a couple of generations. But I have enjoyed this series so far, (and even watched the Ricky Tomlinson one, though I cannot stand the man - I agree he was allowed to make too many assumptions, but some of the findings were interesting).
In previous series, I have watched episodes where I was looking forward to watching a particular celebrity because I 'liked them' and found that actually they were not so nice! (I was really put off one particular actor, after his WDYTYA episode). And also watched others where I didn't like the person previously, but found I actually warmed to them on the programme. |
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#1712 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hants (New Forest)
Posts: 1,665
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I agree! One can get something from unpromising material. (Were I ever to be on WDYTYA there would be an exception
). Also, the programme is a show, not a documentary, and incidences of faux surprise are to be expected.I don't like RT, but that's from what I see on TV. In reality I cannot judge the man, and have no right to. |
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#1713 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 25,455
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I don't understand the people who don't watch the programmes where the person they focus on is someone they don't like. I watch the WDYTYA for the genealogy, which I am interested in. I agree some programmes are better than others, but there is usually something of interest. I did, however think the show was becoming a bit boring and 'samey' over the last couple of series, where they focused too much on one ancestor, or didn't even go back beyond a couple of generations. But I have enjoyed this series so far, (and even watched the Ricky Tomlinson one, though I cannot stand the man - I agree he was allowed to make too many assumptions, but some of the findings were interesting).
In previous series, I have watched episodes where I was looking forward to watching a particular celebrity because I 'liked them' and found that actually they were not so nice! (I was really put off one particular actor, after his WDYTYA episode). And also watched others where I didn't like the person previously, but found I actually warmed to them on the programme. |
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#1714 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: South East England
Posts: 2,155
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God, you can say that again. That greasy hair and beard looks as if it probably has a number of things living in it.
He actually gives me the creeps to look at. His wife must be blind or just mustn't mind the scruffy, grubby appearance of him. |
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#1715 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,236
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I always watch, however much I dislike the person featured ( I even watched John Prescott!). You can never be sure whether it will be interesting or not, this week was very poor.
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#1716 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 108
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When they read out the newspaper transcript describing Tomlinson's first ancestor to have been crushed to death, it was worded that he was crushed 'by one of his own carts'. That implied that he owned a carting business of sorts but that wasn't picked up on. That could have been explored. There might even have been entries in a Kelly's directory or similar. There are always more questions than answers!
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#1717 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 3,776
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I really found this one hard to watch. RT gives me the creeps, maybe because of his appearance and definitely because of his 'angry' attitude to most things re his family. Sorry, he just wants to be angry about most things and cause a stir. Waiting for him to organise a protest about they way his family was treated by the authorities back in the day. His wife seemed to be lovely and a calming influence on him. Loved they way she talked him through the internet usage.
His biography on Wikipedia makes interesting reading ! |
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#1718 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 8,729
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I really found this one hard to watch. RT gives me the creeps, maybe because of his appearance and definitely because of his 'angry' attitude to most things re his family. Sorry, he just wants to be angry about most things and cause a stir. Waiting for him to organise a protest about they way his family was treated by the authorities back in the day. His wife seemed to be lovely and a calming influence on him. Loved they way she talked him through the internet usage.
Having spent the past 12 years extensively researching my family history, I can state categorically that the revelations unearthed in the programme about his ancestors mirror extremely well the sort of lives led by the ancestors of several million of us. Whilst I have often found the tragedies and misfortunes experienced by my own ancestors to be troubling and incredibly poignant, I cannot understand why it is that the presence of a camera seems to reduce so many of these "celebrities" to tears. It is an understandable human response to feel sadness and sympathy for the misfortunes and tragedies experienced by people to whom you have a connection.... but I just can't help feeling incredibly irritated by an angry man shedding crocodile tears for a toddler who sadly died over 150 years ago. Social injustice, hardship and loss were a fact of life back then and I doubt that this could be much of a revelation to anyone living now in this day and age. Being angry about things that took place 200 years ago is an exercise in futility and just illustrates that this programme seems to be more about encouraging the featured celebrities to express as much overt emotion as possible, than about giving a coherent and realistic account of the lives of their ancestors. |
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#1719 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Home For The Bewildered
Posts: 86,504
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Quote:
I found it very hard to watch as well for the same reasons .
His biography on Wikipedia makes interesting reading ! ![]() He is a scruffy sod. His hair looks like it could be used to cook chips! |
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#1720 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 8,097
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I really found this one hard to watch. RT gives me the creeps, maybe because of his appearance and definitely because of his 'angry' attitude to most things re his family. Sorry, he just wants to be angry about most things and cause a stir. Waiting for him to organise a protest about they way his family was treated by the authorities back in the day. His wife seemed to be lovely and a calming influence on him. Loved they way she talked him through the internet usage.
Ricky still fights to this day to get his name cleared 40 years on. These events have actually been dramatised in a stage play. |
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#1721 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 3,776
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Quote:
I think you've expressed all that very well. However, I also think he was over-egging the pudding rather a lot.
Having spent the past 12 years extensively researching my family history, I can state categorically that the revelations unearthed in the programme about his ancestors mirror extremely well the sort of lives led by the ancestors of several million of us. Whilst I have often found the tragedies and misfortunes experienced by my own ancestors to be troubling and incredibly poignant, I cannot understand why it is that the presence of a camera seems to reduce so many of these "celebrities" to tears. It is an understandable human response to feel sadness and sympathy for the misfortunes and tragedies experienced by people to whom you have a connection.... but I just can't help feeling incredibly irritated by an angry man shedding crocodile tears for a toddler who sadly died over 150 years ago. Social injustice, hardship and loss were a fact of life back then and I doubt that this could be much of a revelation to anyone living now in this day and age. Being angry about things that took place 200 years ago is an exercise in futility and just illustrates that this programme seems to be more about encouraging the featured celebrities to express as much overt emotion as possible, than about giving a coherent and realistic account of the lives of their ancestors. I'm surprised if RT thinks of himself as such a bastion of Left Wing protest, that he was so ignorant of how the majority of our forebears lived 150 years ago. Most of my ancestors on my father's side were farm labourers & I could easily get just as angry about the way they were treated in those days. It made me laugh that he thought Liverpudlians had the monopoly of being salt of the earth, hard workers who fought for their rights ! I really don't think he's a very pleasant man . I'd say the same if someone on the extreme right said & behaved as he did. |
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#1722 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 13,309
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I watched this, thinking what a marvellous head of hair he has. Just goes to show, we're all different.
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#1723 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 25,455
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Quote:
When they read out the newspaper transcript describing Tomlinson's first ancestor to have been crushed to death, it was worded that he was crushed 'by one of his own carts'. That implied that he owned a carting business of sorts but that wasn't picked up on. That could have been explored. There might even have been entries in a Kelly's directory or similar. There are always more questions than answers!
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#1724 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 25,455
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Quote:
I think you've expressed all that very well. However, I also think he was over-egging the pudding rather a lot.
Having spent the past 12 years extensively researching my family history, I can state categorically that the revelations unearthed in the programme about his ancestors mirror extremely well the sort of lives led by the ancestors of several million of us. Whilst I have often found the tragedies and misfortunes experienced by my own ancestors to be troubling and incredibly poignant, I cannot understand why it is that the presence of a camera seems to reduce so many of these "celebrities" to tears. It is an understandable human response to feel sadness and sympathy for the misfortunes and tragedies experienced by people to whom you have a connection.... but I just can't help feeling incredibly irritated by an angry man shedding crocodile tears for a toddler who sadly died over 150 years ago. Social injustice, hardship and loss were a fact of life back then and I doubt that this could be much of a revelation to anyone living now in this day and age. Being angry about things that took place 200 years ago is an exercise in futility and just illustrates that this programme seems to be more about encouraging the featured celebrities to express as much overt emotion as possible, than about giving a coherent and realistic account of the lives of their ancestors. |
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#1725 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Savoie
Posts: 993
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He just came across exactly as you described him. I was brought up in Merseyside and the religious divide was there up until the mid 1970's when I left. I was really looking forward to this but was very disappointed by the programme.
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). Also, the programme is a show, not a documentary, and incidences of faux surprise are to be expected.
