BBC "Who Do You Think You Are?" Anne Reid (WDYTYA Series 12 Episode 6)

[Skoosh]

 Criminal Prosecution in Scotland is a matter for the Procurator Fiscal,  This farmer would have no say in the matter. I thought it was a somewhat deranged performance but that's theatricals for ye!

Skoosh.

[dandylion]

I have to agree with what has been said about this episode a very strange and quite savage reaction to the  father in law.Something I spotted on the forged document was one of the other names was a David Reid, was this another relative he was trying to con out of money?

[Mowsehowse]

For one thing, in the intro Annie kept on saying how much laughter there had been in her childhood because everyone was always "drinking", so inevitably she felt the Kirk was just being picky in listing John Reid's drinking as wrong behaviour,

Also I think the fact that the grandchild was given the names "David Husband" surely suggests great gratitude? 

[elf]

That's what I thought mowsehowse you not going to give your child his Gt Grandads name if he hadn't been close to him I couldn't believe what I was watching John Reid was a bad lot and she just didn't see it Think she lost the plot ,and I think the researchers thought so to by the look on their faces

[Winterbloom21]

Well.   My first thought on seeing this programme this morning was to rush to Rootschat to see what everybody else thought.   I'm so pleased to see that I'm not the only one to have the thoughts that I did after it.    I had always enjoyed Anne Reid's performances, but my goodness, how different people can be in real life!    I thought she came across as the most awful 'leftie luvvie'.   I mean, we can all understand being defensive of and proud of our relations, no matter what they might have done, but to heap all the blame on his poor father in law, the victim in the case, who  brought up his children, was ridiculous.    'Only forged a bloody signature' indeed!'    She obviously has no idea at all of the harm that this sort of crime can do.     What a contrast to Jerry Hall's programme the week before, which I thought was very sweet, worrying that her great grandfather might have been a 'cad'  and a bigamist.     I was delighted for her that she found an interesting ancestor in the end. 

[LizzieW]

I thought she came across as the most awful 'leftie luvvie'.

Exactly my thought, but I expected to be shot down if I said that. 

[landej]

Very strange reaction to what was found out for her and I tend to prefer episodes where they find out about several relatives rather than concentrate on just one. Overall, an interesting story, confused by her defence of her gg grandfather and her denial of who the true victims were in the story.

[Finley 1]

WHY did they chose this part of her history  - her Fathers life sounded interesting, or maybe they couldn't go back far enough with that....  And maybe some parts still cannot be disclosed.

It was a bit of a let down. this one - but one thing I noticed... she was an extremely confident driver, for someone of 80yrs ... and that is in no way meant to sound disrespectful...

xin

[djct59]

From a legal historian's point of view, i though John Reid got off very lightly. The forgery, while inept, could have secured him more than a year's wages for a skilled worker, and would have left some innocent party very short of money. My great-great-great grandfather's brother, when aged fourteen walked into a few houses and stole some small pieces of silverware and some expensive clothing, all of which was found and returned to the owners. He pled guilty and received transportation for fourteen years, so seven years for forgery and uttering was a decent result for the time.

It's also perhaps fair to note that after seven years in the sunshine of Australia, returning to wet and windy Fife and a disapproving family who know you are a drunken crook who neglected his family was never remotely plausible.

All in all, a woman whose views of the featured ancestor were simply delusional.