WDYTYA Series 13: Warwick Davis

[coombs]

Only halfway through the episode and finding it very interesting. Fred Durban liked doing things by doubles.

[roopat]

I thought it was very interesting and Warwick Davis always seems so natural. But the last 7 minutes or so with the 'impromptu' sing-song was just padding - I wanted to know what had happened to Dennis' family when he was 'on his uppers' in lodgings at his death.


And the sceptic in me wasn't entirely convinced that the Dennis Manning in the American troupe was Warwick's ancestor.


But on the whole very enjoyable, particularly the information on the poor man in the mental hospital.


Pat

[Primrose11]

I thought this was the least interesting in this series. He also did that annoying thing of deciding he knew his ancestor's character from the briefest outline of their recorded details. I'm not convinced it was his Dennis either.
And, he wasn't descended from any royalty!
P

[Kiltpin]

I do sometimes wonder about these shows.

I don't doubt the factual content, but after all they are made for our entertainment. Nobody wants to watch an hour of "Well, Miss Famous Person, you come from a long unbroken line of boring nonentities".

Do they research first and if interesting approach the celebrity, or approach first and then go hunting? Whichever way, I think that there must be a reasonably high failure rate.

Regards

Chas

[StanleysChesterton]

It was a pleasant and enjoyable watch.  Nice to see somebody 'excited' by scandal and surprise - and with a sense of humour around that excitement. 

It was a bit light on facts though about what others were doing.... but they did fit in two uplines, so an hour's not a long time.

It wasn't great from a genealogist's point of view of learning/discovering exciting things ... all mundane and leapt about a bit - but as "entertainment", which is what it is, it was fine.

[Stanwix England]

I quite liked this one. I think it's always interesting to have a mixed bag of stories which this certainly was.

[Rena]

I found myself being quite jealous when I spotted on one census that his Irish ancestor hadn't just written "Ireland" as the place of birth but had actually given more detail.

[annaS]

I do sometimes wonder about these shows.

I don't doubt the factual content, but after all they are made for our entertainment. Nobody wants to watch an hour of "Well, Miss Famous Person, you come from a long unbroken line of boring nonentities".

Do they research first and if interesting approach the celebrity, or approach first and then go hunting? Whichever way, I think that there must be a reasonably high failure rate.

Regards

I remember many years ago Michael Parkinson was up for grabs, and they found that his ancestry wasn't interesting enough.  So it would appear that a least a cursory research is done first.  Anna

Chas

[jan57]

[/I wanted to know what had happened to Dennis' family when he was 'on his uppers' in lodgings at his death.

quote]

 Lucy    his widow  went  on to remarry  in 1926  in Croydon   and  died  in 1964  in Ashford Middlesex ,   Probate ( shown  on  Ancestry )  to  2  of  her sons  , one a hotel proprietor  the  other a clerk