RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: GreySquirrel on Wednesday 20 October 04 12:36 BST (UK)
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So, what did everyone think of WDYTYA? on BBC2 last night?
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I taped it so I haven't seen it yet. I'll watch it when I get in later.
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I preferred it to the 1st one with Bill Oddie. It was much more emotional and i thought the family were very brave condidering her grandfather. I was so pleased for the family when they found pictures of Cyril at the end of the show. How nice that must have been for his wife and child, especially when all their pictures were stolen after a burglary. I would be devistated if i lost all my photos. :-[
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What a complete waste of our licence fee. >:(
If they made the person do the research and give an acurate view of how difficult it is, then it may have obtained some credability.
But to have a celeb running around, probably at our expence, visiting relatives and seeing places is just not realistic and gives the wrong impression.
How many on Rootschat have gone to the local church and had a copy of the Parish records dug out for them to look through...if its more than none I will be shocked. :o
ok rant over...... ;D
Adrian
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Hi,
I did enjoy watching, but I do agree with Aidrian, it does not explain how difficult the research can be. I was so envious of Amanda when she went to Waterford and was given access to the records by the Priest, I too am researching my family from Waterford and every little bit of info about them has been hard come by. I remember being in the LDS one day when a lady came in, she had been to Ireland and visited more than one parish to try and find information about her family, she said that she was given no help and she never got to see a single register.
I would like to see them spend a bit more time, and go into more detail about how to actually do the research, maybe they could even do a whole new series just about how to trace your family tree.
Jan
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hello
People, please, its a TV program about families for the masses not a documentory on research.
A program like that would be a nightmare on primetime TV. Would you like to join a very long queue to use your local microfische machine, or not be able to access overloaded websites? Or even worse, start to have to pay for everything!
Or shall I get my coat?
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It's a telly programme!
It's got a be a little bit exciting or it would'nt be worth watching. I do agree with what you've both said about them making it look easy...we know it's not. But take a step back and look at the bigger picture here......it was good viewing. it's a reality TV prog, and we all know reality TV is very popular just now. Look at Big Brother.....it made Channel 4 millions.....what with public voting and texting in questions to the housemates and stuff.
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The problem is not being marketed as just a telly programme, if that all its was, a piece of entertainment then I would agree with you.
If you take the interactive option they keep plugging, they are marketing the series as a guide to family history research and offering guides, research tips etc. Its in this context that I feel they are misleading.
Yes making it exciting, keep people interested, but also keep it factual and not misleading. BBC2 does not need to compete with reality TV, nor should it, their target audience has always been those with brains.
I am just disapointed they wasted a good opertunity.
Adrian
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I certainly prefered last nights program to the first one... as for getting access to Irish parish records direct from the church... I have found that the majority of local priests are very good at letting one loose with their records particularly if they are from far away...
On two or three occaisions they have been so wonderful and seeing the actual register is marvellous
I only wish I could get into more lol...
Best wishes
Mo
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I don't see what brains has got to do with the BBC...but there ya go! ;)
what i was trying to say was...if it was factual and they did show it warts and all....it would be an hours worth of someone sitting at a reader scribbling notes. Riveting!
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I finally watched it last night (I taped it), and I thought it had some good points and bad points. There wasn't enough 'genealogying' going on for my liking, I don't expect to see amanda Reman at a fiche reader BUT, I would have preferred if they'd have said "We used the 1901 census to place amanda grandmother in the contxt of her Cornish family, the ST Ledgers.....Here they are."
Yes, admittedly, they did mention the census right at the end of thr show, but it came across almost as an afterthought.
It was just a lot of Amanda 'Interviewing' people. At least with Bill Oddie, he looked at come BMD certificates etc.
Also I didn't like her reaction every time she learnt something new, it came across as fake and forced.
However, qhat I did like was the end bit when they had a family reunion, I thought that was a lovely way to end the story.
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What did you think about the bit at the end where they 'asumed' that one of the Pilling sons on the 1901 census must have been responsible for an illegitimate child ? Bet that would have come as a shock if you were researching that family !
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My guess is that they will use each episode as a focus to a small part of investigating.
Episode 1: BMD certs & medical records
Episode 2: Interviewing & mariner and army records
Presume Sue Johnston will be Railway records going by the trailer?
We have a small problem here because we know more about the subject so want to see the details, well I do anyway. But a complete newbie who tunes in, maybe without any computer confidence may get overwhelmed by too much info. Hopefully it builds week on week and the interactive stuff sounds good for filling in the technicalities.
Pam
;D
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Someone else here who agrees with Adi, but for me on a personal note Doneraile in Ireland is the town where my roots hail from and where my research is centered and it was lovely to get a glimpse of the locals.
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I thought is was better than the first one too. I loved the bit when she went to visit that grand old house only to be later told that her g.g.grand dad was a poor Irishman who fled the potato famine - what a come down. I wonder if my g.grandfather was the child of a potato famine family? Never did understand why the Irish think they're so lucky! Famine, persecution, homelessness, gambling addiction, terrorism, alcoholism, poverty...
Do you think her uncle looked shocked to find a Scouser in the family?
Just hope the next show is even better. I also feel that there isn't enough behind the scenes research being shown. Some people don't like dusty old records or relatives, but I think they make family history fun.
It'll be interesting to see the next one about railways. One of my ancestors died in 1928 and his death certificate says that he was an 'outside railway porter'. I'd like to see where I can look up his records - first mention of a railwayman in my family.
Regards,
Kris.
P.S. What was wrong with her arm? It looked all melted and disfigured! :o
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I have to say that I agree with Boongie Pam.
The main show on terrestial TV is aimed at a general audience who might be interested. Everyone on this board is of course interested but also has insider information and experience -- we can therefore see the airbrushing of reality, the sleights of hand, the flaws in the methodology, the necessary simplification which comes from having to pack months of research into 55 minutes that could sustain the attention of a member of the general public. I would take the view that the BBC2 programme is there to snag the viewer's interest and that the interactive stuff, the tie-in book and guide etc are then there to help a complete beginner embark on their own tree.
One thing that it really makes you realise is that you have to take everything on TV (and in books, in newspaper etc) with a pinch of healthy scepticism. The flaws in WDYTYA? are visible to us as genealogists. Now think about the archaeologists watching a popular archaeology programme, the architects viewing a programme on architecture and so on -- they must have an exactly comparable experience -- "No no, that's not how you do it! It's not really like that!" etc.
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I completely agree with Grey Squirrel. It will get more people interested in genealogy. I went to my daughter's toddler group this morning and I have never mentioned researching my family tree. I spent all morning advising three people where to start and what to do, trying not to bombard them with information.
Kris, you asked what was wrong with Amanda's arm ... I seem to remember an interview with her where she said that she pulled a saucepan of hot milk off of the cooker when she was a small child. She used to be embarrassed about it but as she's got older, she's come to terms with it and doesn't mind people seeing it now.
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I preferred this week's programme too (probably cos I've got an Irish family somewhere).
I agree that maybe some mention should be made about how much it costs to get certificates, etc. Does sort of give the impression that you can walk into various places and have hordes of helpful people showering you with relevant information - and all at no cost!
However, will definitely watching next weeks - yes, I've got a railway ancestor too - and might get some useful information as to where to look next......
Helen x
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Ooops, forgot to mention:
re: photos that got stolen. I've got copies of all my ancestral photos and family history info/certificates - that way if there's a fire/burglary at our house I know I've got another set at my Dad's!
It would hurt to lose some of the original stuff I've got (great-aunts identity card from the 40s; Nan and Grandads' wedding list from the 30s; parish magazines from 30s), but at least if I had a copy it would be too bad.
Helen x
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I've enjoyed both programmes but think it made tracing your family look easy !! and we all know how frustrating and time consuming it can be ::) What I wouldn't give for the time and money to go over to Ireland and look through the parish records in the hope of finding something.
Fiona