WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (Episode 7)

[trystan]

The seventh episode of the BBC's celebrity Family History series
9pm Tuesday 23rd November 2004 on BBC2 in the UK (& Europe for Digital Free to Air viewers)


WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
"Fleeing the Holocaust
David Baddiel has made up for his youthful neglect of his grandparents with some careful research - uncovering a sometimes tragic, but highly dramatic, tale. on Tuesday 23rd November BBC2." http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/

This series has been well worth watching, and at over half way through the series, if you've missed it so far, you may find it of interest. Also if you've not used your interactive button before (the red one), then give your thumb a bit of a treat (Sky Digital and Freeview viewers & some Cable areas) - the interactive bit gives you tips on conducting your own research.

Then at 10pm "Family Ties" on BBC4 (the TV channel available for free on Freeview, or on Sky Digital/Cable)
"The third woman:
David Lewis' father had been a career soldier. As well as being a strict but loving father, he was a heavy drinker who, when drunk, became a bullying wife-beater.

But nothing prepared David for the discovery he made years after his father's death. In an old briefcase were letters revealing another marriage, as well as a third woman with whom his father had a passionate affair and which resulted in a daughter.

David embarks on a journey to help him understand more about his father, and to find his half-sister..."
BBC4 Website

So will you be keeping us company and joining us yet again on the ever squashed and comfier RootsChat sofa and watching Who Do You Think You Are?

See comments on the previous programmes here:

Episode 6:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=20315.0

Episode 5:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=18946.0

Episode 4:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=17613.0

Episode 3:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=16836.0

Episode 2:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=15727.0

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=15673.0
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=14764.0

.

[GreySquirrel]

This was my favourite yet in the series. But then I'm interested in Jewish and Central/Eastern European genealogies and history and am fascinated by Konigsberg and Warsaw and so on. I could have happily watched the programme for three or four hours or more.

There was less genealogy per se, so I'm wondering whether others of us might have found this the least satisfactory of the shows so far...

[RJ_Paton]

Although not my favourite of the series I found the show to be extremely interesting. Although there was not much genealogy per se  there were many of the obstacles that we often come across. The family myth's , the dead ends , the family rifts etc.

Personally I felt that the show could have been expanded  ..... why for example did his mother feel that her "parents" weren't her real parents. What caused the schism which seperated the two halfs of the family in Swansea

It was a good human interest story with genealogy used as a back drop , just as many of the shows have been.

[Ronnie6492]

Am I the only person to think that David Baddiel was the image of his lost uncle? In such terrible circumstances it would be understandable that people would try to save others especially children- and the letter ref the birth could have been part of backing up the apparent parentage.  Ronnie

[trystan]

I'm really surprised at the lack of postings on this one - I got into the program about a third of the wat through, and was gripped to the end.
The highlights for me:
It was lovely when he was kicking the ball around with his dad, and it brought him back quite emotionally to his childhood.

Also, when he went to his G-F(?) internment home on the Isle of Man and it was a shut-down chinese restauraunt, and how messy it was, and how he commented on it.. he had to leave.

The program left him on his Forty'th birthday, with his family, with the candles burning down on his bithday cake, and still not really closer to his quest... it made it so much more real!
We stayed up and watched "Family Ties" too afterwards on BBC4 and it was really ripping, trying to understand the chaps father, and the complexities of his past. What a bad man he was, and the depth that his first ex-wife sank to in desperation (in drowning her baby conceived through another man). The re-union with his half-sister in Austria was wonderful. It was a very "difficult" programme to watch, but well worth the trauma.

Well done, BBC ! 

[Fitty]

I have enjoyed them all so far but this one was specially poiginant. 

I had to giggle though, when he went through the telephone book and started ringing up lost Rellies!  Maybe he saw the thread relating to just that, here on Rootschat  lol   If he can do it, so can you!

Ronnie, I noticed too how alike he was to his uncle.   

[Adi1962]

Sorry

Being a red blooded English male, I had the dilema of watching this episode (not been impressed with the series, but like DB) or watching Champions League Football.

As a big footy fan I am sure DB will understand.

Adrian

[trish251]

Living in Oz, We haven't had an opportunity to see the program, however I just noticed this on the Scotlandspeople site

The success of the BBC's recent family history programme "Who Do You Think You Are?" has resulted in a significant increase in visitors to the leading genealogy website www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk.

Within the space of the past two months the site has attracted a further 45,000 registered users, a staggering figure which serves to highlight the soaring popularity of genealogy.

The same item says total users are "over 215,000" so as mentioned a rather large % increase.

No doubt the pay sites are happy - they should give the BBC a %.

[RJ_Paton]

I have no doubts that there wil be an awful lot of  disappointed  people shortly as the series makes it look so easy to get back AND to get the information either online or at records offices.

The series is good entertainment but it is not a guide for the beginner to genealogy and it also gives the impression of jumping to conclusions on little or often no evidence.