WDYTYA Series 4 #1 Natasha Kaplinsky

[celia]

Darn i forgot about that
Celia

[XPhile2868]

It was quite sad to see what happened to her family, who must have gone through horrors most people nowadays cannot comprehend. The story about her father and the sit-in was good - obviously the guy had a strong sense of equality and justice.

Looking up Slonim on Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slonim_%28Hasidic_dynasty%29 shows something about a Jewish dynasty that originated there, and the article has a picture of what appears to be the synagogue Natasha and her cousin visited.

- Stephen

[Simon G.]

To be honest, I found the parts about her Jewish ancestry to be, frankly, repetitive.  Don't get me wrong, it was very moving and as a historian I know the history of it all...but we've already had the definitive episode dealing with the Nazi atrocities with the episode about Stephen Fry's ancestry.  It just seemed like retreading old ground.
Her mother's ancestry, on the other hand, for me was far more interesting and they should really have made more out of researching the royal connections.  Honestly, most of us watching will have our ancestry grounded solely here in the UK.  It's such a pitty that in this fourth series they're once again abandoning the possibilities to research in this country, instead going abroad to research that which few of us will ever be able to apply to ourselves.  As a nation, we have an ancient and varied history...it's such a pitty that the program makers seem to abhor researching it.  My only consolation is that maybe John Hurt's episode next week will be grounded in the UK.

[Nutty1966]

I enjoyed the episode and especially her long lost cousin's singing, that made me cry as did the story of his father, walking up the street with so many other poor souls.  I tell you we don't know how lucky we are.

Looking forward to all of them especially Griff Rhys-Jones


Jane

[duckweed]

I think I would have liked them to shorten the part about her father in South Africa and use that to explore the Apothecary's history a little more.  I don't think you can criticize looking at her Jewish history.  It is after all part of her.  Stephen Fry and Natasha are not related nor did their relatives live in the same country so it isn't going over old ground.  It said to me what a remarkable man her father is and Benny's father too.  You have to admire their bravery.   

[Garethboxing]

Honestly, most of us watching will have our ancestry grounded solely here in the UK.  It's such a pitty that in this fourth series they're once again abandoning the possibilities to research in this country, instead going abroad to research that which few of us will ever be able to apply to ourselves.

Simon G is falling into the trap that someone does every time this series comes on air. Much as it may disappoint some Rootschatters, the programme is not made for would-be genealogists (though it was the spur that got me started, like many others), it is made for a general audience. And I'm sure the general public finds trips to exotic locations overseas a lot more interesting than the minutiae of searching parish registers, etc.

In this specific case, I also wish there had been more time to follow Natasha's mother's family history, but it's only an hour - and, if you were the producer, would you have foregone the account of the doctor's lucky escape and later life as a partisan - let alone Benny's beautiful voice?

   Gareth

[russethouse]

Simon G - I think you might be suprised just how many people have foriegn ancestors somewhere - I thought I was English through and through, but discovered that I have both Prussian and Indian connections and my husband has French ancestors.

Travelling around the globe isn't just a 20th century thing.....

[lesleyhannah]

as a historian I know the history of it all

I suppose this is one of the aims of the programme - we may know the theory of of the Holocaust etc, but seeing how it affected someone's family made it all seem very much more real.

The same thing happens with workhouses, settlement orders and lunatic asylums - we know they existed, but it's only when we see them in relation to real people (like our own families) that they mean anything. I've learnt much more about history since I started my family tree than I ever did at school.

I'm happy to see a variety of celebrity backgrounds on the programme - but am looking forward to a working-class UK family being shown again.

[pettsy]

I enjoyed the programme, apart from the beginning regarding Natasha's father.

No matter how many times I hear about what the Nazi's did, it still moves me.

Benny's singing at the end was very moving...

My fav WDYTYA was Jeremy Paxman.