Author Topic: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC  (Read 12203 times)

Offline drodgers34

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #27 on: Wednesday 12 May 10 09:26 BST (UK) »
professional researchers just get you to your ultimate brick wall quicker

Offline rancegal

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #28 on: Wednesday 12 May 10 09:32 BST (UK) »
  Thecompany that makes WDYTYA is 'Wall to Wall'. If you look at the WDYTYA website, it does have more interesting stuff about what they do. Fiona Bruce said after she had initially agreed, she heard no more until a phone call one day told her to be ready and to bring warm clothes and her passport. No other info. She said it was like being kidnapped!
       Every time there is a series we get at least one letter on the BBC board from someone who a) thinks the programme is made by the Beeb, and b) thinks we are a team of 'BBC experts' who have all FH knowledge at our finger ends and are only waiting for them to ask for it, and c) it's all free.
 Sadly, none of these things are true
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Offline Mark1973

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #29 on: Wednesday 12 May 10 13:41 BST (UK) »
You have to remember this is the celebrity version of getting things done, park where you like, get what you pay for ;D
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Offline mike175

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #30 on: Wednesday 12 May 10 14:09 BST (UK) »
Sadly, I think this could be a lost cause. I've become very disillusioned with all sorts of "factual" programmes because they short-circuit most of the tedious detail work in order to show the more exciting bits which will appeal to a wider audience.

We have to accept that these programmes are for entertainment, and aren't instructional videos, but there have been many notable exceptions such as the much missed Fred Dibnah with his brilliant series on our industrial heritage. There was a man who could keep you fascinated while he hammered in a rivet! . . . 8)

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Offline les_looking

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #31 on: Wednesday 12 May 10 14:57 BST (UK) »
Personally i enjoy the programme AS IT IS, after watching the USA wdytya,
CONSTANTLY referring to Ancestry i for one realise how well made ours is in comparison, at the end of the day it is a tv programme and no format is going to please everyone, ie after certain "celeb's" have aired we have people saying that was boring or good or should have done this etc.

They have their own forum, magazine, dvds, software and tv programme so not sure what else they can do to point people in the right direction,
how many of us watch heir hunters and get annoyed when they constantly repeat what they have found?
I am pretty sure that at the end of the programme they give the links to online,
if they dont you only have to type in WDYTYA and it brings up so many links you will spend hours searching, and most important sooner or later you will end up at Roots and get all the help you want ;)


All about opinions, ie they supposedly shelved Parky for having a "boring" family, he hasn't been the only one and only because he made it public we knew, again who has the right to say any of our ancestors are boring but they remember have to think about viewers, i am pretty sure most of us would like to see "ordinary" people because of our experiences of doing our own history and reading on this forum about others, but is that what the viewers want?
As others have said we all watch tv and think you have got to be joking how easy they make it seem, but the reality of how they got the results would in most case make pretty tedious viewing.

Offline drodgers34

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #32 on: Thursday 13 May 10 00:40 BST (UK) »
The "Interesting ones" are falling into categories now.

Theres the slave ancestors (oh surprise surprise a slave owner too ?)
The holocaust (was it just the one or two out of 50 that survived)
The Royal connection (once you get the link theres too mich info to publish)
The disposessed scots or irish
WW1 WW2 or US civil war
Rags to riches to rags in 3 generations


Would it be OK for us to 'do' parky in rootschat ?

Online Ruskie

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #33 on: Thursday 13 May 10 01:05 BST (UK) »
The "Interesting ones" are falling into categories now.

Theres the slave ancestors (oh surprise surprise a slave owner too ?)
The holocaust (was it just the one or two out of 50 that survived)
The Royal connection (once you get the link theres too mich info to publish)
The disposessed scots or irish
WW1 WW2 or US civil war
Rags to riches to rags in 3 generations


You've really hit the nail on the head drodgers!  ;D

I'm generally fairly happy with WDYTYA. You can't really show too much of the tedious details involved in Family History research in an hour long programme, and you can't show 'experts' instructing the celebs on every single aspect of where to look, and what to search for - there would be so much repetition if every week each celeb was shown how to search Ancestry for example. That would get so monotonous.

Although I either don't know, don't like or don't care about many of the celebs, I still find their stories interesting and there's something satisfying about seeing them with their usually very ordinary parents and families.

I do agree though, that the odd less interesting story such as one of ag labs, would make a pleasant change. (Or anything that isn't on drodgers list.  ;))

Offline Canterburynorth

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #34 on: Thursday 13 May 10 05:14 BST (UK) »
drodgers I think its a great idea to do 'parky' on RC.

I am a big fan of WDYTYA UK and Australian versions, I think they are fine as they are , its was watching a programme that got me interested in family history, and I never expected it to be easy just from watching it, I am so glad I saw that show as I now have the best hobby in the world! Even the boring bits are exciting to me :D
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Offline Jean McGurn

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Re: WDYTYA The Reality A Letter to BBC
« Reply #35 on: Thursday 13 May 10 15:23 BST (UK) »
Many years ago Gordon Honeycombe who was a newsreader on ITV researched his own ancestry. ITV filmed his efforts - think it was a series of 6 half hour programmes.

This was the days before the Internet so was quite interesting. It showed him going to the record offices and eventually going to the Channel Islands where he had found his ancestors had lived and died.

Gordon alsowrote a book with photo's of his travels plus how he proceeded and where to go, which I got out of my local library and found it so fascinating it started me off of doing my village history.

From what I remember it was Gordon who initiated the research and not ITV. He wanted to find out more about his name and where it came from. Think it was only filmed because of who he was.

Jean

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