BBC 1 WDYTYA: Series 11, Episode 4, Brendan O'Carroll

[Romilly]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c65QRaR16io
is this it?
xin

Yes!!

Thanks so much, - I couldn't get it to play:-(

Romilly

[lisalucie]

I enjoyed this episode...and I liked the single person aspect for a change. But as has already been said you cant please everybody. (Plus I liked Brendan) 

[Marmaduke 123]

Not for the first time, I seem to disgree with the majority on here. I thought this was a fascinating programme, although probably better suited to a stand alone documentary than an episode of WDYTYA.

Mrs Brown's Boys is a programme I would never watch, but Brendan O'Carroll came across as a very genuine and likeable person, as did his whole family. They were natural in front of the camera!

I do think most people have a very limited understanding of the whole Irish story, and this was an enlightening different perspective, as is the additional information posted here as a result of the programme.

[fraser1]

I own up, I'm one of the few who have posted watches Mrs Brown.

We did see a lot of what has been shown in the links and I have still not 100% sure.  I plead tiredness and a certain amount of boredom and may have missed vital parts.  Did Brendan mention that his father was hurt in the incident?  Another report says Peter was found by a neighbour and taken for medical assistance.

Why I am struggling with this when everyone else seems to be convinced?  Enough from me - away to make plum vodka.

Sandra

[Stairheedrammy]

I thought it was a really interesting programme and brought home the brutality and dirty tricks employed in war, the witness statements are available to all and the Irish governments far more accommodating in allowing access to historical documents than the British one.  Some of the comments on here are illuminating on how the Irish are viewed, particularly those who fought against the British in the war of independence, and suggest maybe some people feel we should still own them.  As an aside it was British soldiers who fought in that war, not only English ones.  That the programme focused on one ancestor and around one specific incident doesn't change that it was an investigation of ancestory. I suppose you can't please everyone though.

[heywood]

We thought it very interesting - part of our heritage.

I love the 'confessions' of the Mrs Brown viewers.  I can watch bits but then become very prudish!

[Sinann]

Most watched WDYTYA for 3 years according to this
http://www.irishgenealogynews.com/2014/08/brendan-ocarroll-most-watched-wdytya.html

[ayrgenes]

Haven't watched more than 5 minutes of each programme this series, producers seem to have lost sight of the fact of the initial concept. Too much focus on single individuals. I'm sure 'non-celebs' could have at least one relative who would be of interest to viewers. As for it being the 'most watched' ... that may have something to do with the popularity of Brendan, a great comic, nice man etc so not his fault the show fell short. As previously mentioned this was a great documentry, not WDYTYA. Come on producers get back to basics, encourage newcomers to get involved in genealogy, for some time now it's made to look so easy. A celeb says what they want to find out, a professional is hired to research, celeb has instant access to documents, story complete. Wonder why it's taken me best part of thirty years?

[california dreamin]

Confessions of a Mrs. Brown viewer 
I liked this episode much better than the other two (to date)! I don't mind an episode that focuses on one person (Remember Carol Voderman and her father and the underground printing press during WW2?)  I do have a great interest in Irish history & Irish family history and perhaps this all helped me to keep focused on Brendan's story.
However, it is a shame so much of it has been found to be online. nospringchicken has added quite a bit of information except one of her links on the Cairo gang says that Hardy died in the 20's while the expert on WDYTYA tells us he went on to be a banker and wrote two books 
But I too liked the way Brendan kept going back to his source (the newspaper article) and questioning what it said.  But a  better understand of the whole situation of the O'Carroll family I think would have stood us in better stead.
I know this episode has been controversial due to the political nature of it - but I think sometimes we do need to be reminded of uncomfortable episodes in our history.