Author Topic: Heir Hunters new series  (Read 11585 times)

Offline FraserandFraser

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #27 on: Thursday 10 May 18 13:19 BST (UK) »
Sorry I forgot to post a message telling everyone here the program was to be shown, it took me a little by surprise as I was expecting it in the summer, The other 10 programs will probably be shown early August the same as Series 11 was.

I was also sworn not to mention Michael Buerk joining the program. He may not be to all of your tastes but he was a pleasure to work with, the most professional person I have dealt with in the TV industry.

Everyone here will prefer series 1-4 of the program not only because it was new (and featured me a lot more!) but because it was more about research than social history. The stories were all filmed "live" it was Series 5 where we introduced "retro" stories.

Retro stories are a lot easier to film and importantly cheaper, there is a script for most of it as the story is already know, all the heirs have been found and the social history discovered before they first camera is picked up.

Live cases have a lot more research but several are filmed before a good one is found and taken further.

Fraser and Fraser were the only firm doing live case from series 4-10, we then stopped doing so many because it is so much harder to film and really slowed us down, the program was shifting more to Social history and less on research so there was nothing to gain. You must remember that series 1-4 we were at the Family Record Center or in the office and doing manual research without computers, a birth search could take 20 man hours so there was a lot to film, even in this time some of our searches were on computer and we would have to recreate the image on microfilm so as not to tell everyone we had computerised records. Now it takes 20 seconds to do a search and a person sitting at a PC doing one search is very similar to the next person doing something different. Hence there is more social history. When we were working on them last the production company liked showing all our work where we had taken a gamble as a mistake, or where were were 2nd to an heir as a lost case, forgetting that we had signed the other 95% of heirs or by taking a gamble we were a day ahead of the competition, Spec research should never be shown as a mistake only a way to get a shortcut that doesn't always pay off, or some time we will work 2 or 3 families knowing that only one will be correct, again hardley a mistake. I had arguments about this and it was one of the main reasons we stopped them, I just had nothing to gain.

Finders currently try some live case and for those who watched the first 10 programs you will have seen them look at some cases that are less than £10k just to make it look like they are busy. F&F wont do this if we start a case and find no value we drop it, for me I just have too much other work that is not filmed and too many staff to waste time on a story just to make the firm look good on tv. I have removed the other things I could say about finders! but to me a £3,000 live case and I think there were 3 in the first part of the series didn't make good stories, there is little research and poor social history.

Offline carol8353

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #28 on: Thursday 10 May 18 16:50 BST (UK) »
Thanks for the long explanation Neil  ;D

I must say I did not like Michael Buerk replacing Lisa at first,but he did grow on me as the episodes went by.

I don't like the way he seems to ask about the value of the estate so many times though.

Carol
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Finley 1

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #29 on: Thursday 10 May 18 17:18 BST (UK) »
He just doesnt fit -- sorry  (not for me anyway)
Needless to say he is a professional extremely likeable chap - yes.

but not for that job.  He is too used to telling / without explaining... he doesn't come over as really telling a story, just reading a script.   Not a natural actor and to be a .... whatsit --- narrator ?  I think that is needed.

going now

way past afternoon nap time :)

xin

Offline LizzieW

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #30 on: Friday 11 May 18 11:10 BST (UK) »
Quote
I don't like the way he seems to ask about the value of the estate so many times though.

Seems to be more with Finders than Fraser and Fraser, but you'll note he doesn't make clear that the heir hunters take a cut of the estate.

Quote
Sorry I forgot to post a message telling everyone here the program was to be shown, it took me a little by surprise as I was expecting it in the summer, The other 10 programs will probably be shown early August the same as Series 11 was.

Neil (Fraser) I wondered why it had suddenly stopped, I always record it and watch it during the evening.  By the way there have been comments  that the 1939 register had been called 1939 census.  I said it couldn't possibly be F & F - but, unfortunately, it was one of your staff in the last episode I watched.  :'(


Offline BillyF

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #31 on: Sunday 13 May 18 11:49 BST (UK) »
Thanks Neil for your explanation, it makes things a lot clearer. Unfortunately still would like another presenter !!

Offline FraserandFraser

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #32 on: Wednesday 23 May 18 10:11 BST (UK) »
I will make sure we call the 1939 National Identity Register by its correct name! we generally call it the "39" but when we are asked to do VO several times it sometimes gets miss named

What is a shame, several years ago I did a huge piece to camera to explain about different records in particular the 1939 register, it was going to replace a whole story so take up 15 minutes of the program, but as it was mainly Fraser's staff doing the talking the BBC thought it may be too much of a promotional piece rather than informative so cut it.

It is good the register is now available on Ancestry.

Did you know

I could go on about this for hours as it is something I have an interest in having been shown the ballroom on my first visit to Southport GRO in 2000




Offline Finley 1

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #33 on: Wednesday 23 May 18 10:26 BST (UK) »
'Ghosts of the Ballroom' 
How exciting to imagine :)


in the early 2000's Frasers had a lookup service with traceline staff and they would check the 39 for additional family members on hard to solve deceased cases, it was great for a few years until access was removed when the NHS took control of the records. Now it is easy for anyone to access the register

Is it easy --    Something I must attempt....


xin






Offline LizzieW

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #34 on: Wednesday 23 May 18 10:27 BST (UK) »
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any one remembers Traceline a service offered by the Governments Department of National Statistics to find living relatives, they used the 39 and current NHS records to locate addresses

I remember paying a large sum of money to trace my aunt and uncle even though I already knew their address in Coventry, just because I wanted his date of birth - I didn't know his surname as he and my aunt were never married and they took her middle name as their surname.  Now, of course, the records are available on FindMyPast and Ancestry - although today I had an email from FindMyPast explaining why their records are superior to ones on any other site!

Offline Blue70

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Re: Heir Hunters new series
« Reply #35 on: Wednesday 23 May 18 14:38 BST (UK) »
'Ghosts of the Ballroom' 
How exciting to imagine :)


in the early 2000's Frasers had a lookup service with traceline staff and they would check the 39 for additional family members on hard to solve deceased cases, it was great for a few years until access was removed when the NHS took control of the records. Now it is easy for anyone to access the register

Is it easy --    Something I must attempt....


xin

1939 Register is now on both Ancestry and Find My Past which are available free in many libraries on PC so it is easy to access now. You can search at home by name or address and see free search results without subscribing.


Blue