New Series of WDYTYA - Thurs 7th Aug, BBC1

pedroeibar1

pinkypinky wrote: »

My main problem with the US ones is the repetition - because they have breaks and the audience needs to be enticed back, and then reminded of what they've seen already. If they're shown here on BBC, then it could easily be condensed into 30 minutes.

Live there and you will give thanks on bended knee for PBS. We rarely watched TV when living there, and then just for News programs. Generally the format was 12 mins TV then 3 mins of adverts. For a film, there were shorter program intervals between longer advertising periods towards the end of the film. For international news (inevitably Israel & Iraq even back then) they had a countdown clock in the corner of the screen to let viewers know and not change channel. And that was NYC channels!

Jellybaby1

Would be best just to record anything you want to see and shoot through the adverts then.

pinkypinky

I agree, Jellybaby1, but that requires precision attention to know when they've stopped repeating and started new stuff!

P. Breathnach

pinkypinky wrote: »

I agree, Jellybaby1, but that requires precision attention to know when they've stopped repeating and started new stuff!

It's for such tasks that one employs staff.

Jellybaby1

The majority of the programmes we watch are all recorded and we have got so used to it now, to have to watch the programmes with ads in real time is such a bore we just can't stand it. I would hate to have all the adverts that the US have, I think I'd just give up.

CassieManson

Alicat wrote: »

New series is starting this Thursday, 7th August, on BBC1 at 9pm. There is also a special programme on the night before (Wednesday, 6th Aug, 10:35pm) celebrating 10 years of the show and interviewing past participants.

This year's list:

• Julie Walters (7th Aug)
• Brain Blessed (14th Aug)
• Tamzin Outwaite (21st Aug)
• Brendan O'Carroll (28th Aug)
• Sheridan Smith (4th Sept)
• Mary Berry (18th Sept)
• Martin Shaw (25th Sept)
• Reggie Yates (2nd Oct)
• Twiggy (9th Oct)
• Billy Connolly (16th Oct)

Anybody see the Brian Blessed episode last night? I thought it was quite funny how he dramatized the story but was very happy to see that

the two brothers somehow managed to stay in touch despite being seperated so young.

Jellybaby1

I always enjoy seeing Brian Blessed. The man never leaves the stage! Interesting story told as only Brian Blessed could tell it! As ever, I was still wanting more. I think anyone who knows Brian Blessed will know what to expect from him.

shanew

CassieManson wrote: »

Anybody see the Brian Blessed episode last night? I thought it was quite funny how he dramatized the story ...

couldn't believe the brothers found each other after that long...

I enjoyed it, he's so enthusiastic about everything, you end up laughing with him!

Was wondering at first why they jumped back so far and produced the tree at the beginning, but worked very well presenting him, and us, with the story as it unfolded. Lucky for him his surname is uncommon, and his direct ancestor's first name of Jabez was new one to me

Jellybaby1

Jabez and Barnabas are both Biblical names.

Biblical names were used in the Dickensian/Victorian era if you consider the names such as Abel, Noah, Solomon, and Jacob (Marley), Ebenezer (Scrooge) etc. I think in the same era the prophet's name Ezra was used too. Great for genealogists to track today!

jos28

Enjoyed the programme, Brian Blessed is such a character. His enthusiasm is contagious. I was a bit perplexed at first cos I thought they were skipping ahead . I have to admit it was edited quite well as we saw the story unfold along with Brian. So glad to see

the brothers reunited

. A good tale, well told

Jellybaby1

I see our mods are being kept on their toes!! Stop giving the game away guys!

pinkypinky

Liked the episode. He's daft as a brush though, isn't he? Acting out the

wedding

! I am also amazed at the thing everyone else has spoilered.

L1011

Its interesting how he turns from BRIAN BLESSED to Brian Blessed and back to BRIAN BLESSED again over the course of a few minutes.

I'm slightly annoyed to see extremely useful records sitting as spreadsheets on a single computer in a library - it might not help that many people but things like that should always be put online.

jos28

Anyone watch Tamzin Outhwaite tonight ?

pedroeibar1

Yes. She came across as a nice person. Daft to think that she knew all the relatives but had (or pretended ) no idea of family history. If your father/grandfather was interned in WW2 would you not know? The acting bit was still there, the odd shudder, gasp, but no tear and no running mascara. It showed nothing really, just a bit about Italian internees, how to make icecream and Italians coming to Scotland. (Query - should current affairs worsen, would the Isle of Man hold most of |Leeds/Bradford/Luton?Birmingham?)
Overall the series has really deteriorated from past years. it has really descended into geno-tainment (poor stuff at that). Next week it will be Brendan's Ashes.

jos28

Good review there Pedro, very little genealogical data used. It was more like an episode of This is your Life. Strange that she knew so little of her family history considering her Grandmother was still alive. Poor episode all round. It'll be interesting to see how the BBC handle Irish archives next week. BOC has a fascinating Titanic story in his family, I'm sure they will mention it.

shanew

I'd heard about the internments of Italians etc at the Isle of Man during WW2 before somewhere, think there was a previous WDYTYA that mentioned the same buildings on the seafront.

Nice little village where the Santi family came from, shame to have to leave that

pedroeibar1

shanew wrote: »

Nice little village where the Santi family came from, shame to have to leave that

Want to buy an Italian village ??

Alun

I too thought it odd that a) she had regularly visited the Italian village her ancestors had come from when younger with her family and b) had also regularly visited the town in County Durham where she had living relatives and somehow didn't manage to know most of what she 'found out' already. The histrionics when she heard about the internment camp on the IoM was overdone too, possibly due to her mum referring to it incorrectly as a 'concentration camp'. A very weak episode, all things considered.

Waitsian

jos28 wrote: »

It'll be interesting to see how the BBC handle Irish archives next week. BOC has a fascinating Titanic story in his family, I'm sure they will mention it.

I think I heard a tale of his father and grandfather being shot, either during the War of Independence or the Civil war, not sure which.

Coolnabacky1873

jos28 wrote: »

It'll be interesting to see how the BBC handle Irish archives next week. BOC has a fascinating Titanic story in his family, I'm sure they will mention it.

mod9maple wrote: »

I think I heard a tale of his father and grandfather being shot, either during the War of Independence or the Civil war, not sure which.

All we are missing is that one of his ancestors was at the GPO during the Rising and we have a trifecta of Irish genealogy family myths

CassieManson

Alun wrote: »

I too thought it odd that a) she had regularly visited the Italian village her ancestors had come from when younger with her family and b) had also regularly visited the town in County Durham where she had living relatives and somehow didn't manage to know most of what she 'found out' already. The histrionics when she heard about the internment camp on the IoM was overdone too, possibly due to her mum referring to it incorrectly as a 'concentration camp'. A very weak episode, all things considered.

Yes I agree, she could have found out most of that information from talking to her grandmother and doing a google search!

L1011

It is possible she'd never done that - she thought the shop was a chipper when it's obvious from the remains inside that it wasn't for instance. Probably was never interested until the show. Compare to Jeremy Clarkson years ago having commissioned professional research well before the show

rhapsody

Tamzin Outhwaite's was a weak episode indeed, especially the whole section on learning to make gelato- ridiculous. I also wondered about the genealogist in the Isle of Man putting forward the idea that her great uncle didn't chose to join The Pioneers in order to get out of the camp because he was worried about leaving his father behind. There's plenty of supposing in these shows, but the idea that the great uncle was one of those 'fascist thugs' was equally likely but not mentioned.

Brian Blessed's was great, interesting stuff and he seems like a lovely man

pinkypinky

MYOB wrote: »

It is possible she'd never done that - she thought the shop was a chipper when it's obvious from the remains inside that it wasn't for instance. Probably was never interested until the show. Compare to Jeremy Clarkson years ago having commissioned professional research well before the show

Ooh I didn't know that! The worst case of that I've seen is Emilia Fox, whose aunt had actually written a book about the stuff that she apparently only uncovered on the show! There was even a scene with her and her Dad both acting their socks off.

L1011

Clarksons episode showed the commissioned tree - it was a pretty decent episode from a social history perspective as it was basically a hunt for more info than certs and censuses can give

Most 'normal' people are actually as oblivious to their heritage as Tamzin appeared to be which is why I'm not 100% sure it was acting.

jos28

Coolnabacky1873 wrote: »

All we are missing is that one of his ancestors was at the GPO during the Rising and we have a trifecta of Irish genealogy family myths

My Grandad was beside Dev in Bolands Mills you know :D







He wasn't but everyone else's Grandad seems to have been

Jellybaby1

rhapsody wrote: »

Tamzin Outhwaite's was a weak episode indeed, especially the whole section on learning to make gelato- ridiculous. I also wondered about the genealogist in the Isle of Man putting forward the idea that her great uncle didn't chose to join The Pioneers in order to get out of the camp because he was worried about leaving his father behind. There's plenty of supposing in these shows, but the idea that the great uncle was one of those 'fascist thugs' was equally likely but not mentioned.

Brian Blessed's was great, interesting stuff and he seems like a lovely man

Totally agree with you on this. I was so disappointed in this one. The genealogist should never assume anything, she had no clue as to why he hadn't joined the Pioneers, he could have been on either side for all she knew! Blatant breaking of genealogy rules there! But of course he had to be 'noble', but who knows? The ice-cream bit was ridiculous! Thumbs down for this one.

shanew

possible spoilers in the first link - maybe save until after the program...

re Brendan O'Carroll - see here (Timeline research/Nicola Morris)

and also here WDYTYA magazine, episode guide, and additional footage

Coolnabacky1873

Pretty decent episode. Good use of newspapers and Bureau of Military History records.