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Related: Film discussion forum.

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Related: Film discussion forum.

Telly addicts

Emilia Fox, Who Do You Think You Are?

54 replies

MelinaM · 08/09/2011 11:51

I love her, and found this to be another interesting family! ...I do think they could have popped Laurence on though

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higgle · 08/09/2011 13:56

Yes, I was fascinated by Samson and his corrugated boiler flue!

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FancyForgetting · 08/09/2011 14:06

She was lovely - glad to see she is so happy and down-to-earth, as she had previously struck me as a little fey - must have got her confused with her roles!

The great-aunts were wonderful - loved the interjections about their father running off with his 'American tart'- 'silly bugger'! Sad to see in the credits that the younger sister, Pam, had died since filming.

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Hassled · 08/09/2011 14:07

She was so sweet and interested and bouncy, wasn't she. And Samson was a hell of a guy.

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puzzlesum · 08/09/2011 14:18

I watched it because it was trending on Twitter, although I do like WDYTYA anyway. Really enjoyed this one.

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nickelbabe · 08/09/2011 14:22

yes, I was quite surprised that her background wasn't wealth, and oh my god! was that (i've forgotten his name!!) a complete and utter twat and waste of space! wasting all that money over his life, and running off leaving a wife and four children to fend for themselves!

I loved Samson, though. Shame he never got to see how important his water-gas was after all. practically died in shame, just because the coal-gas companies couldn't cope with the competition.

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beachyhead · 08/09/2011 14:22

How is that your ancestor paid to build the Royal College of Music ......and you don't know??????? Loved it though...

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nickelbabe · 08/09/2011 14:23

yes, I loved the great-aunts too!

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nickelbabe · 08/09/2011 14:24

beachyhead - because it was hushed up, because of the scandal with the water-gas

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newbroom · 08/09/2011 14:26

I think she's fab, I was worrying about her overdoing it though! Loved the great aunts too, hope I'm still that sharp when I'm 104!

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MelinaM · 08/09/2011 15:45

Oh yes great-aunt Mary was fab "American tart" and "Silly bugger" had me in fits of giggles! I think Mary deserves a show of her own!
It was very sad to learn that Pam had died at the end

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CaptainMartinCrieff · 08/09/2011 15:48

It was the best WDYTYA in ages. She seems genuinely lovely, I loved the guy at the Leeds museum... "I give you the Corrugated Boiler" Ta dah!

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lazarusb · 08/09/2011 16:11

It was a really enjoyable and interesting episode. Great Aunt Mary had me in fits with her comments. Sad to see that Pamela had died though, she seemed very well in the programme. What a fantastic legacy Samson left behind. Sad that he was denied proper recognition because of coal gas industry jealousy, especially after his fabulous corrugated flue.

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Thumbwitch · 08/09/2011 16:16

ooo, thanks for flagging it - I can watch them on iplayer now! Will have to watch it tomorrow though, tis bedtime here.

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PorkChopSter · 08/09/2011 16:21

Great Aunt Mary was ace One of those old ladies with selective hearing problems - she could hear well enough when she needed to comment

I'm still not entirely sure why, when he invented such important things and built the Royal College of Music, that he wasn't more well known, or mentioned in the family.

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PorkChopSter · 08/09/2011 16:22

Ok so someone wrote him a Wiki entry yesterday...

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Tommy · 08/09/2011 16:24

lovely programme. I didn't like her much before as I'd seen her in something where she played a complete b - totally changed my view!!!!
She was lovely and smiley and very interested in it all - thought it was great [smile

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Dumbledoresgirl · 08/09/2011 16:25

What exactly was the passing connection with Ellen Terry? I lost concentration for the minute where that was revealed. I was a bit that the family did not know about that connection either. You would think a family of thesps would know that.

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Tommy · 08/09/2011 16:25

oops

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nickelbabe · 08/09/2011 16:30

there are more internet things on him:

wiki
originating in leeds
yorks gov

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nickelbabe · 08/09/2011 16:31

spaces!! north yorks gov

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scurryfunge · 08/09/2011 16:32

Great programme -I really wanted her to name her daughter Hilda though.

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PorkChopSter · 08/09/2011 16:52

Ellen Terry's brother married one of Hilda's cousins (that were all actors too)

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Dumbledoresgirl · 08/09/2011 22:41

Thanks PorkChopSter. That is a very tenuous connection. I forgive the Foxes for not knowing about it.

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Thumbwitch · 09/09/2011 10:22

Oh I've watched it now - it was brilliant! love the corrugated boiler flue stuff. So :( about the water gas fiasco though.

I wondered while I was watching it - do they research both sides of the family and then only pick the interesting bits to make the programme? Because Emilia's mother is an actress as well, isn't she - but they barely even mentioned her.

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ExitPursuedByATroll · 09/09/2011 10:31

Only saw the second half but it was fascinating. I too kept thinking "How can they not have known" but I suppose stuff just gets lost in family history.

Yes, they only pick the interesting (or most interesting) bits. Several people do not make it past the early stages as their ancestory is just too boring - Michael Parkinson being a case in point.