Gemma Collins - Why Do You Think You Are?

[LuluBlakey1]

I watched this expecting to turn it off after 10 minutes as I am usually so irritated by her.
Actually watched the whole thing and found her quite likeable at times. She was irritating but in an oddly endearing, genuine, way. She was gloriously awful but at the same time has a bit of nous about her, didn't mind being make-up free on camera for most of the programme, was incredibly badly dressed, could talk to anyone at all and get on with them. She was totally unsnobbish and it was an interesting, sad, story of women being judged and treated badly by men and society and tough lives.
Anyone else watch it?
Along with Olly Murs last week, it is the best of the last series which have been increasingly dull.

Me too!

More recently, I also remember enjoying the Shirley Ballas one.

I thought it was really interesting and having never really watched anything with Gemma Collin in, I found her quite endearing.

Her mum and grandma’s stories were tragic and as an RMN I found her grandma’s story really powerful and utterly tragic.

Just watched the Ollie Murs one , really sad.

i dont really watch it, its a bit longn for me but Alastair McGowan was fascinating
as was Sue Perkins

I also love the Josh Widdicombe episode. My absolute fave of recent years is Judi Dench though. I remember Craig Revel Horwoods one being interesting as it was austrailian. And Emilia Fox was good. I cant remember much of the early ones although I have seen nearly every episode.

I also think Christopher Ecclestone complained that he was rejected for having a boring family. I suspect quite a few people get rejected.

I wish they would show some of the other countries episodes somewhere.

The American ones are good. Rob Lowe and Jim parsons both had good episodes.

I'll never get over how she carried on on Celebrity Big Brother. Lazy, obnoxious, attention-seeking and stupid loud. Tears and drama. A bully.
Yet we give her airspace.

What's up with us?

I think a lot of them are still on iplayer

I love this show

My favourites are Danny Dyer, Alexander Armstrong and JK Rowling's

I quite liked Gemma Collins' last night. But for me WDYTYA is a relaxing programme and it wasn't relaxing but it was interesting

That's so sad, if true. Alastair McGowan (the impressionist) had similar in his family line and seemed amazed when he found out, obviously it was a big secret in his family. A nice guy, but he seemed almost taken aback to discover the information. I could be wrong but I think Engelbert Humperdinck is also descended from an Anglo-Indian family. The old Hollywood actress Merle Oberon too (she felt obliged to lie about it, claiming to be born in Tasmania rather than India).

How tragic that it used to be some kind of shameful secret if you were descended from anyone non-European. Thank goodness we have moved on from this way of thinking, although echoes obviously still linger in some communities. Not really their fault though considering the discrimination they faced and the confusion over identity.

These attitudes were some of the results of colonialism I suppose. Awful.

Not a fan of him but is anyone obliged to engage with or identify with any ancestry. I have tons of different bits of me including German and Jewish ancestry but I dont identify or even tell people this, its not really part of me.

Ive liked every programme of WDYTYA but that one also sticks in my mind, I really went off her then and cant tolerate her in things now, awful that was

I really enjoyed the Gemma Collins episode and thought she came over really well. I think the GC is a character she plays - she said she was 'Gemma today' in the episode. She is probably pretty shrewd... she's done well for herself!

Last night’s was good, and I felt so sorry for Olly Murs’ great grandmother last week too.
My favourite had to be Alan Cumming. His grandfather died in a shooting accident while in the army in India, and he finds out some shocking information about it. He finds a road named after him too.
When he finds out that his grandmother couldn’t even afford to collect his belongings when they were shipped home, his reaction gets me every time …. So sad.

Not a regular watcher / big fan of the programme but Matt Lucas’s episode stands out for me - the holocaust, links to Anne Frank and some happy news at the end.

There was a program where they filmed people having therapy and she was on that - it was very touching and made me much more sympathetic to her.

I’m a bit of a fan of hers. She makes me laugh. I’ll have to watch this

Rob Rinder and Stephen Fry had similarly harrowing episodes for similar reasons.

Gema is not a nice person at all in real life.

As full of herself as anyone can be. Openly looks down on people and waves them away (am not exaggerating this) as to not disturb her peace.

What you see on tv is not a true reflection of what people are in real life.

I'm watching this now. What has never sat well with me on this show is the disclosure without concern of quite serious mental health records. I know they are dead people and public records but I don't think I would want my descendants pouring over my medical records for other people's entertainment.

I really enjoyed it.
The Stephen Fry one was my favourite one.
I think they may be running out of slabs with something interesting. Ade Edmundson said they contacted him then came back 3 weeks later and said there was nowt interesting.

Yes, Engelbert is Anglo-Indian. Same as Robin and Peter Sarstedt. With McGowan, it was so interesting because he had no idea. Now you know he has Indian heritage, you can "see" it. But so many people are racially ambiguous looking it must be fascinating for the researchers.

I had always thought Alistair McGowan was Indian/south Asian in some way so was a bit puzzled by the whole thing, but great episode

Same as David Dickenson, I wouldnt have known the exact heritage but thought it was something a bit more exotic than 'up north'.

Yes, impressed that GC was so natural, but your right, she was very badly dressed, that black top with the frilly shoulders when she met her cousin, oh no !
It was a very interesting social history. Have you noticed the titles of the programme usually show the subject smiling, but Jessica Ennis Hill did not smile. Didn't watch JE-H's episode, but she seems really dull and rather miserable. I remember a sports commentator calling her "robotic" when she was still competing.

I mean, I don’t know anything about her, but nobody should be paying attention to you popping up with an anonymous character assassination attempt

I wonder whatever happened to Alistair McGowan. He was everywhere at one time and has disappeared.