To think "Who do you think you are?" is a waste of money?

[moreslackthanslick]

As a TV show?

Surely the only person interested in someone's family history would be that person and close relatives! Why this became a Tv Series is a bit beyond me, couldn't care less about Danny Dyer or Amanda Holden's forefathers!

AIBU?

Elspeth, I can never quite decide whether it's genuine insouciance with Irons, or whether he's just not that observant. He has this insanely romantic vision of Ireland as being all anarchic and spiritual, and rushes about living in a pink castle and riding out with the hunt and not noticing that he really isn't good enough to play with the trad musicians he's playing with and ignoring iron session etiquette, and then gets incredibly annoyed about what Ireland in 2016 (or so) is actually like, sniping about farming subsidies and empty churches.

Sorry for derail.

I really really recommend The Secret History of Our Streets, though, The Caledonian Road episode is incredibly good, and the Arnold Circus one.

I adore WDYTYA. My favourite was Alan Cumming...his face when he found out his grandfather died playing Russian Roulette always stays with me, and when he was told that his belongings had been shipped home but his granny couldn't afford to collect them from the docks, he was so upset "poor granny"

As you've conceded YABU, I won't repeat it. I love random family histories. I love WDYTYA. I love my pile of nobodies and find DH's posh ancestors very entertaining. It's far more my thing than Bake Off or Strictly.
Did I dream the Julian Clary one where his mother said "Don't turn up any Germans darling!" And they did indeed turn up Germans :)

The social history aspect of it is fascinating.

I also enjoyed Boris Johnson (or should that be Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson) tracing his Turkish grandfather's political assasination

( Monde and yet he educated his kids as expensively as possible in the UK. Gobshite.)

There's a lot of TV I think is a waste of money so I don't watch those programmes.

The social stories are usually very interesting on WDYTYA, I don't give a damn if they are the relatives of a Sleb or an ordinary person really.

I love the social history associated with the WDYTYA searches. I really like the programme (and Heir Hunters). The one that stands out in my mind is Stephen Fry's, and him going to Germany to investigate his Jewish history. Brian Blessed was riveting too.

I have done research for the programme only to have it dropped for not being "interesting enough" so I believe they do drop people if they can't find a juicy storyline.

Archivists find it a double edged sword. It's great that it encourages people to look into their own family history, but it also makes it look easy and gives people false expectations of what they might find.

I'd love to get some in depth info about the Irish branch of my father's family, and about DH's mother's family. I'm not too bothered about going way back. I thoroughly enjoy WDYTYA, I just wish information was more accessible to ordinary people like me!

Yes, Julian Clary's German hating mother did indeed discover she was German.

It's one of my favourite programmes, I find it a fascinating social history and I've learnt loads. Sorry.

Does anyone know where I can watch the American episodes? Sounds like they could be really interesting!

I don't watch it, and I love social history, which is interesting enough without the inclusion of random slebs.

Heir Hunters is much better, but nobody watches that, do they? There was also a programme on BBC2 which was very similar to Long Lost Families but without the drama and blubbing which was very good, but in a daytime slot.

Heir Hunters can be interesting but it's always quite depressing. All those people dying with no one to leave their estate to.

A few years ago I saw an advert in a Sunday paper for the company which did (maybe still does) the groundwork on WDYTYA. They were offering a similar experience to what the celebs get, travel to get documents and see graves etc...for 20K.

I often wonder what quality TV we'd get if we didn't pay so much for football.

You do realise that it is generally agreed that we are in a golden era of TV, and that the vast majority of football on TV is paid for by subscribers to sports channels??

You do realise that it is generally agreed that we are in a golden era of TV,

Eh? "Generally agreed" not in my house, it isn't.

You can get some on YouTube hazelnut

And yes, to the person who asked SJP did have an ancestor on trial at Salem.

I love Heir Hunters! I watched it on maternity leave.

Heir Hunters makes me uneasy. They are basically dashing to be first to contact relatives so they can get their mitts on the commission.

My DH caught the Danny Dyer one when channel flicking. We watch almost no tv and I can't remember the last time he watched tv. I had no idea who Danny Dyer was and had to google.

It was gripping and rather wonderful tv. We ended up watching to the end.

We have different laws in Scotland so no Heir hunting so the programme fascinates me its basically a company scrabbiling for their cut its a bit morbid i think.

A bit off topic but I got a call from HH last week, genuine as well. Doubt there's much £ though :-)

Oh there might be many £s they are hardly going to call you for a £100 are they

Compared to all the bloody reality TV it is worth it's weight (if it could have a weight) in gold.