Who Do You Think You Are?

[HPD76]

Can I just recommend to you the latest Josh Widdecombe episode of this? I’m not a huge fan of his, and I can mostly take or leave WDYTYA, but this was the most incredible hour of telly I’ve watched in a long time. It gave me goosebumps.

I’ve heard of a groom of the stool but I read historical novels and Tudor history. Will watch this JW programme, sounds interesting. I am surprised he didn’t know Elizabeth I was unmarried - she was known as the Virgin Queen after all.

I think it was Judy's Richard who said the programme researchers looked into his tree, found all his ancestors to be ordinary and so dropped him!

Judi Dench's episode was great. What a wonderful link she discovered to 'the man who pays the rent'. The researchers must have been cock-a-hoop when they stumbled on that.

Also, loved her whizzing up in the air in the that contraption in the records office

Also, loved her whizzing up in the air in the that contraption in the records office

Yep. People all over the country asking, 'can I have a go ?'

@KrispyKale

I think it was Judy's Richard who said the programme researchers looked into his tree, found all his ancestors to be ordinary and so dropped him!

That happened to Josie Lawrence too.

Alistair McGowan's tree was fascinating and almost everything he thought he knew about his family was wrong. Very disconcerting for him. Also interesting, annoyingly, was Boris Johnson's. Helps you understand his conviction of his utter entitlement though.

@KrispyKale

I think it was Judy's Richard who said the programme researchers looked into his tree, found all his ancestors to be ordinary and so dropped him!

And Michael Parkinson too, I think.

Someone who was concentrating harder than I was, can you clarify for me? In JW programme, the cousin that Elizabeth 1 treated so well - the one who looked very like her- was the daughter of Mary Boleyn (Anne's sister who was also mistress of Henry VIII herself). Was the implication that the cousin, Kathryn, and Elizabeth 1 were not only cousins via Anne and Mary Boleyn but also half sisters fathered by Henry? Or have I muddled that up? And Judi Dench, astonishing. I feared for her health as she struggled to take it in. Absolutely surprising, she must be so thrilled. The portrait of the Danish ancestor, I thought, looked very like her grandson.

@longwayoff I think that was always the implication.

Yes definitely implied they were more than cousins.

I love this programme and thoroughly enjoyed the Josh Widdicombe one. He was so engaging and excited by it all.

I remember the Katherine Ryan one and remarked to DH that she seemed totally uninterested and I wondered why she'd bothered to do the programme at all. But then, I find her like that anyway....

The Judge Rinder one was very moving and also, in the same vein (ie family lost in the Holocaust) the one with Stephen Fry was equally moving. I remember him telling his mum what he had discovered and being very upset when he spoke about the loss of the children.

I remember the one with Bill Roache (Ken Barlow) being incredibly boring - so much so that I can't remember what his ancestors did!

Thank you both. I hadn't come across that relationship before.

I think the most moving one I saw was Jerry Springer. I was crying myself.

I wish they'd include the bit when they go back and tell their family all the info again - they used to do that in previous series (ages ago now) - it was always lovely and quite emotional.

Can I just say, all of you saying ‘I can’t believe he didn’t know xyz’ or he’s was a bit clueless, so you honestly think everyone knows about history?

Some people just aren’t interested in it, some people never learnt it at school. I am interested in stuff in the moment but I don’t store that information often so for example I’m useless re kings & queens in a quiz!

Yes there are some bits of history that are very well known but that doesn’t mean everyone knows it.

I’ve just watched the Judi Dench episode. Absolutely gobsmacking. I think it’s the best episode yet.

Bestbefore : I think the original format was more satisfying.

I think by the time you end up at 9x great grandparents that’s like 5000 people! Good chance of a good story then!

A kindred spirit @PhoboPhobia!
I had an excellent History teacher at secondary school, who I could listen to all day long with his wonderful stories, but I knew there was no way on God's green earth that I would ever remember all those names and dates in an exam so, personally, I abandoned history aged 14.
That's several weeks ago now!
Thanks for explaining the related to God thing to the pp who did.

Just noticed a pp mentioning Richard Madeley being on, it was probably Parkinson then🤷.
It certainly helps if you have a "gentry" connection as all of a sudden you can go back into the deeper past. In our tree for all sorts of reasons we get to dead ends long before descent from God can be established!😂

Oh my god oh my god oh my god.

I'm definitely a fail on the Tudor history, but I've just reached the moment in the Judi Dench one where they mention the Danish in-law Mr B... and his son.

I've just had to pause the telly and take a deep breath and come on MN.

That is a name I recognise.

Holy mother of god!

I didn't think anything this series could match the Josh W one – but this has just surpassed it for me.

Are you Judi Dench's 13th cousin TressiliansStone? :)

Hah, would that I were! As then I, too, would be related to Mr B.

Sorry Jude, you're great, it's just... well, I studied that frontispiece of Mr B junior's book for my degree.

I'm stunned by him popping up in a WDYTYA.

English Lit or History then. Or Danish History.
I get the "I recognise that name!" moments from DH'S and therefore the DC's tree frequently.

We all the old episodes on iplayer? I haven’t seen some of them.