Friday 5 November 2021

WDYTYA? Series 18 - Joe Lycett

 

tree with vintage vibe



Comedian and TV presenter Joe Lycett was the featured celebrity of last Tuesday's Who Do You Think You Are? episode.

Joe presents the Great British Sewing Bee - which might be part of the reason for the eclectic range of bright and cheerful clothing he wore throughout this episode; it was very on-brand!



Most of Joe's episode was focussed on one particular ancestor, Robert Wilkins.

Though there were brief forays into another ancestor's connection to 'the Buffs' - The Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffaloes - which were fairly entertaining, if only to see Joe Lycett being entirely unsure how to react to any of this.



Robert Wilkins' life was akin to something out of a novel.

A child chimney-sweep, turned Royal Marine, turned officially labelled 'lunatic', who then went on to run a country pub.

If someone wrote his life as a novel, they would be criticised for the lack of believability - history really can be stranger than fiction!



Overall, this was a good episode.

As well as Joe Lycett's general unpredictability and entertainment value, we also got to hear a compelling story, complete with details of social history surrounding Britain's involvement with and aggression towards China in the 19th Century, and the willingness of some wealthy people to continue to use child labour up their chimneys past the point where it was made illegal.




A reminder that while it may be too late for Christmas orders, Christmas gift certificates are still available! You can find more details here.

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