WDYTYA? - Warwick Davis and Sunetra Sarker

Warwick Davis' family history was a mixed bag of revelations, making for an interesting episode.

From the confusion of bigamy, to the joy of finding a performer in the family, to the mixed feelings (i.e. uncomfortable horror,) of a modern perspective looking back at the realities of the blacked-up minstrel shows of the 19th Century, Warwick Davis' episode was certainly intriguing.

Plus, the man himself is a lot of fun.




Sunetra Sarker's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? was the story of the formation of two countries - modern India, and Bangladesh.

An interesting episode covering topics not widely-known in the west, it also told of the violence that led to the formation of Bangladesh, with the reminder that these atrocities took place in the relatively recent 1970s.




This week's episode is the last of the series, and features Sophie Raworth.

WDYTYA? Catch-Up Post - Cheryl, Ricky Tomlinson, Sir Ian McKellan, and Greg Davies

Looks like I got a little behind on these - ironically, I'm a genealogist with very little time at the moment!

Anyway, let's just give you a short round-up of the episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? that've aired since my last post, and then we can get back on track for the last two!

Cheryl (Tweedy, Cole, Fernandez-Versini,) found that she truly is Geordie through-and-through, with family based around the docks of the North-East, and a tragedy related to their seafaring profession.



Ricky Tomlinson discovered his connections to his working-class Liverpudlian ancestors, and the beginnings of worker's rights - something which he himself has been a passionate advocate for.



Sir Ian McKellen's was another tale of the apple not falling far from the tree, as he discovered that his family had an acting past that he had never known about.

Oddly enough, the various experts in theatre history seemed just slightly thrilled to meet him!



Greg Davies' family story was one I recognised - I've been researching similar stories of Welsh ancestry for over a decade now. Granted, I've never come across medieval royalty in any of the trees I've researched! (Yet! I live in hope.)

There's also plenty of family skeletons in Greg's tree (metaphorical ones,) including illegitimacy (which wasn't as uncommon in the 19th Century as you might think,) and running to the Rhondda to avoid scandal (as you do.)






The next (and last) three episodes of WDYTYA? will feature Warwick Davis (I love him!), Sunetra Sarker and Sophie Raworth.