WDYTYA? - Mark Wright

Apologies for this write-up being a little late - I've been hard at work tracking down people's family histories!

The last episode of this series of Who Do You Think You Are? featured The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright.

The story of Wright's ancestors was largely one of hardship - albeit in a variety of forms.

From one interesting character - an ancestor with a Del Boy streak and a stint in the Veterinary Corps in World War One - Wright's episode moved on to another.


The lives of Sephardic Jewish ancestors were rarely easy.

Persecution of Jewish people sadly began long before the 20th Century, and Spain has an unpleasant history in this regard.

The infamous Spanish Inquisition had no ethical qualms with torturing and executing people simply because they followed another religion - in fact, they saw this is the only way to save their souls.


This meant that many Sephardic Jews or 'New Christians' as they were termed after their forcible conversion, felt they had little choice but to flee from their homes.

Mark's ancestor, a sword-master (real Zorro-style action!), left Spain for Amsterdam, and from there to London.

He himself had been tortured, and faced execution if there were a re-occurrence of the 'offence' of following his own religion. His nephew did not escape with his life.


A dramatic episode, then, to end this series of Who Do You Think You Are? And in my opinion, they did indeed save the best for last.

WDYTYA? - Paul Merton + Sharon Osbourne

Paul Merton's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? was in many places veritably Dickensian.

A singer, busker, and possible pickpocket, who falls foul of the law in her teenage years, and ends up in prison.

After completing her sentence, and still a young woman, she walks into a workhouse - one if the workhouses, in fact, that Dickens uses as his inspiration for Oliver Twist. She's in labour with her baby by the time she arrives on their doorstep.

(Told you it was Dickensian.)

Image by skeeze from Pixabay

A feature of this ancestor's story was that her profession as a musician ensured she was viewed untrustworthy by the police and the courts.

Entertainers and performers enjoyed a slightly dubious social status before the mid-to-late 20th Century - on the one hand, many performers were admired and supported.

On the other, they were also often - especially women - seen as having 'loose' morals. Being a pub singer would have been seen as seedy even among performers, and people would have made assumptions about a woman or girl's character if she were employed as such.


Sharon Osbourne's family were also performers - albeit when the profession was starting to become more accepted socially.

Music halls did, however, still keep a risqué edge - as shown by dances such as the 'pony-trot' which were featured on the show.


Sharon's family story also threw up an unknown link to America.

The interesting part about this was the way it showed the downside of the 'American dream,' and the poor conditions and heartache that many 19th Century immigrants faced.


This Wednesday's episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, featuring Mark Wright, will be the last of the series.