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.)
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| 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.
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