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| Harriet's ancestor, Marie Carandini; National Library of Australia / Wikimedia Commons |
Last Thursday’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featured actress Harriet Walter, whose family are undeniably posh.
Much of this episode featured on the exploits of an Italian ancestor — the son of a noble family, who had the grandest of educations, but was drawn to ballet and the stage.
I have three episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? to catch up on with my little write-ups
- sorry for the delay, but I've been busy the last couple of weeks, researching my wonderful customers' families.
Comedian and actress Aisling Bea's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? was, unsurprisingly, focussed on Ireland.
Aisling wasn't surprised at all - though she had been hoping for some variety in her family's past, the result was one she had been expecting. Her family are and were, very Irish.
This was a solid Irish-centred episode, taking in the famine and the fight for independence.
Especially notable was the link to the Irish language as a form of resistance and cultural heritage, as well as the uncomfortable history of those who benefitted from the famine - including Aisling's relatives.
History is not always as straight-forward as good and bad, and what Aisling found was the story of a young widow doing her best for her family, against a background of disaster.
Much as Aisling's episode was definitely Irish, TV personality Fred Sirieix's episode was most definitely French.
It made for an interesting episode - we rarely get to see history from a French perspective here in the UK, and as one of our closest neighbours, we should perhaps know more about French history than we do.
We covered a lot of ground here - both wars, Bordeaux wines, and Parisian orphans were all on the roster, and Fred led us through them all.
The explorations of the wars were particularly interesting - we are, of course, familiar with the history from the British perspective, but the 'home front' was very different in France, and that difference is important for us here to understand.
Will Young's family history also included tales of World War Two - which has been something of a theme this series.
In fact I think that Will's grandfather, considered by many in the family to be a 'bit of a loser' was one of the few relatives Will thought he could be proud of, by the end of the episode!
Will's family were very, very, posh.
And very, very, involved in the British Empire. Including the slavery part - and it just kind of got worse from there.
It's not often that the celebrity is actively hoping for their ancestors to get their comeuppance... but Will had good reason to, in fairness.
Another reminder that history is what it is - much as we'd sometimes like to change it!
Ready to start your own family history journey? I offer a range of professional genealogy services, check out my website for more details.
Actor Layton Williams' episode of Who Do You Think You Are? aired last Monday, rather than Tuesday, due to BBC scheduling conflicts.
Layton's episode was a lot of fun - and worth the watch just for the energy and personality he brings to everything.
The episode looked at both Layton's British family and his Jamaican roots, starting with the British side.
On his British side, Layton carried on the theme of Ross Kemp's episode last week by following the World War Two experiences of his great-great-grandfather.
He learned that the family moving to Bury (where Layton was born,) was as a direct result of his ancestor's war work.
(The name 'cat nana' to describe Layton's beloved great-grandmother in this part of the episode is extremely cute!)
Beyond the war, the episode looked at Layton's links to London and an ancestor with musical links.
Moving on to Jamaica, Layton follows his father's line into the dark history of slavery.
Although the link is not 100 per cent certain due to the lack of record-keeping in some periods of Jamaica's history, there is a high likelihood that the show was able to trace the enslaved people in Layton's ancestry.
One of his likely female ancestors in Jamaica was recorded as having been born in Africa, meaning that she would have been transported against her will to Jamaica aboard a slave ship.
The history is poignant, and important, and Layton's positivity shines through without dulling the truth of an inhuman situation.
Ready to start your own family history journey? I offer a range of professional genealogy services, check out my website for more details.
Actor and TV presenter Ross Kemp's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? aired last Tuesday.
Much, though not all, of Ross' episode was focussed on his great-grandfather, 'Pop,' (short for 'Popeye,' because he was a sailor,) and his war-time service in the Merchant Navy.
The Merchant Navy is a civilian force of trade vessels - one which did vital work during both world wars in terms of supply chains and troop movements.
Ross was especially keen to find out why his mother seemed to have a memory of Pop returning from sea in a US army uniform
- something that I'm not going to spoil here, and which you'll have to watch the episode to get to the bottom of.
Other stand-out moments of the episode include the story of a previously unknown great-great-uncle who had a problem with alcohol that led to other problems.
...Not least the problems between himself and his parents and siblings, who were threatened by his often violent and unpredictable behaviour.
This was a solid episode on the approach to this series' half-way point, and certainly worth the watch if you have an interest in the history of seafaring and World War Two.
Ready to start your own family history journey? I offer a range of professional genealogy services, check out my website for more details.
