Who Do You Think You Are?

This is a fascinating series on the genealogy of famous people. I love the way these stories unfold layer by layer to reveal the drama that is humanity from the great wars, massive migrations, and religious persecution to stories of everyday life. Birth, census, marriage, property, court and death records provide factual information of those that came before us and are woven with general historical information that is known about the time period to bring to life ancestors who were not previously known. These stories are often poignant and emotional as we come to know personal struggles. They educate us today of the way life used to be; where young children often died from diseases that today are easily prevented, where prejudice was accepted as the norm and a lack of social safety nets led to destitution. It reminds us how far we have come. How medical advances such as vaccinations and contraception have improved lives by saving children from horrible diseases and helping families plan the size of families in order to better support them. For all that is wrong with media today, it can put a spotlight on abuses and human suffering which lead to social change today. It brings to mind that great quotation attributed to George Santayana and repeated by Winston Churchill "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

The BBC series is much better than the American version and it is telling that in the States it is referred to as a "reality show" where in the UK it is documentary. I rated the US version an 8 out of 10 for it's scripted feel and it's blatant commercial for Ancestry.com. I rate the UK version a 10 out of 10 for its more in depth analysis.

I used to enjoy this, but I'm finding it increasingly irritating now we're on series 22.

The recent episode featuring Andrew Garfield is a good example of what's wrong with this programme. His great-grandparents were part of a large Jewish family living in Poland in the early 20th century. What could possibly have happened to them? Garfield has to pretend that he doesn't know. Fortunately he is an actor so he's able to play along with the programme-makers. WDYTYA has told this same story now at least a dozen times.

Standard well-known bits of history are presented as if they are news. Apparently Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Wow, who knew?

Any opportunity to criticise the UK via a biased view of history is eagerly grasped.

For example, the story of the Easter rising in Ireland is gone over again and again, always presenting Irish terrorists as valiant freedom fighters and the British as evil oppressors (most recently in the Aisling Bea episode).

Whenever there's a black individual doing the show (which of course is quite frequently - Layton Williams in the latest series) they go to Jamaica, and again, acting talent is required as they feign horror at the discovery that one of their ancestors was a slave.

Occasionally it's interesting, for example when some ancestor did something significant. But more often it isn't. It's just an excuse for emotional misery-wallowing and political opinion-pushing.

Who Do you Think You Are? is one of the better documentary series's that the BBC have made recently. I watched most episodes.

It is about ten celebrities who trace their ancestors from many years ago. This takes them around the UK and around the world too. We learn quite a lot through watching this and we also get to see different places.

Some of the celebrities taking us on this journey include newsreader Moira Stuart, comedian and ornithologist Bill Oddie, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, singer Lesley Garrett and actress Sue Johnston.

This was screened on BBC2 between 9 and 10pm on Tuesdays. I think it would have attracted more viewers if it had been on BBC1.

Very enjoyable.

Who Do You Think You Are

Series 19

Sue Perkins was distractingly frenetic from the get go but as she got out and about as the history unfolded there was quite an emotional rollercoaster for everyone. The parallels of an interment camp and Nazis resettlement camp were marked and it was shocking to enter the Nazis programme of eugenics and aryan genetics.

This was a brilliant show and we learned much about the history. Sue wears her heart on a sleeve and we feel her pain in a visceral way. I'm giving this show a 10 outta 10 I was gripped.

Richard Osman, quite a national treasure, we learn that when his father walked out when he was 9 for another woman his mother cut off all relations with his side of the family, perhaps to the detriment of Richard's childhood. The show necessarily focuses on only his mothers side, which is only a partial story. Richard's grandfather clearly stepped up to be the male role model in his life much to his credit and his story was most poignant. 8 outta 10 from me, so much was missing!

Matt Lucas, I'm not sure why this show moved at a snails pace but it was bordering on stop. Matt led us through a terrible history of fleeing the Nazis and concentration camps were very few survived. It was awful and he held it together. It wasn't historically the best of shows so for me it was a 6 outta 10, we must never forget.

Anna Maxwell Martin, you had to laugh before any of the history was revealed Anna proclaimed everything about everyone and then was shown to have got it all wrong. Her need to embellish a back story was beyond irritating, however she got her comeuppance when her grandfather's was way beyond anything she could imagine. She remained fixated that people learn all their parenting off their parents, negating the influences of friends, neighbours, other relatives and a world full of professionals. Overall it was not very interesting history at best a 5 outta 10.

Ralf Little, great show and very interesting history, I'm giving this a 10 outta 10.

I'm watching the second series of "Who Do you think you are?" and am so interested!

All the personal history of the celebrity is interesting but they (the narrator,Mark Strong) gives you the general history of whatever they are talking about and me being a history lover find these parts really interesting.

It also helps people with their family trees (like me) don't bother with the website they give you its useless!

The person who said it should be on BBC1 was right but now it is!

I hope they carry on after this second series!