Who do You think You are?

Oh I see!! I've never heard of these two so obviously the 'joke' about Australia sounded crass and a particularly stupid comment, as did the comment about the 'shagger', particularly bearing in mind this man infected his unfortunate wife with syphilis from which she died a hideous death. Not desperately funny by any standards!! I think being in joke mode over discoveries that might, and actually were very unjokey was a mistake, and for some of us who were unaware, came over badly.

I enjoyed the program. It turned out to be quite a surprise. What a difference a windfall can make.

Jabberwok, should they have said ‘ the poor man had syphilis, how he must have suffered’ ?

I think DH made a good point when he said that having them both on was perhaps a mistake as they continued the double act and rendered much of the programme frivolous. He thought it would have been much more interesting had just one of them been chosen to appear.

Jack may be very clever in RL, but unfortunately due to the repartee with his father, came across as crass, empty-headed and stupid - especially to people such as Jabberwok and my DH who had not heard of them.

Perhaps it was an opportunity lost.
I did enjoy the previous week's episode with Naomie Harris.

^I assume they chose English because the guests don’t speak
Welsh.^

That's probably right, although neither do I but think it sounds so much more poignant sung in Welsh.

I thought it was very funny and poignant. I like Jack Whitehall's wry sense of humour but I see it is not to everyone's taste.

Well, yes Annie I think perhaps they should! As you say he too would have suffered dreadfully and died a hideous death. As I'm sure you know Winston Churchill's father died of syphilis and the description of his death is appallingly pitiful, especially in the H of C and makes for very sombre reading. I think there must be a limit to what comedians can be flippant about, what if they'd found a relation who had been shot at dawn in WW1, could they possibly have made a joke of that?! Perhaps they already knew the script, so could tailor jokes round it, otherwise I think they could have found themselves on very tricky ground jokewise!!

I think you always run the risk of people not having heard of comedians when they bring them onto the programme (Allen Carr and Julian Clary were also quite irreverent, for example) but I suppose that's then up to the viewer to do a bit of research to find out who they are - I certainly don't know who many of the sportspeople are but I do try and find out from Google. It was made clear at the start of the programme that the Whitehalls were a comedic double act and there were clips of their comedy - so it wasn't too much of a stretch of the imagination that syphilis and the behaviour from the worst sort of Tory imaginable were going to give rise to some kind of black humour.

If a married man sleeps around get syphilis which he gives to his wife who is locked in an asylum because of it, he should have sympathy.

Yes an awful death but to compare this to a soldier shot at dawn in WW1 !

I’m surprised that people are interested in the family history of people they’ve never heard of. I like WDYTYA, but we wouldn’t bother with it if it’s someone we don’t know. We’d have switched over to Davina instead.

Annie, I wasn't comparing it to the death of a soldier in WW1, I was just wondering if they had discovered that event in their family would they have felt it appropriate to trivialise it as they did with the 'shagger '! Perhaps they would, perhaps they wouldn't, who knows as there must be limits even for black comedy!

Jabberwok, I don’t think they trivialised it. It was their opinion on a man who caused his wife much suffering and a cruel death.

No different to a person I did some research on their family tree, when I informed her that her g g grandfather’s second wife was his eldest daughter , her response , filthy , randy pig.

Could be that he infected his wife before he was aware that he had become infected himself particularly in the days before blood tests. Things often aren't all they seem so perhaps a slightly harsh judgement by his descendents .

But Jabberwok, he was a married man. This is why my sympathy is with the wife.

I knew that John Frost had been transported but didn't know much more, so I have done a bit of research if anyone is interested:
In Van Diemen’s Land, now known as Tasmania, John Frost was immediately sentenced to two years hard labour for critical comments he made about Lord John Russell, the Prime Minister. After this inauspicious start, he found himself indentured to a local store keeper. After three years as a clerk he eventually became a school teacher in the penal colony.
In 1854 Frost was allowed to leave Van Diemen’s Land on the condition that he did not return to Britain. He went to the USA, along with his daughter, where he lived until 1856 when the restriction on where he could live was lifted and he returned to his homeland. He died in Bristol, 11 years later, a radical and a Chartist to the last – although rather more circumspect in how he voiced his political opinions.

I found that interesting.

Thanks for that, Callistemon, I found it interesting too.

Yes thank you Callistemon , what a life

Quite a travelled man for the times he lived in, albeit the first few years were forced in that respect. Anyway glad to know these brave men, the Chartists leaders, weren't executed. Trailblazers for the trade union movements in a way.

Very interesting Callistemon, offer your services as researcher for the prog.

Terribull

I've enjoyed done lots for our own family but I'm nowhere near as good as some other Gransnetters!

Genealogy is a great hobby of mine too, although I've found the more I find out the more questions that information poses. Destined to be frustrated till the end of days............wait till I get to the other side though, I've got all my questions prepared, I'll need eternity to get through them all

I find these programmes fascinating. They may be celebrities now but often they come from humble or difficult beginnings. On the other hand so many of them seem to have strong, brave, creative or unusual ancestors one wonders if it is in the genes. It would be interesting to have an 'ordinary people's' version of the show to demonstrate whether this is true or not. Maybe some would find this boring but I find the past is fascinating in any form.

By the way the only two programmes that got me mad were the ones about Boris Johnson and Nick Hewer. Both came across as supercilious and overbearing.. I had no opinions about them before these programmes but can't now forget their smugness.

I think most families may find one or two or more interesting ancestors, or discover someone of interest in present generations, the rest seemingly quite 'ordinary'.

However, what may be fascinating about our own families could seem dull to others!

However, what may be fascinating about our own families could seem dull to others!

Yes, Callistemon, and mostly it is, I think.

But these people on the programme are supposed to be the interesting ones. I remember someone wellknown (can't remember who) saying that his own ancestry was researched but was too boring and mundane to be televised.

Michael Parkinson Sparkle

I've done my own tree and my cousins for him .He comes from a well known Scottish show biz family and has an aunt who is still famouus for her singing though she once was a Hollywood actress ,in films along with people like Judy Garland.
On doing his tree we discovered he is a descendant of the Armour family ,Jean Armour was married to Rabbie Burns .He's thrilled about that ,he was born and raised in Canada and knows hi famous relations well but this Burns connection has been fantastic ,just the connection a Scot abroad ..or at home would want .