Who do You think You are?

Welsh is taught in schools, it is not spoken in the home, in the high street.

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

The comment about Australia was a joke, Jack is a comedian.

Here in Canada we get the American version of the show which I have really enjoyed, and recognized most of the celebrities.
Perhaps because most Americans are immigrants at some point in their heritage, the show has traced back to many different European countries, plus many have been able to trace some of their African American past which is difficult to do without a lot of investigation. It can be a little formulaic after so many seasons, but I do find the whole concept of tracing history very interesting.

I'm not a fan of the young one and I think the old boy is an obnoxious old fart .For most of the hour they looked as if they'd rather be somewhere else.They appeared..to me ...to be trying to look interested for most of it and failing.I think there was maybe a couple of facts that seemed to interest them and then the young one made the stupid remark about Australia being sunny .If this is how its going I might give it a miss from now on .There have been some great stories and reactions in the past so maybe thye just need to find better .
Annie my aunt came to Scotland from Newport in 1946 she still spoke Welsh until she died in her nineties last year ,when her sister came to visit they only spoke welsh .

Very little Welsh spoken in Newport
Every school pupil in Wales learns Welsh. It is compulsory. I thought you would know that.

I was just surprised, that's all, as most of them will learn songs in Welsh; in fact I've never heard it sung in English before.

That’s a great idea MinnieMoo. I love WDYTYA and have watched many episodes, British, Australian and a few American.

Some are really interesting, I remember looking forward to watching the Bee Gees episode to be disappointed. It went on and on about one of their ancestors working in a mill and everything about workings of the mill was discussed. I found it quite boring. I prefer the episodes where the ancestors have done some thing worthwhile in life, or made a difference. One of the many WDYTYA I particularly liked was story about Jason Donovan’s from Neighbour’s ancestor.

The episode with Naomie Harris has been my favourite from this series. Such a lovely young woman so clearly moved as her ancestry was uncovered coupled with colourful glimpses of the Caribbean. Who would have thought that she would finally find evidence of the ancestor who was born in Africa and presumably endured the middle passage?

Jack was excellent in the BBC production of 'Decline and Fall'.

I think they are great, love their humour

I love the Whitehall. They are very entertaining and also pretty intelligent and well educated. Jack says a lot of things for effect. He's not daft!! Their travel series was most enjoyable.

I love WDYTYA. It made me want to go to Ancestry.co.uk and look at my own family history. Ha! Come from a very very long line of labourers. Knew it really. Born and bred in the Borough, London Bridge, SE1, just about within the sound of Bow Bells, proper Cockney eh? Didn't really expect anything different. My a favourite episode has to be Danny Dyer. "F***k me, the geezers only got a moat!! Brilliant

I haven’t watched it for a long time - I got a bit bored of it. Really enjoyed the Whitehalls last night though , and the close relationship they have reminded me of DH and my late FIL. I can’t imagine discovering that my great x 4 grandfather was as horrendous as his was - that can’t be easy to come to terms with. ‘Smelly Tory’ doesn’t really do him justice

Very little Welsh spoken in Newport

It just sounds so lovely sung in Welsh.
That's not where that particular great-grandparent went to school, that was at the John Frost School in Newport where they went to learn about John Frost and the Chartists and the role a different ancestor played in that part of history.

I don’t know where several of my g grandparents went to school and I don’t understand why ‘and the school children sang in English ‘, why not ?

Terribull I think the sentence was harsh because they were tried and convicted of high treason - the death sentence for which was only abolished in 1998, although I don't think anyone would have been hung, drawn and quartered.

They seemed a bit ignorant about the school that great-grandfather went to, age 9, as well.

And the school children sang in English!

I think Jack and his dad were quite brave to do the programme, given their 4 x gg was a nasty git not a terribly nice person I was shocked to the core at the initial harsh sentencing of the Chartist leaders, I thought all that horrible displaying parts of the corpse in such a vile manner had all but died out by the beginning of Victoria's reign. In the end the sentence was commuted to transportation but as we know, that wouldn't have been walk in the park, and in spite of Jack's flippant remark along the lines "of hey that's okay, Australia's nice and sunny" I'm sure he knew it was a penal colony. I'm making excuses for him because he reminds me of one of my sons

Brilliant idea Minniemoo let's hope someone pinches this and actually makes a programme in that format -

or track down the 4 million or so descendants of Edward IV

I do agree that this format is possibly getting a bit stale. Why don't they pick a famous person from the past and trace it forward to modern day. Surprise people with the knowledge that Cary Grant was their Great Great Uncle or something like that.

I found the content of last night's programme interesting but that was despite the Whitehalls.

There used to be a lovely wall mosaic in Newport commemorating the Chartists but the council tore it down when the city was having a new shopping centre built. I think it is planned to build a new one but outside the city.

He earns his living as a comedian. Just his sense of humour I'd say.

I know it's no joking matter to a lot of people.

I agree l.b.c1955 Last nights was okish! I thought Jack was rather childish and his father seemed slightly embarrassed by him!! His comments about Australia were truly stupid in the extreme! The archivist gently pointed out that it was a Penal Colony not a holiday!! For all his superior education he seemed to be totally unaware as to how awful convicts lives were, how appalling the journey to Australia would have been, and the journey back to England would have been full of dangers.
Not sure that we'll be watching any more!

I quite enjoy this programme but do you think that it has 'jumped the shark*' as these young things say?

*gone past its best

There's only so many times you can hear about people who've gained/lost a fortune, gone to prison/the workhouse, been transported, had loads of illegitimate children, got some dreaded disease, etc. and still be entertained.

I love the way Jack mocks his father and his father at times almost smiles