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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Clarkey500 on Saturday 05 August 17 15:40 BST (UK)

Title: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Clarkey500 on Saturday 05 August 17 15:40 BST (UK)
Did anybody watch this episode? I couldn't see a thread about it!  ;D

I actually quite enjoyed this episode; probably my favourite of the series so far. It was great to see Emma actually doing the research herself, rather than being handed it all. She also seemed genuine with her reactions and seemed to want to know more.

I found the story in Ireland rather interesting and being able to see your ancestors own work must have been an amazing feeling for Emma. 5/5 More like this!
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Milliepede on Saturday 05 August 17 15:45 BST (UK)
Most of the way through but not riveted by it or I would have watched it all in one go instead of a bit at a time.  Not one I would want to watch again although I do like Emma.

Charles Dance has been the best one for me so far this series. 

Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Jomot on Saturday 05 August 17 15:56 BST (UK)
Best of the series so far for me too, although there were a few niggles like being told 'in attendance' on a death certificate meant the son was present at the death  :-X

Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: nanny jan on Saturday 05 August 17 16:05 BST (UK)
Not one that grabbed me; I agree with Milliepede....best one so far in this series has been Charles Dance.
Looking forward to the return after the sporting interlude.
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Milliepede on Saturday 05 August 17 16:29 BST (UK)
Oh no have we got a sporting interlude  :o

Have you got a favourite episode of all time?

Mine has to be Jeremy Paxman being all blasé at the start then being so affected he has to wipe away a tear.  Bless him.
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: jaywit on Saturday 05 August 17 16:46 BST (UK)
My first thought was I have never heard of her. Maybe because I don't watch Big Brother.

They mentioned an ancestor named Martin Gebhard, obviously not an English name, looking at the census he was born in Germany, no other mention of this line.

I wasn't impressed with the Birmingham angle I am sure they have done this before.
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: jillruss on Saturday 05 August 17 17:44 BST (UK)
I rather think that, had it not been for the O'Connell connection, this one may have bitten the dust like the infamous Michael Parkinson one!!

I also think its a good example to give the lie to those people who perennially come up with the 'why don't they do ordinary people' argument. It was all a bit dull, though I like Emma and think she came across as she always does: charming and down to earth. I liked it because most of it was just like any of our genealogy might have been and, yes, because she did do some digging herself and seemed genuinely interested. Not sure what's so great about Birmingham, though - I guess you have to have been born there!!

Who's next? after the 10 days of running around in circles (ovals?), that is?  ::)
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: smudwhisk on Saturday 05 August 17 18:23 BST (UK)
I wasn't impressed with the Birmingham angle I am sure they have done this before.

Martin Shaw. 

I got confused when they showed the Bullring then seemed to go down Broad Street before turning up around Digbeth or thereabouts, namely they doubled back to the same area.  But I may have got mixed wires on where they actually went. :-\
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: nanny jan on Saturday 05 August 17 20:04 BST (UK)

Who's next? after the 10 days of running around in circles (ovals?), that is?  ::)

I think it is Lulu.......someone I do remember!
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: tillypeg on Saturday 05 August 17 21:30 BST (UK)
Why didn't she ask the researcher where the photos of the great greats came from?  I was shouting at the TV telling her to ask!  .... or did I miss that bit?

I came across the occupation "Inspector of Nuisances" for the first time just last week when I found someone lodging with such a person.  Had to Google it to discover the day to day work they would have been involved in.
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Bearnan on Saturday 05 August 17 22:34 BST (UK)
I really enjoyed this episode, Emma obviously loves Birmingham like I do, it's home. Her ancestors lived on the same streets as mine at around the same time.
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: iluleah on Saturday 05 August 17 22:56 BST (UK)
Why didn't she ask the researcher where the photos of the great greats came from?  I was shouting at the TV telling her to ask!  .... or did I miss that bit? [/quote


So it wasn't just me who thought that ::)

Nice person and voiced her emotions about her beloved city and how she felt about 'liking' or 'not liking' what she heard/found out about an ancestor  and I could empathise with those feelings
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: mulvenna on Saturday 05 August 17 23:02 BST (UK)
It is always a rare treat when WDYTYA find themselves in Ireland (where all my known ancestors lived). Usually it means the ancestors are landed ascendancy but it was a double jackpot Emma having a relatively famous catholic ancestor too.

I thought it was a bit cruel to apparently make her read out the gruesome crimes of her Dunlavin ancestor in the manner they did.

Fair play to Emma for taking such a revelation on the chin.

Gerry
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Finley 1 on Sunday 06 August 17 11:43 BST (UK)
Yes - an interesting programme

xin
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: kooky on Sunday 06 August 17 17:42 BST (UK)
I enjoyed this. I smiled several times. I have ancestors from Birmingham and Ireland, so was interested. I was particularly intrigued by the Registry of Deeds in Dublin. Also Emma did not seem to realise that John Grenham is the author of a definitive guide to Irish genealogy! 8)
Kooky
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: jc26red on Sunday 06 August 17 19:36 BST (UK)
I enjoyed this. I smiled several times. I have ancestors from Birmingham and Ireland, so was interested. I was particularly intrigued by the Registry of Deeds in Dublin. Also Emma did not seem to realise that John Grenham is the author of a definitive guide to Irish genealogy! 8)
Kooky

The Registry of Deeds is a brilliant place, though everything is now online (family search)  The books are copies but still very old.... the original deeds with signatures and seals are kept under lock and key. If you find one that is significant to your family, you can order a copy of the original... It used to cost €20, but that was quite a few years ago now. 
It's worth looking, tenants are mentioned in them, but you need to search the place name rather than grantor name.  Landowners and gentry can have literally hundreds of Deeds to their name.
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: annaS on Sunday 06 August 17 23:23 BST (UK)
Most of the way through but not riveted by it or I would have watched it all in one go instead of a bit at a time.  Not one I would want to watch again although I do like Emma.

Charles Dance has been the best one for me so far this series.

I agree with Millipede on this one  Anna
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: fallingonabruise on Monday 07 August 17 14:02 BST (UK)
Was looking forward to this one, but couldn't get into it, but the thing that annoyed me was when the baby was found at a different address than the parents (the hair dealer) and it was assumed that it had been sent away from the dirty yard to live elsewhere, without saying that the census is just who was in the house that night, the baby could have been watched by a friend /relative etc and back home the next morning :)
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Barnes612 on Monday 07 August 17 14:24 BST (UK)
I found this one a bit dull, but not as dull as Adil Ray's from the previous week.

Was it her dad who handed her an exciting envelope or folded over paper? I was expecting it to contain something really precious and interesting, not a recent copy of a birth certificate!

The celebrity seemed nice enough although  I had no idea who she was prior to the programme.

The first three of the series I found equally enjoyable, so looking forward to a couple more good ones at least. :)
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Blue70 on Monday 07 August 17 15:31 BST (UK)
I found it dull about the English roots and too predictable about the Irish roots. Given the absence of many Irish records the Irish stories often resort to the same familiar themes using well known historical events to add drama. No substitute for the lost census records showing the lives of ordinary Irish people who came and went about their business without such drama. 


Blue
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: Caw1 on Tuesday 08 August 17 00:17 BST (UK)
I had no idea who the girl was and although she seemed interested in her family history and actually looked up some details herself.....

I'm afraid I almost lost the will to live and I did fall asleep during part of it as it was very boring!

I think someone in an earlier post referred to the making of a programme with just a joe soap wouldn't necessarily be very interesting, I felt pretty much the same about this one.

Sorry, have enjoyed all the others, especially Charles Dance, hope next one will be improvent on this last one,

Caroline
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: pinot on Wednesday 16 August 17 23:20 BST (UK)
Willis nee Griffiths - I hoped early on in the programme that we might be told about a Welsh connection, but there were more interesting and contrasted fish to fry over the water; ah well, fingers crossed for Lulu . . .  ;D
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: sallyyorks on Friday 25 August 17 12:34 BST (UK)
It is always a rare treat when WDYTYA find themselves in Ireland (where all my known ancestors lived). Usually it means the ancestors are landed ascendancy but it was a double jackpot Emma having a relatively famous catholic ancestor too.

I thought it was a bit cruel to apparently make her read out the gruesome crimes of her Dunlavin ancestor in the manner they did.

Fair play to Emma for taking such a revelation on the chin.

Gerry

'A rare treat'?
Hardly, there are usually at least one or two stories about Ireland in each series of the UK programme.
Title: Re: "Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #5 Emma Willis
Post by: DOGS GONADS on Wednesday 29 September 21 17:01 BST (UK)
Hello

Only just seen this thread

Emma GRIFFITHS is my second cousin, briefly what to her was her “Granny GRIFFITHS” was Edna GEBHARD, Edna was baby sister (by around 21 years!) to my grandfather Clifford John GEBHARD (but always known as “Jim” - don’t ask!)

I sat down with the researchers of the programme for many hours and supplied them with various certificates, charts, photos etc

Whilst I agree with some of the criticisms of the programme I don’t agree with them
all.

As for Emma and her parents I can tell you for certain that the love of her home city is 100% genuine and that they all still have their feet very much on the ground