You Don't Know You're Born # Alan Davies

[jillruss]

I taped it and have just watched it.

I have to agree that it wasn't the most rivetting programme I've ever watched!  

I think the programme makers have boxed themselves into a corner and wonder if that's why they only seem to have made 3 programmes.

They seem to have limited themselves to the idea of the celebrity trying to emulate  the jobs of a couple of their great grandparents. This is all very well if the jobs were of some interest and/or the celebrity in question has sufficient charm to make it interesting.

Ann Kirkbride had that charm and also seemed genuinely interested. Alan Davies seemed a bit bored (like the rest of us) and rather ashamed that his great grandfathers weren't 'working class and proud of it'. It's obviously not the done thing in 'luvvie' circles to own up to middle class origins!

I'm not giving up on it yet - after all, there's only one more to go, and I'm pretty sure that Ken Stott will have the required charm in bucket fulls.

Yes, I miss the genealogical side of things - but, I suppose that's a different programme - WDYTYA!! Although, I'm a bit worried that they're going to continue their 'let's do any celebrities whose ancestry isn't British and go travelling all over the place ' approach after reading about Natasha Kaplinsky's story in the Sunday papers!! Let's have more of a mix of 'home and abroad'!

I think ITV need to take some time to rethink the format of their programme - perhaps they could revert to WDYTYA's original approach and actually cover British ancestors now and again, with even a bit of family research thrown in!

Jill

[Garethboxing]

I agree it became boring, not so much because of the masonic bit but because of the ridiculous idea of re-creating the dinner and the farcical artificial "we only have a day to do it" angle - it's the same with the gardening/interior design makeover shows - does anyone recall the work NOT being done in time? And if it was, would the programmes admit it?

Still, off hobby horse and back to YDKYB: the masonic possibilities alerted me to a possible alternative area of research which hadn't occurred to me (see separate thread) and was useful for that alone.

But as a programme we have to accept that it is not intended to be a genealogical programme, far more social history. And it's a bit harsh to suggest that AD "wasn't very enthusiastic about digging up his roots". Even if he had been, it was clearly not what the programme-makers wanted. When you have two such interesting gt-grandfathers (and let's face it, we'd be well pleased to have either of them in our trees and especially to have that fantastic family group photo) there's enough material for an hour's programme. It's just a pity that they are more interested in seeing celebs make idiots of themselves trying manual labour.

I'll still be watching next week.

   Gareth

[VillageDuckpond]

Although I found the bit about the masons intriguing I generally found the programme boring and even made worse because of the commercials.

Roll on Who do you think you are I say.....

[patrish]

Well I liked the programme, especially the part  about the Masons, which you hear little about, I was amazed that they allowed him the information that they did.  Much preferred it to  last weeks.  My fav is still WDYTYA  though 

[eddunc]

I thought it was well worth missing. not a patch on Anne Kirkbride last week