WDYTYA Series 4 #1 Natasha Kaplinsky

[Tewin]

I'm really shocked by Simon G's comments. Firstly the 'little England' assumption that that virtually everyone watching the BBC must be unalloyed 'English' is clearly way off the mark. And in any case the myth of the pure bred is clearly just that: the English have always been a "mongrel race" - celts, Romans, Picts, Saxons Vikings etc, as well as the much more traceable waves of imigraion and integration in recent centuries. And secondly his view that any story that is not in some way relevant to him and his researchis not worth screening. Agreed there's plenty of rich British heritage to explore, but wouldn't that, over five series be in greater danger of becoming repetitive?

I guess Simon thinks that one  bunch of suffering Jews is much the same as another, despite coming from different countries, fleeing to different countries with distinct research issues raised, not to mention the poignancy of the individual stories. So having done Steven Fry there no need to do any others, especially as Simon knows how it all ends... Bit like complaining that having covered the life of one person with an ag lab ancestor there's no need to do any other English stories, as 90% of us descended from ag labs and so our personal circumstances will have been documented on screen.

[PaulaToo]

I found it a very interesting program, but there was nothing what so ever to help with research. I don't think we were even told how they contacted the people abroad to find the information.
I suppose it might be considered boring to keep going over the same things, but there is always someone new, who will need help.
That I did find disappointing.

[mshrmh]

Interesting range of comments!

I find these programmes to be good at putting "world history" into personal stories, which I think can make the past seem more relevant to individuals - it can be easy to dismiss things as "politics" or "wars" and assume they are uninteresting and irrelevant - this programme in particular showed how they affected one family over more than one generation.
I found the whole programme interesting & absorbing - like many others I thought the singing in the derelict synagogue was a magnificent & powerful image - I did wonder too whether it was the Kaddish (prayers for the dead) - I hope someone can tell us. Whatever it was it was a wonderful tribute by the singer to his parents who survived and to those of the family & beyond who did not.

[duckweed]

Yes I do agree that they should explain their research.  After all they did have extra programmes to do so in previous series.  There must be many in this country with Polish roots who would like to know how to go about it.  Or are they saving such info for their new magazine?
On the point about ethnic purity.  Even with my family who seem to have stayed put for nearly 500 years they still seemed to have picked up the odd german and irish relative.  The programme they had on how english people thought they were showed when their dna was tested many so called pure english were in fact quite a mixture.  Isn't that why we study geneology in the first place?  To find what our particular mix is?  

[Simon G.]

And I'm sure the general public finds trips to exotic locations overseas a lot more interesting than the minutiae of searching parish registers, etc.

The problem is researching in the UK need not be all about searching through parish registers.  There are interesting stories to be told, as the fact that there was a section regarding how one of Natasha's ancestors was apothecary of George III showed us.  The point is there are countless stories about people's ancestor in this country that aren't being told in this series.  No, the vast majority of episodes seem to go out of their way to ignore this country's history in favour of sending these celebrities often thousands of miles away.
It's frustrating that British history is always less important than that of other nations.  The same is true if you do a course of study in history at any level...our own history is ignored in favour of other world events.  No other country in the world keeps their history at arms length, but we do it all the time.  Granted it could risk becoming repetitive if they just did British history, but the point is they rarely ever do look at it.  Where are the stories of ancestor involved in Swing or Tolpuddle?  Where are the ancestors who died trying to secure the right to vote?  Where are the people who fought to give everyone in Britain everything we take for granted today?


Further, I do not appreciate the insinuation in this thread that I neither care about the horrors that went on or feel that it's not worth screening because it somehow does not apply to me.  There is a major difference between criticism and outright dismissal.  I just happen to feel that if history is to be told that it needs to do the issues justice, and I don't feel this episode did that in the way Stephen Fry's did.  It felt like they were going over things everyone already knew...the celebrity included.  It needed more time to focus on the issues properly, especially given the length of time they spent talking about South Africa in comparison to everything else.  For it to work better, the episode needed to be at least half-hour longer.  As it was, the episode seemed like "history lite", only telling us as little as necessary about the historical context.

[ozlady]

So why is my daughter going to Dachau next month? We have no Jewish roots or any connection with the faith. She says it's something she has to do, a mark of respect, a way of saying sorry, a "I can't really believe this happened"? I don't know how to explain it, she's only 27 so would have no real idea of what happened, yet she says she feels a real compunction to go there. How many 'Rootschatters' have been to one of the extermination camps? How did you feel there?  

[Hackstaple]

I found this to be the best episode so far and by quite a long way. The actions of Natasha's father in Cape town were courageous in a time of totalitarian rule. On the other hand I do not blame the South African Jews for not applauding opposition to the Nationalist Government. Many of them did like Helen Joseph who was kept under house arrest for years and years. On the other hand many of them were first generation refugees from Europe and were treated incredibly well. There were no bars for Jews in South Africa and they were predominant in medicine and law, played in the South African cricket and rugby teams.  I am pleased to say that I knew many of them and counted them as my friends - fine folk.

 I am not disturbed by not seeing physical research on records being done. Most Rootschatters would find it superfluous and the public at large would find it boring - the story is what they want.

The prduction was superb and the finale with Benny singing Kaddish was really moving.

If time had permitted I would have appreciated a bit more about the apothecary Charlewood but it did add a glamorous and very English touch  to the programme. 

[nanny jan]

Thanks for confirming that Benny was singing Kaddish; I'd only heard it once before and it was many years ago.



Nanny Jan

[downside]

No one seems to have mentioned that there was a theme running through this program - attitudes to racism.  Firstly there was the attitude of the Kaplinsky's that migrated to South Africa who were so grateful to be accepted into white society there, that they ignored the apartheid situation.  Then there was the support of Natasha's father towards a black lecturer being appointed to Cape Town university.  Just when everyone thought that this was all behind them, Natasha and Benny stood outside the derelict synagogue on which someone daubed the graffiti WHITE POWER.

There have been other people with Jewish roots in previous series of WDYTYA like Nigella Lawson and David Baddiel, but I don't see why they should be ignored just because 'Jewish roots' have already been covered.  The majority of the subjects of these programs are 'home grown'.  I think it does make the series more interesting to see where others have come from and why they ended up in Britain.