WDYTYA is coming to SBSTV in OZ

[Ruskie]

I'm sure they will choose their candidates carefully, so their families can be traced far back enough to be interesting without leaving the country.

Surely they'll draw the line at shipping everyone back to the old country to chase up certificates and long lost second cousins.

It'll all be very interesting whatever they do and whoever they trace - looking forward to it, but I just realised that I'll miss the first episode as I'll be away! 

[toni*]

that will be good do you think they will go back to when some of their ancestors were convicts and transported from the UK and show you how to search over here?

(i am not saying that all of the people in austrailia are descended from convicts just most of them! )

[trish251]

that will be good do you think they will go back to when some of their ancestors were convicts and transported from the UK and show you how to search over here?

(i am not saying that all of the people in austrailia are descended from convicts just most of them! )

Hi toni

I would think a much smaller % of Australia came from convicts - but I really have no idea -  transportation finished in the mid 1800s (a little later in WA) & there have been many many migrants since that time - thus said, I'm sure there will be at least a couple of these traced back to the first fleet - either from a convict or a soldier

Trish

PS Went looking for a % related to how many of us are descended from convicts, but this is all I can find to date

by 1868, when transportation ended, fewer than 200,000 convicts had been brought in, whereas the total population was over 1,000,000. Far more free immigrants than convicts settled Australia

Of that million, a large number would have been descendants of  a convict, so it is not as helpful a comment as I first thought.

[Nutty1966]

Enjoy the series  you've waited long enough for it

Bill Odie I thought was a good one and I loved Jeremy Clarkson, but then I like him on his other programmes, is Moira Stewart on the list, her story goes way back and she is very moved by it.  Think I will have to dig some dvd's out and watch them all again.

Enjoy enjoy!!   

Jane

[Ruskie]

This just arrived in my "inbox"

'Who Do You Think You Are' television show comes to Australia
The BBC television show 'Who Do You Think You Are', now in its fourth season, has been such a huge success in England. Some Australians may have seen some episodes showing on Foxtel.

But even better news is that the WDYTYA show is coming to Australia. Six Australian celebrities will trace their family roots in initial Australian series. These will be Cathy Freeman, Jack Thompson, Geoffrey Robertson, Kate Ceberano, Ita Buttrose and Dennis Commetti will learn more about their family history. The season will commence on SBS television on Sunday, 2 December with six episodes from the UK series before the premiere of the six SBS commissioned Australian episodes beginning on Sunday 13 January 2008.

The SBS commissioned episodes follow six unique Australians as they look to their own roots to explain who they are and how this fits with their view of what it means to be Australian.

For more information on the UK episodes
For the press release on the Australian edition

http://www.rootschat.com/links/026k/

There are two people on the list who I don't like, and two I've never heard of .... nevertheless I am looking forward to it. I hope it will be as compelling as the UK one.

[trish251]

I think Cathy's should be very interesting - showing (I hope) a truly different method of research. Geoffrey seems to appear in Australia only to make TV shows & I haven't heard of Dennis. Do hope they talk about their sources and the how of the research

Many thanks for the link Ruskie

Trish

[tropicalj]

Now  Ruskie can  we  pick  which two  you  don't like perhaps  geoffrey  and dennis


Trisha  Dennis  is a  AFL  footy  commentator,  one of those in  your face types!! LOL
regards jenn

[Ruskie]

Afraid I do have some teensy little doubts. I hope this will not be the poor cousin to the UK WDYTYA.

None of the people really "push my buttons", but that doesn't mean their family histories won't be interesting. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

I'm sure it will be very watchable and a huge improvement on most of the rubbish shown on Australian TV. Wonder how it'll fare ratings wise with it being on SBS.

PS. No, I won't tell ...

[tropicalj]

Have  to agree with  you  a bit  there  none  of  them are on  my  favorite  Aussies list

However  when we were away  on  holidays  earlier this  year  I  literally  bumped  into  Jack Thompson  at  Coffs  Harbour.   We  were  wandering around  the mall  when  this  chappie  bumped  into  me cause  he waswalking backwards and talking  to some  folk  sitting down.  He said excuse  etc etc  very  politely.  I  said to  my  husband  I  am sure  that bloke was Jack Thompson  and he said  no  Liv too old and  way too  hefty.  So  we walked a long a  little  bit further and  he was standing  in  a  shop  doorway  when  another  bloke walked  past and said G'day  jack  and  I  said to  hubby  sure sounds  like him.  You  know  he has a rather cultured posh  Aussie voice.  lol
  So  then  the next day  there  he was  on  the Today  show talking about  billy Thorpe's death  and  it  said  Jack  Thompson  live from Coffs Harbour.  so  I  had a  very  minor  brush  with  fame    not  my  first though)

Enough  Jen  I can  hear someone saying.

regards Jenn