BBC TV "WDYTYA?" Series 10 Episode 7 William Roache

[Nick29]

The Genealogist have done a good job in collating all the facts....

http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/wdytya2012_roache.php

[ainslie]

Zillah was said to be travelling abroad on all those trips ALONE, but nobody thought that Albert might have been behind the camera, taking the pictures.

[Nick29]

As an aside, did anyone notice that the researcher that William Roache met in the pub had also featured on BBC's 'Heir Hunters' ?

[davidft]

I liked this episode very much and was fascinated by "Zillah". I guess she could of got her work ethic and business acumen from her parents - her father was a farmer and some of them are canny businessmen.

I  didn't think there was anything particularly unusual the three girls being in separate homes in 1901. If Zillah was the brawn behind the business as was implied she really would not have had the time to look after three little ones.

For all his drinking Albert managed to outlive Zillah by 5 years so his health maybe wasn't affected that much. They both left the same amount, about £6,000 she in a will, him without.

[davidft]

  He also made some interesting remarks about those with ancestors from Norfolk! (No he didn't have Norfolk ancestors  ). 

OK I'll ask. What did he say please

[silvery]

A few thoughts on last night:


"I couldn't find any redeeming qualities in Albert at all "   

(I don't think that census forms list people's qualities, redeeming or otherwise.)

"It was obviously Albert's drinking that caused his children to be taken away"

(No, it's not at all obvious)

"This daughter was in Staffordshire on census day so must have been ripped from her mother's breast and sent away to safety" - only slightly paraphrasing   (Huge assumptions here)

"The oldest daughter stayed with them, so obviously she had a much stronger character and was able to stand up to the violence in the household".   (No evidence at all)


Perhaps, just perhaps, Zilla hated children.  Maybe she was too busy with her business empire to look after her daughters and sent them away as soon as possible. There's no evidence for this, but it's just as plausible a theory.


They never checked to see whether Albert had a criminal record - there may have been a legal reason why he couldn't be listed as proprietor of a licensed premises.

Well, perhaps after spending nearly all his working years (and beyond) in a soap opera, he thinks that real life runs along the same dramatic and unbelievable storylines.

He was a touch annoying.   I can't understand why he'd never seen any of the family photographs before either.

[larkspur]

in Zillah's will probate goes to Florence, Hester and Albert, no mention of May. Albert is described as a retired caterer.

[Plummiegirl]

My thoughts on Albert were that he was a 'silent' partner in the business.  Also if he had a criminal record, and judging by his misdemeanours in his youth not that unlikely, he would have then been inelligable to hold a licence to sell any alcohol.

I feel that as said before, there should have been the birth certs of all 3 daugthers to look at and a bit more in depth work on Albert, I was more than a little intrigued about him.

Also if the girls were brought up seperately, how come they were all in the same photo as teenagers??

And the foreign travel, maybe as a 'silent' partner Albert ran the business while Zillah was off gallavanting around and maybe he just did not want to go abroad, not that uncommon in those days.  And although not smiling in the photo of them at Alton Towers, he hardly looked like a degenerate drunk.  Anyone who knows someone who has a big drink problem would have looked at the photo of Albert and thought as I did 'that is not the face of someone with a serious drink problem'.  

Many women at this time if they had a business such as a shop etc., did leave their husbands, I know I have several in my family.  But Zillah & Albert did stay together, so I think there was more to this story than we have seen.  Also who is to say that Zillah did not tell her girls 'bad' things about their father out of spite?

Was not looking forward to this one as I am not a soap fan, but overall found it OK.

My only gripe the same as others, we have been left with far too many unanswered questions and the answers to some which were given seemed to be pure fantasy....

[behindthefrogs]

The children had to be left with relatives because Zillah was trying to keep the business afloat and Albert was working away from home to help support them.  What evidence was there of his bad character and his drinking other than family hearsay that may have been a corruption of his employment.

The assumption in this programme were the worst in the whole series and had me screaming at the television.