BBC 1 WDYTYA: Series 11, Episode 6, Mary Berry

[Spidermonkey]

I really liked this episode.  I thought that Mrs Berry was very natural and genuinely interested in her family.  I also liked that they looked at several generations (not in huge amount of detail, but even so!).

[weste]

I must admit I enjoyed this one. I think she was n't expecting what she got though.

[davidft]

Yes I liked this one too, it told a story.

Its funny how the other week when they ran out of genealogy they resorted to an ice cream making lesson that really grated and yet the bread making session in this episode seemed well placed.

I guess it just goes to show its how you tell the story that matters and this week they got it right. Well done WDYTYA.

[Retriever]

Loved it, best so far.

The difference between the ice cream and bread making sections is that Tamzin isn't known for making ice cream but Mary is known for her baking skills.

Hope rest of series up to this standard.

[ChrissieL]

I liked this one too. It seemed to get back to more like the old format.  Mary seemed genuinely interested in her family and seemed to be interested in the information that the researchers found
Chris

[jess5athome]

Loved it, up there with BB 

Frank.

[california dreamin]

Sorry I fell asleep...

Let's face it, I don't think Mr Houghton had the workhouse inmates best interests at heart when supplying their bread.  Looking at those accounts any way you cut the cake he was up to no good.  Sorry Mary.

[Greensleeves]

I thought it was typical of the sort of person who wants to act as an apologist for their ancestors.  It was clear that one side of the family was profiteering by selling adulterated bread to the workhouse (she excused this by saying the man was "an entrepreneur" which presumably excuses him being on the Parish Council which awards the bread contract and thereby allows him get the contract).  On the other side of the family was a woman who had four illegitimate children (Oh no, surely there must be a husband...), and when the Berry family ended up in the workhouse (possibly being choked by the adulterated bread from the other family line) she declared that they were 'nice people' who clearly didn't deserve to be there. Made me cross, the whole lot of it. I felt sorry for the parts of the family who fell on hard times, but it made me cross the way MB kept trying to claim that it was really not their fault... that the workhouse people who couldn't eat the bread must have been deliberate trouble-makers... etc etc etc.  [Rant off]   

[annaS]

I enjoyed this episode; but I agree wholeheartedly with Greensleeves.  Although MB did say she was making excuses for her ancestors!  Anna