"Who Do You Think You Are" Series 13, Episode #1: Danny Dyer

[stonechat]

I thought it made for very interesting and enjoyable TV, - but I was disappointed that the DYER's weren't followed at all! They certainly didn't concentrate on the direct male lines, did they? It jumped about sideways a lot, - but I do this too when I get stuck...

I assume that the professional researchers on the programme just look until they find a name of interest, - and then just persue that line?

Romilly.

It's a prgramme and is about telling a story
I did like it because it was reasonably far back unlike some in the past which the person could have easily found if they had really been bothered

[KGarrad]

It has gone sideways at one of Dyer's Gt Grandmothers to get to the Cromwell line, rather than an all male - male - male, descent route.

Why is the male line considered the direct line, surely that is the side of the family where you can't be 100% sure? You can be fairly sure of the mother but the father may or may not be right! 

It made me chuckle when, towards the end of the show, DD reckoned he was a "direct descendant" of Edward III, and had royal blood?!

Maybe related a few times removed, but hardly direct?!

OK! Humble Pie time
I was wrong.

Maybe my views of DD coloured my judgement?

[jillruss]

Jillruss, the maths are that you have 8 Great Grandparents. (mine are born in late 1800s)
They have 64 Great Grandparents (late 1700s)
They have 512 Great Grandparents (very late 1600s)
They have 4,000 Great Grandparents (early 1600s)
THey have 33,000 Great Grandparents (late 1400s)
They have just over a quarter of a million Great Grandparents (late 1300s)
They have just over two million Great Grandparents (c1300 for me).

So yes, by the time you get that far back, you have more ancestors than were alive in this country at that time. Boom!

I did the maths! If I've got it right, we all have 8,388,608 22xgreat grandparents! So -
1. we probably are all descended from some form of royalty (which, as a Republican, makes me want to spit!  ) and
2. As TheNineteenth rightly said, there probably weren't that many people in the country then, so does that make us all banjo playing, interbred Hillbillies? (albeit, royal hillbillies!)

It does rather make this 'related to royalty' bee in the bonnet that the makers of WDYTYA seem to have rather silly and a bit 'done to death' over the different series. I'd much rather hear about closer ancestors.

Incidentally, does anyone else agree with me that Mr Dyer shouldn't have glibly told Aunt Silvie about the Mary Ann/baby episode? She looked visibly upset but he just ploughed on anyway.

[BushInn1746]

It has gone sideways at one of Dyer's Gt Grandmothers to get to the Cromwell line, rather than an all male - male - male, descent route.

Mark - does that make it less of a link.  If it weren't for the females there would be no link at all, so in my eyes going through the female or male line still means he is directly related to Edward III.

Sorry Lizzie

In no way did I mean to make less of the female role in our descent.

I've been trying to trace my descent through the male (family name) side, but if I was to trace back from my 2 X Gt. Grandmother, family talk says it goes back 100s of years to the Normans.

Even an 1838 Wedding newspaper notice of a marriage, I found very recently, says her father was "of Old, in this County".

So Lizzy, perhaps I should stop my male line hunt, in the late 18th Century and concentrate on the descent via my two times Gt. Grandmother instead!

I'm more than happy to look in depth, back from my 2 X Gt. Grandmother, as it might be a lot more exciting and interesting!

Kind regards Mark

[Mowsehowse]

What a shame all the publicity meant we were not as shocked as Danny Dyer was

That's why I deliberately didn't read any of the publicity, I wanted what they found to be new to me.

Fair comment, but there were lots of TV trailers that were hard to miss. 

[Romilly]

Believe it or believe it or not, but I've never come across Danny Dyer before (don't watch Eastenders as I like to leave my wrists unslit!) and I just couldn't make him out. Surely, he was taking the p--s and just redoing his Eastenders role? Do people really act like that these days? I think WDYTYA may have been the butt of a joke here!

Otherwise, it was quite interesting but I have to admit that my attention was diverted from the genealogy by his Del-boy antics.

My OH often works with DD, and says that what you saw in the Prog is exactly how he is in real life, - nothing put on at all. I thought it was nice that he seemed to be so interested in it all, - so many of the subjects in WDYTYA  don't seem to be at all.

Romilly.

[Mowsehowse]

Quoted from MARK: "Sorry Lizzie, In no way did I mean to make less of the female role in our descent.

I've been trying to trace my descent through the male (family name) side, but if I was to trace back from my 2 X Gt. Grandmother, family talk says it goes back 100s of years to the Normans.

Even an 1838 wedding newspaper notice of the marriage, I found very recently, says her father was "of Old, in this County".

So Lizzy, perhaps I should stop my male line hunt, in the late 18th Century and concentrate on the descent via my two times Gt. Grandmother instead!

I'm more than happy to look in depth, back from my 2 X Gt. Grandmother, as it might be a lot more exciting and interesting!"

Kind regards Mark  [/quote]

Go for it double quick Mark, and please do keep us in the loop. 

[BushInn1746]

Thanks LizzyW and mowsehowse

If the lineage back from the father, of my 2 X Gt. Grandmother, counts as "direct" I definitely will try and trace it back. As I've been absolutely stuck on my (male family name) line for about 18 years.

I'm a commoner, no status, or celebrity!

Regards Mark


Edit: of Old, is a place called Old, so might not be my family member rumoured with a history.

[jillruss]

Believe it or believe it or not, but I've never come across Danny Dyer before (don't watch Eastenders as I like to leave my wrists unslit!) and I just couldn't make him out. Surely, he was taking the p--s and just redoing his Eastenders role? Do people really act like that these days? I think WDYTYA may have been the butt of a joke here!

Otherwise, it was quite interesting but I have to admit that my attention was diverted from the genealogy by his Del-boy antics.

My OH often works with DD, and says that what you saw in the Prog is exactly how he is in real life, - nothing put on at all. I thought it was nice that he seemed to be so interested in it all, - so many of the subjects in WDYTYA  don't seem to be at all.

Romilly.

Fair enough, but I beg to differ about his attitude to it all. I thought it was less interest and more taking the mickey.