"Who Do You Think You Are", Series 14: #9 Lisa Hammond

[Barnes612]

Anyone?

I found myself fast forwarding through bits of it. I didn't really warm to Lisa, but nearer the end when she was talking about the countryside and how difficult it was as a disabled person, I felt I understood more where she was coming from.

I also find that when they go back and back and back and back, I'm not so engaged.

[annaS]

I'm with you Barnes612 on this one.

[Hinso]

Quite the opposite.

We found it fascinating and surely the whole point of genealogy is 'going back and back'. These programmes have to be limited in their coverage so covering substantial areas of a tree can be difficult in the time they have. It was also good to see her using some of the basic methods of research herself (good for encouraging newbies) rather than being presented with everything by experts.

Never seen or heard of her before but she came across as a strong, 'real' Eastender and not  a victim to disability.

[Jill Eaton]

I rather enjoyed it. As a person born in London (me) and then moving as a child to rural East Anglia (me again), I was curious to see what she found so appealing about having ancestors that were born and bred for generations in London.

The way she felt about the country is the way I feel about visiting London. So it's where you call home NOW that I think matters - not where you DNA stems from.

I think it was inevitable that there were going to be some rural ancestors in her tree. So many people seem to have gone to London to improve their lot.

[jillruss]

I don't watch Easrenders so thought I didn't know her, but I do now remember her from the police team in Vera. I thought it was reasonably interesting even though I have no London or Welsh ancestors - so far, anyway!

I agree with Hinso and prefer the episodes when they at least try to go further back than grandparents.

What I do find very interesting is that it took a few days for someone to start this thread. I'm wondering if we're beginning to tire of WDYTYA as it stands or whether the subjects haven't been very rivetting of late (Charles Dance was a great opener but it didn't exactly hit the heights after that, did it?).

My own opinion is that its now more about the subject and their popularity or 'right on-ness' than the ancestry. I should have thought the BBC could come up with a different format, perhaps with a bit more about the actual mechanics of the research, which is how they started out. I can't be the only one who remembers those helpful red button 'how to's' after the initial series of WDYTYA with Adrian Chiles and that genealogist called Nick something who seemed to be omnipresent at one time but we haven't laid eyes on him for yonks!!

Such a programme would have to move back to BBC2 or even BBC4 as a more niche programme but I bet it would get good viewing numbers. There seem to be a lot of us out there and lots more waiting in the wings if someone only gave them a few pointers on where to start and how to continue.

Jill

[coombs]

I will have to watch it later as I missed the episode.

Lisa was actually born in Chichester according to Wikipedia. So she is not an East Ender even though she may have ancestors from there. My 3xgreat gran was born in Shoreditch but I am no East Ender.

Also if you are a Londoner tracing ancestors (Or have a parent/grandparent fro London) then you must expect a lot of the lines to not originate in London. When Babs Windsor found she had Suffolk roots she acted very shocked and surprised as she thought all her ancestors came from London right back to the stone age. Welcome to the real world Babs, many Londoners dont come from a long line of Londoners.

[annaS]

Wikipedia have got the wrong Lisa Hammond. If you remember her mother was a Hilditch - the one with the Welsh roots, and Lisa herself was born in 1978.  She said that she is 39.  She was born in the City of London, as was an older sister.  Just checked it out in a rudimentary way on Find my Past.

[smudwhisk]

My 3xgreat gran was born in Shoreditch but I am no East Ender.

My grandmother was born in Bromley St Leonard and lived there until she married but woe betide anyone who suggested she was an East Ender.   You got your head verbally bitten off for suggesting it.  Unfortunately my grandmother was probably best described as a bit of a snob, her husband was also born there and her parents were both born in Poplar too.  She never went back to visit Poplar or Bromley St Leonard after the war because of the devastation caused and her relatives had all moved out due to losing their houses.

[coombs]

Shows that you should never trust Wikipedia. Lisa Hammond is 5 years older than what was originally said, and a Londoner. It is a common name so they probably got their wires crossed. Jason Donovan was once on WDYTYA and Wikipedia says his dad Terence was born in October 1942 but he was born in October 1935, a full 7 years earlier, and his mmn was Arnsby as Jason said in his autobiography. There was a Terence Donovan born in 1942 but a diff mmn. See how those civil reg indexes come in handy.