Who Do You Think You Are? Series 14 Review, Part 2
Since the review of part one of the series (found here), the BBC have broadcast the rest of series 14. Here is the continuation of my series review.
In the sixth episode, we saw Lulu discover the lives of her mother and grandparents. Particularly, she wanted to focus on why her mother was given away as a baby. She then discovered that her maternal grandparents were on both sides of the sectarian divide but deeply loved each other - so much so that Hugh, her grandfather, returned from Boston because he missed her. This being even more interesting when Lulu's great grandmother was revealed as the 'Worthy Mistress' of the Ladies' Orange Order! The episode did have interesting features such as Hugh's criminal life but there was not much to it - in fact two of the people I was watching it with fell asleep... However, I do not believe it was that bad! ★★★☆☆
In the following episode, it was Fearne Cotton's turn to delve into her family tree. One of her ancestors, who was focused on, was William Gilmour. He, according to the programme, was an apothecary who was a charlatan pretending to be a doctor in Ireland before becoming the medical superintendent on the SS Great Britain. However, as many 'Rootschatters' have found out, this paints a huge disservice on the man. In reality he was a qualified doctor - gaining his licence to practice from the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1854. This four years before the 1858 Medical Act: which required a medical degree or licence before being able to practice medicine. This act came into force on the 1st January 1859. On this day he was registered as a doctor. Later, in 1860, he gained his Double Qualification in medicine and surgery. Therefore, it seems that the BBC were misconceiving the public and, most importantly, Fearne Cotton herself to create entertainment. This is a shame as the episode itself was quite interesting, including looking at her conscientious objector great grandfather Evan Meredith. ★★★☆☆ (Could easily have been more if the programme was fully accurate.)
Next, it was Noel Clarke. He believed that he was descended from Trinidadian ancestors. However, it turns out that his ancestors came from other Caribbean islands. He was shocked to find out that his great grandparents actually came from St. Vincent on his mother's side. He later went on to trace his ancestors on his father's side and discovered that his four times great grandfather, Glasgow Bedeau, was born into slavery and even worse, he and his mother were under the control of John Dallas - who was well known for his brutality. He then visited the site on Carriacou where Glasgow was buried. There, he met many cousins who are also descended from Glasgow. He seemed very interested and genuine in his family history and the programme was engaging throughout. ★★★★☆
A week later, it was Lisa Hammond's go at discovering her roots. Lisa known for her role as Donna Yates in EastEnders believed that she was a thorough East Ender - as much as to not liking the countryside! She first looked at her grandfather, Harry (Henry) and his World War 2 experience in being a prisoner of war. They worked well at producing an interest on the POW focus, but I preferred the second half of the episode. Later, she went on to discover that she wasn't as much of a Londoner as she first thought. This is because her Hilditch family, on her maternal side, originally came from North Wales! This second half was more enjoyable and enthusing to watch. ★★★☆☆
The final episode (shown 3 weeks after it was first scheduled) saw Ruby Wax research her Jewish ancestors. This was an incredibly moving episode due to the connection Ruby showed to her ancestors as they were fleeing Nazi persecution and also the connection she showed with her relatives mental health problems. This made the show a good way of ending and wrapping up the series. ★★★★★
This gives the series a total of 35 stars - one less than the last two series, which both scored a total of 36. This is important as it shows the need of efficient research as if Fearne's episode was accurate with William Gilmour's story it could have been at the same level as, or better than series 12 and 13. Hopefully, the BBC will address this for series 15 which will hopefully be an uninterrupted series that is not pushed around and have many gaps.
Published: 28 November 2017
In the sixth episode, we saw Lulu discover the lives of her mother and grandparents. Particularly, she wanted to focus on why her mother was given away as a baby. She then discovered that her maternal grandparents were on both sides of the sectarian divide but deeply loved each other - so much so that Hugh, her grandfather, returned from Boston because he missed her. This being even more interesting when Lulu's great grandmother was revealed as the 'Worthy Mistress' of the Ladies' Orange Order! The episode did have interesting features such as Hugh's criminal life but there was not much to it - in fact two of the people I was watching it with fell asleep... However, I do not believe it was that bad! ★★★☆☆
In the following episode, it was Fearne Cotton's turn to delve into her family tree. One of her ancestors, who was focused on, was William Gilmour. He, according to the programme, was an apothecary who was a charlatan pretending to be a doctor in Ireland before becoming the medical superintendent on the SS Great Britain. However, as many 'Rootschatters' have found out, this paints a huge disservice on the man. In reality he was a qualified doctor - gaining his licence to practice from the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1854. This four years before the 1858 Medical Act: which required a medical degree or licence before being able to practice medicine. This act came into force on the 1st January 1859. On this day he was registered as a doctor. Later, in 1860, he gained his Double Qualification in medicine and surgery. Therefore, it seems that the BBC were misconceiving the public and, most importantly, Fearne Cotton herself to create entertainment. This is a shame as the episode itself was quite interesting, including looking at her conscientious objector great grandfather Evan Meredith. ★★★☆☆ (Could easily have been more if the programme was fully accurate.)
Next, it was Noel Clarke. He believed that he was descended from Trinidadian ancestors. However, it turns out that his ancestors came from other Caribbean islands. He was shocked to find out that his great grandparents actually came from St. Vincent on his mother's side. He later went on to trace his ancestors on his father's side and discovered that his four times great grandfather, Glasgow Bedeau, was born into slavery and even worse, he and his mother were under the control of John Dallas - who was well known for his brutality. He then visited the site on Carriacou where Glasgow was buried. There, he met many cousins who are also descended from Glasgow. He seemed very interested and genuine in his family history and the programme was engaging throughout. ★★★★☆
A week later, it was Lisa Hammond's go at discovering her roots. Lisa known for her role as Donna Yates in EastEnders believed that she was a thorough East Ender - as much as to not liking the countryside! She first looked at her grandfather, Harry (Henry) and his World War 2 experience in being a prisoner of war. They worked well at producing an interest on the POW focus, but I preferred the second half of the episode. Later, she went on to discover that she wasn't as much of a Londoner as she first thought. This is because her Hilditch family, on her maternal side, originally came from North Wales! This second half was more enjoyable and enthusing to watch. ★★★☆☆
The final episode (shown 3 weeks after it was first scheduled) saw Ruby Wax research her Jewish ancestors. This was an incredibly moving episode due to the connection Ruby showed to her ancestors as they were fleeing Nazi persecution and also the connection she showed with her relatives mental health problems. This made the show a good way of ending and wrapping up the series. ★★★★★
This gives the series a total of 35 stars - one less than the last two series, which both scored a total of 36. This is important as it shows the need of efficient research as if Fearne's episode was accurate with William Gilmour's story it could have been at the same level as, or better than series 12 and 13. Hopefully, the BBC will address this for series 15 which will hopefully be an uninterrupted series that is not pushed around and have many gaps.
Published: 28 November 2017
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