Fiona's great-grandfather, Frederick Crouch, died in the First World War under mysterious circumstances. The family story is that Frederick failed to duck down when shells began falling nearby. A letter, written by Frederick's widow to her son's...
Fiona's great-grandfather, Frederick Crouch, died in the First World War under mysterious circumstances. The family story is that Frederick failed to duck down when shells began falling nearby. A letter, written by Frederick's widow to her son's school soon after the war, reveals the sad truth behind the story.
UK Genealogy show, exploring the family trees of well-known public figures.
UK Genealogy show, exploring the family trees of well-known public figures.
UK Genealogy show, exploring the family trees of well-known public figures.
UK Genealogy show, exploring the family trees of well-known public figures.
A fantastic show with real life historical drama with unexpected twists and turns. Some of the best were Barbara Windsor, Stephen fry & David Tennent.
Finding out were there family truly descends from rather that the tales family members have passed down. David Baddiels story was truly touching and very emotional. The show is shown in true historical context fashion and does not oversensionalise any story which rears its head. A few celebs find out their ancestors were mere murderers, adulterers & sheer scourge of society. Boris Johnston on the other was all the way to royalty. Its a really enjoyable show.
Former "Goodie" Bill Oddie traces his family tree with moving results. hide show
I watched this show because there was nothing else on and I had a cold. I am so glad I did.
Genealogy has always vaguely interested me, I like history and detective stories, and the two go together naturally. It does seem like a hell of a lot of work. However, the BBC has employed professionals to do the donkey work. This is what I need!
I was not prepared for how moving the episode would be. In short, Bill Oddie had always hated his mother, who was committed to a psychiatric hospital when he was a child and remained there until she died recently. With the help of professional genealogists, Bill discovered that he'd had an older sister who died in the first few weeks of life. Through painstaking research and speaking to elderly family members, he discovered that his mother had heard his sister crying but his paternal grandmother, in the house at the time, had refused to allow her to go upstairs and see what was wrong. The baby choked on her own vomit and his mother had a nervous breakdown over the guilt. She was left languishing in mental asylums, being given electric shop therapy and who knows what else.
You can never really know yourself or others until you know where they came from. I may be wrong but I suspect that the journey has had a profound effect on Bill Oddie and certainly will have caused a dramatic shift in the way he views his mother. As he said of his mother in the finale of the episode, "I just wish I could say I'm sorry".
I think this show is going to be something very special.
fuddle2
Retired
LMH68
Retired
davidbrider
mermayd
paulwj
