General Chat

Does anyone really think that Jeremy Clarkson or any of the other celebs did any of the research themselves ? They clearly have people working behing the scenes, sending them in the right direction, supplying them with the right census sheets etc...

I didn't enjoy tonight's show as much as the other ones and Jeremy was very insulting to Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, saying they are non counties just there to fill in the gaps between the important ones. I thought he was very arrogant and only interested in finding ancestors with money and status. It is often the poorer people who have the most interesting stories. Mel

ohhh for heavens sake, does noone have a sense of humour anymore ?

thank you saz,but ime camera shy(i can prove that) lol,but if you can arrange for me to spend those fifteen weeks with amanda,i would hand back lady louise,to that cowardly sir hugo,and devote my future to you...wats left,after amanda has finished lol. lurv lurv lurv..amanda,wherefor art thou amanda,sob sob. bryan.

Jezza makes me laugh. He is soo over the top and sarky - bit like me! Just a big show-off looking to provoke a reaction - very successfully by the looks of things... I agree that in the same situation most of us would have £££ signs flashing - one part of my family owned a lot of property at one time and I know that I was really disappointed to find it had all been bombed in WW2 and then sold to the blimmin government for a pittance. The one who really annoys me is that smug genealogist - now he really IS a prat - especially when you press the red button. Fat lot of help HE is to newbies. Maz. XX

I thought tonights one was brill! Jeremy is great! his sense of humour really appeals to mine. Ok, so a couple of times he said about 'where had the money gone'! but come on! if anyone of us found a company like that, whether well off or not, with 'nothing' at the end of the day, the 'tips board' would be going frantic to sort it out! and that would not matter who we were. Don't mean to offend, but yes, why shouldn't he find out where all that wealth had gone? it was his families. It was last week that I totally switched off. Sorry Guy's found that one so boring, love train's but..................

O.K. for what its worth, heres my opinion. Any show that gets my other half watching something about family history can't be bad. Last week he watched as the steam trains at the beginning lulled him into a false sense of security and this week cos Clarkson was on. I enjoyed tonights show even though it hardly touched on the wood of the tree but instead focused on the fluffy bits (sociological side) When alls said and done Clarkson has a peculiar way about him, a perverse sense of humour, which you either love or hate and I happen to like it.

looks like we're about 50/50 on the Clarkson love/hate thing I guess I was more interested in lat weeks as my Dad worked on the railways as did his father before him. That said - surely any researcher (or Jeeves !) could have told her that the Flying Scotsman was LNER rather than LMS (or the other way around, I've forgotten) and saved her the trip to York.

I thought tonights program was boring as well, in fact I did all my dusting while it was on. jenny x

I didnt enjoy this one much either and yes I think Clarkson is a prat too... I see we didnt have him meeting up with any distant rellies as others have done.. Hmm ?? bit to up himself I think! Notice how he hadnt even researched his line himself but got someone else to do it and was only interested in finding out what had happened to the family fortune! Wasnt even interested in the normal people from his tree! I had to laugh though when he was explaining the tree to his daughter at the end... how many of you have been faced with the same 'Ho Hum' expression from your kids/family? I know I get it quite often...LOL Shaz x

Well Jeremy Clarkson can't be all bad as my other half actually wanted to watch the programme tonight!! I sometimes think Jeremy's sense of humour is mistaken and I think as he was finding out information, he was at times trying to hide the emotions. Can you imagine how you would feel if handed a book with photos of your ancestors staring out at you? It would be emotional and that would be kept back and in check with cameras pointing at you. I personally would have liked to see him trace the ancestors in the family and not the ancestors of today's pickled onion jar! But as someone else said, how much do they research themselves and how much is guided by programme producers. Jacky :-)

I did enjoy last night's programme, although it was more about social history than genealogy. I like Jeremy Clarkson! At least he was honest, admitting that a genealogist had done his tree for him. He is really interested in the Industrial Revolution (re his programme on Brunel) and it was that which he wanted to know about rather than discovering long lost relations. Perhaps that is for another programme? I know he is not considered 'PC' but I'm sure many people agree with a lot of what he says, even if they don't like to admit it! I still think Amanda Redman's was the most interesting so far though. Sue

I was disapointed, it was more of a programme about glass factorys, I only saw half of it. Jo.

Would it be interesting television for the masses,if every week told a similar story ? I think they're just trying to show the variety of things that can be thrown up in research. Clearly they take each "celeb" do a bit of research to see if there's anything interesting, and then lead them down that line. Would if really have been more interesting watchign Jeremy track down three generations of Ag Lab's ?

Jeremy Clarkson, a prat? No way, he's a bit of a hero of mine, in fact. In a world where political correctness runs amok, he's a breath of fresh air. And what's wrong with a bit of sarcasm anyway? I disagree with the view that lasts nights episode was boring. The episodes tell a story - that's their main purpose, and last nights kept me entertained from start to finish (wouldn't like to say where I'd place it so far in the ones I've seen). It's patently obvious that a researcher does all the clever stuff whilst Jez looked slightly bemused as someone handed him a piece of paper. To explain how things are done during the episode would be to digress and explanations are given at the end as to how information was obtained, amounting to a brief overview to whet the appetite. As always, roll on next week.

I enjoyed the programme, but what an arrogant man Clarkson was. Diane

Arrogant ? Possibly... but then he's a Yorkshireman, it's in the blood :)

I enjoyed the other programmes more becasue the delved into family life and relationships I think he was more interested in the fact that he might have money comming his way. The guy is a tosser,,

I don't know why he was obsessing about the money so much- from what they showed us of his house, he is pretty loaded himself!!!!

I missed last weeks offering but have enjoyed all the ones I've watched. What really bugs me is I don't have BBC 3 and I would really like to watch the programme that follows on from Who Do You Think You Are. Nearly all my research has been done via the 'net so some pointers on what/how to do it 'for real' would be a great help. I for one am very pleased that the Beeb has started to acknowledge that people have an interest in family history. P.S. I enjoyed Clarkson! :-) Viv