Who do you think you are? BBC1

[droopsnoot]

I used to quite enjoy this, but it seems like the 'thicko police' have set their sights on this programme, after totally ruining almost everything else. In last nights episode, Brian Blessed goes to Doncaster to find out about his ancestors, to meet a local historian who tells him that five generations back, Barnabus Blessed married in St Pancras church, London. A few seconds later we get a graphical family tree and voiceover woman tells us the same thing. Cut to film of Brian behind St Pancras station looking at the church and saying "My great-several-times grandfather got married here". WE KNOW!

I get that there are some people not paying attention, I get that in some markets they break the programme for adverts so they might need a recap, but this was even more annoying than Dragons Den.

I couldn't quite decide whether Brian B was just playing up for the camera or whether he is the kind of person I'd find really annoying if I spent time with him. He always comes across as very over-the-top and, shall we say, exuberant, but I wonder if he ever just sits down and does a crossword or reads a book.

[Eric Mc]

I enjoyed it.

Brian Blessed was exactly as I thought he would be. If he wasn't - he wouldn't be Brian Blessed.

I thought the story of Jabez Blessed and his life was poignant, moving and rather inspirational.

[basherX]

Eric Mc said:

I enjoyed it.

Brian Blessed was exactly as I thought he would be. If he wasn't - he wouldn't be Brian Blessed.

I thought the story of Jabez Blessed and his life was poignant, moving and rather inspirational.

OP, I'm afraid I agree with Eric. Last night's episode was a good mixture of the hilarious (Brian Blessed) and the poignant.

[droopsnoot]

I didn't see the whole thing, just the first fifteen minutes or so before I went out. It's more the constant repetition for the hard-of-attention that annoys me than the content itself.

[Eric Mc]

Didn't work in your case did it - as it failed to retain your attention.

[droopsnoot]

Eric Mc said:

Didn't work in your case did it - as it failed to retain your attention.

Quite the reverse - because I was paying attention, I noticed them telling me the same thing over and over.

I should have clarified that I didn't stop watching it because of the bits that annoyed me, I was on my way out in any case. I really should just record everything so I can skip over the annoying parts.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Brian Blessed...he always lowers the tone.

[The Don of Croy]

Last night's outing with Danny Dyer - quite a surprise.

Shame gobste Dyer is incapable of speaking in anything other than mockney, despite who he's with or where...maybe that's his charm?

But to have a bloodline encompassing both Thomas Cromwell and Edward III is a turn up for the books.

[Truckosaurus]

The Don of Croy said:

...(Danny) Dyer ... mockney ...maybe that's his charm?

It is certainly his act and has made it into a lengthy career from modest (if we are being polite) acting talent.

The 90yr old daughter of the lady in the workhouse shows that whilst the Victorian slums seem to be the distant past it was only a generation or two from people still with us.

[Elderly]

Danny Dyer would have made a MUCH BETTER job of portraying Cromwell in 'Wolf Hall'
than the mis-cast Mark Rylance.

[NBTBRV8]

I didn't know it was back on, so thanks.

[coppice]

Elderly said:

Danny Dyer would have made a MUCH BETTER job of portraying Cromwell in 'Wolf Hall'
than the mis-cast Mark Rylance.

Yeah- not as though Rylance isn't one of our best actors is it? Oh ,hold on.....I thought he was utterly superb in WH .

[nicanary]

I think the whole thing was an overreaction - Ted the Third was born over 700 years ago. Can you just imagine how many people in the UK can trace their bloodline back to him? It must run into the hundreds of thousands. Typical tosh for the emotional sleb-worshippers.

[CooperD]

Quite an enjoyable and interesting episode. Living in Suffolk it had a local vibe to it for me having visited Helmingham Hall many years ago. I found Danny Dyer came over a lot better than I thought he would.

[coppice]

nicanary said:

I think the whole thing was an overreaction - Ted the Third was born over 700 years ago. Can you just imagine how many people in the UK can trace their bloodline back to him? It must run into the hundreds of thousands. Typical tosh for the emotional sleb-worshippers.

Apparently it's 4 million ....

[nicanary]

coppice said:

nicanary said:

I think the whole thing was an overreaction - Ted the Third was born over 700 years ago. Can you just imagine how many people in the UK can trace their bloodline back to him? It must run into the hundreds of thousands. Typical tosh for the emotional sleb-worshippers.

Apparently it's 4 million ....

That's a fair old proportion of the indigenous population - so the emphasis of the TV programme was a bit pointless. Half of Walford are probably related to royalty.

[FourWheelDrift]

coppice said:

nicanary said:

I think the whole thing was an overreaction - Ted the Third was born over 700 years ago. Can you just imagine how many people in the UK can trace their bloodline back to him? It must run into the hundreds of thousands. Typical tosh for the emotional sleb-worshippers.

Apparently it's 4 million ....

There are 1 billion decedents of Charlemagne, the population of Europe is 741 million. Chances are you are related to him and if you are you are related to dozens of European Royal houses both extinct and current.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/commentisfree/...

[nicanary]

I reckon we all ought to stop claiming lineage to royalty in case they ask us to cough up for the repairs to Buck House. Lizzie might have watched that and cottoned on.

[BlueHave]

As entertaining an episode as it was. I think the old blue blood has been soiled by the time it got to stereotypical East End wideboy Danny Dyer.

The bloke is a 24CT plonker. Is it an act or is that genuinely how he gets on.

nicanary said:

I reckon we all ought to stop claiming lineage to royalty in case they ask us to cough up for the repairs to Buck House. Lizzie might have watched that and cottoned on.

I'm sure the Royal family have had more than a few dead infants in a bucket of ashes scandals over the generations. They might even unearth a few once they peel back the plaster.

Edited by BlueHave on Saturday 26th November 17:51

[bexVN]

BlueHave said:

As entertaining an episode as it was. I think the old blue blood has been soiled by the time it got to stereotypical East End wideboy Danny Dyer.

The bloke is a 24CT plonker. Is it an act or is that genuinely how he gets on.

nicanary said:

I reckon we all ought to stop claiming lineage to royalty in case they ask us to cough up for the repairs to Buck House. Lizzie might have watched that and cottoned on.

I'm sure the Royal family have had more than a few dead infants in a bucket of ashes scandals over the generations. They might even unearth a few once they peel back the plaster.

Edited by BlueHave on Saturday 26th November 17:51

Just watching this now. I really don't think it is an act, he is always the same and to those who state he is a 'mockney' you only have to hear his family talking on this to know he obviously isn't. He always seems to talk well of others he respects etc.