Current family history programmes on TV - review

(The following is updated - I forgot about Una Stubbs episode of WDYTYA!)

There's a couple of family history themed programmes on the box just now, with varying degrees of success.

Family Tree, the BBC/HBO comedy, is currently being transmitted on Tuesday nights at 10pm, BBC2. The first episode was very much a pilot type affair (see my review at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/family-tree-comedy-series-starts-its.html), which was high on promise and short on laughs. The second episode, was a much funnier edition, as Chris O' Dowd's character, Tom Chadwick, discovered his great grandfather to have once been the back half a of a successful pantomime horse duo (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/family-tree-episode-2.html). It was a relief to see, with a series that has a format that promises so much flexibility. Sadly, however, such promise was all too brief - since then, two more episodes have been shown, and the laughs are getting fewer and further between.

I think that the problem is with the series trying to play on both family and family history at the same time - and the family doesn't really work. A sister with a monkey puppet that voices her inner rudeness just distracts, a dad obsessing with a 70s TV comedy series sort of works, but only as a foil for Chris O'Dowd to regroup after his discoveries. The step mum from eastern Europe doesn't work in any way at all (unlike the way the Mags character in 'Lead Balloon' did), and Tom's friend, trying desperately to be David Brent in a 'that was so yesterday' type way, just irritates most of the time. How much funnier would it be if he had a friend who plays on what Tom finds, puts two and two together to get five, leads Tom up the wrong path, only for it all to come crashing down around them when the truth about a belief is discovered?

On the family history side, a lot does work - it gently digs at those of us tracing our ancestry, without patronising, and some funny situations emerge - but you can't see the wood for the trees, and sadly not family trees. I still watch for the simple reason that the one character that I think does work is Tom Chadwick himself, with a great portrayal by Chris O'Dowd. But he really is the roast potato to the rest of the comedy plate's turkey and brussels sprouts...!

Who Do You Think You Are is also back on Wednesday nights at 9pm BBC1, with three episodes now transmitted in the current series. The first two editions were about actress Una Stubbs and actor Nigel Havers' ancestry - and I was bored rigid throughout both. Nothing offended from the episodes - but nothing really floated any boats either. One week on, and all I can remember from Havers' episode was there was a mill involved in Devonshire at one point. The Una Stubbs episode did have some nice synergy - a family connection to a factory that came full circle when it tied into another line, but again, nothing really sticks.

Last night, actress Minnie Driver was featured. This was a much better edition, with two interesting aspects - the first being the story of her father in the Second World War, winning a medal for an RAF raid which ended in tragedy, with the death of a best friend and a ministry spinning his achievements for progaganda value, when in truth he was psychologically traumatised by events. Any wonder the medal was thrown into the Thames? It reminded me very much of the story featured in Clint Eastwood's film about Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, and was a welcome change from the norm, tragic as it was. The second part was a good old fashioned search for modern relatives, after the discovery of an uncle who also worked as an actor, and the eventual find of a first cousin.

One thing that did amuse last night, in that I was reading Twitter comments as it was broadcast, and one person asked why she was chasing after her dad - surely it should be about researching ancestors...?! (I didn't respond...!)

Both series can be caught up with on the BBC iPlayer (for UK residents only).

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!