There is a new series on Tuesday night on BBC TV and on the iPlayer that gives all of us a great insight into a bit of social history. These types of programmes can give us family historians a better understanding of our ancestor's times and so make more sense of their lives.
24 Hours in the Past is a living reality documentary in which six celebrities travel back in time to the 19th century, spending four full days experiencing the relentless graft of the working poor in Victorian Britain.
Impressionist Alistair McGowan, former minister Ann Widdecombe, actress Zoe Lucker, world champion hurdler Colin Jackson, actor Tyger Drew-Honey and presenter Miquita Oliver are the volunteers, whose first 24 hours lands them in the dustyard, where they have to sift through mountains of dirt, rotting veg and old bones. Presented by Fi Glover, with historian Ruth Goodman.
At last week's Who Do You Think You Are? Live in among the talks, family history societies, genealogy suppliers and data providers were a delegation from a town council from Surrey that obviously values its history and genealogy.
It would seem that the town of Godalming has launched its own ancestry website at www.godalmingancestry.co.uk and representatives of the town spoke to our writer and handed us a leaflet that interested us so much that we have decided to mention it here.
Perhaps other towns may like to take a leaf from their book and do something similar?
This video has just gone up online after the fantastic Who Do You Think You Are? Live show last week at the NEC.
It gives a great flavour of the event from vendors of genealogy supplies, the talks that took place, new records from data sites and includes Mark Bayley, from TheGenealogist, talking about the new releases that his research site had launched for the event.
For more see www.TheGenealogist.co.uk/News
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Three days of brilliant family history talks, expert advice, new records and resources to explore have just finished for this year's Who Do You Think You Are? Live.
Held at the new venue for the show at the NEC, Birmingham there was so much more space with wider aisles and the airiness of a more modern venue compared to its old home of Olympia in London.
Many of the visitors to the show seemed happy with the mixture of Genealogical Supplies vendors and Family History Societies on hand, though a few were disappointed to find some FHS from the south-east and also Scotland hadn't managed to make it to the show this year.
The main data subscription sites, however, were there to showcase their various online offerings as was the National Archives, GRO and many more.
Feedback from those visiting seemed to be very positive overall and next year's dates have now been announced as April 7th-9th 2016 back at the NEC.