The team behind the Who Do You Think You Are? Live event have just announced the third celebrity appearing at the Olympia Show in February.
Former Eastenders actor Larry Lamb will be appearing in the Celebrity Theatre at 'Who Do You Think You Are? Live' on Friday 21st February along with series creator and Executive Producer, Alex Graham, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 'Who Do You Think You Are?' series.
Alex and Larry (who appeared in the series in 2011) will also be joined by several members of the production team. There will be an in-depth conversation on how the series is made, a look at some personal highlights and the team will reveal some of the secrets from behind the scenes.
Tickets are available on the day but you can guarantee a seat in advance if you wish.
More details can be found on the Who Do You Think You Are? Live website.
TheGenealogist has continued to add to its extensive collection of parish records with the release of almost 385,000 new individual record transcripts covering a wide variety of counties in England. The records cover the period from the mid 1500s to 2005.
The new parish records added cover the counties of Bedfordshire, Devon, Essex, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Middlesex, Rutland, Shropshire and Westmoreland. It’s an addition of a substantial amount of individuals around the country. The newly added records cover a range of baptisms, marriages and burials in these counties.
In the new Essex records available, TheGenealogist uncovered the family history of shadowy highwayman, Dick Turpin, born in Hempstead, Essex, baptised in 1705, as Richardus Turpin, in the same parish where his parents had married. He started life as a butcher, but came into contact with the ‘Essex Gang’ and embarked on more clandestine, criminal activities which became legendary as his 'highwayman' exploits became notorious at the time.
There's more details on the Parish Record releases at http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/nameindex/ai_content.php?type=diamond&show_cat=9#includes
New parish records released on TheGenealogist include those of Dick Turpin
Looking at other forums and blogs there has been a mixed reaction to the format used by Who Do You Think You Are? of just concentrating on a few members of the family of a celebrity. However, last night's programme, despite the lack of parish records and the 'ready made' family trees given straight to the celebrity, was still very interesting- simply due to the fact on Marianne Faithfull's maternal Austro-Hungarian side they lived in a time of firstly, artistic freedom and decadence, then political upheavals and then the Nazi persecution of Jews and Russian reprisals.
The story was one of drama and often danger, but one filled with determination and human resilience to survive. It added another dimension to many peoples' views of Marianne Faithfull and maybe explains the problems she has faced in her life. What did you think of last night's show?
Last night's episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' featuring Nitin Ganatra was a real international trip crossing continents. Nitin's family history journey involved visiting both Kenya and India as he explored the lives of his ancestors. It was an emotional journey as the tale showed the hard lives of his forebears as they worked on the Kenyan Railway and also battled to escape famine and ill-health in India at the turn of the century.
To travel back and speak to a village elder aged over 100 years old who remembered the Ganatra family did make the episode particularly fascinating. The poor record keeping in India over the years did make this programme more about what can be discovered through different channels of research, including speaking to elders, rather than the standard record sources we normally see used by the celebrities.
All told it was a very unusual but still fascinating episode. Comedienne Sarah Millican is the celebrity featured next week!
A fascinating and emotional journey with Nitin Ganatra on Who Do You Think You Are?
The next episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' continues tonight on BBC1 at 9pm. The celebrity featured this week is a star of Eastenders and numerous films, Nitin Ganatra. He moved with his family to the UK from Kenya when he was aged 3, so tonight's programme has a real international feel to it covering both Africa and Asia as Nitin pieces together his family tree.
It promises to be another interesting episode. I've enjoyed the series so far, with both personal, emotional and historic family history journeys featuring in the series so far. The Nick Hewer feature last week had some interesting historical elements and tonight's show looks like being similar. Will you be watching?
If you'd like to read a bit more about Nitin Ganatra, there's a featured article on TheGenealogist at http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/wdytya2013_ganatra.php
Tonight's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? features Eastenders actor Nitin Ganatra
I found the Nigel Havers episode of Who Do You Think You Are? last night on BBC1 another interesting and very watchable programme, following on from Una Stubbs and her journey last week. The series so far does seem to have improved in format, coupled with some very interesting family history stories.
Last night's episode was both interesting and varied. Ranging from a clever businessman in Colchester who suffered ill-fortune and bankruptcy after building up a very successful set of businesses, to the life and times of his ancestors who worked in a mill in Cornwall who suffered both personal tragedy and scandal. All a far cry from the posh actor from a recent legal dynasty!
Hopefully the TV series continues to be as good as the first two episodes. I'm already looking forward to the Minnie Driver programme next week!
Not quite as posh as we expected, Nigel Havers on Who Do You Think You Are?
Latest news on the eagerly anticipated new series of Who Do You Think You Are? TV programme is the first episode in July will start off with the actress Una Stubbs.
The new series is promised to be both varied and filled with twists and turns according to the show producers.
The running order is provisionally set as follows with actress Una Stubbs on the first programme, followed by Nigel Havers, Minnie Driver, Lesley Sharp, Gary Lineker, Nick Hewer, Sarah Millican, Nitin Ganatra, Marianne Faithfull with the final episode featuring John Simpson.
Latest news and updates can be found on the Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine website
2012 has proved a great year for Andy Murray after winning Olympic Gold in the Men’s singles and a Silver in the mixed doubles. He’s now added to his success by becoming the first British player to win a Grand Slam men’s singles tournament since Fred Perry in 1936. Murray is now the first man ever to win an Olympic Gold and the U.S Open in the same year.
Although the Scottish tennis ace Andy Murray has made comments on supporting “anyone but England” in games of football, his maternal grandmother Eileen Shirley Edney was born to English parents John Marsom Edney and Joyce Mary Anderson. John Edney was a solicitor born in Berwick onTweedin 1931 and Joyce Anderson was born in York in 1906. The couple married in Berwick on Tweed in 1957.
John Edney’s mother Catherine Hush was born in Berwick in 1869, his father also John M Edney was born in the London area in 1857. The exact birth place given on the Victorian census records on TheGenealogist.co.uk varies but with the majority indicating New Cross London. The occupation given on the Northumberland 1901 census shows his occupation as a potato trader, and previous occupations given as Corn Merchant and Shirt Machinist. His ancestry can be traced further back through the London area with forbearers recorded as Railway Clerk, Accountant and School Master.
Joyce Anderson’s ancestry however is predominantly northern, giving Andy Murray a very cross-country English heritage. Her mother Gertrude Golding was born in Sheffield in 1882 and her grandparents were born in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
