tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post1660283995493707009..comments2023-03-29T12:49:14.244+01:00Comments on The Professional Descendant: Is There Too Much About The War In Family History TV?Kirsty F Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05558508787388848119noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-91154205963940306652012-06-24T16:23:27.343+01:002012-06-24T16:23:27.343+01:00Your predictions were impressively accurate, Chris...Your predictions were impressively accurate, Chris! Maybe 'Turn Back Time: The Family' will at least show that the ordinary lives of ordinary ancestors can be interesting, although I won't get my hopes up too much!<br /><br />KirstyKirsty F Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05558508787388848119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-15217623188971736762012-06-24T16:00:10.699+01:002012-06-24T16:00:10.699+01:00In my previous comment I said "I agree about ...In my previous comment I said "I agree about the need for more family history about women, ag labs, domestic servants etc though, but unfortunately these are not likely to be forthcoming too easily – and if they do, it will be in some patronising 'reality TV' drivel of some sort – the 1940s House, that sort of thing."<br /><br />Just read the following article in the Telegraph about a new BBC show coming soon called Turn Back Time: The Family - see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9347592/Turn-Back-Time-The-Family-BBC-One-preview.html<br /><br />I think I rest my case m'lud! :) lol<br /><br />ChrisChris Patonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-42864771149863281242012-06-19T09:51:42.822+01:002012-06-19T09:51:42.822+01:00First of all, just found you on Twitter and have a...First of all, just found you on Twitter and have added your blog feed to my Google Reader. Looking forward to more articles.<br /><br />I can agree to a certain extent; there does seem to be a lot of focus on wartime stories in genealogy programs; it would be nice to have a better range of subjects covered. Most of us do just have "Ag Labs". I haven't watched any of the War Hero in My Family shows yet, but I have seen all of WDYTYA and caught a few of Find My Past episodes. I liked the different approach of the FMP show and I may watch a couple of the War Hero shows to see what I think.<br /><br />However, one of the FMP shows I did watch I did enjoy because I can personally relate it to my personal family history: my maternal grandfather was captured as a POW at Boulogne in WW2, and was held prisoner for 5 years, having to march hundreds of miles across Europe during "The March"; his father was killed in action during WW1 aged just 28; his father in law fought in the RAF in both World Wars, also being captured as a POW in WW2, being held at Stalag Luft III (made famous by The Great Escape); and my paternal grandfather fought in WW2 in India and Burma.<br /><br />So I have a fair few connections with the World Wars. If a TV program covers an event that I know that one of my ancestors were involved in, then I will watch it.nmcmahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03745424287859904391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-72400668648845081042012-06-07T23:12:42.900+01:002012-06-07T23:12:42.900+01:00Kirsty, sorry about the school history lessons! I ...Kirsty, sorry about the school history lessons! I did 20th century history at O-Level (as it was in those days!) but with a brilliant teacher. I was interested enough to study the same period at university, but I still agree with most of what you say. Like you I don't have a particular interest in military history, but it does come as part of the territory when it comes to family history. <br /><br />Military history is certainly popular with many people, which is fine, but there is plenty more potentially interesting material on non-military subjects that would make excellent programmes or series. I think Chris hit the nail on the head when he said that TV just likes to commission 'more of same' which applies to family history shows as much as anything else.<br /><br />Military service records are plentiful and easier to research than many others, and most British people have close family members or ancestors who served in 20th century conflicts. This makes the First or Second World War story a good bet for high audience ratings. On the plus side, the last series of WDYTYA was very good and wide-ranging, and hopefully the next series of Find My Past will be an improvement on the first, it has the potential.<br /><br />But brace yourself Kirsty, because in 2 years time it will be the centenary of You Know What. I think we ain't seen nothin' yet!Audrey Collinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17109060807297085410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-80869473316155848342012-06-06T21:55:05.514+01:002012-06-06T21:55:05.514+01:00It may be a female thing, Kirsty. I agree with you...It may be a female thing, Kirsty. I agree with you but I also think that too much of any topic gets to be repetitious and mundane. The slaves, the military, pilgrims and pioneers. For me it is more about diversity across the series as opposed to one topic over and over and over....<br />We had an interesting episode run over here that unveiled a British Home Child. A topic close to my heart, but again, I wouldn't want every episode to be about them. After a while, they read like a Catherine Cookson novel - change the characters names and the odd village, but essentially the stories are all the same.Christine Woodcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10331745848648738905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-20613560714953063212012-06-06T18:36:10.600+01:002012-06-06T18:36:10.600+01:00In reply to the previous comment by Anonymous:
In...In reply to the previous comment by Anonymous:<br /><br />In my post I wrote that I do not have "a particular interest in military history". I in no way implied that I wished to exclude a major part of history, as you suggest. Military records are an important genealogical source which I have used in both my personal and professional research.<br /><br />My criticism was not aimed at the study of military history, nor at those who enjoy researching their military ancestors and watching military history programmes. I am very happy to see their interests catered for. I would simply like to see a more diverse range of family history programming on television, however I appreciate that the limited funding for such programmes is a major restriction.<br /><br />The comments I have received both on this blog and through Twitter indicate that many people would like to see greater coverage of women's history on television. I am sure that there are many other areas of history which have been equally neglected, indeed there is little coverage of military history prior to the 20th Century. Unfortunately, in all genres of television, there is a tendency to repeat the same formula over and over again and family history is no exception!Kirsty F Wilkinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05558508787388848119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-42573536161617638562012-06-06T17:43:56.093+01:002012-06-06T17:43:56.093+01:00I think if you're not interested in the subjec...I think if you're not interested in the subject matter i.e. military history, it will be difficult to fall for any such series hook, line and sinker, so on that I would have to disagree, as personally I can't get enough of it! <br /><br />I agree about the need for more family history about women, ag labs, domestic servants etc though, but unfortunately these are not likely to be forthcoming too easily – and if they do, it will be in some patronising “reality TV” drivel of some sort – the 1940s House, that sort of thing. For my sins I spent a few years in the past working in a BBC Scotland programme development team, and the bottom line is not the lack of ambition of programme makers to come up with good ideas on a sweep of history - and believe me, I and many others tried! - it was the fundamental lack of ambition of the commissioners to commit to anything that they perceived to go beyond their safe comfort zone in terms of getting the audience numbers through. Commissioners have absolutely no ambition. On one occasion I was asked by a London based commissioner to develop an idea for a doc on Bonnie Prince Charlie - I kept trying to make it about what happened after Culloden, the story no-one ever tells but which is equally extraordinary, and after 18 drafts - 18 drafts - they finally said no. Too unsafe. As such, often what it boils down to these days is the same subject matter trodden over, and the issue becomes whether what is produced is done well or not.<br /><br />FMP as a history series was actually really cheap and rushed, and at times showed it - but at least it tried to get the public connection to history flagged up more, rather than celebrity. The subject matter for each programme was actually fairly pedestrian - but I do agree it did not help to show so many military subjects in a row for a series supposedly covering such a broad sweep. Poor scheduling, which I suspect was about which shows were ready first, as it was turned around unbelievably quickly after it had been commissioned.<br /><br />With War Hero in My Family, I'd have to disagree in that although the subjects were about WW2, most episodes had something of a slight twist to them, and each was just beautifully produced, directed, researched, edited and more. I learned a heck of a lot from them that I did not know before, something I've not often found from WDYTYA when it does the war - there was a time when it felt that WDYTYA was working to an annual checklist, though I do agree more recent series have improved. As an example of the genre, War Hero to me shone - if the same team could do something similar for women's history, ag labs, domestic service etc, I suspect it would equally shine - but I doubt they would ever be commissioned, sadly.<br /><br />Television in many ways has done history a major dis-service in the last 15 years. I've noted in the last few days on Twitter a campaign to keep history programming on BBC4 - I remember when we were desperately trying to fight to stop history going from BBC2 to BBC4 in the first place, as we thought it would be too niche, with history going from a populist channel to one for created for a much more niche audience worried about the dropping arts content. As a niche channel, virtually no-one watches it still - and hence why it is easier for the Beeb to justify losing it. It's been a self-fulfilling prophecy. In some ways if BBC4 goes, I’d love to see BBC2 reclaim the territory – but I’m not optimistic!Chris Patonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-76155753503444689582012-06-06T17:30:07.712+01:002012-06-06T17:30:07.712+01:00If you are not interested in war stories, then don...If you are not interested in war stories, then don't watch a show called "War Hero in My Family". There are many good shows that do show varied areas of interest within family history, Ancestors in the Attic is a good one. To criticize this area of family history that is so important to millions of people is pathetic! Millions of people were affected by war whether a soldier or a civilian. Towns devastated, hardships that we cannot possibly understand, rations, evacuations, air raids, bombing, etc. etc. Your a genealogist who wants to exclude a major part of history! Pathetic, and I certainly would never hire you. How can you not be interested in military history, surely someone in your family was involved or affected by the wars.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-19689552769422652792012-06-06T17:07:54.973+01:002012-06-06T17:07:54.973+01:00Great post. I love learning about the life styles ...Great post. I love learning about the life styles and challenges that my family had, but the women's lives are pigeon holed it seems to me to those of the upper levels of society. They rarely talk or show the lives of women who worked at home or raised their children alone after loss of husbands. I personally think that it would be refreshing to see a mom who overcomes.FranEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00727917499152200255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-90165505384200102572012-06-06T16:33:45.203+01:002012-06-06T16:33:45.203+01:00I absolutely agree with the amount of WWII history...I absolutely agree with the amount of WWII history programmes. There's been so many over the years, that they're just talking about the same things over again. My parents lived through the war, and even they've wondered if anything else happened in history with all these programmes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5649373752017919445.post-48500271800320742662012-06-06T16:27:51.280+01:002012-06-06T16:27:51.280+01:00Great post, Kirsty. I agree completely. I didn'...Great post, Kirsty. I agree completely. I didn't enjoy history at school at all, didn't even take GCSE, and now, like yourself, it's my job and passion!Danikahttp://familyhistoryhelpers.co.uknoreply@blogger.com