Who Do You Think You Are

[dot.hawkes]

Zoe Wannamaker's was one of the better episodes. They are still very much dwelling in the recent past, but at least with this one the advance research was acknowledged and did not seem to have been miraculously discovered as the subject walked through the door. The research in the Ukraine was very interesting as it is a very very all too familiar story to many Westerners, the whole family leaving in terror and facing an agonisingly long journey just to find somewhere safe. The explanation of the Jewish records that were destroyed by the Russians when the Synagogues were destroyed was very informative. I did notice that in her grandfather's account, he had written that his father had died (in 1924 I think) but it was not referred to in the script.

[carolegif]

It also showed how important it is to write things down for our children and grandchildren. Part of the 1931 census is damaged I believe and there wasn't one in 1941. My brother pointed out that when we depart this world, our memories will die with us, plus all the family stories we have. I was brought up by my great grandmother who was born in 1870 (died at the age of 95 in 1965) and I still remember some of the memories she told me. It was definitely the best one so far in this series, most have only gone back to their grandfather.

[dot.hawkes]

Yes carole very true, I have a CD copy of a cassette interview i did with my Dad in 1998 when i was doping a Oral History Module for my degree. It is probably the most precious item in my house! But the details he went into for the 85 minute interview is astonishing. Stuff he had never even told my Mum in nigh on 50 years of marriage!

[Poppetchops]

Enjoyable as the programme is, the BBC seem to have an axe to grind with featuring persons of very near foreign extraction and only going back one generation or so on a very personal journey for the celebrity concerned. I'm not quite sure where Zoe Wannamaker's family were coming from (no pun), on the one hand they fled Jewish persecution and sought refuge in the USA, then at least one of them became a communist biting the hand that fed him. What did he make of communist Russia's persecution of the Jews ?