Who Do You Think You Are?
BBC One Tuesday 16 November
It says much about the longevity of
WDYTYA? that, in October 2004 when Bill Oddie was the first celebrity to be featured, YouTube had yet to be launched. Back in 2021, as Series 18 draws to a close, one of the two remaining episodes features Joe Sugg, whose YouTube channel ThatcherJoe (its name taken from his apprenticeship as a thatcher) has 7.6 million subscribers.
Engaging, open and clearly fascinated by what he finds, Sugg begins by learning about a 3x great grandfather who was involved in the earliest days of the then revolutionary telegraph industry. As someone who has similarly made his way in a new communications sector, he identifies strongly with his forebear.
Sugg also learns about ancestors who had to flee religious persecution in France. He concludes his episode in the grandest of surroundings in London, testament to the success of an upwardly mobile ancestor who survived the Great Fire of 1666.
The series ends with politician turned presenter Ed Balls, who like Sugg is a former Strictly Come Dancing star. Sadly, Balls’ mother Carolyn’s dementia leaves her unable to share any family stories, which gives his research a special poignancy.
Having heard stories of a paternal link to
Nelson’s flagship HMS Balls heads to Portsmouth to find out about the life of a forebear who was an assistant surgeon, but is led into dark territory and the bleak history of a Kent workhouse.
Researching his maternal line, Balls also learns about an ‘ag lab’ who was put on trial at Norwich Castle after defending his livelihood and community. Since Balls was raised in a family where there was a strong ethos of trying to make the world a better place, this really strikes a chord.