Who Do You Think You Are?, the popular genealogy show which began on the BBC in 2004, traces celebrity family trees and highlights interesting ancestors’ stories. It has now taken off in the US, with American celebrities featured on the NBC program. Canadian and Australian versions have also been successful.
Who Do You Think You Are? in Britain
The BBC Who Do You Think You Are? has traced the family trees of more than 50 celebrities to date, including actors Jeremy Irons, David Tennant, and Kim Cattrall; chefs Rick Stein and Ainsley Harriott; Olympic medalists Sir Matthew Pinsent and Colin Jackson; numerous television presenters, and many others. The family history trails took Radio DJ Chris Moyles to the wretched Dublin slums of the past and the teenager’s job that took his family out of poverty; actress Meera Syal discovered freedom-fighter grandparents in India and visited the prison where her grandfather was held; actress Kate Humble got to meet a 90-year-old colleague of her RAF test-pilot grandfather.
The website for the BBC program provides a recap of what each celebrity hoped to find, and what the results were. A few of the “Past Stories” profiles include a page telling the actual research steps that were taken, such as tracing criminals, bankruptcy, and Polish heritage in broadcast journalist Esther Rantzen’s family heritage.
Who Do You Think You Are? in the United States
The first US season of Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC included actors such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee, and NFL great Emmit Smith. Like the BBC version, the program shows the research trail and focuses on family stories, not just names and dates. Matthew Broderick traced the military history of his father’s family, standing on battlefields and finding out where they fought, how they were wounded, and what happened to them. Smith followed a painful slavery history and visited Africa to see village life and learn about slavery there.
On the NBC Who Do You Think You Are? website, there is additional information for each spotlighted celebrity. A Historical Facts page spotlights areas of each celebrity’s family history, such as the Copacabana where Susan Sarandon’s grandmother performed, or facts about the Salem witch trials. A Photo Gallery page shows related history as it happened: early immigrants to the US, slavery, the California gold rush, and celebrity’s family photos.
Viewers can watch the entire episode, a few individual clips, or some bonus scenes. Unfortunately, the videos are not able to be watched overseas.
The Genealogy Behind the Scenes
The popularity of genealogy has taken an upswing thanks to the television shows, but interested viewers will find that it’s not as easy as it looks. The basic step of "start with what you know and work backwards" is nicely emphasized, but Who Do You Think You Are? engages professional genealogists to do the research, with easy access to archive and museum specialists. The showcased celebrities follow trails that are new to them, but when they get to an archive to search, the work has already been done and they’re shown the results.
Just because a celebrity is approached by the show doesn’t mean they’ll get on. The genealogists first have to be able to find enough information trace the family tree. Second, there has to be an interesting story, not just names and dates that they can’t find details on.
“Sometimes we’ve had to turn down people who we’d have loved to have included,” said producer Colette Flight in the August 2009 Who Do You Think You Are? magazine. “Hurricanes and a fire has wiped out essential records for [Don Warrington’s] family. There was potentially a really interesting story there, but we just couldn’t find any documents to support it.”
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
The front portion of Who Do You Think You Are? magazine focuses on the television program: upcoming shows, behind-the-scenes details, additional info on celebrity family trees that had to be cut from the episode.
The majority of the magazine, however, is written to help individuals trace their own family tree:
- A focus on a particular type of record (death, military, etc.).
- Spotlight on a particular region of Britain, with an accompanying CD of records for that area.
- Best websites for a particular research project.
- Q&A session with experts.
- Social history articles, detailing what life was like at a particular time and place.
The magazine is oriented to the UK, but because so many areas of the world began as British colonies, it has a wide international interest.
Jennifer Jensen - Jennifer Jensen is an Indiana writer just returned from a lovely few years in County Cork, Ireland. She has been the Feature Writer for ...
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