Who Do You Think You Are?

I've been a fan of the programme since its first instalment, and have enjoyed some of the most unlikely people's discoveries. For instance, I detest Clarkson and everything he stands for (except his loathing of caravans on the road), but his programme was fascinating.

Conversely, I have always enjoyed Robert Lindsay's work (and "Citizen Smith" in particular) but I thought his programme in the new series of WDYTYA this week was a major let down.

If the BBC really are trying to encourage people to get into Family History, surely they should be showing how to do it properly. Robert Lindsay was allowed to get away unchallenged with every mistake in the Family History handbook - mostly putting 2 and 2 together and making something in excess of 73.

No cross referencing, no correlation, just "it must have been grandad's boat." We've all done it, but I don't think it should be shown as an example of research on tv - unless of course it's another example of dumbing down for some imaginary BBC1 audience: then, even more so, it shouldn't be shown.

Simply, it was Bad History and moist-eyed television. Which is more important?

Which brings me to Barbara Windsor, or "Deeks" as she should be called.

Now, that was a good programme. And there we were back in the Suffolk Record Office in dear old BSE.

And did you catch the fleeting reference to Glemsford? Home of both Golding and Deeks of course, and now, it seems, an ancestral homeland for dear Barbara.

So: "Carry On Up The Family Tree". Great Stuff.