Gill started her talk describing the way the programmes are organised. Although the series is headed by a genealogist, each programme has its own production team and some have more historical knowledge than others. The production team start work on the background of a celebrity. These may have been chosen by the team, from people in the public eye (attendance on Strictly Come Dancing was mentioned!), or the celebrity’s agents may have approached the makers of the programme, as inclusion is publicity. Researchers often turn down celebrities who know quite a bit about their own family backgrounds, and appear to prefer people with little historical knowledge as they want the celebrity to be surprised about some aspect of their background.
Initial research may not lead to a programme being made, but if it throws up a “story” or dramatic incident, professional genealogists like Gill will be called in to find out more about a person, place, event or time related issue (like cholera, for example). The genealogist will not be told who the celebrity is, and will only be given enough information to start the particular line of research they have been asked to do. Although they are paid for the research done, often it can take several weeks, even months, to complete, and it may not feature at all in the final filming. The genealogist may not be the person asked to present the information in front of the camera, and Gill gave a couple of examples where minor details were “tweaked” by the production team, to make the story more dramatic. Shots of modern buildings on the site of ancestral houses were often turned down by the team, as they weren’t interesting enough! So, as you would expect, only a small amount of the research finds its way onto the screen.
Gill outlined the research she had personally undertaken for 3 episodes: Mary Berry, Jonnie Peacock, and Ed Balls, including information which hadn’t made it onto the screen. Researchers are not allowed to discuss with the celebrity any further information they may have, in the pauses between filming, and Gill is unaware of the amount of detail eventually passed on to the celebrity, although she understands they are given a book once filming is completed.
It was very clear that, to the production team, the focus of the story is the celebrity, and, to a family historian, much of what is interesting does not make it onto the screen.
This was a fascinating talk and we were able to have a short chat with Gill afterwards in a breakout room. I think we will be booking her again!
Report by Viv Carter