Who Do You Think You Are? (Irish TV series)
| Who Do You Think You Are? | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Directed by |
Ingrid Gargan Imogen Murphy Mark Warren Gerry Hoban |
| Narrated by | Arthur Riordan[1] |
| Composer(s) | Mark Sayer- Wade |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Steve Carson Miriam O'Callaghan |
| Producer(s) |
Isobel Nolan Marie Eschenbach |
| Editor(s) | Gerry Hoban |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Mint Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | RTÉ One |
| Original release | 15 September 2008[2] – 19 October 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | British version of Who Do You Think You Are? |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Who Do You Think You Are? is an Irish genealogy documentary series that first aired on RTÉ One in 2008. It is made by the production company Mint. In each episode, a celebrity goes on a journey to trace his or her family tree. The series is based on the original version of the franchise, broadcast by the BBC in the United Kingdom.
Notable discoveries
In the first episode, RTÉ news reporter Charlie Bird discovered his great-great-grandfather had been involved in the Battle of the Nile (1798) and served under Admiral Nelson himself, whilst Bird also discovered that his grandfather was a bigamist.[3]
In the fifth episode, RTÉ presenter Pamela Flood travelled through "19th-century Dublin, taking in red light districts, millionaire solicitors, pawnbrokers, contested wills, illegitimate children and murder". She met historian David Nolan, who has written a history of Corballis House, where her granny was sent to stay; they subsequently discovered she was born out of wedlock.[4]
In the first episode of the second series Ryan Tubridy discovered he was a descendant of Edward III.[5]
List of episodes
First series
| # | Featured celebrity | Date of transmission | Details |
| 1 | Charlie Bird | 15 September 2008 | Outline (archive link) |
| 2 | Joe Duffy | 22 September 2008 | Outline (archive link) |
| 3 | Dana Rosemary Scallon | 29 September 2008 | Outline (archive link) |
| 4 | Ardal O'Hanlon | 6 October 2008 | Outline (archive link) |
| 5 | Pamela Flood | 13 October 2008 | Outline (archive link) |
| 6 | Linda Martin | 20 October 2008 | Outline (archive link) |
Second series
| # | Featured celebrity | Date of transmission | Details |
| 1 | Ryan Tubridy | 14 September 2009 | Outline (archive link) |
| 2 | Ivan Yates | 21 September 2009 | Outline (archive link) |
| 3 | Rosanna Davison | 28 September 2009 | Outline (archive link) |
| 4 | Diarmuid Gavin | 5 October 2009 | Outline (archive link) |
| 5 | Fionnula Flanagan | 12 October 2009 | Outline (archive link) |
| 6 | Simon Delaney | 19 October 2009 | Outline (archive link) |
Response
The first series was criticised for its attempts to mimic the original BBC version. The Irish Independent remarked that: "Our [the Irish nation] pool of talent is so small that the entire country knows exactly what Charlie Bird's lifestyle and personal circumstances are. He is an RTÉ "personality", to be wheeled out in each and every situation ... ad nauseam. He is meant to be a working journalist, not a personality star. It muddies the waters of credibility when supposedly serious journalists become personality acts".[6]
Just before the first episode was broadcast, the Evening Herald ironically compared RTÉ's "awkwardly titled" Where Was Your Family During the Famine? (also broadcast in 2008), in which celebrities traced their family histories back to the darkest period in Ireland's history, to the BBC version.[7]
Mention was also made of the high proportion of RTÉ employees involved in the series (Bird is a news reporter, Duffy a radio broadcaster, Flood a television presenter and Martin appears frequently on RTÉ), with a suggestion that the series ought to be renamed Who Do RTÉ Personalities Think They Are?[8]
References
- ↑ Credits
- ↑ "Who Do You Think You Are? begins on RTÉ One". RTÉ. 15 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ↑ "A Bermuda triangle of Bird family mysteries". Irish Independent. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ↑ "16 Blocks". Irish Independent. 11 October 2008. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
- ↑ McBride, Caitlin (9 September 2009). "Revealed ... Tubridy's secret relation is Edward III". Evening Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
- ↑ "RTE should prepare to stretch the boundaries". Irish Independent. 14 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ↑ "RTE cooks up an appetising drama". Evening Herald. 9 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
- ↑ "Cullen rightly plays Trump card". Irish Independent. 28 September 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
External links
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