Celebrity genealogy reality show?
Yes, I'm always following the latest entertainment news in The Hollywood Reporter. Today I learn that Lisa Kudrow is going to produce a new reality show that gives celebrities encounters with their ancestors:
The network has ordered a genealogy reality series called "Who Do You Think You Are" from U.K. production house Wall to Wall (PBS' "Frontier House") in association with Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky's Is or Isn't Entertainment.
The one-hour series is based on the hit British series where stars are shown the oft-surprising details of their ancestors' lives. In the U.K. version, the uncovered backstories included tales of bigamy, wartime heroism and, in one case, attempted murder. Celebrity participants often are brought to tears as they learn about their relatives' hardships.
The British version has a Wikipedia page, with quite a list of (British) celebrities -- Stephen Fry, Nigella Lawson, David Tennant....OOH OOH, David Dickinson!
Summaries of the episodes are available at the program's website, and they seem pretty interesting. They use traditional geneaological research with documentary records, not really any genetics that I've noticed -- no "African-American Lives"-like gene tracing. What an interesting story David Dickinson has.
Well, so I think an American version might have potential, but I'd be even more interested in having BBC America show the originals!
UPDATE (2008/03/13): A reader reports that the Canadian version of the show has used some DNA testing in its research:
Before heading to the New Brunswick archives to investigate the Gosmans further, [opera singer] Measha [Brueggergosman] and her brother Neville decide to send their DNA for analysis. Testing their DNA can provide information about their ancestorsâ distant ethnic background. Scientists compare genetic markers on chromosomes to see if they match up with samples compiled in a worldwide data bank.
This could be a lot of fun, depending on who the celebrities are.
John Hawks Department of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin—Madison
Copyright © 2007 John Hawks