Who Do You Think You Are - Dame Judi Dench 19th Oct

[kiterunner]

On BBC1 at 9 p.m.

At a guess, the repeat will be on BBC2 on the night of Fri / Sat 5/6 Nov, since the Josh Widdicombe one is repeated at 12:35 a.m. on Saturday 30th Oct.

[Janet]

I would so love to see this. I don't think I can from here in the U.S. :(

[Margaret in Burton]

I kept nodding off and having to rewind. Not very riveting as far as I’m concerned.

[Olde Crone]

I found the first half boring, the second half was interesting to me because it was about things I didn't already know about!

OC

[kiterunner]

Episode summary:

Judi Dench was born in England but her mother was born in England, and her father, Reginald Dench, was born in Dorset but moved to Dublin with his family at the age of 5. Reginald was a doctor, and Judi knew that he served in France in the First World War with the Leinster Regiment and received a medal for bravery, but he had never told her much about it.

Judi went to Ireland to see her cousins Denis and Valerie, who told her that Reginald's family lived at Sandymount, Dublin, where Judi's grandmother, Bessie Oak Dench, was involved with the local church. They also said that Reginald injured his leg in the war and won the Military Cross. Judi went to the Military Archives of Ireland and met an historian, who showed her Reginald's attestation papers, and told her that he trained as an officer at Trinity College Dublin at the age of 18. A Medical Board report showed that Reginald injured his knee during this training (while "jumping") and had to have a cartilage removed in June 1916. The historian explained which medal was the Military Cross, and pointed out the bar on it which meant that he actually qualifed twice for the medal. Judi went to Trinity College Dublin and met a military historian who told her that Reginald was ordered to Ypres in March 1917, and was mentioned in dispatches for fighting off a German trench raid, which earned him his first Military Cross. Then on the 13th Oct 1917 when stationed south of Arras, he was made an acting Captain, and organised a raid on the German trenches to measure them so an attack could be planned, killed a German soldier who attacked them, and made sure his men got back safely across No Man's Land, being last man back, which earned him his second Military Cross. Reginald was sent home in March 1918 because of his bad knee, a few days before the Spring Offensive in which all the other officers of the battalion were killed, wounded or captured.

Judi then went to Christ Church, Sandymount, and saw her father's name on the war memorial there and the stained glass window in memory of her grandmother. She then went to the National Library of Ireland and met a genealogist who had drawn up a family tree for her mother's side. Judi's mother was Eleanor Olive Jones, whose father was Henry Jebb Jones. Judi's 2xg-grandmother was Eleanor Frances Bolton born in 1802 at Brazil House, Swords, County Dublin. Judi was shown a picture of Brazil House, which has not survived. She was then shown the pedigree of the Bolton family drawn up by the Ulster King of Arms, which showed that her 6xg-grandparents were Richard Bolton and his wife Anne Catherine Bille, the daughter of Steen Bille of Copenhagen. She was also shown a collection of letters written by Robert Molesworth, the envoy to Denmark, which mentioned Richard Bolton ("Dick") and his "mistress" Anne Catherine Bille, whom he did not consider a suitable match for Richard.

Judi went to Copenhagen and met her distant relative Bjorn Bille, also an actor. He showed her Steen Bille's diary which mentioned Anne Catherine's birth and baptism in 1665, with various high-level military officials as baptism witnesses. Judi saw a painting of Steen's father, Anders Steensen Bille, who was a member of the nobility, and who was not allowed to marry Steen's mother, Katarina because she was from a peasant family. This meant that Steen was illegitimate and could not inherit his father's title.

Judi went to Copenhagen Citadel and met an historian who told her that Steen went to university and then entered the service of the High Dukes of Tuscany for several years before returning to Denmark, where he was a vital part of King Frederick III's coup d'etat, in which Frederick seized power from the nobility after a war with Sweden, making himself an absolute monarch. Judi then went to the Danish National Archives where she was shown a document from 1679 ennobling Steen and giving him the right to use his family's coat of arms, his reward for his service to the king. Another document showed that Richard and Anne Catherine inherited Anne Catherine's mother's estate.

Judi met another archivist who showed her a pedigree of the Bille family, which showed that Anders' father was Steen Bille, whose sister Beate Bille married Otto Brahe, and their son was Tycho Brahe the famous astronomer. Steen sr supported Tycho and helped him in his work. Beate was the highest lady in waiting to the Danish Queen at Kronborg Castle in Helsingør (English name Elsinore.) Judi went to the castle, and was shown a portrait of Beate, and a portrait of Tycho from one of his books, which had various shields in the background, including two labelled Rosenkrans and Gyldenstern (the same names as two of the characters in "Hamlet"). There was also a motto "non haberi sed esse", which reminded Judi of a line from "Hamlet". She was shown a list of entertainers paid to perform at the castle, including "Wilhelm Kemp" i.e. Will Kemp, who worked with Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre.

[kiterunner]

Surely the word "mistress" used to have a different meaning! Chambers Dictionary says, among other definitions, "a woman loved and courted by a man (archaic)". I would have thought Judi Dench would have come across it being used in that sense before.

[Guinevere]

I love Judi but wasn't hooked on the programme. Apart from the Hamlet connection. Not her fault, I hasten to add, she was a delight as always.

I agree with Kate about the use of "mistress".

[kiterunner]

I thought it was funny that she was so admiring of her ancestor for helping the king establish an absolute monarchy, much like Josh's ancestor last week. I don't suppose her ancestor was anywhere near as nice a person as she seemed to think.

[Olde Crone]

I thought she was a bit slow on the uptake, lol. "Helsingor? Helsingor? Hmm, where have I heard that before??" I haven't heard of or read Hamlet for 5 0 years but even I knew it would be Elsinore.

OC

[Jenoco]

I would so love to see this. I don't think I can from here in the U.S. :(

If we're lucky, it may turn up on YouTube in the next few days. I watched the Josh Widdicombe episode there (it's still available).

[Janet]

If we're lucky, it may turn up on YouTube in the next few days. I watched the Josh Widdicombe episode there (it's still available).

Oh wow, thanks Jenny, I found Josh Widdicombe! I had no idea WDYTYA was available on YouTube. I'll have a look at that tomorrow with much pleasure.

There was also a trailer for Judi Dench, so hopefully we can both land on that one too quite soon.

:):):)

[maggie_4_7]

I thought she was a bit slow on the uptake, lol. "Helsingor? Helsingor? Hmm, where have I heard that before??" I haven't heard of or read Hamlet for 5 0 years but even I knew it would be Elsinore.

OC


She is 86 and I think she was a bit stunned at some of the information and was having trouble taking it all in so quickly.

[Ann from Sussex]

There was quite a lot of "maybe" and "perhaps" in this episode but even so, the coincidence between Dame Judi having a family connection with the model for Elsinore and Ophelia being her first big Shakespearean role as a young actress was remarkable. As was said about Josh Widdicombe last week, the subject must be instructed to feign ignorance to give the experts an opening to explain facts to the viewer. Surely it could be done in a better way than making the celebrity look very silly? I can't believe that Dame Judi Dench didn't know that Shakespeare based Elsinore on Kronborg Castle. I did and I'm no expert on Hamlet!

I rather enjoyed the interior shots of the National Library of Ireland and their beautiful green shaded reading lamps. I have a photo of my daughter working at one of those desks under one of those lamps taken in summer 2020. It was the first day of their release from lockdown and she was so delighted to be able to go back to get on with her research that she sent me a photo. I would love one of those lamps because of the colour as I told her at the time!

[maggie_4_7]

My impression was that combining the Danish accent and using the Danish name it didn't click in Judi's mind quickly and the wheels and cogs were a bit slow.

[Nell]

I feel much of the "ignorance" of the person whose tree is being traced is for the benefit of the "ignorant" viewers, which annoys me. I also don't like them saying "ancestor" when they mean "relative".