A World First! Family History With a Sense of Humour! Join me for a scintillating evening of stories, humour, and drama, at the world’s first, and only, stand-up Genealogy show! For the benefit of the Ambitious For All Foundation – Come along and know you’re supporting a good cause! Here are just some of the questions that may be answered on the night: How do you go from a slum in Peckham to a prime time TV Show (without changing your accent)? Celebrities – was it a thrill for them to meet me? Any Stories from’round here? Hostiles Hold Hostage. How do you pull off the Crime of the Century, 18 ..read more

https://armchairgenealogy.transistor.fm Latest Podcast “I’d say I’m a professional TV genealogist purely by chance without the qualifications to do the job. But with the experience.” Had a great time chatting with Mell Turford; Director at Broadcastmedia UK- Audio Genealogy, Podcast Producer, Digital Media Exponent, Polymath and Social Entrepreneur, wonderfully humorous and informative chat for your delectation ..read more

As the clock ticks towards 2024, here’s a little round up of 2023 from a Time Detectives Perspective. Alongside the Research published on the Blog there are lots of other things that Time Detectives have been involved in. Researched this: Hugh and John DNA Journey Series 5 Episode 1 Now Available on ITVX Researched and appeared in these: DNA Journey Adrian Dunbar and Neil Morrissey Peaked on the night at 2.3 Million Viewers DNA Journey Alex Brooker and Johnny Vegas DNA Journey takes top slot on the Night! Researched British and Commonwealth Service Men’s Families and US Submarine Crew for t ..read more

Why We Hate a Horizontal Black Line on a Birth Certificate! Are you curious about your ancestors and their stories? Would you be surprised if your past held secrets you never imagined? Join Michala with me as her guest, as we uncover hidden truths from our pasts and learn that things aren’t always as they appear. We share eerie tales of our personal experiences, including a chilling story of a piano playing by itself, possibly a sign from the beyond. The journey to the past can be challenging but rewarding. In our quest to unravel our roots, we grapple with historical documents like Bastardy r ..read more

Another “Unearth The Past” podcast by Dr Michala Hulme, that she very kindly asked me to speak on. The Subject to Hand: “Another captivating journey through the mystifying remnants of our ancestral past. This time, we traipse down the darker alleys of history, unearthing tales of mischief, misdeeds, and the evolution of the criminal justice system from the 18th to the 20th century. Joining Michala on this thrilling expedition is Paul McNeil, lending his expertise to shed light on the shadowy corners of our genealogical archives. From the audacious 1860’s femme fatale who conned jewellers with ..read more

Want to kick off 2024 with something different? Then try the first ever: “Stand-up Genealogy Show!” An entertaining trip through what it means to be a TV Genealogist; “Straight outta  Peckham” to an Expert on the Telly, with macabre and hilarious stories from my work. Rattling the skeletons from the Family Tree closets! I’ll be appearing for one night only at The Quay Theatre in Sudbury Suffolk at 7.30 PM on Friday 19th January 2024. Tickets available from the Box Office 01787 374 745 Time Detectives with Paul McNeil ..read more

I’ve met a few Coppers in the course of my own life, especially in my younger years coming from a working class home in Peckham South London from a family of Millwall supporters, and I was recently approached to do my unique “Stand-up Genealogy” gig for the local South Hampshire National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO) through a retired Police contact. Their Branch meetings are held in Victoria House in Netley. This is interesting in itself, as it is the Psychiatric building of the old Netley Hospital on the banks of the Solent. The hospital was at one time the largest Militar ..read more

29th July Danny Dyer’s Ancestors Some time ago I did some research into Danny Dyer’s family tree (the non-royal bit) and came up with this pastiche of a day in the life of the family: When Peter Dyer the Shipwright (Danny Dyer’s Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather) listened to his wife Eleanor singing to their sons, Peter, a toddler, and Edward a baby, in the summer of 1768, he most likely smiled and got on with hammering at the wooden ship that he worked on in the East India dockyard at Poplar.  Eleanor sang to the boys, held their hands to make an arch that they would run th ..read more

MONDAY, 31 JULY 2023 AT 17:30 The Ghoul Gang Paranormal Chit Chat Show featuring Paul McNeil In almost half a century of Genealogical research I’ve uncovered many macabre stories, from ghostly ship sightings by whole towns; ….to public beheadings in Georgian London; Letters from Jack The Ripper and from body snatchers living in the same house as the Kray Twins Ancestors, to English Lords denounced as Vampyres in open court. So I was delighted when the Ghoul Gang, our local Village paranormal investigators contacted me and asked me onto their podcast. The podcast goes out live at 5.30 UK Ti ..read more

New Genealogy podcast out from Dr Michala Hulme, featuring me, chatting about the Census and its use in tracing your Family History. Get ready for an enlightening journey into the world of genealogy, as Michala and myself uncover the critical role of the UK census in tracing family history. Get a behind-the-scenes peek at how these in-depth records, dating from as early as 1801, have reshaped our understanding of the past. The watershed moment, of course, was the 1841 census which became a key reference point, providing never-before-seen insights like address and occupation all in one record ..read more