[UKTV/8:30pm] Who Do You Think you Are? Julie Sawalha. Julia Sawalha is best known for her roles in Absolutely Fabulous and Pride and Prejudice. She has a very interesting and mixed background. Her father, Nadim, came to England in the 1950s from his native Jordan, where he met and married Julia's mother, Roberta. Julia had always felt quite strongly influenced by her father's side of the family, so decided to start her quest by investigating her less well known maternal links. Roberta's grandmother was Gladys Dubock, and as a consequence of her surname assumed that there was a connection with France, possibly of Huguenot extraction. (The Huguenots were a group of Protestant refugees who first came to England fleeing from persecution in France in the 16th century.) Yet there was no proof for such a connection - a common problem for many people make assumptions based on the 'sound' of a name. So Julia's first task was to build her family tree, using certificates and census returns at the Family Records Centre, London. After tracking her family back six generations, she eventually located William Dubock, a grocer and cheesemonger in the 1881 and 1871 censuses. However, he is listed as a silk weaver in the 1861 census - one of the most common professions amongst the Huguenot community that established itself around Spitalfields and Soho, London. Indeed, further research provided a link back to Peter Dubock in the early 18th century, confirming that for four generations her family had been silk weavers. The change in profession was forced upon William in the 19th century, when the French invented a superior loom and were able to mass-produce silk goods far more cheaply than their English counterparts. In 1861, a trade ban on French goods was lifted and the market was immediately flooded with cheaper goods, driving thousands of weavers out of work. The fortunate ones were able to switch trades to survive, hence William became a grocer. Many others found manual work on the railways or the docks, but the less fortunate starved, or ended up in the workhouse. The area around Spitalfields quickly descended into a slum. Confirmation of Julia's Huguenot roots was eventually proved via Peter Dubock's grandfather, Daniel Dubock, who fled from a small village in Normandy called Luneray in the 17th century. He was one of nearly 200,000 Huguenots who fled after the French King Louis XIV passed a decree in 1685 banning Protestant worship in France and stripping Huguenots of their civil rights. This meant they were unable to inherit property, their marriages were invalidated resulting in their children being declared illegitimate and they had to bury their dead in secret. No wonder so many sought a new life overseas. Having found out the history of her mother's side of the family, Julia then investigated her paternal lineage. Nadim's parents, Jochim and Julia senior, had lived in Jordan all their lives and married in 1920s at a time when society was changing. Jochim's family were Bedouins, tribal people who lived a nomadic existence in the desert. Yet Julia senior (maiden name Marar) ran a hotel and a string of businesses in the capital, Amman. It was an unusual position for a woman to hold and one that later won her recognition from the king of Jordan. This was also quite a change from her Jordanian family's traditional roots. The Marar family came from a small rural town called Madaba, 30 miles from Amman, which was also the tribal home of Jochim's family. At the time, your tribe was a more important social grouping than your family, though things subsequently changed as Jordan became more Westernised. Julia discovered that Julia senior's mother originally came from a different tribe, the Oozates, who had been nomadic farmers in the south for centuries, following the same pattern of life until their move to Madaba in 1880.
[Showtime/8:30pm] Movie: The Fog. (US 2005) Tom Welling.
[Ten/8:00pm] Saving Babies. Final
[Ten/8:30pm] Law & Order: SVU “Demons” Rpt.
[Ten/9:30pm] Law & Order: CI. “Mis-Labelled” Rpt.
[Seven/12:00pm] Movie: Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (US 1992) Buffy is a cute cheerleader whose world turns upside down when she learns that she is the 'chosen one' - a vampire slayer who is the sole hope for mankind - or at least for her high school! Starring KRISTY SWANSON, DONALD SUTHERLAND, PAUL REUBENS, RUTGER HAUER, LUKE PERRY, HILARY SWANK, DAVID ARQUETTE and RANDALL BATINKOFF.
[Seven/8:00pm] My Name is Earl. ROBBED A STONER BLIND
In the middle of a heat wave, Earl decides to cross number 26 off his list, 'Robbed a Stoner Blind'. To accomplish this task Earl and Randy find Woody the stoner and must live an environmentally conscious life in the commune with Woody for a week. Special guest star CHRISTIAN SLATER.
[Seven/8:30pm] AFL. Rnd 2: Brisbane Lions V St Kilda.
[Seven/11:30pm] Special: Lost. Survivor Guide. Creators DAMON LINDELOF, CARLTON CUSE give their slant on life on the island as they take you along on an insightful glimpse into your favourite characters - their past, their strengths, their weaknesses and how the island has changed them forever. Explore the recent events and the secrets of the mysterious island in a way that will bring new viewers up to date and serious fans will also find illuminating. Narrated by KYLE MCLACHLAN.
[Seven/12:30am Fri] Movie: The War At Home (US 1996) Oscar winner KATHY BATES teams up with acclaimed actor MARTIN SHEEN in this unforgettable story of the power of forgiveness and the everlasting bond between fathers and sons. Also starring EMILIO ESTEVEZ and KIMBERLY WILLIAMS. Rpt.
[Nine/7:30pm] Getaway. Tonight on Getaway we visit the beautiful Greek Island of Hydra where the only way to get around is by donkey! We also reveal a 'secret' way to save up to 70% on Australia's 5 star hotels. We spend a day at the races, Hong Kong style. Ben journeys down the Murray in a tinnie while Dermott takes an unusual pub crawl in Toowoomba.
[ABC/8:30pm] Separating Twins. An emotive program about a family's journey over thousands of miles to separate two of the rarest children the world has ever seen.
[ABC/9:35pm] Women Of The Holy Kingdom. Rare access to Saudi homes and workplaces exploring how modern Saudi Arabian society is dealing with the radical change in expectations and opportunities for women.
[ABC/12:30am Fri] Movie: Whistle Down The Wind (UK 1961). A trio of children finds an escaped criminal in their barn and mistake him for Jesus Christ. From the novel by Mary Hayley Bell. Produced by Richard Attenborough. CAST: Hayley Mills, Alan Bates. Rpt.
[SBS/8:30pm] The Eagle: A Crime Odyssey - Codename: Iphigenia - In this weeks episode Hallgrom and the team are still after Sergei. The murder of Berit Grena, a Crown witness looks like it may be related. The trail of murders is proof that Hallgrim is getting dangerously close to Sergei. Nervous that Sergei is tracking him Hallgrim begins to worry for Marie's safety, and spends the night at her apartment. The team are finally closing the net around Sergei, but can they catch him before he takes another life? (From Denmark, in Danish with English subtitles) (Drama Series) (Part 4) M (A,V) CC WS
[SBS/10:05 pm] The Mighty Boosh - The Nightmares of Milky Joe - Marooned on a desert island on Vince occupies himself by designing bamboo drainpipe trousers for the New Wave castaway. Meanwhile Howard finds someone else to share his time with, someone who will engage in stimulating intellectual conversation: Milky Joe; a coconut on a stick. Jealous, Vince starts his own relationship with a gorgeous coconut named Ruby. However things go terribly sour when Howard begins to woo ruby, and finds himself in an abusive relationship. (From the UK, in English) (Comedy Series) M (A,L) CC WS
[31/10:30pm] Studio Q. Tonight on Studio Q we have a Dolly Diamond special. Dolly (aka Michael Dalton) is a UK cabaret singer and performer with an extraordinarily fast wit. We chat with her about her performance career, and what it is in Australia that keeps her coming back. Includes footage of Dolly performing live at the Opium Den earlier this year.
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Jericho's nuclear drama will now be seen on Friday nights from April 27, and Veronica Mars appears to have been struck by the fallout.
