I knew nothing about Robin Gibb and had seen no advance information about this episode, so I had no pre-conceptions about it . It was a relatively low key episode, Robin Gibb came across as thoughtful and I enjoyed the stories from both his paternal and maternal side.
His great grandfather Matthew Gibb's time in the Indian army was marred by a demotion for drinking; his great great grandfather William Gibb's sad life as a hand loom weaver in Paisley, Scotland gave a sensitive profile of the harsh conditions of life at the time, and an excellent illustration on the valuable information to be found in the Poor Law Records.
On his mother's side, Robin followed the life of his great grandmother who was a midwife in Manchester and who came before a disciplinary council following an incident where she received a caution. However when she died there was a lovely sympathetic obituary to her in the local paper, which any descendant would be proud to have.
I enjoyed this episode, perhaps partly because I could identify with both the Scottish and Manchester angles. It did not stand out as one of the most notable in the series, but again the ancestral trail was well portrayed and the findings well documented. It held my attention throughout and, for me, was certainly not boring - a criticism I have read levelled at it.
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